Metalhead Spotted

Interview with Icelandic Black Metal stalwart Hilmar(krulli) off Naðra, Norn, Örmagna,The Moronic, Beware the blue sky, Sveimhugar

Abyssal, Cavernous, anonymous Reykjavík based Icelandic orthodox black metal outfit Naðra's last full-length offering "Allir vegir til glötunar" that surpasses the usual stereotypes and presents something enjoyable, chaotic and decidedly well-presented. Their concoction of black metal is more sprawling, adventurous, twisted into more madness, variation and dissonant. Their music is as intense and uncompromising as ever. This is so damned unrelentingly heavy with such dose of morbidity and grimness. Overall shattering and memorable enough to stave off the banalities of the other albums tunes with its lurching, grooving riff patterns and linear, raspy, chaotic black metal vocal lines. This is encompassed by an atmosphere steeped in evil and menace as well as enhance and accentuate the pervading evil atmosphere. It’s tumultuous, furious and rather unrelenting. Well, now straight diving to the interview session with the drummer Hilmar.

1. Hello Hilmar, how are you doing today? Warm greetings to Iceland from India.

Hello Souvik, I'm doing great thank you and greetings from Iceland.

2. So you have involved with plenty black metal project like Naðra, Norn , Örmagna, The Moronic, Beware the blue sky, Sveimhugar etc. since black metal is in your forte, So Can you give me a brief history of your previous and how can you manage all extreme bands together? Had you been in any bands or musical apparition before aforementioned all bands?

And yes I have been in other bands other than you mention in this question. In 2007 I started playing drums because the former drummer in my first metal band quit and we needed someone to play drums so I bought a drumkit and haven't stopped drumming since then. That band was called Universal Tragedy. We played for a few years until I met the guys in Norn and later on Naðra. I have been in numerous “garage” bands that I don´t remember the names of. Good question how I manage all those bands.... uuummm most of the band members I play with, write their music down and send to each other so when it comes to rehearsal we have learned the songs and we just play them. Simple as that.

3. What bands inspired the direction that took and motivated you? Writers? Visual artists? Movies? Books?

Probably my biggest influences, when I began drumming, was Lamb of God, Megadeath and Judas Priest.

4. There are two basic ways of looking at music. In the first, there is a mechanism for the arrangement of certain tones, musical style.in the second, a narration occurs where a story is told or a poetic function completed. In your view of compositions, which is more important? Where were you when you first thought the project had the longterm potential for you?

I do not agree there are two basic ways of looking at music. Both options that you gave me are both really important, even in black metal. For example, in both Naðra and Örmagna there is a story being told with the instruments even though we have a singer singing lyrics over it, and Beware the blue sky is telling a story only instrumentally. One of the other ways to look at the music I find important is the feelings it brings you, how does the music you're listening to make you feel? I never thought that one of my bands would have a long term potential for me at the time, I barely knew most of the people when I started playing with them, but they made good music and that was enough for me.

5. What for you is the significance of the aforementioned all bands name? Especially "Naðra", "Norn" , "Örmagna", "The Moronic", "Sveimhugar" ?

Naðra is a common Europian serpent, Norn translates as a witch, Örmagna is an utterly exhausted mental state, The Moronic = stupidity and Sveimhugar means basically wandering/drifting minds.

6. If you could tour with other bands in metal, who would you pick if you were looking for bands similar to your acts?

This one is really hard to answer because there are a lot of bands that I would like to tour with, the more bands from different genres you play with the more people you meet and get to know.

7. If I choose "Naðra" Since starting year Naðra released demos, EPs, Live and Debut album etc and shaped the style of music. How do you and the bandmates maintain this consistency yet keep developing with each release? How do you guys prepare yourself in the matter of writing songs with new, unique thoughts? What is the most difficult part of composing songs as per your perspective? As well kindly give a brief for your other projects too.

Good question. The demo Eitur was recorded only 2 weeks after we started playing together so we just rehearsed and recorded it. The full length was recorded 8-9 months later and after playing the songs for that period of time a lot of small changes that every instrument player did just happened at rehearsals and became normal. I didn't play in the live album or the EP album 'Form' that was H.R.H. And like I said earlier, we write the songs down and send to each other and then we meet and play them and most times when we play them together then maybe me or the guitarist, for example, get some idea and we change it on the spot.

8. Do you have a preference for the type of equipment? In your mind, how important is equipment to the production of music?

About composing new songs.. that is something that just comes instead of being forced.

9. Well, now I’m going to the main point. Already you had woked with Naðra. So is there any new black metal project coming near future consist with you? Since I'm too much obsessed with Icelandic black metal haha, As well how can you manage your all projects consistently this is still mysterious to me and highly cite your unsurpassed quality, ability, and skill.

For me, the equipment is really important for most of my bands. But not for Norn and The Moronic. Sometimes it´s good to have bad equipment to get a certain atmosphere that is important

10. What's going on as far as lyrical themes on release and if you are potential, kindly unleash the forthcoming name of your projects/album/official track?

The band Örmagna is kind of black/punk/doom so I recommend that people keep a close eye on that project.

At the moment the answer is no but who knows what will happen in the future. I have a system on how I manage all of my bands. We/they are good at recording or writing the music down and then they send it to me. I listen to it while working and create a beat to each song when we meet. Sometimes they don't work so I change them and we play it a few times. Then we record it on our phones so I can listen to it when I'm at work.

11. In my opinion, all of your projects musical style is packed with references to Misanthropy, Darkness so hideous that the mere sight of one is enough to drive a person insane. The harrowing music that swirl like the vortex of a tornado ripping through the blackest of tar pits and tuneful vocals adds a new dimension to the template, often replacing the usual ambient horror cocooning the complex riffs and rhythms, Hallucinogenic with a healthy dose of paranoia. would you agree with this though black metal stalwarts, its purveyors willingly eschewed publicity?

