The  Gauntlet  are  a  solo  project  from  New  Jersey  that  plays  black'n'roll  with  some  touches  of  the  first  wave  era  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  album  "Dark  Steel  And  Fire"  which  will  be  released  in 2023  by  Eternal  Death.

 A  very  hard,  heavy  and  old  school  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a decent  amount  of  melody.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along with  the  solos  and  leads  also  bringing  in  a  more  old  school  style  when  they  are  and  the  music  also  adds  a  more  modern  take  on  an  80's  influenced  direction. 

  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  some  of  the  riffing  also  brings  in  elements  of  thrash  and  first  wave  black  metal.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  along  with  some  of  the  riffing  also  adding  in little  amounts  of  melody  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them and  most  of  the  album  sticks  to  a  mid  tempo  direction.

  The  Gauntlet  plays  a  style  of  black'n'roll  that  is  mostly  mid  tempo  sounding  as  well  as  mixing  in  some  first  wave  elements  with  a  more  modern  take  on  the  genre.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Gauntlet  are  a  very  great  sounding  black'n'roll  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of t his  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Where  heroes  Go  To  Die"  "Winds  Without  Mercy"  "The  Final  Guard"  and  "Armoured  Hearts".  8  out  of  10.

  http://eternaldeath.bandcamp.com/album/dark-steel-and-fire

www.thegauntletband.bandcamp.com           

Weep was started in March of this year as a way for me to process some severe mental health issues I was dealing with at the time. It is largely a reflection of the suffering and grief we are all capable of given the correct conditions. I wanted to focus on something in the DSBM realm but with added attention to giving an accurate and honest depiction of mental health as opposed to some of the more performatively edgy bands like Shining. Musically I also wanted to steer the DSBM core of the sound into a more black-gaze and post-metal influenced direction as a means to imbue the music with added emotional heft. 

 2. So far you have been a part of a couple of split, musically how do they both differ from each other?

 There’s a pretty distinct stylistic shift between the two splits. The first split features tracks that are fast and energetic, with some pretty idiosyncratic melodies layered over the top. At the time I was listening to Olvido by Nostalghia from Mexico City a lot and their brand of post-black definitely influenced the tracks on the split with Hypnopompia a lot. The newest split leans much more into post-metal with bigger riffs and a broader atmosphere. There’s a doomy quality to a lot of the riffs but with this undercurrent of melancholic melody that I really enjoy. Obviously there’s still plenty of tremolos and my vocals have always had an unmistakable DSBM quality to them, somewhere in the realm of a cat being stepped on. 

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

Like I mentioned before, the goal for Weep was to approach the usual themes of DSBM: depression, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm with a much more honest and emotionally open perspective. A lot of DSBM even the popular stuff seems to almost glorify and encourage these kinds of behaviors and experiences. The truth is that no one should have to suffer the loss of a loved one through suicide, and no one should have to be in a place where harming themselves seems like a reasonable course of action. I wanted to focus on the kind of anguish that mental health struggles can generate in a way that depicts the emptiness and unfulfilling nature of it all. There’s also a vague hint of romanticism because I’m a total fanboy for My Dying Bride.

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

 Tragically there’s no deeper informative backstory to the name of the project. At the end of the day sometimes we all weep for one reason or another, and I think all of us know what it means to weep rather than simply cry. I thought the word really captured the emotional honesty I was striving for. As men we are often taught to bottle our feelings, to ensure that no one is burdened by our suffering. This is the kind of social framing that lead me to consider killing myself. So you could say I’m perhaps encouraging more people to weep themselves with the name, to be comfortable expressing dark emotions in a healthy manner. 

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

 With the most recent artwork I have once again betrayed my fondness for Nostalghia. The artwork on Olvido was by a 19th century Bohemian painter Jakub Schikaneder. I was immediately struck by the potent sorrow in his work and started stealing some of his old paintings for my artwork. The newest release is no different. I think it captures the sort of contemplative sorrow that both Kalliste and I evoke in a way that doesn’t feel tacky or overwrought.

