Interview with Ancient Wind

                                                                                        

USBMS would like to thank Ancient Wind for their time
Interview done by
Daemon Black

1. Id like to start the interview by having you introduce the members of Ancient Wind and their roles within the band?

Duuie Diamond - Lead guitar and backing vocals.
Girth Brooks - Drums.
Jizzy Jake - Guitar.
Gavtron - Bass
Roberto Inferno - Vocals and lyricist

 

2.  When was the band created and how did the concept for Ancient Wind come about?

Girth and Diamond had been playing music together already for years, most notably in their thrash band Dessekrator. Girth Brooks played guitar and was the main vocalist for that band, but after two drummers came and went only the two of them were left, so he hopped on a drum kit and started teaching himself how to play, eventually changing instruments altogether. We come from such a small mountain town that the number of metal music fans is horribly few, with the number of metal musicians being even fewer still. It wasn't till late 2011 that old friend of the duo Jizzy Jake came on as second guitar and Inferno was recruited for vocal duties. We actually stayed a four piece until very recently, and we caught endless flak for our lack of bassist. Though two years worth of concerts and a critically acclaimed EP and music video proved the joke was on them. Despite popular opinion, we actually wanted a bass player, yet due to the location the band is based out of were unable to find one until the summer of this year.

As for the band name, it was originally a tossup between 'White Fire' from a favorite song of ours from the band Rankelson, or 'PowerStrip' because well...that's metal. Eventually we decided to call the band Forn Vindir, which is Old Norse for 'Ancient Wind', but after deciding that bands who's names are hard to pronounce are annoying we just settled with the 'Merican version Ancient Wind. It's interesting to note that while the Ancient Wind name was picked from more of a tribute to the memory of the old Gods and ancestors, we at first we didn't realize how cheesy it actually sounded, and also that its a clever way of saying grandma fart. Now that's it's all said and done and we've come so far with the name it actually fits us rather perfect in every aspect of the name so in a way it was fate. 

                                                                                 

3. What inspired the members to be involved in a band that makes this extreme style of music, and is what your playing now the original sound intended for the band or has it evolved that way up to this point?

Before Jizzy and Inferno joined the band and it was just Duuie on guitar and Girth on drums, they had switched from a more aggressive thrash sound to more classic speed metal in the vain of old Blind Guardian, X Japan and Riot. When they brought Inferno in to do vocals, it was with the intent of him singing power metal style vocals to compliment the new speed metal sound. It wasn't until Inferno tried his Black/Death style vocals on some of their more aggressive speed and thrash songs, and Jizzy bringing his black metal guitar influence that our signature sound started to form. 

As to what inspired us to play extreme music, there's a war going on in metal right now, and we were all eager to join the front lines and fight for true metal. We're all so passionate about the music that formed who we are, all the Thrash, Death, Black, Speed, NWOBHM, and even pornogrind, noiscore and everything in between. Being an extreme metal musician in today's musical landscape you can just go with the flow, play nice and feed from the scraps of the scene faggots table that are dominating the scene right now, even if you are against everything they stand for both musically and ideologically. Or you can take the hard road, stand up for what you believe in; fuck their god, fuck their positive love everyone energy and fuck them too. We prefer the road less traveled, the road of honor.   

 

4. Tell us what are some of the lyrical concepts that you cover within the music, and do they coincide with the Blackened Battle Metal theme?

Inferno writes all the lyrics, except Eaters of the Dead which was written by Girth inspired by the Michael Crichton novel of the same name. Most of the lyrics cover themes such as Norse mythology, Viking conquests and the heroes of Northern European tribal culture. Breaking from normality he also like to delve into some of the more darker themes of the culture, not all our songs are about victories and Valhalla. Being a heathen and keeping to the old ways, Germanic mythology and culture is Inferno's life passion, and it really shows in his lyrics. It's interesting to note however that the rest of the members of the band are Atheists, and Jizzy cares more for Satan and hate than ancient warrior culture. This is why at our core Ancient Wind is not a Viking Metal band and have never had an interest in heading down the local larp convention to play viking dress up. The lyrics are used mainly as a medium to get across themes we can all get behind and are passionate about, such as honor, violence, death and war. 

