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

 1. We’re a two piece black metal band from Oregon. We’ve been making music together for roughly three years and bonded over shared stylistic interests. “Grave Pilgrim” was formed out of a desire to play potent music that resonated with us both. This first album consists of songs written during that three year period. 

2.Recently you have released your first full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

2. Stylistically speaking we wanted something raw yet melodic. These songs were written first on guitar with the aim of being interesting to play without losing themselves in complexity. The raw sound was captured by the natural reverb in my concrete basement and the stylings of A Crossley (to whom we owe much gratitude) in the production process. 

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?

3. Thematically our music deals with societal disgust and personal triumph. Like many young men, I’ve been deeply influenced by the works of Friedrich Nietzsche and this is reflected in our lyrics and other aspects of our music as well. I’ve also been influenced by Peter Sloterdijk’s continuation of Nietzsche’s philosophy of overcoming. Themes related to their ideas are echoed in most of my lyrics. The battle against the last man must be won at all costs. 

4.What is the meaning and i9nspiration behind the name 'Grave Pilgrim'?

4. We thought it was a cool name with an old school heavy metal sound to it. There’s an element of old fashioned Americana rooted in it, in the sense that we come from a nation founded by pilgrims. 

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

5. The man pictured in it was taken from Willem Drost’s “Portrait of an Officer in Harness”. This was embellished by a friend of mine who put it through a mechanical device which printed out the artwork you see with a different texture. Overall the warrior aesthetic is one we appreciate and respect. 

6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding the line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?

6. We will likely remain a duo. We work well together creatively and adding other members into this process would just muddy up our vision. We may recruit live musicians and vocalists in the future if we do take our band to a live setting. 

7.The new was released on 'Death Prayer Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

7. Death Prayer Records is the result of a merger between Death Kvlt Productions and Goat Prayer Records. They have been a vital force in getting our band any traction at all and for that we are grateful. I was initially attracted to Death Kvlt due to their involvement with the stellar band, Lamp of Murmuur who hail from a town just north of us. 

8.So far there is very little information about the musical project except for a bandcamp and metal archives page, do you prefer to keep a lower profile?

8. We do. Social media isn’t something I have an interest in participating in so our limited web presence is deliberate. 

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

9. I’ve been happy with all of the people who’ve engaged with it and had a positive response to what we’re doing. We owe Death Prayer Records for most of the visibility we’ve gotten outside of our social circle. 

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

10. We have the guitar and drums written out for our next release and will soon begin recording. These songs are a little bit faster paced and hopefully have a bit of swagger to them while remaining true to our initial sound. 

11.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?

11. Early Peste Noire’s output had a Huge impact on my guitar playing and CM’s drumming style. Plague Commando was named as an homage to this and an acknowledgment of a creative debt. I’ve also been deeply influenced by Bolt Throwers pummeling approach to death metal and Leviathan’s intricate guitar work. 

These days I’ve been listening to a lot of Revenant Marquis, Lingua Ignota’s new album, Bone Awl, and Invunche. 

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

12. Thanks to you and all those who make an effort to keep this musical form potent. 

Bandcamp

  Mystras  are  a  solo  project  from  Greece  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  medieval  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2021  album  "Empires  Vanquished  And  Dismantled"  which  will  be  released  in  November  as  a  joint  effort  between  I,  Voidhanger  Records  and  Steller  Ausitorium  Prod.

  Folk  instruments  and  acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  and  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  medieval  feeling  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also b e  heard  which  also  gives  the  tracks  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  Vocals  are mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  chaotic  style  along with  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  used  on  a  few  songs.  Some  tracks  are  also  instrumental  as  well  as  the  music  also  adding  in  touches  of  Turkish,  Persian  and  Arabic  folk  music  at  times  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  an  exotic  atmosphere,  clear  vocals  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Medieval  Imperialisms,  Historic  Crusades  and  Colonization's  of   The  European  People  ranging  from  the  12th  to  15th  Century.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Mystras  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  medieval  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "On  The  Promises  Of  Angels"  "To  The  Builders!"  and  "In  The  Company  of  Heretics".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/GO187-9aTSo                 

  Germany's  duo  Dauþuz  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  more  of  a  raw,  melodic  and  epic  style  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2021  album  "Vom  schwarzen  Schmied"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Amor  Fati  Productions.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style.  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.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  that  also  get  very  deep  sounding  at  times  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Clean  vocals  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  album  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  both  old  school  and  modern  influences  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  which  also  brings  in  some  elements  of  folk  music,  spoken  word  parts  can  also be  heard  briefly  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  whispers  are  added  onto  the  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics a re  written  in  German  and  cover  the  mining  across  Germany  and  the  whole  of  Europe. 

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Dauþuz  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw,  melodic  and  epic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mein  berg"  "Agenlieder"  and  "Sargdeckel".  8  out  of  10.

www.facebook.com/DauthuzBM

https://youtu.be/G99qo7aU8d4   

  Mournful  Winter  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  atmospheric  and  depressive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2021  album  "Mother'  Demise".

 Mandolin's  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing,  clear  vocals  and  spoken  word  parts  a  few  seconds  later  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  Most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  When  tremolo  picking  is  utilized  it  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  yet  depressive  black  metal  screams. All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along with  some  melody  also  being  added  into  the  guitar  riffing. 

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  atmospheric  sounding  along  with  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a very  melodic  style  when  they  are  as  well  as  the  clean  playing,  mandolin's  and  spoken  word  parts  also  returning  on  later  songs,  clarinet's  and  trombone  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.  The  production  so0unds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  different  plane's  of  existence,  inner  traumata  and  mankind's  estrangement  from  nature.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Mournful  Winter  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  and  depressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Spirit  Wound"  "Mother's  Demise"  and  "In  The  Enlightenment  of  my  Catharsis".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD-ZgI13_do     

  Gonemage  are  a  solo  project  from  Dallas,  Texas  that h as  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  mixture  of  post  black  metal  and  chiptune  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2021  album  "Sudden  Deluge"  which  will  be  released  in  November  as  a  joint  effort  between  Xenoglossy  Productions,  Bif  Money  Cybergrind  and  Red  Truth  Productions.

  Percussion's  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  experimental  direction.  Elements  of  chiptune  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of the  guitar  riffing  and  all  of t h e musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  depressive  black  metal  screams,  shouts  and  clean  singing  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  session  musicians  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  along  with  some  touches  of  garage  rock,  indie  and  post  hardcore  also  being  utilized  at  times.

  Acoustic  guitars  and  female  vocals  can  also  being  utilized  briefly  along  with  some  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  also  being  utilized  briefly  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  which  also  gives  the  album  more  of  a  raw  feeling  as  well  as  one  song  also  adding  in  some  spoken  word  parts,  programmed  beats  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  and  continue  the  Currator's  story  from  the  previous  release  with  some  sci-fi  and  fantasy  touches. 

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Gonemage  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  experimental  post  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Shifted"  "{Gumubulang  Na  Alon"  "Wisteria  Sights  (Pushed  to  Extreme  Delight)"  and  "Delirium".  8  out  of  10.

https://gonemage.bandcamp.com/album/sudden-deluge