Underground Metal Blog since 2013

2017. szeptember 27., szerda

Sérgio W. Vilhena

Interview with Sérgio W. Vilhena 
(Preceptor, Expurgo)
Questions compiled by Cornelius of Encomium and 
Georgius of Archangel's Lantern


Hail Sérgio! Let's start with some background information about PRECEPTOR. Whose idea was to focus musically on the old-school type of Death Metal there? Tell us a bit about the band members' past and actual bands as well. How the underground scene of Belo Horizonte looks like actually?

- First of all, I would like to thank immensely the opportunity to talk a bit about our band for you guys, Georgius and Cornelius. We never imagined that our songs one day would reach places like Romania, Ukraine or Slovakia!
Preceptor is a band of old friends that used to exchange K7 recording back in the early 90’s, when we formed ours first bands. Me and Grilão (guitars) played together in a band called Mortthrash, Du and Morone (vocals and drums, respectively) played in another band called Vector Underfate and Fred (bass) has a band called Throll and also passed through other bands from Belo Horizonte. Nowadays I also play in a Grindcore band, Expurgo, Du also plays grind in Mata Borrão and Morone has another Death Metal band called Chronic Ashes.
Belo Horizonte’s underground scene has grown a lot, and not only Belo Horizonte’s, but the Brazilian scene as a whole. Lots of new bands coming up, older groups coming back to play together, new studios and venues to play too. Obviously we don’t have a lot of support and there's a lot of “DIY” but in the underground it’s always going to be like that.


PRECEPTOR's debut album, called "Dogmatismo" was released 20th of July, this year. I've listened to it at bandcamp and have to admit you did an excellent job! Enlighten us the circumstances during the recordings of your debut full-length and also say something about your previous materials too (demo, EP and single)

- Thanks for the words; I'm glad you liked the album. We're almost a fifteen years old band and with really few materials released. That's a reflection of the difficulty towards making music in our country. Our time is shared with family (me with 2 sons) and especially our regular jobs that take a lot of time and energy. We began recording Dogmatismo in 2016 and only now in 2017 we have been able to release the record in partnership with 4 labels - Songs for Satan, Misanthropic Records, Jazigo Distro and Philosofic Arts. The disc features songs gathered within a 10-year period, which in a way contributed to the record with varied songs keeping the band's identity.


The title and the cover art of "Dogmatismo" clearly display your kind of resistance against religion and church. Does the brainwashing propaganda remain the same these days as well? What is the main idea behind the lyrics of "Dogmatismo"?

- Exactly. Here in Brazil we have a growing religious force invading even our politics and that's an aspect we combat in our lyrics. Dogmatismo's lyrics question everything that's imposed to us always. Hypocrisy, dogmas that drag the human thought, brainwash and rotten religious fanaticism are our principal themes.


Your debut album was released by Brazilian Songs for Satan? What kind of deal do you have with them? What should we know about your connection with Misanthropic Records?

- As I mentioned before, the disc was released as a partnership between 4 labels. We don't have any kind of contract with any of them, but Flavio Oliveira, from Songs for Satan, was our main encourager for the disc's recording. We handled all the recording, mixing and graphic art, meanwhile the labels' dealers with the manufacturing and release of 500 copies of the disc.


You told me that during the summer you shred the stages with DEICIDE. How did it happen and what should we know about that massive yet hellish alliance? What are your plans for the near future regarding concerts? It would be really great to see you live in Europe, especially somewhere in Slovakia or Hungary. 

- During all those fourteen years of existence we have been rehearsing and playing live a lot. In a way we could say that we have gotten a lot better. The show with Deicide was the first big opportunity we had right after we released Dogmatismo and it was an amazing show. Without a doubt the best show we ever did. Crowded house, good sound technicians and lighting and we were very well rehearsed. We had a very positive feedback from the public. We sold dozens of shirts and CDs after the show. We felt in 1995 seeing Deicide on stage playing songs like Sacrificial Suicide or Once Upon the Cross right after our show. It was really unbelievable.



Could you tell us about your beautiful Brazilian land in short (especially Belo Horizonte)? What local places would you recommend with pleasure to visit the readers once they travel there? Please introduce us the Brazilian culinary art. Which foods and drinks would be your recommendations from Belo Horizonte?

- Belo Horizonte isn't only the city of bands like Sepultura, Sarcófago, Overdose, Mutilator, Holocausto and Chakal amongst other bands from the 80's. Other than being a nest for many extreme metal bands, we have a lot of interesting attractions. Our state is a land of mountains, we don't have beaches, but we have plenty of natural beauty, like exuberant flora, waterfalls, caves, etc. The food from Minas Gerais (our state's name) is amazing and it can be discovered in the big Mercado Central and in the diverse restaurants around the city. Belo Horizonte is the city with most of the bars in Brazil, which attracts people from the entire country. And here, in our state, is produced the best “cachaça” of our country, drink which we use to make the “caipirinha”, a mix of cachaça, lemon, ice and sugar.


I assume all of you have daily jobs, right? It is hard to live there and to spread the Death Metal way of life to the masses? Do you have any other hobbies beside music?

- That's one of the big problems that deny us the time to compose, travel to play and dedicate more to the band. It's practically impossible to live from a Death Metal band in Brazil. We spend much more than we earn with the band. The only thing that keeps us in the music is the passion for extreme metal and the pleasure that we always had playing Death Metal. It's very hard to balance all things in life, keep the band active and still have a hobby. I like to take walks or ride a bike in the wild, searching for waterfalls and I also an old-school frustrated street skater, hahaha!


'm a big supporter of Seleção since 1982 (Zico, Eder, Socrates, Junior, Falcao, Edinho, etc. era). Do you like football and if so, what are your favorite players from the old times and our days?

- Dude, the national team of Zico, Sócrates, Junior and Falcão were the ones that gave my generation the most happiness, despite not winning that cup. Then came Romário, Bebeto, Ronaldo... but for some time we do not have much to celebrate. That 7x1 against Germany was the last nail in our coffin.