                                                                                  

  

 

                                  

5. The music of Ancient Wind is loaded with lots of guitar thrashiness but I found a lot of the riffs and solos had more of a Heavy Metal vibe to them,  can you tell us what are the musical backgrounds of Ancient Winds member's and what bands have influenced them?

                                                    

                                                                         

The five of us come from for the most part wildly different musical backgrounds and tastes. Instead of working against us, this has actually helped us achieve our unique sound, bringing the best of 80's heavy metal and modern extreme metal together seamlessly. Duuie Diamond is definitely the main songwriter from the guitar side of things, and his main influences range from KK Downing and Dimebag to more obscure artists such as speed metal greats X Japan. He's always been interested in writing solos that flow best with the song instead of just adding in sweeps and technicality needlessly to be showy. As a general rule, you've probably never heard of Jizzy Jake's favorite bands. Anal Cunt, GG Allin, and Immortal is a good place to start. His more black metal style of approach to melodic guitar is a nice counterbalance to Duuie's style, breathing some grimness and evil into the music. Gavtron's main influences are punk and thrash, while Roberto Inferno brings the most modern metal influence into the band. Listening to mostly Melodic Death and Black Metal. Girth Brooks drumming is as classic thrash and speed metal as it gets, but is also influenced by Horg from Immortal and Fredrick of Amon Amarth. The drumming comes as a result of wanting to keep things straightforward and simple. being a guitar riff centered band we've always thought that for our particular approach blast beats and jack hammers muddy up the riffs too much, and the thrash style is our way of maintaining the speed we wished to achieve. A personal note; all of us are big fans of outlaw country such as Waylon, Jennings, David Allan Coe and Hellbound Glory, and listen to it just as much as we do metal. 

 

6. Your last release Blackened Battle Metal was released in 2012, you guys recently have been in the studio recording and are set to release a new CD, can you give us a date and is the new release titled yet?

We have actually run into some funding issues and have not been able to record anything as of yet. Currently we are on track to record by the end of the year and are shooting for a spring 2014 release. Our debut full length isn't title yet, but we are eager to show our fans how much we have grown and evolved as a band since recording our EP last year. 

 

 7. The bands tongue in cheek style is evident everywhere down to the names of your members, but you guys back it up with some solid song writing, vocals, guitar work as well as brutal drumming and bass, my question to the band is, what are your opinions about bands that might take there image to seriously and then produce less inspired music in the end?

In a weird way, it's kind of our way to just say fuck you to everyone. We love the preconceptions people have going to one of our shows, they've seen the video and the band's demeanor and assume we're just some joke band, then we fucking shred their tits off with a straightforward and intense live show. There is no limit to the passion we put into our music, but we also like to celebrate the individuality of our band members. Our front man really is just an obese shit talking asshole, and our drummer is a damn redneck that plays in cowboy boots for fucks sake. Why would we all take a bunch of pictures in an abandoned warehouse, arms crossed and grim faced? That's not who we are. Lets drink gratuitous amounts of whiskey, fuck some sluts and kill each other instead. At our core that's really what Ancient Wind is all about. 

 

                                                                                 

8. There are a lot of good local bands that come out of Colorado, can you tell us what Ancient Wind does to separate themselves from the rest of the other acts, also how has the feed back about the band been by people in other states and worldwide?

There are indeed a lot of really great local acts here, and it can be tough to stand out at times. The main thing for us is to always keep our live shows over the top with energy and professionalism. We work very hard to keep our songs tight and accurate, which allows us more freedom to go nuts on stage and throw a good performance. We've seen some just plain flat out phenomenal bands that are like statues on stage and actually look kind of bored. That may be OK for some, but we think the majority of people come to a show to see a fucking show, and we deliver. A great compliment we've gotten a few times is that no matter if we're playing in a bar for 5 drunks or a theater for hundreds our live show never wavers, it's consistently good. For us it also helps that our music can appeal to so many different fans of metal's sub-genres. Thrashers, Black and Death metal fans, Heavy Metal die hards and speed metal freaks can all take something away from our music. This has resulted in an extremely positive response to fans not only here in the states, but Europe and Asia as well.