Haha that is something that I'm not involved within my bands, not my strong suit. I think that each person should make their own personal opinion on the songs when they listen to them.

12. I’ve categorized all of your projects significant and signature style.so, How did you get into this style of music and explain about this music genre?

When I got into this music genre I started as a bass player and our drummer quit the band so I decided to buy a drumkit and yeah that was 12 -13 years ago. I started playing music styles like Metallica and Megadeth but as I got older the music started to get more and more heavy. And as a drummer, it's quite fun to play fast :).

13. How would you describe the sound of aforementioned all of your project to someone who hadn’t heard it, and what distinguishes your music from any other act in the same genre?

Naðra and Örmagna would be, of course, black/heavy metal, Norn.. that is hard to put in a category. I and the bassist call it “Árna metal” people just have to check it out and make up their minds themselves. The Moronic is experimental hardcore, Beware the blue sky is post-rock and Sveimhugar is folk music and is non-metal.

14. Do you have any playthrough videos coming out soon?

Yes, I do, I am working on some playthrough videos at the moment but I can't say when they will be released.

15. Who came up with the Naðra "Allir vegir til glötunar"album cover? The album artwork is truly indelible, remarkable, appreciable and meaningful too. Kindly explain about the album in your thought.

That would be Skaðvaldur which is a very talented artist. He has made a lot of designs for the metal scene in Iceland.

16. Let's talk about your early memories. What's the first gig you ever went to? Have you been to any killer live shows lately?

My first metal show was in 2006 or 2007 when Cannibal Corpse came to Iceland.

I went to a festival here in Iceland this summer called Norðanpaunk and most of the bands playing there were Icelandic and all of those bands had a killer show at that festival.

17. In before you performed a lot of gigs so, Which show was the most memorable to you so far? Do you get a good crowd response? Did you get offers to play in other countries or anything like that?

Most memorable at the moment is the one Naðra had at Inferno festival in Norway last year and Ascension this year in Iceland. And yes I get offers there and then to play in other countries in Europe.

18. Do you study other bands music to come up with ideas?

I used to do that when I was younger but now I am in a music school called FÍH which is a highly respected jazz school so I am getting new ideas from there and I'm still growing as a musician and hopefully always will be.

19. How do you prepare yourself before the studio or especially for live performances? Did any band, in particular, inspire you in the shrieking department?

Number 1, 2 and 3 warmup. I always start my warmups one hour maybe one and a half-hour before the show or recording.

20. In your opinion is there a difference in the Naðra's sound as compared to the Full length, EPs and demos you guys have released in the past?

Of course, there is a difference in the sound. The demo was recorded with a really bad setup which makes it sound really nice, the right sound. The full length was recorded with much better equipment, and I can´t answer for the EP because I did partake in recording it.

21. You are from Iceland, so how much have you discovered about the extreme metal scene and how much of it were you aware of before aforementioned all of your band started?

Before I started in these bands and especially Universal Tragedy I didn't know of any other extreme metal bands.

22. There is some authentic imagery with your lyrics, theme, Sigil. Is this just an image or something you believe in?

Haha this is just an image. Naðra is a common European serpent.

23. What do you do as individual band members to relax, when not working on music? Do you have jobs or business?

I never relax really. I have a day job as a carpenter and also go to school two days a week. I usually never relax but I take time 2-3 times a year for maybe one week to relax and go on vacation.

24. What albums are you listening to lately or just the bands and albums, in general, you're really digging right now and tell me about your anticipated album of this year?

These I'm not listening to anyone specific album/s. I rather listen to songs that capture me and are catchy to me and I listen to them a lot. But to name one song then I'd have to choose Deliverance by Opeth.

25. Last one question, what are your future band goals & tell us something about an upcoming tour. Lastly, lots of teenagers aim to be full-time musicians. Many of them might be without any proper guidance, any words of wisdom for them?

At the moment there are no upcoming tours I can talk about, and kids, never stop playing your instruments no matter what happens. And if you feel like you are stuck at some level at playing then rehearse even more or seek guidance.

26. That's all I've got right now.best of luck for the future. Looking forward. Thanks a lot for enduring this torture haha. Any final thoughts, comments for the readers? If I forgot anything, please insert it in here.

Keep playing, keep listening to new music and thank you for your time :)

The interview was done By Souvik Basu. Published on 12.09.2019

Hi Souvik, here Paingrinder, singer of Onirophagus and Estertor. All good for Barcelona! How about India?

2. Yeah all fine here, So you have involved with plenty project. since death/doom metal is in your forte, So Can you give me a brief history of your previous and how can you manage all extreme bands together? Had you been in any bands or musical apparition before aforementioned all bands?

Being in several bands at the same time takes a lot of patience and time. The trick is that none of them match or overlap the other. My story began singing in the extinct band Paintone. There I learned to sing and move around the stages in the underground scene of Barcelona. Later I got involved in the grindcore band Empanadilla de pus and then in Decapitated Christ with which I recorded 4 albums.

3. What bands inspired the direction that took and motivated you? Writers? Visual artists? Movies? Books?

In the case of Onirophagus the influence is very clear. On the one hand the old school of Death / Doom: Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Anathema, old Katatonia, Winter, etc. And in the Death Metal side everything that has to do with the classics like Autopsy, Morbid Angel, Obituary, etc.

But not only do we suck that scene but we are also influenced by bands like Candlemass, Iron Maiden, Celtic Frost, Mercyful Fate or Primordial.