You have a great friendship with Sérgio Borges of HEADHUNTER D.C. Would you please share us some thoughts towards your brotherhood?

- Yes, Sérgio Borges is an old friend. Headhunter D.C. is one of the most persevering Death Metal band we have here, still active for so long. They have an old history in name of Death Metal and remain faithful to the style till today. That's rare around here for so long like that. They even lived here in BH in the early 90's when they signed with Cogumelo Records, traditional label from our town. Sérgio Borges is a Brazilian Death Metal Icon.


Muito obrigado por suas respostas! Please finish the interview by sending your preceptor words to the Death Metal community worldwide! 

- We’re trying to make Death Metal simple, raw and straightforward. That’s what motivates us to keep alive the old Death Metal spirit, organic, with feeling, without the plastic sound that took over nowadays metal. Thank you very much for the opportunity and of course it would be a dream for us to play in countries like Slovakia and Hungary. Who knows, one day we could bring some bands from there to Brazil and we also make a tour passing around there… Those who want to know “Dogmatismo” can access our Bandcamp at: https://preceptor.bandcamp.com
We still have some copies of the CD and the official shirt of the album left; just contact us by Facebook or by email preceptorbr@gmail.com 


Important Facebook links: 





Sérgio with Death metal legend, Ross Dolan of Immolation: 



2017. szeptember 24., vasárnap

ΜΕΤΑΛΛΙΚΕΣ ΠΕΡΙΗΓΗΣΕΙΣ/Journey to the World of Metal Music

Interview with Konstantinos and Tzina 
Journey to the World of Metal Music/ΜΕΤΑΛΛΙΚΕΣ ΠΕΡΙΗΓΗΣΕΙΣ


Hello my great Greek friends, Tzina and Konstantinos, you are very welcome in my small blog, called Archangel’s Lantern! When and how You did you get introduced to hard rock/heavy metal music? What was/were your first vinyl(s)/tape(s)? Which hard rock/metal-band did you see live for the first time?

Konstantinos: This is a long journey back in time mate!!! Well, I started listening to Heavy Metal since the mid 80’s (1986 to be more precise). I can recall listening to Kill ’em All (that was a cassette given by a friend of mine) and the rest is history!  I started collecting LP’s (and CD’s later on) and the first albums that I purchased were Reign In Blood, METALLICA’s first three albums and also XENTRIX’s and EVIL DEAD’s debut albums!! Back then I was more into Thrash Metal, but as time went on, I started discovering lots of bands from all Metal genres.. 
Regarding the gigs, I have seen SEPTIC FLESH & HORRIFIED in their early days when they were totally unknown. Later on, it was RUNNING WILD & RAGE in Thessaloniki,  IRON MAIDEN and in Melbourne in which I live since 2005, I have seen DREAM THEATER, QUEENSRYCHE, IRON MAIDEN & FIREWIND. 

Tzina:  Ι have been influenced by my brother since the age of 10 who was listening to Hard Rock & Metal Music. My first albums were RAINBOW’s debut one and later on I purchased IRON MAIDEN and MANOWAR albums. Along with the bands that I mentioned, in the early 90’s I met ROTTING CHRIST, SEPTIC FLESH & NECROMANTIA members and we had endless discussions about music. Back then I was more into Black Metal bands (mainly Greek) such as NECROMANTIA & KAWIR. Gigs that I have attended to, were VENOM, EMPEROR, THEATER OF TRAGEDY, KAWIR, MANOWAR & ANGRA. I have seen THERION twice and I like this band a lot! 

Now tell the readers, please, When did you create your facebook-group called Journey to the World of Metal Music?  Would you be so kind as to tell us all the important information about  Journey to the World of Metal Music?  What is your main goal with your excellent facebook-group? (Congratulations for the more than 20, 400 likes, putting on page, you really deserved it!)

- JOURNEY TO THE WORLD OF METAL MUSIC started as a radio show back in Greece in 1999!! It lasted for 5 years and I loved every second of it! When we passed to the Facebook era, I have made a decision to revive the old radio days by creating a group! This group exists since 2012, with me as an administrator and after a while Tzina joined as well.  We also created a page and currently we have more than 9.200 likes, therefore I would like to thank you for your support!!! 

Did you write any reviews or do interviews with bands for magazines ever or played in a band?

- I haven’t done any interviews or reviews so far. The only thing that you could call a review is, when I present in my group the latest release of a band, or talking about an unknown group.  

I’m always so glad when I see your music posts not only about well-known bands but about underrated or unknown bands for a lot of people.  Could you please name 5-10 of your favourite well-known and underrated bands and their albums? 

Konstantinos: Thank you for that my friend!! I appreciate it! Favourite albums and bands.. This is a hard one, isn’t it? It’s more than 10 albums... Iron Maiden, The Number of the Beast, Piece Of Mind, Powerslave, Somewhere In Time, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (IRON MAIDEN), Kill ’em All, Ride The Lightning, Master Of Puppets, ...and Justice for All (METALLICA), Reign In Blood, Show No Mercy, Hell Awaits (SLAYER), Heaven and Hell, Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Headless Cross (BLACK SABBATH), Images And Words (DREAM THEATER), No Place for Disgrace (FLOTSAM & JETSAM), Beneath The Remains and SO MANY MORE... It could take hours to write them all down. It’s really hard after 30 years of listening to Metal music to limit yourself that much. Just allow me to mention ADX (a great Speed/Thrash Metal band from France) and ROYAL HUNT as well (D.C Cooper era). 

Tzina: With no hesitation, I would have said these ones: Heaven & Hell, Holy Diver, Fatherland, Killers, Blood On Ice, Spiritual Healing, Pleasure To Kill. After all these years, I try to listen as many bands as possible from all metal genres. Unknown bands that I like, were NECROMANTIA and they did influence lots of Greek Metal bands. 


You have a chance to create  an All Stars metal group. What will be your line-up?

Konstantinos: Goodness me... All Star group? It’s impossible to put one singer or guitarist. So, I would say Bruce Dickinson-Ronnie James Dio on vocals, Cliff Burton & Steve Harris on bass guitar, Murray-Smith-Weikath & Hansen on guitars and Dave Lombardo-Neil Peart on drums... Needless to say that I could have mentioned more musicians. 