 

9. You guys have played a decent amount of live shows, how are the turnouts and support from your fanbase, and can you recall a highlight of one of your performances?

We are whores for hire, and have traveled far and wide to sometimes only play for 7 people and the other bands. That's the life though, and playing live is our absolute favorite thing about being in a band. Big or small we always make new fans and have a blast. It took us a couple of years, but we finally have a good following in our small hometown, and play bigger and bigger shows around Colorado. So many highlights from so many shows; whores, tits, whiskey, pigeons, crazy cafes and redneck shenanigans. A couple major highlights would have to be opening for Iced Earth and playing for a packed house, and having some kid smash avocados on his face in the pit. 

                                                                          

10. Ancient Wind is currently searching for a label, have you guys received any interest from any notable labels thus far, and whats the bands take on self releasing Ancient Wind's material, is that a consideration at all?

We are currently going over a couple of indie label options to help us release our upcoming album, but self releasing in definitely not out of the question either. We've done everything ourselves so far and have done reasonably well, but if we can find the right partners to help spread the hate far and wide we're all for it. 

 

11. Can you give the readers a hint of what the band has coming up in 2014?

A new full length album chalk full of more brutality, grimness and face shredding gnarlyness then every before. A new music video, countless live shows and numerous trips to the abortion clinic are all on the slate for 2014. Should be a great year for us.

 

           

12. Before we conclude the interview are there any final words that you would like to say about Ancient Wind?

Much love to the fans and everyone who's been with us since the beginning, keep the black flame burning and fuck the others. Ride The Wind You Fucking Faggots! 



You can download Ancient's Winds Blackened Battle Metal EP for free at their bandcamp link!!
http://ancientwind.bandcamp.com/

For band info contact
https://www.facebook.com/AncientWind
http://www.reverbnation.com/ancientwind
http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Ancient_Wind/3540350496 

                                                                               

Interview with Aybsmal Depths

                                                                                      

USBMS would like to thank Abysmal Depths for their time.


Interview done by: Daemon Black




1. Can we start off by introducing our readers to the members of Abysmal Depths and get a little history on when and how the band got started?






-At first started as "Du Temps Perdu", in 2010 in Irapuato city (Irapuato, Guanajuato, México). In these days we were four members (Gonzalo Gb, Aquer, Necromancer and Abraham (as session drummer). We Composed five songs, which three of them were released in the split titled "Humo, cenizas y niebla"  (smoke, fog and ashes in Spanish) the main concept was focused to anti-Semitism and history...just after that split we signed with Metallic Media to get support for the next releases. After that, I (Gonzalo Gb) decided to re-structure the ideology and the main concept of the band, so the former vocalist left the project (And with him the old name and lyrics), so Abysmal Depths was born at the end of 2011.

The ideology and the lyrics are inspired by nature, misanthropy, death, anti-life, etc. Then the search for new members started, just like that came Oliver (drums), Mon (guitar), and Tortured (vocals) and like that we take to compose and record under our limited resources/economy.
"The Pain Shows in Dead Woods" was the name of our debut album with the stuff that we recorded between 2011 and 2012.
Later we started with a few live shows and in April 2013 we recruited Custos Lupus as the current bass player.






2. Lets talk about how the band name change that occurred in 2012 , has it affected the musical and lyrical style of Abysmal Depths?










-The name change was due to the departure of the former vocalist, he owns the rights of the old logo and the title of the very first three tracks. The lyrics changed completely, and got to talk about the nature, misanthropy, death, anti-life, negativity and suicide.

-The musical style didn´t change, the former vocalist wasn't involved in the music composition. Most tracks were composed by Gonzalo GB, Abraham (as session drummer) and Oliver Drums.










3. Who came up with the new band logo artwork, concept and design for it?











-The band logo was designed by Alemsahim, that guy has privileged hands! (Find him on facebook, myspace, metallum, etc, he is a beast!).
We gave him liberty to the design, just under the setpoint that it must be an original and very different concept, not just a logo but a seal, a “seal that leave a mark”,  under the main idea of an abomination of the abyss (You can see it upside down).










4. For new listeners of Abysmal Depths from the U.S, how would you describe your sound? and how does it compare to other depressive BM bands from around the world?