I was always in love with Giger's art. To such an extent that I have tattooed a whole sleeve with his work, a mixture of Biomeckanic, Alien and the cover of the Eparistera Daimones of Triptykon, a record that marked me a lot and also one of the triggers to form a band like Onirophagus. Also artists like Goya with his black paintings, Gustave Doré, Joel Peter Witkins, Beksinski are part of my love for dark art. I consider myself a great lover of Stephen King's literature, from which I have read almost all his books. Lovecraft is also one of my most contemporary inspirations, Poe or writers like Bret Easton Ellis. As for the cinema one could say that it is a passion that I have been since I was a child. My brothers tortured me with horror movies from the eighties like Demons, Evil Dead, Re-Animator, etc. And thanks to them my passion for cinema was growing over the years. I am not stuck in a single genre since in one day I can see Serpico and then see The Room or Borat. From directors like John Carpenter to Polanski, from Spielberg to Jarmusch. A life without cinema or music makes no sense!

I think both paths are important. There is not one without the other. When composing, we are already clear about what these riffs transmit to us and what we want to narrate in them. But not everything is so obvious, perhaps in a rotten riff we are expressing a beautiful and sincere feeling and yet in a sad arpeggio, we are throwing up all our anger. Onirophagus was created in 2011 with Moregod on guitar and Uretra on drums. They needed a singer and contacted me since I was currently in Decapitated Christ. I went to see them at a rehearsal and after exposing my idea of creating an old-school Death Doom band, this little beast was born. So, I have been present at birth and in all the progress and advances that the band has been giving little by little. I also hope to be the day of his death! But calm, that will be in a long time!

5. What for you is the significance of your all bands name? Especially "Onirophagus"?

Paintone was a pun, Decapitated Christ was a blasphemy against Christ and all organized religions. Empanadilla de pus, let's say it's a kind of pus cake, a funny name since we made grindcore of sexual content, psycho killers, etc. Onirophagus means dream eater. The name says everything. A beast, a carnal or spiritual entity that ends all hope, that destroys everything it encompasses. Pure desolation.

6. If you could tour with other bands in metal, who would you pick if you were looking for bands similar to your acts?

There are so many bands that I would like to do a tour with, but especially with My Dying Bride since I think our music is similar to what they did in the early '90s with their As I flower wither or Turn loose the swans. A more current band that we also venerate is Ophis.

7. If I choose "Onirophagus" Since starting year Onirophagus released two successful full-length albums till date and shaped the style of music. How do you maintain this consistency yet keep developing with each release? How do you write your riffs, songs? What is the most difficult part of composing songs as you do? As well kindly give a brief for your other projects too.

When we meet to compose new songs we always say the same thing: we must maintain a balanced balance between the most rotten Death metal and the saddest and most depressive Doom. As long as that balance is balanced Onirophagus will continue to maintain that consistency. In Endarkenment we have added other elements that in the previous albums were not, such as current Black metal dyes such as Mgla or Svartidaudi and more than the Swedish Black / Death school as Dissection or Necrophobic. All these strokes are thanks to the inclusion of Shoggoth and Desecrator to the guitars.

When composing a song we let the riffs flow in the rehearsal room and from a riff that transmits something we are preparing the song. We are all contributing ideas and I am structuring where each element has to go. Perhaps the hardest part of composing, then remember all the riffs and where each one goes. We usually make paper structures, but with Endarkenment it has been particularly complicated since the songs were much longer than the previous works. In the rest of the bands, we do it the same when creating new songs. In Estertor I take care of the lyrics since they are all related to classic horror movies.

8. Do you have a preference for the type of equipment? In your mind, how important is equipment to the production of music?

It is very important to have good equipment when recording a disc. And above all have a good producer. That's why we always have Javi Félez from Moontower Studios. A dude who has been on the scene for many years and a fucking metal bible. It also depends on the style of metal you want to do, that is, with Estertor we do Thrash Metal at Sodom, Celtic Frost, Kreator, etc. In the next album, we want to sound darker and dirtier than in the first job, but for that, we can't go recording with cheap crap combos.

9. Well, now I’m going to the main point. Already on this year, Onirophagus released their new effort. So is there any new official video coming near future? As well again how can manage

your other bands consistently this is still mysterious to me and highly cite your versatility.

Unfortunately, there will be no more Endarkenment videos, nor a video clip since our songs are very long and we don't like video clips either. Maybe in the next job, but for now we want to stay true to our ideals. Well, I handle it as I can and when I can haha, a few days of the week with Onirophagus and the others with Estertor and always watching that no concerts or dates of either band coincide. It is hard work but not impossible.

10. What's going on as far as lyrical themes on release and if you are potential, insisted kindly unleash the forthcoming incantation name of your other projects too?

Well, 6 months ago Endarkenment has gone on sale and for now, we have not thought about the concept of our next album since it is still very soon and we want to present the album live. Yes, I can say that our next work will be very dark and perhaps more rotten but without losing our essence and beautiful places in our songs.

With Estertor we are fully involved in the composition of our second album. There is still no title for the album, but it will follow the trail of its predecessor in terms of lyrics. Musically it will be more violent, fast and dirty like the old Sodom with "Persecution Mania" or "Show no mercy" by Slayer!

11. In my opinion, all of your projects musical style is packed with hideous that the mere sight of one is enough to drive a person insane. The harrowing lead guitar that swirl like the vortex of a tornado ripping through the blackest of tar pits and tuneful vocals adds a new dimension to the template, often replacing the usual cocooning brutal riffs and rhythms, Hallucinogenic with a healthy dose of paranoia. would you agree with this though death/doom stalwarts, its purveyors willingly eschewed publicity?

Totally according to your description. Let's say it's like a Lovecraft story. It puts you fully into chaos but let your mind imagine the horror behind it. There are times when I listen to Endarkenment and I feel like crying and other times I hit something hard! There are many feelings in this album and I think we have reflected it perfectly.

12. I’ve categorized all of your projects significant and signature style.so, How did you get into this style of music and explain about this music genre?