 6. With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?

 I definitely enjoy both experiences. Being a solo artist is nice because you never have to compromise. You can make whatever musical decision you think is right and you won’t have 3-4 bandmates babbling in your ear about how you’re a talentless hack. Despite that, I enjoy collaborating a lot because it simply expands the forum of ideas. I would definitely be open to working with other musicians with Weep material, but I also have other projects where I do collaborate so I could definitely see myself guarding Weep as the one project where I get complete control over everything. 

 7. So far very little is known about the project, are you planning on expanding your presence in the future or do you prefer to keep a lower profile

? Well like most I think my current low-profile is not exactly self-inflicted. Bedroom black metal musicians are a dime a dozen and it’s hard to gain attention for your individual project. That being said I definitely don’t feel the need to remain low-profile. It would be great if my music could get a wider attention because I feel like this kind of DSBM is valuable to a scene which is steeped in pretty cringey edgelord shit most of the time.

 8. So far you have been a part of splits with both 'Hypnopmpia' and 'Kalliste', what are your thoughts on the other projects that had participated on those recordings?

 I’ve know the man behind Hypnopompia for a very long time and it had been a long-term goal of us to do a split together. I think that the recorded material on our split doesn’t do justice to just how amazing Hynopompia is. They have such a unique approach to blackened doom that borrows a lot from classic 1st Wave stuff in a really unique way. I love the themes in his music as well. Definitely see them live if you can and I don’t say that solely became I’m a member of the live band. As far as Kalliste goes, I feel pretty confident saying Kalliste is the most talented man in underground DSBM right now. A.M. came out of the womb with a completely developed individual sound as if he was born to play this shit. His long-form compositions flow like nothing else out there and the breadth of emotion he can capture is simply staggering. I have every confidence the man is going to do big things and I’m glad I got the chance to collaborate with him before I’m small fry comparatively.

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

 Well, I think a lot of the attention the splits have received thus far has been pretty positive. I think most of our fans our in the US still but we’ve gotten some interest from publications in Romania and I know Kalliste has some fans in Puerto Rico. I think that DSBM as a genre has a pretty niche appeal even within underground metal but the themes underpinning the music have a universal quality that I hope spurs some more pronounced worldwide interest. 

 10. When can we expect a full length and also where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?

 I think a full length is probably realistic sometime around early 2024. I have a lot of disparate musical interests and that can make it difficult to synthesize all the ideas into a cohesive package. When you’re a solo artist too writer’s block can totally shut things down since ether’s no collaborators to lean on. That being said I think you can expect Weep to evolve even more in 2023. I have a lot of interesting song ideas that blend goth, blackgaze, doom, and DSBM into something totally unique for the project. The key is just to pull it all together into something that flows and breathes organically.

 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?

 I listen to a lot of music in general but I can point to early Katatonia, My Dying Bride, Woods of Ypres, Fall of Efrafa, The Cure, and Dark Tranquillity as key cornerstones of Weep’s sound. For my personal listening habits these days I’ve been jamming to a lot of False Figure from Sacramento and Sunrise Patriot Motion from New York. I also have been really vibing with the new Messa album and the Mizmor/Thou collaboration that came out this year.

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

 I’d just like to thank you again for the interview and encourage anyone out there who is struggling with severe depression or other mental health issues to seek out help from a professional. In the words of the late great

David Gold, “Death is not an Exit.”

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the solo project these days? 

SM DRK : Hi, nothing special except the digipack release of « Le Diable en personne » and the composition of new sonic blasphemy. Digital release only. I’m a UG black Metal one-man band and I’m free to do as I please.

2.So far this year you have released 2 ep's and full length, musically how do they differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

SM  DRK: As I said, This year is the first official release of one of my digital creations. So this is an important thing. It’s an event for me. So this is a recent achievement. That’s right, you can listen to new stuffs for 2022 in fact 2 albums and 2 EPs. I don’t care about the style of each release. Each album or Ep has its own energy, violence and darkness, it depends on my connections. I like the variety of things and darkness. It’s so vast. I want to explore them, so many things. Darkness is so rich and wide. 

3.Since 2019 you also have released a great amount of material, do you spend a lot of your time writing and creating music?