                                                                                  

-In the encyclopedia Metallum we appear as a Depressive Black metal band, but we think that the sound isn't just pure depressive, we have always considered the sound more like Ambient/Black-Doom, anyway the exact genre is something irrelevant (or it can be very relevant, maybe if you buy the album expecting to hear a classic DBM like Nocturnal Depression you can get very angry hehe).

-Our style can't be compared to classic depressive black metal (Nocturnal Depression, Abyssic Hate, etc) the sound is a little bit influenced by classic black metal (like the track Visions) and not just focused on make Depressive (Track Within the negativity) we like to work on the atmospheres and ambients, we think that a good and hypnotic atmosphere it's more significant.




                                                                               





5. Lets talk about your 2013 release "The Pain Shows in Dead Woods". what was the concept behind the release, who did the artwork how did the recording process go?








-In "The Pain Shows in Dead Woods" we integrated the songs recorded between 2010 and 2012, in this release debut we were focused on the anti-life, suicide, and misanthropy, the recording process was with two different drummers, Abraham (Tracks 3, 5, 8-10) and Oliver (tracks 2, 4, 6), everything was home recorded at Gonzalo's home studio.

-The artwork was created by Bahrull Marta ("Abomination Imagery", find him on facebook, encyclopedia metallum, etc) The concept was inspired on a forest full of corpses and "Death's attendees" to take the souls to the Stygian lake, the inlay artwork is an edited version of "La Barca de Caronte", a painting by Spanish artist José Benlliure y Gil.










6. How has the relationship been the band and Metallic Media been? Have they helped you guys to reach new listeners?








-We signed when the split "Humo, cenizas y niebla" was released (under the name "Du temps perdu").  Without doubt, Tim (Metallic Media's Owner) has given us all the support and has been a very important part to us. He drives himself very well at the distribution all over the world, Thanks to him a lot of people in the world’s most remote places have given us feedback ( we have received feedback from Indonesia, South America, USA, Germany, etc!) without doubt we are eternally grateful to him, and we think it will be a well and long relationship.











7. What are some bands, or musical styles that have influenced you guys? do you draw any inspiration outside of the Metal genre?









-Yes, we listen and enjoy a wide variety of musical genres, but obviously the most influences are from Ambient, Atmospheric, Depressive, Doom and classic Black metal.

-Bands that have influenced us... to mention a few: Xasthur, Cryfemal, Make a change...Kill Yourself, Celestia, Mortifera (France), Near, Troglodyct, Godkiller, Nocturnal Depression, Shining, Austere, Alcest, Wedard, Strid, Agalloch, Inquisition, Estatic Fear... etc.










8. Your band bio states that "Depression and nature" play a part in the lyrical theme of Abysmal Depths, Can you explain a bit about what the lyrics mean to the band what they represent?











-Abysmal Depths profile on metallum is a little bit mistaken... or misinformed hehehe... Our lyrics aren't just about depression and nature, the lyrics as well talk about Negativity, anti-life and suicide, in fact we are more focused in the music, the lyrics play the part of a complement, but of course it still being a very important part, we try to reflect in the lyrics what the music "say to us"... a message under all the noise?
…Kill yourself!!









9. Give us a bit of insight about the creation of the music? are the lyrics written first or is the music composed prior to writing lyrics?










-In the case of the Abysmal Depths debut album the music was created at first; after the departure of the former vocalist, we used the same music (It was ours) but with new lyrics and a new performer; the tracks "Inner moment", and “He’s Dead"  were released as "Jezabel" and "Juda", respectively, when Du Temps Perdu existed.
In the rehearsal, we usually start playing ideas/riffs and suddenly we have one or two new songs.




                                                                                    

10. Abysmal Depths is based out of Irapuato, Gto México. How do you view the Black Metal scene in México as opposed to the U.S. and other parts of the world? Also what are some of your guys personal views on Black Metal?









-In Irapuato city, the scene about Black metal has grown a lot after 2012 (Before it was practically inexistent) for now the black metal scene still being underground and very poorly understood and supported.