When I was 10 years old I discovered Heavy Metal thanks to the old Italian horror movies. I had a neighbor older than me who was passionate about metal and thanks to him I discovered Thrash and Death metal. Over the years I met friends who taught me Black metal and Doom. That was when I wanted to cover all those sounds. I have to say that I hear almost everything, even until the Gothic Rock of the eighties as Sisters of mercy or The mission. The first Death / Doom band I heard was Katatonia, specifically the “Dance of December Souls”. That record left me shattered. At first, I did not understand very well since it was something much slower and more agonized, especially coming from hearing things like Sepultura, Accept or Obituary. When I knew how to understand every note and every stanza of that Katatonia record, it was when the doors opened to everything else: Gothic of Paradise Lost, Pentecost III of Anathema, Turn loose the swans of MDB, etc. It is a genre that shows you many feelings at the same time, just like what we try to do in Onirophagus. It can sink you into the most absolute misery as well as make your day. It is hypnotic and hopeless in equal parts and perhaps therein lies its charm.

13. How would you describe the sound of aforementioned all of your project to someone who hadn’t heard it, and what distinguishes your music from any other act in the same genre?

It could be said that we pay tribute to the school of the early '90s and something that distinguishes it from other bands is that we don't try to copy or imitate the sound of any of our influences. Onirophagus simply practices old-school Death/Doom. Sometimes it may remind me of Lost Paradise and other times of Black metal with a more modern cut, but always adding to it the essence that I think we have achieved in these almost 10 years of existence.

14. Do you have any playthrough videos coming out soon?

No, at the moment there will be no videos until our future release and there is still a lot of time left for that! But on youtube, you can listen to Dark River and the Full album.

15. Who came up with the predecessor releases cover? I personally cherish all of your projects each and every released artwork because those are truly indelible, remarkable, appreciable and meaningful too. Kindly explain about this.

On our covers, we have always wanted to express the absence of animal or human life. We base ourselves on the primitive, on returning to the primeval mud from which everything arose. Not life, just desolation. In Endarkenment we wanted to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors but adding that amorphous, androgynous figure with a crown of illumination. Beneath her feet lies a lotus flower that in other cultures may mean life, but here it withers. Illumination through putrefaction or putrefaction through illumination. That's our message and the music I think perfectly reflects the work Adam Burke has done for this album.

16. Let's talk about your early memories. What's the first gig you ever went to? Have you been to any killer live shows lately? Also as per my understanding, you were also a part with one of my favorite band "Decapitated Christ" so, there is no news regarding their upcoming release. The band is dissolved or still active kindly confirm.

Well, my first concert was Metallica on Load's tour in 1996. I was 11 years old and for me, it was incredible to see a band that influenced me so much. I recently attended the 25th Anniversary Party San, probably the best extreme metal festival in Europe. I have seen bands like Svartidaudi, Mgla, Nekrovault, Slaegt, Taphos, Deicide, Bloodbath and many more. As for Decapitated Christ, I have no news on whether the band is still active. I left the band after the recording of the last album and later they toured Europe together with Graveyard. Desecrator, our guitarist on Onirophagus is still on Decapitated Christ but they've been down for years as he also has another band called NECRORACLE.

17. In before you performed a lot of gigs so, Which show was the most memorable to you so far? Do you get a good crowd response? Did you get offers to play in other countries or anything like that?

We have played in many places and every concert has its charm. For example, the first time we played in Madrid together with Avulsed, Purtenance, and Dissect was the host. We were treated like kings and the response from the audience was spectacular, we even got to sign autographs.

But I think the concert where the public response was massive was a few months ago in Barcelona presenting Endarkenment with Saturnus and Helevorn. We hadn't played in years, people were waiting for that album and we gave a dark show, ritualistic, very cold, without speaking to the audience, just sounding samplers between songs. When we left the stage people screamed like never before. We sold a lot that night and we sold out several boxes of Endarkenment doing even sold out on t-shirts and CDS.

18. Do you study other bands music to come up with ideas?

I'd be lying if I said I don't take ideas from other bands. It's obvious that when you hear something new you say "Fuck, I want to do something like that in our next job". But as I mentioned before, they're just influences, we're not trying to copy anyone, we're trying to pay a tribute to underground.

In Endarkenment we have added touches of more current bands like Mgla or Svartidaudi, bridging a lot of distances. But if you look at a more accelerated melody, there are punches and arpeggios that can remind you of the new wave of Icelandic Black metal.

19. How do you prepare yourself before the studio or especially for live performances? Did any band, in particular, inspire you in the shrieking department?

I don't have any protocol or any kind of preparation before the studio or concerts. I can only say that 5 minutes before I go on stage my heart looks like it's going to have a fucking heart attack. I have a lot of nerves, but as soon as I pick up the microphone and look at the audience everything fades away and I fall into a trance. Many are the singers who have inspired me from James Hetfield (from his first three albums) to John Tardy from Obituary. But my greatest exponents are Aaron from My Dying Bride, Karl Willets from Bolt Thrower or John McEntee from Incantation.

20. Is there a difference in the band’s sound as compared to the Full length, EPs you’ve released in the past?

Yes, there is a difference in the sound, especially because of the equipment we use to record in Defiler. Personally, Defiler Of Hope is the most spectacular sound we've released to date. It's rotten, dense and dark. It's a mix of the early Hypocrisy and Ophis. For the future, we want to go back to those more primitive roots.

21. You are from Spain, so how much have you discovered about the extreme metal scene and how much of it were you aware of before aforementioned all of your band started?

Spain has a huge scene when it comes to the Underground. From classics like AVULSED, HAEMORRHAGE or FERMENTO. In Barcelona, we enjoy a very strong and overwhelming scene. The vast majority of bands know each other from going to concerts, playing together and many of us are friends. To name a few: ERED, GRAVEYARD, NECRORACLE, LUX DIVINA, BARBARIAN SWORDS, OSSERP, VIDRES A LA SANG, KORGULL THE EXTERMINATOR, MORBID FLESH. Etc. Outside the Catalan scene, we have friendship with great bands and friends like LÓSTREGOS and BALMOG (Galiza), EVADNE (Valencia), HELEVORN (Mallorca), DEVOURING (Mallorca), ATARAXY (Zaragoza), etc.