SM DRK : That’s right. Thanks to this fucking pandemic. This booby trap. It was an opportuny for me to go back to basics. Extreme Metal. And I’ve created a lot of miscellaneous things. Nevertheless,  it takes me little time to compose and write an album. 3 days max. I compose and I record at the same time. Like a shamanic ritual. So I compose, record, mix and do my mastering in 3 days max. Most of the time I do it in 2 days. But after this,  I spend a lot of time listening to my creations. More than spending time creating.

4.A lot of your lyrics cover Satanism, Occultism and anti Christianity themes. Can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?

SM DRK : All I have to say is in my music. But yep, Satanism, Occultism and anti Christianity. Anti Monotheism. Distrust of mankind. There are several ways to feel my lyrics. Human being has white and dark sides. But not only. It’s the same for the demons. Religion want to hide this and they lie to control the plebeian.

5.What are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects you have explored with your music so far?

SM DRK : Rebellion - Perversion - Sadism - Fratricidal Wars - Lie - Mass Manipulation - Darkness - Murder - Misanthropy - Bestiality - Ancestral Beliefs – Manicheism - Paganism - Celtic Vibes & Magic - Freedom  - The Ego…

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Draakanaon'?

SM DRK : My Inner Dragon and the realm of the dead. I live more with the dead than with the so-called living. Time is an illusion. We are an illusion. And we are a connection, we are connected to other dimensions. Not everybody. But one of us. For the brainwashed, I can not say. And I don’t fucking care. They are empty shells. 

7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the current ep cover?

SM DRK: You’re talking about « Saatanisticall ». This is a UG creation. My creation with a personal drawing, a symbol with 2 initials. Those of my late mother. And this is a call. To the dead, the old spirits and entities. This is a call to the real Black Metalheads. A call to the ancestral energy. Satanism is a way to get out of the Lie. Feel your inner demons, your inner ancestral creatures. You think you run your life on your own, but that's not true. It’s your ego talking, day after day. Or governments throught mass manipulation. Slavery. We are not alone. The true satanism knows about it. I don’t like dogmas. They are created by Humans. Humans are unreliable. You have to find your own tools and magic. It is a personal spiritual path.

8.With this project you record everything by yourself but have experience working with musicians in past bands, do you prefer to work solo?

SM DRK : Hellyep ! As I said, I have my spiritual connections. So I don’t need to be part of a band. I have already my own band. I play with my own demons. No compromises with humans. I used to play with other guys, for 20 years. It’s fucking over. But I can do some sonic rituals with spiritual Brothers. Exemple with Maxime Taccardi for TRINITY. 

9.In June 'Oaken Shield' released one of your 2021 albums on physical format, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

SM DRK : Oaken Shield is an subsidiary of ADIPOCERE records, a french historical label. Oaken Shield was created in 2001. Adipocere records in 1992. O.S released  Blut Aus Nord, Nehëmah,Crystallium, Abime, Blodsrit, Aes Dana, Vociferian, Berserk, Lucifugum….Christian Bivel, the owner was very enthousiastic concerning DRAAKANAON. I send first my first digital album « Veurghh ! ». It was the trigger. Then, we have decided to release « Le Diable en personne ». Because it’s a symbolic creation and the first time I accept to get a cover my somebody else than me. My spiritual brother and great artist Maxime Taccardi . He was fan of Draakanaon and gave encouragement. He likes this album a lot. For me, It was en event and a sacred act. This artist is so gifted and honest. It was a huge honor. No one but him could do this cover. The Devil himself. 

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

SM DRK : Too soon to tell you. I’m under-underground you know ;-) But those who like DRK like my music a lot. That’s all I can say right now, sorry. I play an UG Black Metal, I don’t want to be a Metal pop star. 

11.What are some of your other current musical projects?

It’s not important t

SM DRK : It is not important to talk about it in this interview. Let’s focus on Draakanaon.

 12.Where do you see yourself heading into musically during the future?

SM DRK : I’m just living my present never looking to the future. As I said, time is an illusion. And my country and Europe are collapsing. This is the end of those civilations. And the brand new one is not better. May be worst. Wait and see. Here in France, it’s totally shitty. 2023 will be shitty, hard, tough with power outages, high taxation, starvation…Bloody mess dude ! So I live my life composing Black Metal until it’s not possible anymore. We’re trapped man ! No one wants to fight till it's too late. There are actually too few of us. 

