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

A little bit of this, a little bit of that. We’ve been doing some promo stuff, like recording a music video for one of the songs on Our Wretched Demise. We’ve booked a few gigs in December/January too, so we’ve been practicing a lot. 

2.You have a new album coming out in November, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

I think it sounds a lot different. We dare to explore a lot more. It’s more epic, faster and more progressive. I think people will be able to hear that it’s the same band, but the songwriting is better. The production is a lot better too. 

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?

The lyrical theme for our upcoming album is war. The songs deal with different aspects of war. The human side of war, irresponsible world leaders, propaganda, loss and anger. It’s hard to say what our progress has been, other than that we think we write better and better songs, as time passes. There’s a bit more co-operation on this album compared to our previous work, which makes the music more interesting.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Keiser'?

We wanted a short name that represents power, so we went for Keiser, which is the Norwegian name for emperor. We realised sometime after the release of our first EP that Keiser means Emperor, but decided to keep the name since we sound quite different from Emperor.

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

The cover artwork is painted by Czech painter Vojtech “Moonroot” Doubek. The cover depicts a battlefield beneath a castle under a blood red moon. 

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We are lucky enough that we’ve played a few amazing shows. Of course, with every gig played we become a better live band. When we performed at Levanger Metalfest in 2018 the audience were nearly tearing down the barrier between them and the band. It was a local one-day festival arranged by our drummer Geir. The last show we played was pretty great too. We played with Messier 16 (Oslo) and Tragediens Trone (Trondheim) at Good Omens in late 2019. The club was packed, and the reception from the audience is something I’ll never forget. We opened for Order too, in early 2018. It was so cool to meet Manheim and Messiah from the early days of Mayhem. Nice guys, and absolute legends.

As a live band I would say we are quite energetic. We are not at all afraid to rock out and have a good time even though the music is dark and brutal. Our songs sound different live too. Some parts are slightly changed to work better live, and songs can be faster or slower than their studio versions, depending on what suits the songs.

7.The new album is coming out on 'Non Serviam Records', how did you get in contact with this label?

We got in contact with them after recording Our Wretched Demise. It was through Nexorum, who we share a practice space with, that we learned their name. We sent out mails with a link to the whole album and got a reply from Non Serviam Records. We quickly found that we could easily work together.

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

Worldwide reception has been sparse up to recently. After we signed with NSR and released our latest single, Scourge of the Wicked, we have noticed more interest from outside of Norway. It means so much to us when we receive messages from fans.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We want to keep writing good riffs! Other than that we want to evolve, but we are not sure where and how. We don’t want to release the same record twice. Musical evolution is important to us, but we don’t have a clear path to follow. That is how we want it. 

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

The four members of the band listen to a lot of different music, like death metal, synthwave, 80’s shred, progressive rock and so on. The latest Enslaved album “Utgard” has been on regular rotation since it was released a week ago. 

11.How would you describe your views on Occultism?

It’s not something we’re particularily interested in, to be quite honest. Our earlier lyrics were inspired by occultism, but we have found other themes that inspire us more personally. Nothing against occultism in music though!

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

Yeah, we want to say thank you to Non Serviam Records, NeeCee Agency and Seasons of Mist for all the help, patience and guidence. Also we want to thank everyone that has taken interest in what we do. Hopefully the next single and the album will enrichen the lives of many people. And we can’t wait to see our fans at gigs again!

    Gryftigaen  are  a  duo  from  Chile  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  ambient  form  of  occult  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Graven  til  Maneapenbaringer"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Inferna  Profundus  Records.

  Ambient  style  synths  start  off  the  album  while  also  capturing  a  very  lo-fi  atmosphere  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  A  lot  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era  while  all  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark,  melodic  and  old  school  style  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  some  melody  at  times  and  the  ambient  elements  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs. 

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  parts  along  with  the  music  also  having  its  atmospheric  moments  as  well  as  the  music  also  getting  very  ritualistic  sounding  at  times,  Gregorian  chants  can  also  be  heard  on  the  closing  track.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Death  Worship,  Black  Sorcery,  High  Magick  and  Witchcraft  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Gryftigaen  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  ambient  occult  black  metal  duo  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sarcophagical  Black  Sorcery"  and  "Nightside  Of  The  Eye  Of  Seth".  8/5  out  of  10.

  Abstract  The  Light  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  an  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Magna  Sapienta  Quaerere: To  The  Depths  Of  Thy  Soul..."  which  will  be  released  on  October  31st  by  Talheim  Records.

  Synths  and  percussions  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams.  The  solos  and  leads  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  some  growls  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  and  elements  of  doom  and  dark  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  Acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  and  also  gives  the  tracks  more  of  a  progressive  edge.

  Avant  garde  style  clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  sounding  as  well  as  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  songs  also  add  in  touches  of  folk  music,  stringed  instruments  and  noises  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  the  closing  track.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Abstract  The  Light  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hunter"  "Broken  Shards"  and  "Carosells".8 out  of  10.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC86h8gz9K_hOfsuzMa4Cq2A    

  Gladjekallor  are  a  solo  project  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  very  depressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2020  album  "Jesuskomplex"  which  will  be  released  on  October  31st  by  Talheim  Records.

  Spoken  word  parts  and  nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  depressive  black  metal  screams  while  tragic  sounding  keyboards  can  also be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  some  songs  also  adding  in  some  clean  playing.

  One  track  also  introduces  clear  vocals  into  the  music  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style. All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  being  in  an  acoustic  direction  as  well  as  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  also  having  their  atmospheric  moments.

As  the  album  progresses  a  synth  orientated  track  is  also  added  onto  the  recording along  with  some  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  most  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Swedish  and  cover  depression,  loneliness  and  society  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Gladjekallor  are  a  vey  great  sounding  diverse  and  depressive  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  that  is  original,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Akarp"  "Inkognito"  and  "Forgatmigej".  8  out  of  10.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gladjekallor/     

  Hovert  are  a  solo  project  from  Russia  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  atmospheric  and  depressive  form  of  post  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2020  album  "Omyt"  which  will  be  released  on  October  31st  by  Talheim  Records.

  Acoustic  guitars  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavier  and  depressive  musical  direction  along  with  some  elements  of  post  rock  also  being  utilized  at  times.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  suicidal  black  metal  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  stringed  instruments  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with a  couple  of  the  songs  also  being  instrumentals.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  atmospheric  sounding  along  with  some  synths  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  as  well  as  some  acoustic  guitars  also  making  a  return  on  a  couple  of  later  tracks  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  musical  direction,  ambient  style  synths  can  also  be  heard  towards  the  end.

  On  this  recording  Hovert  remains  true  to  the  atmospheric  and  depressive  style  of  post  black  metal  that  he  had  established  on  his  previous  release.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  despair  and  loneliness  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Hovert  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  and  depressive  post  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Antinatalism  I"  and  "Omyt  I".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp: https://hovert.bandcamp.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWSGNlCP9RXAY8szjRMWq7Q