It's a pity that few of these bands have repercussions outside this country, as we have quality everywhere!

22. There is some imagery with your lyrics, theme. Is this just an image or something you believe in?

You could say it's something we believe in and in which we've also created an image. We talk about real fears, diseases, the mind, madness and we mix it with our inner monsters, our anger, and all our feelings. All mixed with the Lovecraftiana madness and its primitives.

23. What do you do as individual band members to relax, when not working on music? Do you have jobs or business?

I live with my wife in the mountains, so we take advantage of nature to make excursions with our dog. We go to the cinema, to concerts, we meet up with our friends and family. We go to the normal in a human being moderately sociable hahaha.

24. What albums are you listening to lately or just the bands and albums, in general, you're really digging right now and tell me about your anticipated album of this year?

I think the two best albums of the year are undoubtedly ATLANTEAN KODEX "The curse of empire" and MGLA "ages of excuses"!Lately, I am very involved in the Icelandic Black Metal scene. At the moment I think that one of my favorite albums of the year is Algleimi by Mysphirming and the last one by Sinmara. In our visit to Party San we were able to discover a great band called NEKROVAULT and their EP, Obscure is spectacular. Pure Death metal!

One of our next goals in Onirophagus is to play some dates outside of Spain, but the thing is very fucked up since we don't find promoters that want to take us outside.

We will give a presentation concert in Barcelona and another one in Valencia. At the moment it's the only thing I can say about it because the dates haven't been confirmed yet.

Well, I don't think I'm the best one to give advice to those teenagers, but let's go if they're Spanish, they'd better dedicate themselves to something else because Metal isn't something that attracts a lot of attention here. In countries like Germany, it's different to sing, because they live differently and have thousands of competent promoters. The problem here is that there are only a couple of legal promoters, the rest is filthy trash, scammers, or people who do not even bother to answer a fucking mail. But there is always hope! Anyway Metal in all its variants should not be seen as a way of making a living but as a passion! If you can make a living from it, for fuck's sake, but above all, it's a pure and unique passion for what you play and for what you express with your band.

People like SLAEGT right now are pumping it all over Europe and they are 20 years old kids! I was able to talk to them at Party San and it shows that they are young and they are freaking out with people's response. They deserve it and I hope they go far because they are the best I have heard in many years.

Thank you very much for your time! Sincerely it is the most elated and longest interview we have ever had and it is to be thanked. Nothing more on my part.

If you like the Death/Doom of the 90's listen to our latest album "ENDARKENMENT: ILLUMINATION THROUGH PUTREFACTION". We are ONIROPHAGUS!

Interview done by Souvik Basu. Published on 04.09.2019

I enjoy prototypical brooding doom band. Death/Doom metal is a style that remains untapped and it is hardly swallowed by Metal fans in general. When someone tells you about Death/Doom metal at first a delineation will click automatically in your imaginary such as excruciatingly slowly, pulchritudinous heavy, eschew crushing, bleakest, most hauntingly beautiful, graceful, down-tuned, slow-motion soundscapes of drifting, floating, dreamlike music, groovy riff moving in gentle transitions to vaguely shifting perspectives of mood. Feel yourself decay, gaze helplessly, thoughtlessly as the preternaturally odious head over the horizon, blotting out the last scarlet gasps of a moribund sunset, looming over the eerily tranquil and temperate ocean like an antediluvian menhir - massive, silent, mysterious and unspeakable journey, alone in a darkened room, lighting a few candles, unsealed some good wine and settling in for an uninterrupted hour of beauteous funeral doom sound driven by feelings and thus creates immense power and resonate overpowering as it is a purely exquisite voyage of yielding passion. That's probably just me and my definition. While some excellent, underrated and mostly overlooked band attempting to sell their flavor of the month band to potential listeners, there are some that simply exist outside of pre-existing molds. Some challengers exist, such as Onirophagus, a phenomenal addition to the Death/Doom metal roster. It's difficult to imagine, but "Endarkenment (Illumination Through Putrefaction)" surpassed than their previous work and moved to the whole new level with their something absolutely new and unimaginably great music level. The geographical shift in the propagation of Death/Doom metal has changed drastically over the past three decades. Spanish Death/Doom dealers Onirophagus unveiled their sophomore full-length album entitled “Endarkenment (Illumination Through Putrefaction)” in the starting of this year with 57:54 min running time along with heavy as fuck Death/Doom with more melody and more creativity than you can stand and you will definitely feel oppressed. Mixing doom metal with death metal along with atmospheric, gloomy vibe was their forte. The new album is filled with more unearthly, astounding, critical acclaimed, heavy, claustrophobic misery, enigmatic melodies. This new album consists of four tracks. Basically, Onirophagus was formed in 2011. Easily Onirophagus became one of my favorite Death/Doom metal band with their colossal, heavy and epic musical style. now I’m straight diving to the point about this new album.

This new studio efforts whole compositions showcased such power conveyed throughout the duration. This album embrace of the most beautiful of deaths. Lead voice rumbles deep in passing observations accompanied by a choir of ghostly angels soothing the sorrow of fading light that signals the end of experience in a world incapable of sustaining its illusionary promise of an ideal state of beauty and truth and a painful realization from which this music drifts away. This is truly a beautiful, wondrous piece of music, very organic and is constantly in motion along with your feelings, emotion. When I was spinning their latest studio effort for the first time I was overwhelmed, invaded my ears and this album sounds so authentic, mature and truly epic. This is triumphant sophisticated, spine-chilling atmospheric Death/Doom metal. Onirophagus banishes all our doubts regarding the genre describing the music of "Endarkenment (Illumination Through Putrefaction)" and putting particular emphasis on the first word and rekindle my endless love for Death/Doom metal. I cherish his unsurpassed quality, ability, and skill along with tremendous effort portrayed in this album in a radiant way with excellent diligence and nailed it. After a multiple listen their debut studio effort infused me with their unabating, powerful, overarching, chromatic, multi-layered, ultra-dense, monolithic, heart-wrenching Death/Doom metal just blew me away. Their musical style has a hypnotic effect and especially more atmospheric kind of Death/Doom metal but at the same time, the soundscape brings on sensations of crushing depression and evoke feelings of desperation making for a very dynamic performance.