Tzina: Tonni Iommi on guitars, John Lord, Ronnie James Dio & Eric Adams on vocals, Nicko McBrain on drums & Steve Dawson on bass.  

What are your favourite album releases so far 2016 and this, 2017 year?

- The fact is that we had lots of very good releases in 2016. MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, SUMERLANDS, VEKTOR, HIGH SPIRITS, INSOMNIUM, BE’LAKOR ... these are some bands that released very good albums. 
1. ACCEPT The Rise of Chaos, 2.THRESHOLD Legend Of The Shires, 3.OVERKILL The Grinding Wheel, 4.SEPTIC FLESH Codex Omega, 5.WOLFHEART Tyhjyys. (this year, 2017)

What are your favourite books and movies? (Especially from Greek literature, mythology, culture, history)

Konstantinos: Well, I like history but I am not limited to Greek history. I try to read as many books as I can from all around the world when it comes to history or culture. I can say (with no hesitation) that a few of my favourite books are Tolstoy’s War And Peace, Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, The Idiot, The Gambler, White Nights etc... 

Tzina: Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Jack London’s White Fang,  Tolstoy’s War And Peace. Regarding my favourite movies I would say Friday the 13th, Francis Coppola’s Dracula. 


What is your everyday job? Do you have any special hobbies besides listening to music? 

Konstantinos: The main hobby apart from listening to music is reading. Those two interests consume all my time. When it comes to job, I am a primary school teacher and a Greek-English Interpreter which means that I keep myself very busy. 

Tzina: Reading and tennis with no second thoughts! 

Would you be so kind tell us briefly about Greece and Konstantinos, about Australia? What are your food, drink recommendations? 

- Both countries are very beautiful and they have lots of things to offer. Greece has to offer history, amazing places, food and lots of different traditions and customs from the North to the South and from West to the East. Australia, on the other hand is the Land of the extremes. That’s why is such an amazing country. When it comes to cuisine, I am still very Mediterranean (Greek and Italian dishes are my favourite). As years go by though, I like other cuisines as well such as Spanish and Mexican. And believe me mate, there are lots of amazing food to discover!!  

Perhaps You know, as my blog  dedicated  to memory of Jon Nödtveidt (Dissection) alongside my dear bride (R.I.P.2010)... Do You have a few favourite Dissection-tracks?

- Yes, we do mate! It’s no secret that you love this band very much! I would say that DISSECTION is a great band indeed!!  No doubt about it! Favourite tracks? Well, I would say A Land Forlorn, In The Cold Winds of Nowhere,  Thorns Of Crimson Death, Where Dead Angels Lie, Storm of the Light’s Bane etc. 


Thanks you very much/ευχαριστώ πολύ my great friends.. Send please your message to the readers of my humble blog.

- Παρακαλώ φίλε μου/You are welcome my friend! We would like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to talk about our favourite music, our Facebook group & page and our message to all of you is to… KEEP THE METAL SPIRIT ALIVE!!  

Important links: 






2017. szeptember 19., kedd

Septimiu Hărşan

Interview with Septimiu "Septimus" Hărşan
Questions compiled by Cornelius of Encomium and 
Georgius of Archangel's Lantern



Hail Septimiu! How and when did you start to listen to metal music? Which were the very first metal albums you listened to and the ones that immediately caught your attention? The very first live show you visited?

- Hey, nice to be talking to you!
I think I was around 10 when my sister received a cassette with all kinds of pop rock stuff on it. At the end of the B-side of that cassette however, there were a few Metallica songs; I was struck by the difference. The depth, the atmosphere, the attitude were all like nothing I ever heard before so I instantly knew I was dealing with something special which would stay with me for many years. The first albums were “Load” and “Reload”... For those who don't consider them to be metal albums, my first was “Master of Puppets”, haha! After that came the whole host of Sepulturas, Slayers and so on. And then another breakthrough was Morbid Angel's “Covenant”, bringing me the revelation of death metal. First show must have been something local, but I don't recall much about it. 

When did you start to play drums? What motivated and/or influenced you to pick this kind of instrument instead of others? At the beginning which drummers had an impact on you? Actually, which are your favorite ones and why? Could you pick out 5 bands/albums with any of those?

- I started playing drums just around that same time, because it was originally Metallica that made me want to play music. So when the time came for me to pick up a particular instrument, it was pretty much a random choice. I thought the drums would be cool because it's always nice to hit things and get away with it, haha! It's proven to have been a very good choice, because I don't feel any desire to be under the main spotlight, so sitting at the back of the stage, behind a drumkit is definitely the more comfortable option for me. 
In the beginning, my main influences must have been Lars Ulrich, Ian Paice, Vinnie Paul, Dave Lombardo, Paul Bostaph, Igor Cavalera... I also used to be fascinated by Carl Palmer, after watching an Asia concert on VHS. And then Morbid Angel and Pete Sandoval brought the extreme metal revolution into my life and that changed a lot of things for me. Also, the more serious I got about learning drums and music in general, taking private lessons and even going to the Conservatory at some point, I got familiarized with the jazz/fusion/funk drummers, as well as the progressive rock guys. Vinnie Colaiuta, Peter Erskine, Dave Weckl, Dennis Chambers, Steve Smith, Mike Portnoy, Gavin Harrison, Andre Ceccarelli, Derek Roddy, Tony Laureano, George Kollias, pretty much all the greats influence me up to this day and I still study them. I am also into a whole bunch of new guys, drumming has reached remarkable heights nowadays. Hell, I am friends with phenomenal drummers around the world that almost no one knows about. On the other hand, the older I get (just tuned 30, haha), the more I tend to lean towards subtlety and touch and finesse and depth of understanding and attention to detail, rather than technical ability. That's one of the reasons why I love Eskine so much. That's also why I appreciate the playing of my good Italian friend Sergio Ponti.
Band-wise, I'd definitely pick Chick Corea's Electric Band, which included so many amazing drummers, Dream Theater for their good old days, Porcupine Tree with the amazing Gavin, Nile with George, Hate Eternal with Derek... I'd definitely say Hate Eternal's “I, Monarch” was a drum landmark for me, as were Nile's “Ithyphallic”, Dream Theater's “Falling into Infinity”, which is quite an underrated album, but definitely featuring some glorious drumming by Mr. Portnoy, Morbid Angel's “Formulas Fatal to the Flesh“, which is Pete's best drum work in my opinion, Weckl's “Master Plan”... There are so many it's really hard to just pick out five of them.


