OccultBlackMetalZine

Forbidden Knowledge Interview

dimanche 16 février 2014 à 23:34

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?

This project was created back in 1996 under the name of Tyranny with four other members. I was 16 years old at this time and I was discovering the black metal scene.

years past and I felt a urge to introduce tons of new ideas and concepts to this project but my musicians feared the way I could transform the band. many left and many were introduced to us during the following years but nothing had changed so I decided to end this project and started a fresh one. That's how Forbidden Knowledge was born. This one man project is my vision of the infinite possibilities and the unlimited. The concept is based on a dark multi-dimensional world fueled with secret conspiracy theories, manipulations, distorsions and lies. It explores everything that is hidden to the public scene or considered secret or even forbidden. It's the wikileaks of music. A huge reservoir of the most atrocious behaviors of the so called rulers of the world. The dark dormant secret fantasies of the elite put on lyrics and music. The arcana arcanorum and the secretum secretorum revealed.

2.You have so far put out 6 releases, can you tell us a little bit more about your musical sound and also how has it evolved over the years?

Back in 1996, Forbidden Knowledge had a clear crisp sound along the lines of battles in the north from Immortal but it fastly switched with heavier frequencies

when I decided to buy a seven strings guitar. The best way to describe it today is a perfect match balance of loud/aggressive and clear/tight sounds. I love to create sound effects and mix them with my music. It gives a dark ambience to the record.

3.According to the Reverbnation Page, there has been releases going as far back as 1996 and there seems to be a few years of gaps between each album, can you tell us a little bit more about these gaps?

I have build a home recording studio in 2001 and I have recorded tons of musicians and bands. I had to create a time-balance between my band, my side projects and my studio production. That explain the gaps.

4.The lyrics seem to be well researched in occult topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the various forms of occultism?

I have spoken with many people in my life that were members of secret organizations, some good, some evil. I remember a day when I set a 45 minutes phone call

with a 33rd degree freemason. We had a discussion about philosophy, occultism and many other fields but my goal was to extract precious informations from him.

informations that shall be kept secret inside the organization. At the end we were talking about the possibilities of black magic stuff and orgies that were evolved inside freemasonry and he became anxious and hung up. At this point I was conscious that this guy had opened a door on the real goal of his organization and I knew I had to dig further into the occult and the elite circle. I started sharing documents on the web with occult organizations and I have also stolen many documents and this was my inspiration to create years later Forbidden Knowledge. People have the right to know what's going on and sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Forbidden Knowledge?

Forbidden Knowledge is the key informations that is maintained secret from various occult organizations and wealthy people and my goal is to bring it to light.

The more I learn the more I realize that the human nature can be sick as hell. This project is a filter to all these monstrosities.

6.Currently there is only 1 member involved with the project, do you feel this is a better way of bringing your vision to the music?

Yes of course. You can't pick a fight with yourself ! No seriously, I would love to recruit musicians and make forbidden knowledge a live band.

I am a very opened-mind person and this project has tons of styles mixed up together. There are so many talented musicans on this earth.

Maybe one day I'll find some to join my project.

7.You have a good amount of many different record labels listed on your website, do you feel these labels have done a lot for getting your music out there heard and promoted?

Some of them did a great job but what has gave me a push was the creation of a website 3 years ago called Holographic Universe Productions to help bands and musicians that are maintained in the shadow. I create promotions for these bands and it's totally free. Bands can subscribe anytime ; http://www.reverbnation.com/label/holographicuniverseproductions

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?

I have had numerous feedbacks on my website. None of them are negative and it's always a pleasure to share and discover other musicians.

9.Are you currently involved with any other musical projects besides this one?

Yes. I have been working on multiple side projects during the past years like Nuclear sentence and Reign of Emptiness,

I am presently working on a side project called Lust 666. This project will focus on a more classic metal style but fueled with extreme agressivity,

10.What musical direction do you see this project heading into music wise during the future?

