Sweden's  Golgota  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  raw  and  melodic  style  of  black  metal  from  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Skam"  which  was  released  by  Satanath  Records.

  Acoustic  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic musical  direction.  Clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  music  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  tremolo  picking  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  when  it  is  utilized.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  On  some  of  the  later  tracks  acoustic  guitars  and  clean  playing  also  make  a  brief  return  along  with  the  vocals  also  getting  very  deep  sounding  at  times.  The  music  also  has  a  lot  of  90's  influences  but  done  in  a  more  modern  style  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard,  towards  the  end  synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Swedish  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Golgota  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vinterbarn"  "Job"  and  "Janus  Spegel".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5IGOYk7S-Q

 

 

  

For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
Yes, it is a solo avant-garde atmospheric black metal project called Agon and I am currently its main contributor. I write the music and lyrics, record the songs, and produce and master the album.

So far you have released one album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?
When I was contemplating the thought of wanting to release music, I was already trying to figure out the sound that I wanted to have. I played around with different subgenres, song structures, and also guitar tunings. After writing some thrash metal, death metal, and doom songs, I finally figured out my sound when I started to write the songs for Hollowed Lake. I really got into the use of atmosphere and sonic landscapes that gave my music more body and depth to work with, experimenting with different ideas that came to mind.

What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored with the music so far?
So far my lyrical topics dealt with my mental state at the time of recording: having to deal with the breakup of my first relationship, the recurring paranoid thoughts of what I plan for my future, my internal feelings of loneliness and self-hatred, you know… the usual stuff. But I’m glad that I feel better now.

What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Agon'?
Well, I have always been a huge fan of Tolkien’s works so I wanted to name my project based on something related to Middle Earth. I went searching through words in Black Speech and I found the word Agon which stood for twilight/dawn, so I decided to use it simply because it sounded cool to me. Later on, I read that agon was also a Greek term for a struggle or a contest, the idea that the clash of opposing forces necessarily results in growth and progress. After learning that, I knew that it was the perfect name for the context of my music and its lyrical themes.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album?
The artwork was based on a piece I made back in my high school art class. I thought of Pandora’s Box when I remade it for the album cover, a whirlpool filled with spirits that engulf their surroundings spreading out to the rest of the world. I was wanting something that fit the album name, an image of ghastly spirits that drift around endlessly without a way out, swimming around the dark abyss forming a hollowed lake.

So far you have recorded everything on the recordings by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?
I would love to work with other musicians in the future, create something amazing as a whole group, but I would want to continue to work solo for Agon. It is a project where I put my own thoughts and ideas into without having to compromise due to conflicting ideas from other band members.

I heard that you are working on some live shows, what can we expect performance wise once you hit the stage?
I plan on recruiting some fellow musician friends to learn my songs and have them join me onstage. But I don’t really know what to expect, I just want to play my music to others and hope they enjoy it as much as I did creating them. I hope that the band will be proficient in playing my music so that we can let ourselves and the audience have an enjoyable night. We will give it our all for the fans.

Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
I wouldn’t mind being signed to a label, it would certainly help me get more fan traction from the underground. It would also help me with managing my time on marketing and merchandising. I still love being independent though because it gives me the feeling of more control over my own content, as well as the idea of achieving everything on my own. But label support is always best for starting musicians like myself to begin their rise up. So if the opportunity arises, I will take the option best fit for me.

On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
I have had positive reviews so far from what I have read and heard. My close friends have told me that they loved the album and one of them even mistook my music for a Burzum album. I suspect that I have a small fan base in Eastern Europe due to the majority of PR I have done for that region, as well as small sections of Central and South America. So far I have been very happy from the positive reception I have gained from my close friends and magazine reviews.

Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?
My main goal as of the moment is to get my name and music out to the underground world of extreme metal, trying to have Agon become a household name throughout the metal subgenres. But my dream is to live off of the music I create, just like all the other striving musicians out there. Not having the need to get a second job to sustain myself, to take away time from my passion of creating music, to not have to put my music to the side as a hobby instead of it being my job. That’s where I want to see myself heading into the future as a musician.

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 earliest bands that began to influence my musical choices were AC/DC and Pink Floyd. AC/DC was what brought me into old school rock alongside playing Guitar Hero. I started listening to Led Zeppelin, Journey, Boston, and many other bands from the 80’s. When I got into Pink Floyd, they changed the way I would listen to music. I used to shuffle randomly through songs from different artists but because of Pink Floyd, I started to appreciate the “album” as a whole art piece created by the artist. Little by little I started to get into heavier music such as Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Metallica. Then I got into Slayer and that threw me down this tunnel of extreme metal that completely absorbed me, and I am where I am now. At the time that I was writing my album, I was listening to mostly death metal like Morbid Angel and Bolt Thrower, black metal like Burzum and Xasthur, and doom like Pallbearer and Sleep. They have been my biggest influences in recent times when I was having my first thoughts of creating music. One other band that has had a great impact to me is Death Grips. They have been one of my top bands for a while now and I even consider them to be the greatest band from this past decade. Recently though I have been listening a lot to Acid Bath, Deathspell Omega, Full of Hell, Sleep, Svartelder, and Tyler the Creator’s latest album.

What are some of your non musical interests?
Other than listening and creating music, I love to watch films, especially works by Quentin Tarantino, Stanley Kubrick, and David Lynch. I enjoy history as well, going out to visit art museums, natural history museums, and science museums. Traveling is another interest of mine, recently I visited Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands. I plan on traveling to new places each year to visit and explore new lands that have always peaked my interest, maybe even gain some new influences for my music while I’m there.

Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Yes, I want to thank all the people who have listened to my album and love the music I create, supporting me and the passion that I strive towards. I am glad to be part of this community of musicians who connect people through the music we create, that our works will spread onwards to new fans who will cherish them and place the music close to their hearts. Don’t ever forget the importance of music for it is our impetus of feeling uplifted, motivated, and it makes us seek our inner peace from each one of our personal demons. Let it be known that you are not the only one suffering your fights, that the person who created the songs you listen to all have their torments and cope with them by sharing it to us the listeners. Let music flow through you and guide you to the many wonders your life will entail.

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

Well, there wasn‘t much to hear before. After being just an idea, we materialized in 2019 and very soon had the first songs, that we felt had to be released in the open.

2.So far you have released an ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?

The most important thing for us was to capture the atmosphere of not being sure if what you‘re experiencing is a dream. And that is something that is very prominent in Black Metal as well as Psychobilly (especially with someone like Deadbolt). So we wanted to have Black Metal as the backbone of what we are doing and then add to it something that, we feel, gives it another perspective. So for example -we took some frightful atmosphere from Psychobilly, some melancholy, depression and the narrative style from Dark Country, other things were coming from different waves of Black Metal and other different sources.

3.The lyrics on the ep are a concept album, can you tell us a little bit more about the story that is covered on the recording?

The few happenings described in this EP is actually just the beginning of the story. In this first part we are introducing our unnamed main character who happens to be in a bad situation, when he meets the mystical figure called Hoofstomper. In a Faustian manner, the hero accepts a deal from this figure where he gets what he wants for the moment, but later finds out that this deal had some hidden conditions. What follows are some dramatic events where he realizes that he is just being manipulated by Hoofstomper, but that he put himself into this position and there is nothing he can do about it. Thematically the ending is sad, yet musically – not really, it‘s more hopeful and uplifting. This shows the duality of his situation and uncertainty of his future. We are also very interested to see where this story goes.

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

Hoofstomper is the name of the being we were seeing in our dreams, that encouraged us to write this music, create this band. You can see him (it) on the CD cover and our logo. He is a goat like figure and we kept hearing the stomping of his hooves in our skulls, so we couldn't call the band anything else.