In this city the Death metal is priority, and the public is customary to see a gig with more "show" than music, more interested in bashing against each other than the music it self, the black metal have no future...( we hope in the future the things change for black metal in the city)

Without doubt we can't compare the Mexican metal scene to USA or the European scene.

-Labels: There are a few that actually support the underground scene ... a lot of them are more interested on be known by release works of foreign bands; and still boast of supporting the  Mexican scene.

-Music: The most bands want to be a "Trve Kult Black Metal" band, and just being the copy of the copy...

-Production: Although USA is through an "economic recession", In México we have been on it all the time, the musicians have to make too many sacrifices to reach the payment of a professional studio.

-Feedback: Most of the public is braggart, when they go to a gig, just go to support their friends's band; They claim to support the scene, just by "supporting" ( they want the albums as gift, they want to get in a gig for free, etc) their friends’s band, they just want to be "groupies". Of course there is a few people who have a real interest in the scene and support by buying the bands's, stuff but these are the very few.








11. Abysmal Depths has played a decent amount of shows.can you tell us which one has been the most memorable for the band thus far?








-Actually we have had a few live shows, unfortunately it hasn't been very well or at least like we would like...
We are working on it, we have too much to learn in how to give a satisfactory show for the public, and (specially) for us.

The most memorable show so far, to mention some, would be the one that we played in León City, go out to play in another city always represents something new to discover and learn, we think it was the best show.









12. To people who have never seen Abysmal Depths live, what could one expect from one of your shows? What kind of crowd reaction do you get from the fans?









-We are a band without scenic presence... if they are looking for a good visual show, they will be completely disappointed. To us, the most important thing is and will be ever the execution and the atmosphere of the gig.

If the public expect to rocking, headbanging and slamming, better to look for another kind of band.
-In the live shows we have played,haven’t been really crowded, so they don't react enthusiastically ( And it’s ok, after all we play a Depressive/ambient Black metal).










13. Before we conclude this interview, what does Abysmal Depths have in store for the future and are there any final words you would like to say about the band?









-On this moment we are working on a couple of splits, and on some bonus tracks for the tape format of  "The Pain Shows in Dead Woods", we hope it can be released in the in the remainder of 2013.
We expect to have ready an EP or even if it is possible, the second full length (And we hope it can be recorded at a professional studio) by the second half of 2014.

-Thanks to U.S.B.M.S for this nice interview and thank for your taking the time on these great questions! Expect some new releases soon!

Hails!


For band info and contact visit
https://www.facebook.com/abysmaldepths
http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Abysmal_Depths/3540360376
http://abysmaldepths.bandcamp.com/

                                                                                     

Interview with Møllehøj

USBMS would like to thank Jennifer of  Møllehøj for her time
Interview done by Daemon Black






1. lets start off by having you introduce yourself and current members of the band, also can you explain the origin behind the name Møllehøj?





My name is Jennifer Christensen and I am the only member of Møllehøj! Møllehøj is the name of the highest point in Denmark, the country my family emigrated from. I do a lot of mountaineering and I had compiled a list of the highest peaks in many countries that I wanted to climb. During my search, I saw that the highest point in Denmark (but hardly a peak- at 170.86m) was called Møllehøj and for some reason, it became an imaginary place of inspiration for me. While I was writing music, the rolling hills in winter kept coming up and so I named the music after the muse.

 




2. Møllehøj is a fairly new band starting in 2012. can you give us some insight into and how and when the idea of starting the band came about? 






I have been writing music for a long time but I hadn't before taken the time to put music out myself. In 2011 when I became really driven to make this music, everything came very easily. I was very lucky to have found Anthony McCargar to play drums during live performances and once I put the wheels in motion, it was clear that Møllehøj wanted to be alive even when we didn't have proper songs! This was also the birth of the improvisational black metal that I played so much live in Colorado.

