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

Septev: The album was composed and recorded during one year. It was finished, I think, in June 2022. We took our time to contact some labels and we knew that summer is not the right to time to release a black metal album. So we just waited for the right moment. 

2.In December you have your first full length coming out, musically how does it differ from your previous ep?

Septev: Our first ep was kind of a demo. We knew what we wanted to do but we had to experiment a bit. And it was the first time we worked the three of us together (adding Zigfrid our lyricist).

For the album I changed my vision of composition, and I wanted to express myself through longer tracks with more space for the dungeon synth part. I wanted to compose like an epic sword and sorcery story. 

I also took care this time of the mixing and mastering to achieve the vision I had of our sound. 

Now, our singer Erroiak plays the guitars, and our bassist Rohkrao plays acoustic and clean guitars on some tracks too. I tried to compose with lot of different instruments (like traditional medieval instruments for example) and synths. 

Our music is more richer now than on our previous EP. 

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release and also how would you describe your progress as songwriteres from the previous release?

Septev: the lyrics writing process was made by Zigfrid. This time, he wrote the lyrics after the music, so he had the inspiration of it. I was telling the main idea I had in my head, and he wrote really nice and dense text. 

As I told you before, the album is like a story. It takes place in a fantasy place, where people are fighting over power between castle, village, dragon, and beautiful endless landscape pierced by mountains. 

Zigfrid did an amazing work. The texts are sometimes poetic sometimes raw and intense. 

For the musical part, I really wanted to tell a story from beginning to end through different phase of feelings. I managed to have an evolution within each track to brings the listener in an epic journey. 

That was totally different in the previous EP where the tracks had no connexion between them. 

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

Septev: Hrad is the Czech (and Slovak) word for « Castle ».  Czech Republic is a country that I really like. The language is difficult to learn but I like how it sounds and especially this word.

For the name of the band, I wanted something meaningful of the image that reflect our music. I found out that Hrad was the right name.

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

Septev: the artwork was made by the talented German artist Johnny Doe. He works with on digital artwork and brings that special lightning that makes it unique. To be honest, it was a premade artwork, but when I saw it, I was convince that this was the perfect artwork that illustrate our music. The power of the dragon burning down the castle and the mountain reflect with perfection the story that is told in our album.

(This artist also play in the doom/black metal band Praise the Plague)

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

Septev:  We won’t perform any live shows. We are only a studio band. We live to far from each other, so it would be complicated for us to do rehearsals. And we have fulfilled life that won’t give us the time to go on the road. 

7.On the new album you are working with WereGnome Records, Huard Productions and Acid Vicious on the physical copies, can you tell us a little bit more about these labels?

Septev: For our first EP, we have already worked with Weregnome and Acid vicious. 

Weregnome is an American label that produces mainly tapes. They have a very large range of kind of productions and love to produce some weird stuff in the dungeon synth and black metal scene. One of the owner also have a dungeon synth project. They will release our album on tape on the 30 December. 

Acid vicious and Huard productions teamed up to release the album on digipack on the 02 December. 

Acid Vicious is at the beginning an old fanzine and has a long history in the underground French scene. The owner produce now a lot of stuff that he likes and brings very good albums on digipack and tape. 

Huard productions is a newcomer on the French scene, but has already make the point with very good dungeon synth productions on tape and some black metal on digipack. The owner has also a one man band. 

We really have good relationship with these 3 labels and we are glad that they believe in our music. 

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

Septev: I am not sure, but I think that our music has a bigger audience anywhere else than in France. Our country is well known for its black metal scene, but we are taking a step aside with our way to see the black metal. I sold some digipack of our EP on the bandcamp of the band, and it was mainly abroad. 

The texts are in English may be that helps too. But I believe that people from America or Eastern Europe are more open to our mix of genres. 

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

Septev: we are already slowly thinking to the next album. I want to continue the path open by this album. Bringing epic music and maybe going to a mix with the old school sound of the ep and the modern sound of the current album. 

But for the moment we are all in making process with other projects and we are waiting for the release of the album to see its reception. 

10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that the singer is a part of?

Erroiak: The new Suicidal Madness album, in which I was invited to play some piano parts, will be released in December on Wolfspell Records.

There is also the new Kaldt Helvete EP, where I am bassist and pianist, which will be released in December on Daedra Art.

I am currently recording the vocals for the next Léthifère album, and I also have to write and record the vocals for the next Oppressive Light album, which is already composed and recorded.

I am also currently composing and recording the 2nd album of Enterré Vivant, with my buddy Sakrifiss, who lives in Japan.

But what excites me the most is the forthcoming release of my 1st solo album, under the name Erroiak, on a label that will be announced soon.

And also, the 1st album of Udazken, my new Dungeon Synth project, will be released soon by Huard Productions.