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

We did the artwork ourselves. Since we aren't great artists the drawings are simple depictions of Hoofstomper and his attributes. We wanted it to look like something someone would have drawn in old books about demons to illustrate how this demon looks like.

6.All of the band members use aliases, can you tell us a little bit more about it?

Very good observation. We don‘t think it‘s important who is actually in the band, what‘s important is the music and its message. Besides, specifically for newer bands, no one really cares.

7.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?

No live shows yet. We are still working on new songs and are thinking about the right presentation of the material. But we hope that not too long in the future we will be able to bring our music to the people in the flesh.

8.The ep was released on 'Black Mourning Productions', can you tell us a little bit about this label?

As far as we know it‘s a German label, very professional, all deals were upheld like negotiated and it was very easy to work and talk with them. We‘re really happy that they believed in our music to release it.

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

We were ready to receive some backlash from black metal purists, after all this genre is known to have some very opinionated fans, and we realized how some might see our music as a kind of joke at the expense of Black Metal (which it‘s not). But so far it has been pretty good. Most of what we heard was either positive, or even if they don‘t like the music they acknowledge that it‘s an interesting idea. No death threats yet.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We have no idea. We don‘t force the music and let the ideas guide us. From what we have so far it seems that it might have a bit less Country influences and going to be darker in tone. But we‘ll have to see how it turns out in the end.

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?
From non-metal side Deadbolt is a classic and probably had most influence on us. Angry Johnny and the Killbilies also gave us a lot. Those Poor Bastards is one of the darkest things we‘ve ever heard.
From Metal side – Mgla, Bölzer, Behemoth, to some extent the old guard – Mayhem, Darkthrone.

What we are listening now – well the new Darkthrone album „Old Star“ is great, Gaahl’s WYRD last album is really good too. If I could recommend some Lithuanian bands to listen to I would suggest Luctus and Crypts of Despair.

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

  Vomit  Angel  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  plays  a  mixture  of  bestial  black,  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Imprint  Of  Execution"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Iron  Bonehead  Productions.

  A  horror  movie  orientated  intro  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  The  raw  energy  of  war  metal  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.

  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  in  length  while  the  music  also  captures  the  heaviness  of  bestial  black  metal.  Guttural  growls  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  80's  and  90's  influences  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  alcohol  induced  vomit  and  on  some  tracks  the  bass  guitar  is  used  as  a  lead  instrument.

 As  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  melodic  riffing  can  also  be  heard  while  one  track  also  adds in a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  as  well  as  the  music  also  capturing  the  raw  energy  of  d  beat  and  crust  punk  at  times,  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  The  production  sounds  very  dark and  raw  while t he  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  Death,  Violence  and  Alcohol  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vomit  Angel  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  bestial  black,  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ancient  Heritage"  "Satanic  Eelhead"  "Hollow  Earth"  and  "The  Sabbath  Of  the  Goat".  8  out  of  10.

http://soundcloud.com/iron-bonehead-productions/vomit-angel-vomit-angel/s-62yDX   

  Aitvaras  are  a  band  from  Austria  that  plays  a  melodic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2019  album  which  was  released  by  Anthrazit  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  atmospheric  sounding  keyboards  also  being  used  briefly.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  one  track  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  classical  guitars  as  well  as  the  vocals  being  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  riffs  also  utilizing  a  great  amount  of  melody.  Blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  during  the faster  sections  of  the  music  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  When  tremolo  picking  is  utilized  it  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  while  spoken  word  and  war  samples  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  Clean  playing  is  also  added  on  later  tracks  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  spoken  word  parts  also  make  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as w ell  as  keyboards  returning  on  the  closing  track.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  war  and  anti  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Aitvaras  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Coming  From  The  Abyss"  "Mourning  Emptiness"  and  "Paradise  Denied".  8  out  of  10.

https://anthrazitrecords.bandcamp.com/album/aitvaras