There are dozens of bands you are actively playing in. How do you manage to keep focusing correctly on every band? Besides the Romanian bands you are quite well involved in the underground life of The Netherlands as well. Lately you finished recording drums for DISAVOWED and PESTILENCE. How those recordings went from your point of view? Was it hard to accomplish the ideas you worked out for those 2 albums? Any schedules yet for the next studio session?

 Quite a lot of bands indeed, haha! Very different styles as well and I think that's the key for me to be able to focus, musically. Some of them aren't metal, some of them aren't even rock. This stylistic variation keeps things fresh for me and it keeps me hungry enough for each particular act. Also, it prevents me from putting too much fusion vocabulary in a metal band or vice versa, which I would be quite tempted to do if I only played in one or two bands of the same genre. Also, time-wise, it is true that not all these bands have a lot of activity. It's the most visible of them that also demand most of my time.
 “The Dutch connection” is something I am extremely proud and happy about, because I think Holland has always been a death metal paradise, those guys really know how to get things done in this genre. I'd tend to say they are the truest part of Europe when it comes to death metal.
 The recordings for both albums went really nice, both feature some crazy, over the top, non-cliche, extremely high quality music and although you can call them both death metal, they are very different in actuality, which also calls for very different approaches on the drums. But both albums are amazing in their own style and I can wholeheartedly say I am honored to be able to express myself creatively on two of the very best musical statements I've heard in a long time in the death metal genre.
 The next recording sessions should probably be the new Necrovile album, which is also going to be a set of crazy, uncompromising, full-drums-blazing brutal death metal tracks. Necrovile is one of the bands that I feel the best about, everything works so smoothly and we always have a good time. It's also one of the few Romanian underground acts to consistently tour internationally. Very active group.


You've just become a proud endorser of Zildjian cymbals. My congratulations for that! How did you hook up with them? If you don't mind, please tell us the detailed story.

- Thank you, yes, I am a Zildjian artist now! Actually, unlike with Vater and Axis, I got contacted about this endorsement deal, I didn't initiate it myself. But it makes me rather happy, Zildjian are the original cymbal makers, they are legendary and definitely need no introduction to anyone. So many of my favorite drummers played Zildjians on so many of my favorite recordings, it's surreal to now use some of those same cymbals myself. Through my endorsement, I got a number of “mythical” Zildjian models mixed with some of the newer models they introduced more recently, from the factory itself, but I also bought some additional golden oldies that are not in production anymore. I had some of them long before becoming a Z artist. Anyway, I feel in cymbal heaven right now, pretty much. I seem to be liking a lot of the same cymbal gear that Dennis Chambers is playing, as well as  a lot of the stuff that Vinnie Colaiuta and Dave Weckl used to play back in the day. Those are time-tested, time-proven, studio-and-live-certified sounds that will never go out of fashion, because they are not about fashion: they're about timelessness. 

You are also using Axis pedals and Vater drumsticks for a while. How those endorsements come about? I am sure you've tried out a bunch of different pedal brands and sticks in the past, until you stopped with the actual ones. It's kind of evolution. So let's have a flashback on equipment you used in the past and a little comparison of them to the ones you use now.

- I did try a lot of stuff, gear-wise. Everything I could get my hands and feet on, I would try. I still do it today. I always put a lot of focus on what's in between a drummer's limbs and the instrument itself, because that's going to have a dramatic impact on one's feel on the kit. And that's the sticks and the pedals, obviously. 
With drumsticks, I used to play a lot of different stuff and didn't really want to use only one brand or model because I didn't want to become dependent on one particular feel – the finish, the balance and so on. I wanted to be able to play with anything that was healthy enough for the hands. Here's a disclaimer for those thinking I used to play grip sticks: I didn't, the ones I was using in some older videos were actually Tama Red Zone Japanese oak sticks that were worn out at the top - great high impact sticks, but not too versatile for anything else. 
Vaters are not the easiest sticks to find in the area where I live, but every once in a while I would buy a few from somewhere and would always be very satisfied with their quality control: perfectly straight, always solid feeling, beautiful, parallel grained white wood, significantly more durable than other hickory sticks, nicely tone-matched, the wood would always produce a clean, high-pitched sound when I'd click them together and they would always feel balanced and easy to play. I also persuaded a few other drummers to try them out and they never looked back. Since I got the endorsement, I play Vater exclusively on all shows and studio sessions and they just work great. Currently, my stick of choice is the SD9 hickory, an orchestral model modified for drumset playing. I have broken one stick in two years thus far.
As for pedals, since I first heard Pete with Morbid Angel, I started dreaming about owning a pair of Axis. I did go through a lot of other pedals and liked many of them for many reasons, especially my old Yamaha Flying Dragon double, which is not in production anymore. However, I sold that one in order to get money for my first Axis A Longboards and, a few years later, the Axis endorsement came, so I play Axis exclusively for many years now. They are very specialized pedals, not too versatile, not for everyone, but definitely unique in a lot of respects. I love them and they have become part of me now, it's very hard to play anything else at this point!


I believe every drummer has a unique practicing routine. What kind of yours? How many hours per day you play drums? Which genres are your most beloved ones and why?