This whole album reflects the grand diversity of this album. A natural synthesis of mournful sounds and disparate styles all combined in one bold, enlightened display of unbound creativity. Easily this whole album hooked me up with its vocals filthy, crushing voice and their doom-laden, deep, unrelenting, melancholic, sorrowful, distant musical style with marvelous, exquisite works and builds layers of melancholy through high reverb along with the slow tempo. Their musical style avoids themselves falling into the usual boredom. "Endarkenment (Illumination Through Putrefaction)" fueled by an immediately convincing, weeping riff and an equally gripping bass line also it flows effortlessly and though the music is pretty dirgey. They manage to shift tempos just at the right moments to keep things rolling along like a grim parade. The kind of music that swells the heart even as it rips with a feeling of sorrow and loneliness and music is so emotional you can almost see the individual notes break down and cry. I highly appreciate and embrace this album.

This album is filled with a slew of delicate, whopping, intense, slow but powerful, heavy riffs work. In each track breathtaking, rumbling, filthy, soaring riffs, bass lineups matched in a good manner with colossal sounds are rightly used as an additional uncanny harmonic layer laced with dazzling, epic, exquisite doom-laden melodies. The album carries with it an aura that is austere, melancholic, bereft of sunlight but one that above all excels at comprehensively nailing the listener into place and fixing his mind on the subject matter. A grand manifestation of melancholy. This album indulges strong songwriting and brilliant musicianship. Vocals howling scream, hoarse , inhuman , deep rasps , deep lung-burning roars, immense,large voice emerged on this album in a well manner and intertwined perfectly with their utterly spellbinding, obtuse, melodic, doomy, fully blistering, grandiose, distant musical style in a well manner with a lots of atmospheric accompaniment and embedded perfectly. Overall you will get sinister, gloomy, desolate sound from this whole album. Some excellent stuff right here.

Each song has an energy, fluency and magical quality. Stand out tracks are all of them. Album artwork is precise, indelible. The production gives the music a powerful clarity, the atmosphere, drum propulsion and vibrant bass performance producing a non-stop surge of adrenaline. This new album displays their virtuosic performance and versatility with tremendous ability, skill and this one really makes sense and carries real emotions. Always melancholy and somber, they flit between beautiful and crushing and maintain that delicate equipoise across the album’s length. Overall "Endarkenment (Illumination Through Putrefaction)" is equally wrist slitting with some truly unhappy lead riffs that smother whatever hope you may have squirreled away deep in the crevices of your dark heart. This album is Spectacular, engrossing, significant, rich and another terrific piece that oozes solitariness. The production is absolutely impeccable, capable of handling both the massive atmospheric and gargantuan heft. Onirophagus manages to catch that grim atmosphere. After all, every event in our life that has to do with death has a profound effect on us, making us analyze and philosophize about our existence we are, unmistakably, both frightful of and intrigued by it. "Endarkenment (Illumination Through Putrefaction)" sets your mind alight, rather than your senses. This album sounds so authentic and a truly remarkable sonic journey from beginning to end. Indeed this album is such a true gem. This is highly recommended to add it in your collection. If you are looking for something different, epic this pure unadulterated album is perfect. The landscape might be barren with few visitors these days but in this case, quality over quantity wins the day. It makes me dream bigger, thinks harder, envisions broader.

My Rating – 5/4.9 Review was done by – Souvik Basu. Published on 26.07.2019

Russian Melodic Neo Metal band Dreamworld released their new single «Full Moon». The single was recorded in "Kamorka & FRS Studio" by Alexander Cheremisin and Konstantin Korotaev. Artwork done by Alena Fadeeva.

Dreamworld was formed in 2007 at Barnaul, Russia by Alexander Chermisin (guitar) and Roman Karpov (bas). The band released 3 albums, 1 EP and few singles, and now working on the new music that will be released in 2020.

Italian Progressive Metal artist Emanuele Bodo released his debut album «Unsafe Places». The album was recorded at "Ænima Recordings", and mixed/mastered by Mattia Garimanno.

Belarusian Symphonic/Gothic Metal band Belle Morte released their new single «To Get Her». The single was recorded at "Ivory Studio" and mixed/mastered by Sergei Butovski.

Belle Morte was formed at Minsk, Belarus formed in 2015. The idea behind Belle Morte is combining the beautiful and innocent part (Belle) with malicious and twisted one (Morte). The first single "Mercy" released on Dec 9, 2017 belongs to "Belle", while the second one "Devilish Deal" is all about "Morte". Right now the band is recording the debut album, that is expected to be released in 2019.

Tel Aviv, Israel based band Dim Aura does a great job here with deep darkling-depths Misanthropy, Hatred filled black metal along with the robust introduction to the band's style and theme in which the protagonist vocalist summons dark forces to embrace him and transform him through ritual. Dim Aura is a whirlwind of aggression wrapped in the cloak of the occult. Off-kilter, dissonant guitars force themselves against the ears, harsh, raspy barks are terrifying in their aggression and rawness. Their infectious and eerie melodies demanding to be heard.

1. Well, Hello, how are you doing today? Warm greetings from India.

Dim Aura: Cheers Souvik!

2. Dim Aura was formed in 2010, so, Can you give me a brief history of how the band formed? Had you been in any bands or musical apparition before Dim Aura?