 





3. Briefly give us some history behind the concept of the band and what topics do the lyrics cover within the music?







Møllehøj is just everything that has been wanting to burst out of me from years of listening to black metal. The bands that always made me want to make my own music were the ones that felt the most “true” in the sense that they were able to effectively communicate something that was honest to their experience. I feel that when people are bearing themselves in this way, it is difficult, as a listener, not to empathize and really feel something through that music. This is what I hoped to do with Møllehøj and it's true that on the live recordings, a lot of the lyrics are improvised too. The music and the lyrics on the recordings are themed though (one song is about a group of crows protecting a sacred forest, another is about anguish) and then the music is a meditation on that theme. A lot of these older recordings are in Danish also. The new recordings are a little different because they are not improvised but they are still just a really honest meditation on an aspect of my existence. I will say that the upcoming album's concept is cohesive but I'm not saying what the concept is yet!


 


4. You play a multitude of instruments within the band, were you trained professionally or are you a self taught kinda of person, also at what age did you discover you enjoyed making music?







I have always had an ear for music and a great love for it but it was not nurtured in me. As a child, I sang constantly and left to my own devises, I found broken instruments or made my own make-shift instruments (from wires, wood, etc) and used them to re-create the melodies in my head. Eventually I wanted to play something more, so when I was in the 6^th grade, I saved up money by secretly foregoing lunch and pocketing the change until I had enough to purchase a bass guitar that I had been eying for a year prior. I didn't have an amplifier but I propped the instrument between the two sides of my closet door frame and when I played it, it resonated and was (with imagination) kind-of like having an amp and I learned to play music this way. I listed to a lot of my favorite bands and learned how to play each album, song by song. Then I wanted a cello, which took much more lunch money. In the meantime, I used an old violin bow to teach myself on the bass how to play the cello. I remember the bowing made an exceptionally rich tone and vibration in my door frame! When I finally ordered a cello online, I had a good idea of how to play it the first time I touched it. From there I picked up the piano and then the guitar while at university.


 





5.Can you tell us what Black Metal bands you were first exposed to and what are some of the genres of music and bands you grew up listening to?








Once I was in the 8^th grade, I was already really involved with the hardcore music scene where I lived. I wasn't allowed to go to these shows but by becoming friends with the bands I liked, I was able to manage getting in to the venues, etc. I didn't get along very well with people much at my school but at these local shows, I fit right in and was exposed to a lot of new music this way. I remember first hearing At the Gates' The Red in the Sky is Ours, which isn't considered black metal but there was something in the sound that I really liked which wasn't explicitly death metal so I sought out other similar music and was led to Mayhem, Darkthrone, Burzum.
I live in Washington but I do play with some bands in Portland, Oregon. I wanted to move out to t his region for two main reasons: First, I move every couple of years to a different area to climb different peaks, etc. I had been on several mountaineering trips in the Cascades and they all became my favorite climbs. I thought this would be a really inspirational area for me musically and otherwise. Second, I wanted to play live more and I felt there was more opportunity to do so when I was surrounded by bigger towns and cities----Seattle, Vancouver, Portland, etc. I'm not sure that it was the best decision for the project but I like having a lot of change in my life so on that level, it has been good.

 

 

 

 

6. Møllehøj originally started out in Colorado relocated to Oregon and now based in Washington, can you tell us what promoted the move and has the change of scenery been beneficial for the band?
 

 

 

 

I live in Washington but I do play with some bands in Portland, Oregon.    I wanted to move out to this region for two main reasons:   
First, I move every couple of years to a different area to climb different peaks, etc.  
I had been on several mountaineering trips in the Cascades and they all became my favorite climbs.  
I thought this would be a really inspirational area for me musically and otherwise.   
Second, I wanted to play live more and I felt there was more opportunity to do so when I was surrounded by bigger towns and cities----Seattle, Vancouver, Portland, etc.    
 I'm not sure that it was the best decision for the project but I like having a lot of change in my life so on that level, it has been good.




7. You have been involved in a couple different project in past few years, how have you enjoyed working with these other bands and how does it differ from your work with Møllehøj.

I have really, really enjoyed playing with other bands over the past few years. I love playing many kinds of music and the diversity has been really great for honing in what I would like to create in Møllehøj . I especially like playing different instruments in the other groups! There are more projects going on now also that haven't yet gone public---stay tuned!


 











8. Can you tell us how you got involved in joining Sadhaka, and how did the tour with them in Europe go? give us a highlight of your most memorable time there?