 I am not a “practicer”, really. I always despised the word “discipline” as being the opposite of liberty and enjoyment (along with “duty” and “must” and so on), to such an extent that I almost feel like I'm breaking some kind of primordial vow with myself if I'm even thinking in such terms. I realize this is an exaggeration and I know training more would improve many areas of my playing, but I also need to keep drumming  in the realm of pleasure and artistic fulfillment, rather than on the mathematically-measurable, ego side. So if I drum by myself, what I do is just jamming and basic maintenance stuff. But that happens quite seldom outside of the actual playing, many times it's less than one time per week. So I'm definitely the wrong guy to talk about practice, haha! 
- In terms of just the drumming itself, I enjoy myself the most when playing colorful, dynamic fusion stuff, but most times that won't work in metal contexts. However, I do adapt that kind of drumming to some of my non-extreme bands. Strictly playing-wise, I prefer that style of drumming to extreme metal, because the latter is so much more physical and demands that I'm always in perfect shape.

How your parents and relatives react on the chosen path? I suppose you exceptionally play drums and don't have any other jobs, right?

- It was just the typical parental reaction: they were a bit skeptical about it, especially in the beginning, but they got accustomed to it once they noticed my determination and also some of the results I got with it. I suppose being born in an intellectual family helped with speeding up the process of them understanding an artistic inclination and the positives of a life lived on vocation and dedication. I was educated to believe in artistic values and to hold music in the highest regard.


You are living in a very beautiful city, Brasov (Kronstadt, Brassó). Which places, museums, festivals, local foods and drinks would you recommend to us? 

- Yes, the city of Brasov is absolutely beautiful indeed. I do encourage everyone to visit it, but I avoid making specific “tourist” recommendations, since everyone is different anyway; taste and the notion of time well spent are all very individual. So I invite you to come over and experience Brasov exactly as you want to!

Bran (Törcsvár, Tölzburg) lies about 30 kilometers from Brasov. The medieval Bran Castle, which was once besieged by Vlad the Impaler, is a rather popular tourist spectacle, partly because it resembles the home of Dracula in Bram Stoker's novel. Would you be so kind to share some of your thoughts about that castle and Vlad Tepes?

- The castle is indeed a very popular tourist destination. There would be quite a lot to say about this whole Stoker-Dracula-Bran-Tepes story, but again, it's not a subject that I really want to get into here. As for Vlad Tepes himself, he's always been one of my favorite historical figures. My Disavowed mates also took notice of some kind of physical resemblance between me and him, so now they mostly call me Vlad and Robbe introduces me to the crowds as “Vlad the Impaler on drums”. Since then, Patrick Mameli also started making jokes about me sleeping in a coffin and everything, haha! I do live in Transylvania after all. That's standard procedure around here.


What books and movies belong to your favorites? Are you visiting libraries or cinemas from time to time?

- I tend to have a rather classical taste in literature, I think that stuff is canonical for a reason. Shakespeare's “Hamlet” is surely one of my favorite pieces of literature; also Kafka's “Trial”, Proust's “In Search of Lost Time”, Joyce's “Ulysses”, Camus' “Stranger”... I love 20th century modernism. Gide, Sartre, Cocteau, Ionesco, Beckett, Pound are among my favorites. Baudelaire, of course, as well as Rimbaud. I really enjoy a lot of Romanian writers as well, including a few of our contemporaries. Actually, Brasov has become one of the more productive and powerful literary centers of Romania from the '80-s onward. Other than that, I used to read quite a lot of philosophy in my teenage years. Again, mostly the European canon, like Plato, Descartes, Voltaire, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Kant, Husserl, Russell, but also Foucault, Derrida or Chomsky. Weber was an eye opener in many ways. Also Hayek, Adam Smith... And so was Marx, for sure. Not all of these are favorites, but they surely left their marks on me. But definitely one of my all time favorite reads was Pico della Mirandola's “Oration on the Dignity of Man”. So clear and concise and glorious!
Currently I'm not really visiting any libraries or cinemas, I'm quite focused on music, which takes up most of my time.

I am sure there are plenty of good metal bands in Romania, nevertheless which ones would you name without any hesitation and why?

- Well, I actually play with most of the bands that I would mention from the Romanian underground, hahaha! I am especially proud of the music we make with CodeRed, Necrovile and The Thirteenth Sun. As mentioned before, Necrovile is also one of the few Romanian underground bands to consistently play international shows as well. Other than that, in my personal opinion, Dordeduh are doing a really good job. They are also one of the bands you might have heard about, because they too play a lot of shows outside of Romania. However, most of the better Romanian bands, I think, are on the more modern, proggy side of things. White Walls could be a good example of that in my opinion. A lot of the younger, fresh blood bands seem to sound better and better nowadays in Romania.

Besides music do you have any other or special hobbies?

- Not really. I have a reflective type of personality and I enjoy spending most of my time by myself. I also enjoy having some beers with my friends and sometimes going for some strolls in the mountains, as there are lots of them around here in Brasov. I dig sportscar racing, especially endurance. I indulge in walking, I always walk to my destinations if possible and I also love to take a walk with no particular destination. 


At the end, please enlighten us some of your future plans, like tours ahead or compulsory missions to be completed. We really do hope you enjoyed our questions and hopefully we will meet you soon too. Last thoughts are yours.

- My future plans mostly revolve around writing my drum parts and recording them for the next Necrovile full-length release, doing some more shows, getting the new Disavowed album out, which is going to be mind-blowing... and then, in the beginning of 2018, starting the world tour with Pestilence, with an old school setlist until March the 1st, when we will release „Hadeon”, and then touring again with Pestilence for launching that album. Some other stuff will happen in the meantime as well.
I did enjoy the interview, thank you very much for inviting me to do this! Hopefully I'll meet you and as many of your readers as possible on the road, either with Pestilence, Disavowed, Necrovile or The Thirteenth Sun! I'll be there!


Important links: 












2017. szeptember 18., hétfő

Sepulchral Voices

Interview with Sepulchral Voices


Hail Gianpietro and Seb, hellcome to Archangel’s Lantern! First of all tell the readers, how and when you enjoyed the metal underground and about the beginnings of Sepulchral Voices. Did you play before it in another band(s)? 