I never see what the future can hold and prefer live in the present. I don't believe in destiny but only in what I can create for the moment. More than once I had concepts in my mind

but they all shaped in a totally different ways when it was time to materialize them on a recording process.

but if we are talking about the possibilities that Forbidden Knowledge could reach an higher audience, I would say that it is my biggest wish.

11.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

I'm that kind of old school guy sticked with classic metal records but the biggest influence that had an impact on my musical structure goes back in 1998 when I first listened

to the genious hungarian composer Bela Bartok. At this time I had discovered unlimited ways of expressing myself musically. The few bands that had the most influence on me are Beherit (the oath of black blood) Immortal (battles in the north) Possessed (seven churches) Kreator(pleasure to kill) and Morbid Angel (covenant)

12.Do you have any non musical interests?

I'm a hardcore gamer. I've always been a huge fan of the Thief series on pc. I'm still playing Thief Gold today with some mods added and I can't wait on february 25th for the reboot of this franchise. Besides that I love nature, photography and discover new destinations on earth.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

thank you Occult Black Metal Zine for this interview. I wish you the best in the future. Longue vie à toi.

I encourage people to visit my webpage on reverbnation : www.reverbnation.com/forbiddenknowledge

and don't forget to subscribe your band to my label

http://www.reverbnation.com/label/holographicuniverseproductions

mp3 downloads : www.songstall.com/forbiddenknowledge

Source : http://occultblackmetalzine.blogspot.com/2014/02/forbidden-knowledge-interview.html

Vorna Interview

dimanche 16 février 2014 à 03:48

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

Vesa: Sure! The release of our debut full-length "Ajastaika" went quite well and we got some requests to do live shows before the end of the year. We would have been more than willing to promote the album on gigs but unfortunately we didn't manage to do that. We just couldn't find enough time and resources to do that and Mikael's (our drummer) military service didn't make things any easier. However, that doesn't mean we have been idle. We've actually started to write new songs and done some other preparations for the year 2014.

2.A few months back you released a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction it has taken and also how does it differ from your past recordings?

Vesa: The sound of the album can be described as melodic and melancholic yet harsh and aggressive metal. There are distinctive influences of at least melodic black metal and folk, maybe some other genres too. I think that it in many ways sums up the past five years of Vorna's existence. Of course our sound has developed quite remarkably from the early days, for example in terms of arrangements and production, but it still has a very similar overall vibe that was already present in our demos.

3.I know that the band name and the lyrics are based on Finnish Paganism, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic and also are you interested in the Paganism of other cultures and countries?

Vesa: Paganism and the ancient religions in general are very interesting and inspiring topics. Or I could just say 'folklore', for some reason that word appeals to me a bit more than paganism. Maybe its because the word 'paganism' is little more related to anti-christianity or something and that is not something I'm interested in writing songs about. Even though I can't totally avoid it. In any case, the fond of my interest to the topic does not lie with the actual religious aspect of it. Rather, I'm more interested in tradition, customs, tales, myths etc. And that goes with the folklore of other cultures and countries as well, not just Finnish. In Ajastaika's lyrics, paganism/folklore or nature related vocabulary are often present in a way or another, but usually that's not the main theme: it is more like "background" for some other story.

4.The new album came out on Inverse Records, do you feel this label has done a lot of help for getting the bands name out there heard?

Vesa: We've been satisfied that we chose to release the album via Inverse Records. They have promoted the album well, distribution has gone smoothly and our contract also makes it possible for us to promote and use the song material in any way we want to.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Vesa: We have actually performed live very seldom so far. There is no particular reason for that, we just haven't. Perhaps every show we have played has been a bit better than the previous one. So I'm gonna say that our next show will be the best one!

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

Vesa: Yes. We have plans to do bunch of shows in Finland this year, we'll be giving more info about that pretty soon. There have also been conversations about doing some shows abroad. But we shall see. Hopefully we'll manage to do that one day.