Septev: I take the opportunity of this question to have a little word on the band of our bass player. 

He is playing guitar in a sludge band from Paris: Negative Concept. They have just released their first album (Unwelcome) which is really good! 

I can also say that I will release a mini dungeon synth album with my project Eklemata on the label Weregnome Records. The tape will be out on January. 

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are currently listening to nowadays?

Septev: I have to say that I listen to various stuff and not only black metal. 

I really like bands like Can Bardd or Belore, that are in the same category of music like us. At the moment I have great expectation on the next album of …And Oceans, a symphonic black metal band I listen since a very longtime. I am also a huge fan of bands like Kvelertak or Turbonegro that I keep on listen to really often. 

Erroiak: I listen to Black Metal every day, mainly from the French, Finnish and Ukrainian scenes, which are my favorites, and I often discover very good new things there.

But sometimes I still listen to my old classics: Iron Maiden, old-Metallica, Pantera, old-Sepultura, Motörhead, but also Queen or even the Beatles.

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

Septev: thanks for this interview and for giving us a chance to defend our new album. Thanks for your work for promoting little bands like us! 

To conclude, I can only suggest to people who read this interview to go on our bandcamp to discover our music! 

Necromant

  Azketem  are  a  solo  project  from  Germany  that  plays  an  atmospheric  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2022  album "Azetik"  which  will  be  released  on  December  16th  by  Untod  Productions.

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  Clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.

  Grim  black metal  screams  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  while  the  keyboards  also  give  the  album  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling  when  they  are  utilized  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow  and  mid  tempo  parts  with  the  faster  sections  only  being  added  on  a  couple  of  tracks  along  with  some  of  the  songs  also  having  interludes  in  between  them,  touches  of  ambient  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  Mysticism  themes  that  also  show  some  influences  from  the  writings  of  Aliester  Crowley.

  In  my  opinion  Azketem  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out t his  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dannen  Rijk"  and  "Branden  Bluot".  8  out  of  10.

  http://azketem.bandcamp.com/track/dannen-rijk

azektem.bandcamp.com          

  Xexyz  are  a  duo  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  raw  and  symphonic  mixture  of  black,  speed  metal  and  chiptune  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2022  album  "Gamera"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Super  Sargasso.

  Melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later.  The  Nintendo  music  samples  also  give  the  songs  more  of  a  symphonic  feeling  when  they  are  introduced onto  the  album  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  speed  metal  elements.

  When  clear  vocals  are  utilized  they  also  ad d in  more  of  a  traditional  metal  style  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  all  of  the  drum  beats  also  being  programmed,  guitar  synths  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  growls  can  also  be  heard  in  certain sections  of  the  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  based  upon  the  Gamera  films  with  some  satanic  references..

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Xexyz  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  and  symphonic  black,  speed  emtal  and  chiptune  music,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "King  Gamera"  "Worship  Him"  "UFO"  and  "Satan  Apollo".  8  out  of  10.

  Bezwering  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  raw  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2022  album  "Dodenkroning"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Van  Records.

  A  very  dark  yet  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  clear  pagan  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  The  music  also  adds  in  a  lot  of  old  school  influences  while  the  tracks  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  one  track  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  as  well  as  one  of the  songs  also  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  finally  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  having a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Dutch  and  cover  Undeath,  Germanic  Mythology  and  the  Folklore  of  Gelderland.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Bezwering  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wereldbrand"  "De  Wil  Van  Hel  Kwaad"  "Ondergronds"  and  "Lijf  Noch  Lijk".  8  out  of  10.

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  Tennessee's  Kalliste  and  Minnesota's  Weep  which  was  released  by  Liminal  Dread  Productions  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Kalliste  a  solo  project  that  plays  a  very  depressive  form  of  black  metal.

  His  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  yet  depressive  sounding  black  metal  screams.  Atmospheric  sounds  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  some  clean  playing,  rain  sounds  and  keyboards  also  being  utilized  briefly  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard,  clear  vocals  are  also  added  on  the  second  track.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  and  the  lyrics  cover  depression,  winter  and  dreams.  

  In  my  opinion  Kalliste  is  a  very  great  sounding  depressive  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  his  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Fevered  Dreams".

  Next  up  is  Weep  a  solo  project  that  plays  a  very  depressive  form  of  black  metal.

  His  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  clean  playing  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  yet  depressive  black  metal  screams  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  bring  in  more  of  a  melodic  post  metal  style  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  depression  and  sorrow  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Weep  are  a  very  great  sounding  depressive  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  his  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Great  Abyss". 

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  depressive  black  metal.  8 out  of  10.

  https://liminaldreadproductions.bandcamp.com/album/kalliste-weep 

  His  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with