I played a solo, candle-lit cello concert of Møllehøj songs in Olympia, Washington last winter and the members of Sadhaka were in the audience. They asked me if I wanted to be involved in Sadhaka and after discussing their vision for the group, I knew that I'd like playing with them. The European tour was great---I met so many unforgettable people and it was wonderful establishing contacts for the Møllehøj tour! I think my favorite part was playing to the enormously passionate crowd in Athens. They nearly flipped our van!


 






9. Take us into your musical creative process, where do you record at and are lyrics written before the music is created or vise-versa?





















All of the Møllehøj recordings thus far have been tracked in Colorado. Those were improvisational but the future recording has already been written. I like to write everything on my classical guitar for black metal (I wrote the hardcore songs for my old band The Wage of Sin on the cello!). This also makes it fun and interesting to play for small groups in the forest or wherever while I'm in the process of creating the music.

10. Tell us about your demo that was released through Red River Family Records, Did the recording live up to your expectations, I read that the songs on demo were at first not intended to be released, what was the reason behind this?



















Well, the demo recording was made during two live-performances Tony and I did and although I liked what we created, I wasn't sure that it was more than just recorded “ideas”, since they were almost entirely improvised. The connecting pieces of music too—the singing at the beginning of the demo and the cello piece were improvised and so was the compilation piece I recorded for the Red River Family tape. To me, as I said, they were just ideas but people were interested in hearing them so I decided to do the release. Sometimes I feel awkward sharing them because they are not really the final idea that I have for Møllehøj and they are riddled with less fluid parts that make me cringe but I also like the recordings very much.


 


















11. Are you writing any new material at the this time? and what does  Møllehøj have in store for the up coming year?






















Yes! I know I have been saying this but there IS an album coming that I would like to release on vinyl. I got a little side-tracked with touring, recording on other bands' albums and also I suffered a serious injury from glacier climbing almost immediately upon my return so I haven't been able to play very much. I will begin recording very soon though!

         

12. I don't usually ask this question but i thought it was appropriate in this case since Møllehøj is strictly your project.
My question is how do you feel about being a women in Black Metal which is a mostly male dominated music genre and do you have an opinion on stereo types people might have about female fronted metal bands or women in metal for that matter?

This is a difficult question to answer because I have so many thoughts on the subject. I would say that generally people are very supportive of me having this project but I have also received a lot of hate mail from people about my “pussifying” black metal and things like that. Sometimes at shows people deliberately try not to look at me or will leave when I'm about to play. I know that a lot of people who haven't listened to my demo are adamant about it not being “good.” Black metal is a really specific sub-genre and some people that listen to black metal are really specific about what they like. It is my experience that what some people like in this genre does not include the presence of strong women playing black metal. That being said, most of the people that I have played for or that listen to my music are really happy to see that the general opinion of women in metal is changing. I am too!

 

13. Are there any final words you would like to say about Møllehøj before we finish up the interview?

Thanks for the great questions! I'm in the process of building a Møllehøj website but in the meantime, for more information, check out the Facebook page at Http://www.facebook.com/mollehoj. Thanks again!

Interview with Winterlore

                               
                                                                       





Interview done by: Daemon Black







USBMS would like to thank Winterlore for their time.
 






1. Before we get started can i ask you to introduce your self and the members of Winterlore to our readers and also give us a brief history of how and when Winterlore was created?














Winterlore consists of Thorstein on vocals/bass, Thorolf and R. Sodomizer on guitars/vocals and Nortaath on drums. Winterlore has been a project that has been off and on since 2005, we have had the same 3 band members for the majority of that time frame while the fourth member slot has always given us trouble.

2. you guys took a 5 year hiatus from the band, what was the driving force behind starting up Winterlore again in 2010?












I think we all just got the itch and time to be playing black metal as a band again. That and with a new member joining the ranks (now departed Helgrim) helped revitalize the energy and song writing going into it.

3. Were any members involved in any other projects while Winterlore was on hold?














Thorolf has been working on a solo project entitled 'Ered Wethrin', which will hopefully see a release by years end via Northern Silence. Thorstein had a solo project Mørkvinter that he recorded a demo for. Nortaath has one solo project entitled city at worlds end that was self released.