- First of all, thanks for your support and your dedication.
So about metal underground... Everything started when we met each others at school in 2008, we were introduced by a mutual friend called Tom.  We spend  most of the breaks together (we weren’t in the same section) talking about metal, listening to music in our MP3 player, you know like „hey listen to that stuff that i discovered”. That’s how our interest in metal underground grew up...
The years after, we saw each others less often but we kept the contact by facebook, still talking about music and stuff. In the meantime, Seb bought a guitar and Gianpietro stopped playing drums (he wasn’t a good drummer, anyway) and bought a bass.
So, in July 2012,  Gianpietro invited Seb at his home and that’s how everything started... Two friends with no skills, no talents and cheap instruments who wanted to make noise, to play hellish blackened thrash.  We chose the name „Sepulchral Voices” because we were mainly influenced by the first EP of Sodom (In the sign of evil) and we wanted to do the same (if you listen to the first songs we made you can clearly hear the similarities)... that’s why Gianpietro also do the bass and vocals hehe
Few months after, we were looking for a drummer but it was quite difficult because no one was interested to play blackened thrash (we are from an area were this style is not very popular) or start a project with beginner musicians... sometimes both haha  :) but after a conversation with my friend Nicolas Dehasse from Goat Perversor , he told us that their drummer was looking after a new band so we got in touch wit J. and after few rehearsals, he joined the band. 

I’m still so thankful for your kindness, as you sent me your promo-stuff, Rehearsal Demo '13 (included 5 tracks). As for me absolutely great feeling to listen to it, as you guys, back me to my young days in early ’90-s Share please some thoughts about this one.
 
- We wanted to record something but we didn’t had much money to go in a studio. Our drummer have this friend who had an audio recording device that he used for his art  exposition,  so we asked him to come in our rehearsal dungeon  to record 5 songs for a demo. He recorded all the instruments first, the vocals after and mixed them in the end.  We wouldn’t not say that this demo is bad because it was our beginning and  there was some kind of black magic in the air during the recording... this demo have is little charm.


Your drummer J played in Goat Perversör, which band I liked/like a lot (Hail Nicolas Dehasse!). Unfortunately they disbanded but I would ask your opinion about that band, what are your favourite tracks from Goat Perversör?

- Goat Perversör was one of the best Blackened Thrash act from Belgium, the band had a real potential  to go  further... We could maybe collaborate together but in 2014, Goat Perversör disbanded.
Here are some words  about Goat Perversor by our drummer J. :
The band started in 2009 and we release our first demo (First Sacrifice) back in 2010... Our first concert at Werwolf Metalfest with Excruciate 666, ( my other band, Black metal from France) Obsculum Infame , Infernal Kingdom , Dawn Of Crucifixion , Acherontas.
In 2012, we released a split with Nemesis Irae and Dark Managarm and did some concerts in 2013, we recorded  2 songs for a compilation but it was never released.
The band split in 2014 because our main guitarist didn’t have time to focus on band anymore but we didn’t wanted to continue without him because Goat Perversör was like an entity.  Maybe we’ll release in the future a limited CD with the two  unused tracks for the compilation.


In July 2017, the band decided to hire Jess Kvtthröat as a second guitarist.Tell us more about it. 

- After 5 years, we realized that we cannot continue as a  trio because there was something missing in our music : a powerful guitar sound (maybe some guitars solo too hahaha) and it will be a little bit disabling for the future of the band. We thought it was impossible to reach that power with only one guitarist and there were many friends who  told us  that our music will be better with a second guitarist so so it helped us to make a choice hehe. We had Jess Kvtthröat who is a friend of us (and also a co-worker from Seb), Seb talked to him about this problem and Jess asked him if he could join the band. After a convicting rehearsal, he was hired.   

Your album is called "Defender of the Old". How old is the old that you defend?   (Sorin)

- For us, the old means the ancient underground spirit without all these fucked up attitude that ruins the scene these days. We spit on all these fake, arrogant and posers who doesn’t understand a shit about being in the underground scene... the bands who play without passion but for the hype and the others who have a selfish attitude.  For us underground is like a circuit based on mutual support, helping each others to find concerts and trading like in the 80-s. Some friends who have lived this era told us that things worked like this so this is how we see „the Old”.

When you gave answers for Sadistik Witchfukk in 2013, you told as you didn’t play at live yet. When has been happened Sepulchral Voices first show? (I’ve seen a few videos about your performances, absolutely great!). Enlighten us, please about your past concerts (experiences, et cetera) and new ones as well, what will be very soon) 

- Time has passed since 2013...
We played our first gig in La Louvière in September 2013, the stress was very high and we were afraid that we couldn’t make it (not our drummer due to his experience hehe) but a lot friends was there to cheers  us so finally, the gig was great.
We played a lot of gig mainly in France, Belgium and also Germany, we love being on stage, sharing good moment with other bands/peoples. We are not rock-stars, you can easily approach us... We are not like these bands who played and then disappear in backstage or somewhere else after the gig...
Of course everything is not perfect, we had few „accidents” due to alcohol consumption before going on stage, insecurity, some technical problems or lack audience/reaction hehe but generally, you can expect something good when you come to our shows, violence and rock and roll.


Since our last conversation you released a 7" split with Witch Trail. Whose idea was to record a split and how were the reactions? Are you satisfied with it? (Sorin)

- In 2013, Gianpietro met Laurens from Witch Trail in a concert. After some chats, we realized that we had a lot in common about the music, the influences and in the attitude so Laurens invited us for a birthday party concert in their area... so the idea to make a split came naturally after.
We used to be a lot in contact,  we played together many times but everything’s gone when Witch Trail decided to change their music... started to  play Post-black metal instead of their original blackened speed metal... Too bad because the split was great, We could also make a tour together... sometimes we missed those times hehe.

In 2014 You released a self-titled tape EP with Old Axe Cult Records? How did this collaboration began? How were the reactions for the EP? (Sorin) 

- After we recorded the EP , we were looking for a label but we didn’t know who contact for it but few months after Alex from Old Axe Cult Records asked Gianpietro to release the EP after a chat on internet...
The EP was released in January 2015 and we had a lot of good reactions about it because it was a step  forward after our rehearsal demo... so good that the one hundred copies of tapes were sold out in 24 hours. This EP helped us also to have more exposition in the scene.