13.What are some of the bands or musical styles that you are currently listening to nowadays?

SM DRK : Love this question ! 

Ready ?!!!

Terra Tenebrosa, Leviathan (Wrest), KFR and Maxime Taccardi’s side projects, Bathory, Celtic Frost, Hellhammer, Hate Forest, Burzum, Arckanum, The Arrival of Satan, Satanic Warmaster, Enthroned, Darkthrone, The true Werwolf, Ende, Orlok, Borgne, Behexen, Gorgon, Nehëma, Branikald, Funeral Winds, Beherit, Marduk, Enevelde, Gaahlskagg, Trelldom, Gorgoroth (until « Ad Majorem »), Impaled Nazarene, Irrlycht, Inquisition, Monarque, Suicide Silence, Serpents Oath, Uvaminator, Mutiilation, Wyrms, Sarcofago (INRI), Archgoat, VON, Conqueror, Blasphemy, Urgehal, Misotheist, Whoredom Rife, Clandestine Blaze, Armagedda, Deathspell Omega, Blut Aus Nord, Corpus Christii, Manbryne, Venus Star, Inferno, The Pale Riders, KPN, Blurr Thrower, Deus Mortem, Knokkelklang, Nazgul (Spain, 1rst démo is great), Cornigr, Revenge, Spectral Wound, Forgotten Woods, Dominion of suffering, Angr, Mopok, Aegrus and so many others…

I also listen to Demented are Go cause  love Psychobilly, The Cramps. Punk music like Samhain and The Misfits (the originals with Glenn Danzig), Undead, Discharge, Wolf Brigage, Doom…Also Danzig…and a lot of Dark Ambient, Indus music like Raison D’être, In slaughter Natives, Cagoule, Mz.412, Lustmord, Zoviet France, Slushy, Nurse with Wound, SPK, Sun O))).

Death Metal like Necrophagia, Autopsy, Entombed, Dismember, Bolt Thrower, Deicide, Massacre…Immolation, I’m a great fan…

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

SM DRK : Support the Underground !!!

Support the true labels, keen and passionate one and forget this mainstream shit. 

Support them and not those fucking You tube Channels like BMP. They work for their own interests, not for the bands nor good labels.

Impostors, go to Garbag’hell !!! 

And Support Draakanaon and Occult Black Metalzine.

Thank you John Larsen. 

Stay impious & Brutal

  Jours  Pales  are  a  band  from  France  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  melancholic  form  of  post  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  Tensions"  which  was  released  by  Les  Acteurs  de  L'Ombre  Productions.

  Melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavier  riffing  a  few  seconds  later.  Clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  high  pitched  depressive  black  metal  screams  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Elements  of  post  metal  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  album  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  faster  sections  of the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  some  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.  When  tremolo  picking  is  utilized  they  also  give  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well as  one  song  also  introducing  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  album,  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  French  and  cover  a  dysthymic  modern  world  and  Mephistophelean  society.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Jours  Pales  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melancholic  post  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Saint-Flour  Nostalgie"  "Tensions"  "Have"  and  "Les  feuilles  tombent".  8  out  of  10.

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  Ziegenhorn  are  a  band  from  Estonia  that  plays  a  bestial  mixture  of  war,  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "Blut&Kaos"  which  was  released  by  Warhorn  Records.

  A  very  apocalyptic  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  before  adding  in  some  drum  beats  which  also  takes  the  music  into  a  heavier  direction.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  angry  sounding  growls  that  also  add  in  some  touches  of  black  metal.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  war  metal  elements,  brutal  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies  also  being  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing,  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  finally  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  chaotic  yet  melodic  style  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing. 

  Ziegenhorn  plays  a  style  of  war  and  bestial  black/death  metal  that  is  more  melodic  than  most  bands  of  this  genre.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Goat  Worship  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ziegenhorn  are  a  very  great  sounding  bestial  mixture  of  war,  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a f an  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Goat  Mit  Uns"  "Goatural  Blasphemy"  and  "Blood&Chaos".  8  out  of  10.

  https://warhorn.bandcamp.com/album/blut-kaos