                                                                     

    









4. Can you explain to us what the lyrical concept of Winterlore's music is and who is behind the creation of the lyrics for the band?














Four Swords Against the Pious says a lot about the anti-religion aspect of our lyrics. We also have the more fantasy based lyrics that conjure darkness, solitude, war, winter's lore, etc. The members of Winterlore wrote all lyrics except for 2 songs written by a friend Bill Drew.

5. You guys recently added a new guitarist, how has the addition worked out so far, and how has it change the sound?














The addition has been great! The sound hasn't quite changed as he hasn't been able to write for Winterlore as of yet, but R. Sodomizer tends to be a quick learner and will undoubtedly leave his mark with the band's next release. 

6. Winterlore has played a decent amount of shows in its tenure. Can you tell us which show in particular has been the most memorable thus far for the band?


















Probably our CD release show. We summoned hefty a winter storm (literally) that night as we have on almost every show we've played. Our albums initially had technical difficulties in the printing process so we unfortunately couldn't sell them at the release show. Two of the four bands dropped off and combined with the snow, the turnout was surprisingly good despite the circumstances.

7. Give us some insight about what a person who has never seen a Winterlore live performance could expect from one of your shows?






















Expect to hear something you wouldn't otherwise get in the states. Winterlore brings an energetic vibe, a great live sound and a refreshing Scandinavian writing style to a nihilistic black metal filled country.

                                                                        












8. Currently you guys are signed to Slaughterhouse Records, How did this deal come about and have you guys been satisfied with the relationship and the promotions for the CD?




















J.R. Torina/Slaughterhouse records has been a great relationship that goes back beyond Wintlerlore days to a now out of operations metal shop 'The Abyss'. Slaughterhouse records is growing and we hope its future as with Winterlore's is strong.

9. Winterlore performs live in full corpse paint, What is your opinion on the importance of this tradition in Black Metal?


















Corpse painting is in-line with the anonymity we present using aliases. Since we were youngsters, it has helped give a certain darkened feel, which helped the energy of the band. As the craze over corpse painting has died out a bit, we find all the more reason to continue the tradition.

10. Can you tell us which "Metal" bands had the biggest impact on you guys growing up?














If we are keeping it simple: Darkthrone, Burzum and Bathory were a huge part of Winterlore's reason for existing. We all had other bands and other musical pleasures of course, but we all took cues from the aforementioned bands and there was no stopping us once we had the mindset to play black metal.

                                                                












11. Is there a certain band or person that inspired you guys to become Black Metal artists and play this type of extreme metal?














We loved the older black metal of Burzum and Darkthrone as mentioned previously, so once Nortaath introduced the idea of doing black metal to Thorolf (and leaving an at the time current death metal band) we were hooked. After a couple songs were written and had been rehearsed for a while, we introduced Thorstein to the material and we immediately started working on our demo; “Fire and Ice Upon the Throne of Might”.

12. How is the support for (Metal, Black Metal) in Utah, Is there a decent turnout at the shows and do local people get involved in spreading the word about bands?


















Salt Lake City isn't a metropolis of a city, so turnout is bound to be less than 50 for a show; but is known to hit over 100 or more. When Winterlore plays, the turnout seems to be above average due to the fact we don't play out frequently and our music and presence is something different for the local scene. Despite the size of SLC, its a very tight scene and the word of mouth is very large.

13. How has the overall feedback worldwide been concerning Winterlore's music, Have you garnered more interest from any certain country in-particular?


















We have gotten great feedback worldwide from the people that have heard us. Eastern Europe in particular has shown quite a large interest in us. Despite the old age of the band, our discography is still in its infancy. We hope with the attention we have gained from our first full length, we will have a wider reception surrounding our next.

                                                                    












14. Before we finish up this interview, tell our readers what they can expect from you guys in the future? and give us any final words you would like to add about Winterlore?




















Currently we are nearing the completion of the writing process for our second full-length. We are starting recording in November this year and we hope to have an early spring release. Our second album will have the classic black metal sound while moving the progression of our music forward with new elements we think fans of the genre will appreciate.

          For band contact and info visit

          https://www.facebook.com/winterlore

          http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Winterlore/58061