I saw that you are no longer signed to Old Axe Cult Records anymore. Was it just a short time collaboration? Would you collaborate with them again in the future? (Sorin)

- It’s was a short time collaboration but of course, it will be great to work with Old Axe Cult Records again for a future release. Alex is very professional and he take care of the bands who work with him. If he read this interview, we wanna says (again) thanks to him for his work and for his dedication.

You are now signed with Maltkross Productions. How did this collaboration began? (Sorin)

- Gianpietro met  Jeremy from Maltkross in a concert in April 2016, Jeremy asked him how was the band  and he told him that the band recorded an album. After sent him the songs to him, he was very excited about releasing it.
Jeremy already knew our band because he saw us live before and he know also our drummer because he released the first demo of Goat Perversör back in time, that’s why we put our trust in him and we can says that he did also a great work.

What you can tell us about your new album "Defender of the Old"? Can you give more details about it? Who did the artwork? (Sorin)

- When we had enough songs to record an album, we decided to hit the studio and record „Defender of the old”... Our objective was to make to an album in the continuity of our first EP with that raw, dirty and evil sound but with different influences like Punk, rock and roll, black and also a little bit of Speed/Heavy metal... everything packed in an evil Blackened thrash style.
We were very excited when the album was released but now, after one year since the released of this album, we are less enthusiastic about it because we made some mistakes during the recording , we didn’t take the time to listen  each songs carefully  and we were also not very prepared for the studio session.  We recorded it too fast, that’s the point ! 
BUT it’s not really a bad album because they are some goods songs in it  and still this kind of punk attitude...  this is why most of  reactions about „Defender of the Old” are positives... you know that „fuck off, we are making noise” spirit.


I see you will torment our ears with another split, with Rekrucifixiön. Can you give more details about this? (Sorin)

- The split is released since September 2016 and we also did a release concert in their hometown (Würzburg)... it was a great party by the way hehe :) 
The split was an idea of  between Gianpietro and  Ben from Rekrucifixiön, they wanted to make a split because they have both the same vision of the music... The evil Blackened Thrash in one side and the nasty speed metal in the other side, sounds perfect for a collaboration hehe.
But maybe if we can change something about this split, we will put two original songs instead of two from our album „defender of the old”...

Your track "Faster than Death" has also some blast-beats through, making it different from your previous material. Do you want to venture into another styles? Are there more varied tracks on your album? (Sorin) 

- When we started Sepulchral voices we were mainly influenced by the early Sodom and we couldn’t play other stuff because we were beginner, it was the easiest way, for us, to compose songs... you know, copy paste some riffs and add some changes to look different.
After years, our experience increased a bit so we became more inspired during the composition process... it’s typical from a band who started from nowhere with beginner musician... you are  evolving naturally and start to add some other influences, more elaborate riffs and so on...
„Defender of the old” is a blackened thrash album, of course, but some songs are more rock and roll oriented like „Black Leather Bitch”, others more "Black metal” like  „No regret” and others contain a little touch of heavy like the title track „Defender of the Old”...  each songs have the same base in the structure and we tried to add something like a personality to each one, if you know what i mean...
Now, the arrival of Jess Kvtthröat as a second guitarist will bring us more possibilities in the future compositions of the band and we’re gonna exploit this opportunity to make greater, darker, heavier, louder songs! 


As far as you know, my great friends, my small work Eternally dedicated to Jon Andreas Nödtveidt (R.I.C.) (Satanized, Dissection, The Black, De Infernali, Terror etc). Would you be so kind to share some thoughts about him? Which band/album do you like mostly from his heritage?
- He was a Genius, you cannot doubt about it... We like „The Somberlain” and „Storm of the light’s Bane” albums because they are simply amazing and masterpieces also. 

Perhaps you know, as DAMNATION cover, called Insulter of Jesus Christ by mighty Nifelheim featured Jon Nödtveidt of DISSECTION on guitar. (and He co-worked with them as lead-guitarist in a lot other Nifelheim-releases) What do you think about this hellish alliance? Your opinion about new Nifelheim track, "Devil’s Wrath"? and  you’ve seen them at live, share some memories please. 

- That Damnation cover is a great work and Jon could easily fit in Nifelheim so that’s normal. About Devil’s Wrath, this track is simply amazing even if the production is cleaner, the evil spirit of the group remains the same. We saw them live 3 times and we’re always in the front of stage, going crazy, crying, raising our fist in the air hahaha.


What is/are your favourite tracks/releases from Swedish Death Metal Rebels, called Necrocurse? Did you see  them live?

- We had the opportunity to share the stage with them in September 2015 in Morbid catacomb fest in Berlin so yes we saw them live hehe and it was great of course... our favourtite track are „Infernal Rebellion” and „The Devil Cobra” .

Merci/Thanks so much my friends! Send some whispers of Sepulchral Voices in the end to the readers of Archangel’s Lantern...

- Keeper of the ancient spirit, Defender of the old 
Sepulchral Voices will torment you! 


YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/SPVbelgium

(Interview has taken by Georgius and Sorin) 


an old interview with Sepulchral Voices, 
Sadistik Witchfukk web-zine, 11th of April, 2013, 
it was taken by Sorin Witchfukker:


Hailz Sepulchral Voices, and welcome to the Sadistik Witchfukk zine! Because this is the first interview with you, tell us about your band!

GP. Angel reaper: Hi, dude! Sepulchral Voices is an old-school thrash metal band, which we started in July 2012. First, it was only me and Seb. Ironfist, who decided to make a band and after many rehearsals at my house (in the city of Tamines), we decided to find a drummer and so we found J. who joined us during October 2012.
Seb. Ironfist: The band started during the summer of 2012 with GP. Angel reaper and J., joined us in september. We are influenced by Sodom, Kreator, and all the speed metal, thrash metal scene from the 80's.
J.: Hail, we are a spiritual-philosophic band with hippies-pacific-christian-buddist-muslim tendencies... Alright, I stop my jokes. We are a thrash metal band, our music is simply aggressive.