Dim Aura: Well, Ofir, E.F.F. and I know each other from youth. We had a Black Metal band named "Sitra Achra", but aside for some local gigs, nothing progressed with it, I guess it was an initial experiment playing together. After several years we grew apart from each other. In 2010 we decided to give it another go, and began writing music again, kept it simple and pure, nothing fancy. H. joined us after a few months of progress. I have known him from mutual interests that we had within the Black Metal scene, and we shared a split album of our solo projects (Crux Infernum and Infernal Nature). Since then we are a united Quattro sharing the same ideas and ideology that is expressed out as Dim Aura.

3. What bands inspired the direction that Dim Aura took and motivated you? Writers? Visual artists? Movies? Books?

Dim Aura: Actually, we are all influenced by different genres and forms of art, and with that said, we are all fascinated with Black Metal, as the black light shines brightly within us. Personally, I'd say that the source of inspiration may change, naturally, with experiences during different stages of life, it can be either visual paintings, documentary films on serial killers and mental illnesses, and also locations - ancient ruins and desolate places.

Dim Aura: In my opinion, it's more important that the music will have some sentiment, and that it will be attached to true emotions, true experiences, rather than just being technical and "empty". So, in case you present only two options, I would suggest the more poetic option is the one that should guide us. I think from the very early rehearsals, I had the feeling that Dim Aura, in its form, would be a long term commitment. Due to our early acquaintance, similar perspectives and ideologies, naturally we became good friends, and as we say to each other, Dim Aura is family.

5. What for you is the significance of the name, “Dim Aura”?

Dim Aura: I remember that when we thought of a name, E.F.F. suggested Doom Aurora, I liked the sound of that, but wanted to give it a deeper meaning, eventually, I offered a minor change to Dim Aura, and we decided it suites us, as a descriptive of an aura that is slowly fading away, from light to darkness, holy to unholy, life to death and so on.

6. If you could tour with other bands in metal, who would you pick if you were looking for bands similar to Dim Aura?

Dim Aura:There are plenty of bands that would be a great match, I don't suppose name dropping would be appropriate here. Personally, I'd be interested in Scandinavian bands, but surely won't rule out other bands, as there are plenty of great musicians out there.

7. Since starting year Dim Aura released 2 full-length album till date, EP, etc and shaped the style of music. How do you maintain this consistency yet keep developing with each release? How do you write your riffs, songs? What is the most difficult part of composing songs as you do?

Dim Aura: I wouldn't say it is consistent, but we do hunger for more, new songs, new releases, new musical ideas to explore. Usually, riffs are written solely, then we bring it to our studio and run ideas around them, trying to glue them together, in a manner that would be beneficial to the structure of the song, later we work on the song production wise, thinking which part to elongate/shorten/move or remove. Lyrics are mostly written by H, and sometimes Ofir and more rarely myself are involved with some additional ideas. In our recently released album "The Triumphant Age of Death", H managed to do amazing work on the lyrics, which are the best we've had so far, in my own opinion.

I would say that the most difficult part is the discussions and arguing that goes on when a song is still incomplete and several options are on the table. Somehow, we manage to go through with this process, evolving together with our creation.

8. Do you have a preference for the type of equipment? In your mind, how important is equipment to the production of music?

Dim Aura: I would say that overall, we are not too much enthused by gearing up with massive stocks of equipment. Personally, I like to keep it as simple as possible, "plug and play", trying to avoid as much from numerous effects and pedals. With that said, E.F.F. is up to date with gear and equipment, so if there's a need, his knowledge is useful.

9. Well, now I’m going to the main point about the new album. On 22nd March Dim Aura new album “The Triumphant Age of Death” released which sounds extremely promising and rekindle my affection for Black Metal. When were these

tracks were written, and how does Dim Aura go about the writing process?

Dim Aura: The tracks were composed over a pretty long period of time, even before our Negged 7" EP. Naturally, we took our time with them, working to perfect them.

Our writing process remained similar as in our first album. We bring riffs, bring in ideas to our studio, and we work through to mold it together. As mentioned previously, this process can be very frustrating for all of us, it is usually accompanied by arguments which can be very irritating, as each one has his own vision on what's the best option. Aside from that, it's highly time-consuming, but in the end, it works out and seems to be the right path for us.

It should be mentioned, that the one thing that did change in this album, is the recording process. We decided to give each other the space to do our thing, I think that we've learned to trust each other. Ofir was the only one who stayed in the studio to oversee the entire process of the recording, lending another set of ears that criticize which take is good, and which take could be better achieved. He was also deeply involved in the mixing, and mastering of the album. The end result met our satisfaction.

10. You are extremely potential. so, what's going on as far as lyrical themes on

“The Triumphant Age of Death”?

Dim Aura: As we all have a misanthropic nature, we are overall pessimistic, anti-social and anti-religion (extremely secular and apart from the religions that are practiced in our country), the lyrics are a result from these experiences. H managed to express it well, ink on paper. His lyrics blended perfectly with our music.

11. I’ve categorized Dim Aura's significant genre. As well you have extends your talents far beyond mediocrity. so, How did you get into this style of music and explain about this music genre?

Dim Aura: Personally, through my teen years, like many others I was a big fan of Metallica, I got familiar with other metal bands down the road. I guess I've started with the more extreme bands during '94-'95, and my taste in music developed in this direction. I found myself drawn to Black Metal, rather than technical death metal. Up to these days, that would be my "go to".

12. How would you describe the sound of Dim Aura to someone who hadn’t heard it, and what distinguishes your music from any other act in the same genre?

Dim Aura: I would not go to verbal descriptions of sound, I'd just say you got to give it a go, you may either like it or hate it. I'd be satisfied either way, as long as you're not indifferent to it.

13. Already Dim Aura unveiled the album. Do you have any Official Video or playthrough videos coming out soon?

Dim Aura: After the album was released, we focused on live gigs. We will, of course, consider having a new video out, but as for now, there's nothing in the making. We do however have some ideas for further plans, but at the moment, these should be kept between the four of us.