7.I remember reading in metal magazines around 10 or 15 years that extreme metal bands where making the top 10 in your home country, is metal still very popular out there these days?

Vesa: That's an interesting question. Perhaps metal isn't as popular here in Finland as it used to be some years ago. But it's still very popular. You can see metal bands in the official Finnish album sales charts quite regularly. Maybe not so often in the top 10 but still in the charts. And there are a huge amount of metal bands which in fact makes things sometimes quite problematic livewise because there are relatively few venues compared to the number of bands. And Finnish people hardly ever go to shows on weekdays so weekends are true prime time and competition is rough.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of black and pagan metal?

Vesa: In general, the album has been really well received. Worldwide. It has also divided opinions, though. Some listeners and critics have said that Ajastaika is an amazing and very original album which has it's unique sound and atmosphere. And on the other hand, there are people who think it is an average, typical folk/black record. Of course there is everything in between too. There have also been a wide range of bands from different genres that our listeners have compared us to. Even though there are those certain standard names (which will come up almost every time when its possible to put Finland, folk metal and your bands name in the same sentence) many of them have actually been quite surprising. I think that's one sign that tells us we haven't been totally predictable and boring after all!

9.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

Vesa: Most likely that certain melancholic atmosphere will always be present in our music. If I have to describe the sound of our next album, I'd say that it's general musical direction won't be too different compared to our previous releases. There will be fast and black metal-ish moments, acoustic parts and lots of melodies but also some new tricks and ways of expression. We'll do whatever feels natural for us at the time.

10.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Vesa: It's extremely hard to answer this question as all of us are composing/arranging Vorna's music and we all listen to many different bands and music styles. So our songs are also influenced by huge amount of bands and styles.

11.Do you have any non musical interests?

Vesa: Sometimes I play recorder purely for sadistic purposes. Seriously though; I have three dogs, like to take long walks in the woods, watch movies, play games, read books and enjoy alcoholic beverages with me mateys.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thank you very much for the interview! And for the rest of the world: if you are reading this and haven't heard our debut album 'Ajastaika' yet, check it out. You will love it. And if you don't, you shall cry and love it.

Source : http://occultblackmetalzine.blogspot.com/2014/02/vorna-interview.html

Forbidden Knowledge/Ancient Gods From The Stars/Holographic Universe Productions/2009 CD Review

dimanche 16 février 2014 à 02:48

Forbidden Knowledge are a 1 man band from Quebec, Canada that plays a very experimental form of occult black metal and this is a review of his 2009 album "Ancient Gods From The Stars" which was released by Holographic Universe Productions.

The album starts out with drums and grim high pitched black metal screams before going into a faster direction along with blast beats, heavy guitars. death metal growls and the music also brings in guitar solos and synths as well as slowing down at times and bringing in ritualistic spoken word parts.

After awhile a small amount of nature sounds are brought into the music along with some ritualistic passages and you can also hear avant garde elements being mixed in with the heavier parts of the music which also mix black and death metal together and after awhile you can hear more raw guitar riffs along with some traces of industrial, dark ambient and experimental music and you can also hear a good amount of Morbid Angel influences in the music without being a copy of them and on one of the songs a small amount of acoustic guitars are added into the music along with psychedelic elements which are used on the instrumental tracks.

When the album gets closer to the end the music starts going for a more dark, ritualistic and experimental direction as well as having a lot of dark ambient sounds being brought into the recording but after awhile the recording returns back to a heavy black/death metal direction while also keeping around the avant garde and experimental traces and the bass guitars also start having a more powerful premise on the tracks and the last track is all spoken words about a forest incident.

With this album Forbidden Knowledge show a great amount of diversity with the way he mixes occult black and death metal are mixed with avant garde, experimental and ambient which brings out a very original and diverse ritualistic sound and you can also hear a great amount of talent and skill in the guitar work.

Song lyrics cover Enochian, Occultism, Annukanian, Reptilian, Illuminati, Necronomicon and Apocalypse and Ritualistic themes, while the production has a very strong, powerful, dark and heavy sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording as well as a great amount of the songs being very long and epic in length.