Have you played in any other bands than Sepulchral Voices before? If so, give details about that!

GP. Angel reaper: Sepulchral Voices is my first serious band, because about few years ago, when i was a drummer, I started many projects, but it was nothing serious.
Seb. Ironfist: I never played in a band, because I have only 2 years of practising (guitar).
J.: I will tell you the most important ones, because if I will tell all the bands, it will take 2 pages : Lacerate (death-grind), Devoured (thrash-death), Extremist (thrash) and many others. Actually, I play in Goat Perversör (black-thrash), Vorax Virosus (grind-death), Sepulchral Voices and perhaps the come-back of Extremist.

You recorded a rehearsal-demo (I really like the quality, it sounds like it was recorded in 1984-1985, congrats to you for that!). What can you tell about it (songwriting process, lyrical themes). Who is writing the lyrics and who is writing the music?

GP. Angel reaper: Yes, it's a rehearsal demo with raw and dirty sound hehe. For composing songs, me and Seb are trying some riffs and when we found these good, J. put the drums on it. I write the lyrics, they're about metal, Satan, witches... nothing original hehe.
Seb. Ironfist: GP. found the ideas for the lyrics and for the songs, it's me and Seb, after J. put the drum on it.
J.: First, we have to give thanks to Gabriel Tapia (singer and guitarist of Vorax Virosus. He also drew the logo of Vorax, t-shirt of Dehuman, Slaughter Messiah and the artwork of Maleficence demo tape). It was a home-made recording with a dictaphone and all the instruments in same time. After we recorded the vocals, Gabriel put all on his laptop and did the mixing. The results were what we expected.

On what formats is the demo available on (apart of mp3 haha): vinyl, cd or tape? Do you have any artworks for it? Do you plan to send it to distros, or it is only promotional and it is only for labels and such?

GP. Angel reaper: We have a demo available in cd (it's CD-r), everything was home-made haha. The first thing is to share our music, so we send or sell our demo to many people. We'll think about an artwork for the EP.
Seb. Ironfist: Demo is available on CD, we try to make our band known. The artwork is for the future EP.
J.: Have we an artwork ???

What other bands can you recommend us from Belgium?

GP. Angel reaper: Slaughter Messiah, Maleficence, Evil Shepherd, Evil Invaders, Horacle, Nemesis Irae, Goat Perversör, Vorax Virosus and Gae Bolga
Seb. Ironfist: Horacle, Slaughter Messiah, Maleficence, Goat Perversör and Vorax Virosus.
J.: Goat Pervesör (black-thrash), Vorax Virosus (grind-death), Slaughter Messiah (black-thrash), Dehuman (death), Nemesis Irae (black-death), Maleficence (black-thrash), Spermafrost (black and roll), Dezhumanizer (black), Domine Hate (death) for the most underground.

Did you played any live shows yet?

GP. Angel reaper: No, we have to make more songs.
Seb. Ironfist: We are ready, but we have to make more songs because now, we can play only 15 minutes and it's not too much.
J.: Not for now, but later yes.

How is the response so far about your music?

GP. Angel reaper : I'm very glad, because many people like our music, we have a lot of support.
Seb. Ironfist: The comments are good.
J.: Our music is shit, don't listen to it, because she'll turn you from the way of god haha.

Do you take a look on Fenriz's Band of the Week? I know he recommends old-school stuff, and stuff that you play too. What do you think about the latest Darkthrone releases?
GP. Angel reaper: I don't know, I'll try to get a look on it. I've listened the last Darkthone and I liked it.
Seb. Ironfist: I've listened the last Darkthrone and I liked it, especially the track "Leave no Cross Unturned", but I prefer the "Dark Thrones and Black Flags" album, because it's more punkish.
J.: No and I didn't knew that, I will die less idiot haha. The last Darkthrone is good, but I have some difficulties with the clean vocals.

Your top 10 all-time favourite albums are...?

GP. Angel reaper: I can't answer because the numbers is over than 10 for me haha.
Seb. Ironfist:
Skull Fist - Head öf the Pack
Iron Maiden - Killers
Sodom - In the Sign of Evil
Kreator - Endless Pain
Angel Witch - Angel Witch
Darkthrone - Dark Thrones and Black Flags
Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales
Enthroned - Towards the Skullthrone of Satan
Violent Force - Malevolent Assault of Tomorrow
Destruction - Sentence of Death
J.: This question is too difficult for me, because there are many albums from many bands. I can't tell you only 10. It will take a long-time.

What bands can you recommend from Hungary, Ukraine, Romania and Moldova?

GP. Angel reaper: O-Zone from Moldova haha.
Seb. Ironfist: Tormentor from Hungary.
J.: In few minutes... From Ukraine, I know: Nokturnal Mortum, Drudkh, Hate Forest. From Hungary: Sear Bliss, Archivum, Hungarica and from Romania: Negură Bunget.

What hobbies do you have beside music?

GP. Angel reaper: Watching movies, playing old video-games...
Seb. Ironfist: Collecting vinyls.
J.: Drinking, eating and fucking.

What foods, drinks, cigars, tobaccoes can you recommend us from your area?

GP. Angel reaper: Fries, Fricadelle, Waffels, Carbonnades à la flamande, molds with fries. Many varieties of beer like Duvel, Chimay Bleue, Kasteel Donker, Trappistes de Rochefort, Grimbergen, Orval and many many others.
Seb. Ironfist: Beers, Waffle, Fries and Pekêt(walloon name for juniper).
J.: Mold with fries, Carbonnade à la flamande, Waterzooï, many kind of cheese with many special beers: trappist, from abbey, with fruits etc.... For all tastes and all ages.

What about your future plans?

GP. Angel reaper & Seb. Ironfist: Doing some gigs, it's the most important.
J.: Being famous with our band, so we can eat Jack Daniel's, lobster, caviar and pay some hookers haha. No, seriously, play much as possible with a lot of fun.

That's all for now. The last (threatening) words are yours!

GP. Angel reaper: Thx for the interview and your support, spread our music !
J.: Thank you, and cheers from Belgium.