14. Who came up with the album cover? I personally cherish each

and every released artwork because those are truly indelible, remarkable, appreciable and meaningful too.

Dim Aura: The artwork was done by ANIMVS, H. came across it and we all liked it on the first glance at it. The artwork for the "The Triumphant Age of Death" album is more minimalistic compared to our previous full-length album, which has a lot of details. I guess this was a natural turn, as the artwork done for Negged by Alona Dee of DarkArtworks, was less bombastic than the artwork done for our previous full length, keeping it more simple, yet, with no compromises on the artistic side.

15. Let's talk about your early memories. What's the first gig you ever went to? Have you been to any killer live shows lately?

Dim Aura: I've been to several gigs in my teen years that are memorable; some were of local bands and some of the bands from abroad. I especially remember that Ancient played in Tel-Aviv which was special, since it was not too common at that time, having Black Metal bands from abroad here, same goes for Dark Funeral that also played in Tel-Aviv. Lately, I guess some memorable gigs were in Festivals, such as Party-San (Endstille, Urgehal, Carpathian Forest), Steel-Fest (Satanic Warmaster, Sargeist, Dark Funeral, Cosmic Church), Speyer Grey Mass (Acherontas, Archgoat, Svartidaudi, and many others – the lineup was outstanding), Throne-Fest (MGLA, Gorgoroth, Taake). Locally, Marduk, Bolzer, Aosoth, Sargeist, and Watain (most recently) were here with great live performances. Again, so many great bands out there, I can continue on with name dropping, but I don't suppose it's really interesting – since every gig is unique and stands for its own, you can see a band several times, and it is a different experience every time.

16. In before you had performed a lot of gigs so, Which show was the most memorable to you so far? Do you get a good crowd response? Did you get offers to play in other countries or anything like that?

Dim Aura: I remember our first gig, which was the first strike when we were not much known, we got a great response. Later on, we had some other intense gigs at the "Black Metal Opposition" night, you can call it a mini-fest, that we organized having other Black Metal local bands at our side. The release shows for both albums are also memorable, playing new stuff for the first time. Usually, the feedback is great; I guess if the gig sucks, we just won't have any feedback at all. We strive to evoke some emotions at these gigs, not to keep it dull, with just 4 guys playing on a stage.

I guess, the most memorable show for me personally, is the one we had in Steel-Fest 2015, first time on Finnish soil, which is the capital of extreme metal from my individual point of view. Regarding offers, there are several that are on the table, but I can't disclose this info at this time.

17. Do you study other bands music to come up with ideas?

Dim Aura: Well, other bands that we listen to can leave an imprint, leave a mark, if their good enough and influential. So, their impact can be made subconsciously. We do strive for unique riffs and musical ideas of our own and we discourage rip-offs.

18. How do you prepare yourself before the studio or especially for live performances? Did any band, in particular, inspire you in the shrieking department?

Dim Aura: No special preparations, we enter the studio or the stage, plug in, and after a few technical adjustments, darkness descends and manifests itself through our instruments and through H vocals. Chaos and negativity takes a sonic form and is unleashed upon the crowd.

19. Is there a difference in the band’s sound as compared to the Full length, EP

you’ve released in the past?

Dim Aura: Every release is unique and has its own hallmark. It is always Black Metal! we avoid having the same sound for every release. Music has such a wide spectrum of sounds, so I don’t see any reason to repeat the same sound, as long as we are satisfied with it. We never compromise on that.

20. You are from the Tel Aviv, Israel so, how much have you discovered about the extreme metal scene and how much of it were you aware of before the band started?

Dim Aura: We are familiar both with the local scene, as with the Black Metal scene abroad. Being located in Israel doesn't really change our exposure to music, overall, the secular people here are liberal, bands from abroad come for gigs, information flows. Even before the internet and globalization, most record stores had a metal section, you could trade with bands or labels abroad. As teens, we used to introduce extreme bands to one another. We visited metal festivals and got familiar with other bands through these channels.

21. What do you do as individual band members to relax, when not working on music? Do you have jobs or business?

Dim Aura: We all have our day jobs and daily routine, but I guess this is not much of an interest for your readers so I won’t go into details.

22. What albums are you listening to lately or just the bands and albums, in general, you're really digging right now and tell me about your anticipated album of this year?

Dim Aura: New records that are spinning these days are Mare "Ebony Tower" and Sargeist "Unbound". I am looking forward to the new Advent Sorrow record "Kali Yuga Crown". Besides that, I am certain that during 2019 other releases will see the light, our label Saturnal Records will probably release on vinyl Sacrificed Carmen "Hermetica", which I really appreciate.

23.last one question, what are your future band goals & tell us something about an upcoming tour. Lastly, lots of teenagers aim to be full-time musicians. Many of them might be without any proper guidance, any words of wisdom for them?

Dim Aura: We just had 3 gigs, supporting Sargeist in their first show in Israel, opening for Watain (also for their first time here), and we had the release show for "The Triumphant Age of Death". We are looking into new gigs, and also have some discussions regarding a tour abroad, but it's too soon to disclose any information.

For the teenagers, I'd say that if you have talent, and if the Black Metal flame shines bright in your heart, you will find your way. It would be very patronizing by giving any additional advice.

24. That's all I've got right now.best of luck for the future. Looking forward. thanks a lot for enduring this torture haha. Any final thoughts, comments for the readers? Always welcome to India. We are keen to see you play live. If I forgot anything, please insert it in here.

Dim Aura: Support the underground, and be loyal to yourselves, no one else will.

Interview Done By Souvik Basu. Published on 10.05.2019

Saturnal Records Bandcamp Link:

Dim Aura - The Triumphant Age of Death (Full Album)

Official Facebook Page:

Dim Aura Official