In my opinion Forbidden Knowledge are a very great sounding experimental, ritualistic occult black/death metal project and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Messengers Of Cuthu" "Supreme ANU. NA. KI Council" "The Sacred Well Of A Thousand Of Lives" and "The Realm Of The Tyrant Sons". 8 out of 10.

Source : http://occultblackmetalzine.blogspot.com/2014/02/forbidden-knowledgeancient-gods-from.html

Sun Worship/Elder Giants/2014 Cassette Review

dimanche 16 février 2014 à 00:18

Sun Worship are a band from Germany that has been featured before in this zine that plays a very raw and atmospheric form of cascadian style black metal and this is a review of their self released 2014 cassette "Elder Giants".

The cassette starts out with nature sounds and drones before going into a more raw black metal direction as well as getting faster and adding in blast beats and high pitched screams which also use grim and depressive elements and you can also hear post black metal traces in the recording but they are done in a more aggressive manner and after awhile the music starts bringing in a mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts.

The band continues this approach throughout the recording while also bringing in more atmospheric and cascadian black metal elements and they also bring melody into the music in certain parts of the recording as well as a small amount of doom metal influences being utilized briefly and on the last song they bring in a small amount of harsh noise sounds as well as a good amount of synths and the last track is all instrumental and also has a more dark and epic ambient sound to it.

With this recording Sun Worship continue their fast and raw approach to the cascadian and atmospheric forms of black metal and they bring in a great amount of aggression to their music and stay away from the post and shoegaze influences some of the newer bands and this really shows in the songs while t hey still have a good amount of diversity to them.

Song lyrics cover dark and metaphysical themes, while the production has a very dark, raw and heavy sound along with the bass guitars being mixed down low in the mix as well as the songs being very long and epic in length.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Sun Worship and if you are a fan of raw, fast atmospheric/cascadian black metal, you should check out this cassette. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "We Sleep" and "Elder Giants". 8/5 out of 10.

Source : http://occultblackmetalzine.blogspot.com/2014/02/sun-worshipelder-giants2014-cassette.html

Sol Negro/Dawn of A New Sun/Chaos Records/2013 CD Re-Issue Review

vendredi 14 février 2014 à 05:52

Sol Negro are a band from Seattle, Washington that plays an occult mixture of black, dark and doom metal and this is a review of their 2012 album "Dawn Of A New Sun" which was re-issued by Chaos Records in the year of 2013.

The album starts out with a very dark, melodic and heavy sound along with guitar leads and grim black metal vocals and all of the instruments have a very powerful sound to them before heading into a blackened doom metal direction as well as speeding up a bit as well as having a dark atmosphere in the background before adding in NWOBHM influences, blast beats and a mixture of male and female clean singing.

When the album goes into other songs you can hear a great amount of influences from the early Italian and Greek masters of early 90's occult black metal as well as mixing in ritualistic sounding synths into certain sections of the recording and on other songs they bring in the early 90's British doom/death metal sound and you can also hear traces of thrash and death metal to their approach of occult black metal.

With every song that is present on this recording the band manage to bring a different sound to every track which always keeps the music sound very interesting while you can still tell it is the same band.

On this album Sol Negro creates a very great sounding mixture of black, dark and doom metal as well as bringing in a great amount of melody and all of the songs have a very old school 90s feeling and there is a very dark occult atmosphere to the music which really makes this album sound very interesting.

Song lyrics cover darkness, evil and occultism themes, while the production has a very strong, powerful, heavy and old school sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording as well as some of the songs being very long and epic in length.

In my opinion Sol negro are a very great sounding occult mixture of black, dark and doom metal and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "No Fear to Die" "Nuclear Sentinel" and "Where Flies the Raven". 8/5 out of 10.

Source : http://occultblackmetalzine.blogspot.com/2014/02/sol-negrodawn-of-new-sunchaos.html