Dark Matter Secret Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Dark Matter Secret is an instrumental technical death metal project founded by Denis Shvarts and Pavel Semin.

2.Recently you have released an album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
The sound on our album is a compromise between modern and old-school ideas. Our goal was to make every instrument punch through clearly while keeping a somewhat live sound.

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the concept that is presented on the new album?
Our album is dedicated to the creation of the universe. We have decided to look at this from both scientific and mythological aspects. It's interesting how people in Ancient Greece or Egypt represented the creation of the world and how it's corresponding to modern theories. Each song embodies a certain stage in this process, like the creation of space, time and life and in the end, we come to the universe as we know it now.

4.All of the music is instrumental, are you open to working with vocals in the future?
For now, we see Dark Matter Secret as an instrumental project. Without vocals, we have way more space and can give attention to multiple guitar layers and bass lines. That allows us to make more complex instrumental parts without fear, that they would otherwise be unheard. This also gives us the opportunity to appeal to fans of extreme music and progressive music.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Dark Matter Secret'?
Pavel: The name Dark Matter Secret dates back to when Denis asked me to record one track on his solo album, and that was the name of the track. We were very excited about the result and decide to make the next album together to continue that story. Space has always inspired us. Today we live in the era when sci-fi becomes our reality, but still, there are so many mysteries and curiosities which lead us to the future.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
For now, Dark Matter Secret is studio only project so we have not performed any live shows.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
It depends on many terms. Currently, Dark Matter Secret is a duo, Andrey Ischenko helped us to record live drums on Perfect World Creation and he did awesome work. But we do not have a full line-up as of right now.

8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We are proud to be part of The Artisan Era label.

9.On a worldwide level, how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death and progressive metal?
Currently, we've released only two tracks from Perfect World Creation, but we already have very positive feedbacks from fans of that kind of music

10.What is going on with the guitar players solo project these days?
Denis: I wrote most part of music for the second solo album. I have music that does not fit very well for Dark Matter Secret, so I will release it as a solo album, but Pavel will be bassist on that record too.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We like the direction that we choose on this album, so in the future, I think we will continue to work in that way but try to make music more diverse. We are open to experiment but want to preserve the nature of our music at the same time.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I think our influences on this album are pretty obvious. We like bands from the 90's-era like Cynic and Death, and also ones from the present such as Beyond Creation and Obscura. We also like instrumental music like fusion and progressive rock. Combining those things together leads us to the present DMS sound.
Denis: My favorites for today are Devin Townsend, Steve Vai, The Faceless, Alice Cooper, Inferi, Abigail Williams, Iron Maiden, Allan Holdsworth, Schizofrantic.
Pavel: I like bands like Exivious, Planet X, Counter-World Experience and Mindflowers. I also like stuff like Pryapisme, Perturbator, Soen, Indigo Jam Unit.

13.What are some of your non-musical interests?
Denis: I like art, cinema, travels, but music is still my main interest.
Pavel: For now, music takes most part of my life. I have several projects, musical session works, and a day job. So I don't have any special non-music interests right now.

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

No matter what you like, don't listen only to one genre. Try to keep mind and ears open, especially if you are a musician, or you will be stuck with the same ideas.
 

Narthraal/Screaming From The Grave/Inverse Records/2017 CD Review

  Narthraal  are  a  band  from  Iceland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays a  Swedish  influenced  form  of  old  school  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Screaming  From  The  Grave"  which  will  be  released  on  May  26th  by Inverse  Records.

  A  very  sound  along  with  morbid  sounding  melodies  start  off  the  album  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and w hen  the  music  speeds  up a   great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  the  music  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  style.

  Vocals are  mostly  death  metal  growls   along  with  a  few  screams while  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  Nordic  and  Swedish  style  of  the  genre  and  the  songs  also  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  more  than  20  years  ago  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  very  true  to  an  old  school  style  and  war,  movie,  and  spoken  word  samples  are  also  used  briefly  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  heavy  musical  direction.

  Narthtraal  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  old  school  death  metal  style  from  the  previous  release,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  human  greed,  the  evil  of  organized  religion,  gore,  death  and  zombie  themes.


  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Narthraal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Screaming  From  The  Grave"  "Envy"  "Symbols  Of  Hate"  and  "Dismember  The  Entombed".  8  out  of  10.

Deity/Beginning Of Extinction/2017 CD Review

  Deity  are  a  duo  from  Toronto,  Canada  that  plays  a  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017 album  "Beginning  Of  Extinction"  which  will  be  released  in  June.

  Tragic  sounding  pianos  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  brutal  direction  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  utilizing  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic   in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  a  traditional  death  metal  style  and  both  the  riffs  and  leads also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  a  couple  of  tracks  are  all  instrumental  while  a  later  song  introduces  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  recording.

  Deity  plays  a  style  of death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  and  traditional  sounding,  the  production  sound s very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Deity  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Beginning  Of  Extinction"  "Rituals"  and  "In  Turmoil(We  Rise)".  8  out  of  10.   

 

Dark Matter Secret/Perfect World Creation/The Artisan Era/2017 CD Review

  Dark  Matter  Secret  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  an  instrumental  and  progressive  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Perfect  World  Creation"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  The  Artisan  Era.

  Sci  fi  style  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  technical  direction  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  using  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  Most  of t he  solos  and  leads  stick  to  a  very  technical  style  while  the  riffs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  prog  elements  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  classical  guitars  are  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  the  fretless  bass  also  bringing  in  plenty  of  leads.

  All  of  the  songs  are  instrumental  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  the  riffs  and  solos  while  the  music  also  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  death  metal  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  atmospheric  elements  are  also  used  at  times.

  Dark  Matter  Secret  plays a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  technical  and  progressive  while  also  being  all  instrumental,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  song  themes  focus  on  the  creation  of  the  universe  from  both  scientific  and  mythological  points  of  view.

  In  my  opinion  Dark  Matter  Secret  are  a  very  great  sounding  instrumental  and  progressive  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ancient  Gods  Genesis"  "Constellation  Grows"  and  "Perfect  World  Creation".  8  out  of  10.

Amentia/Scourge/Satanath Records/Amputated Vein Records/2017 CD Review

  Amentia  are  a  band  from  Belarus  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  2017  album  "Scourge"  which  will  be  released  on  May  8th  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  and  Amputated  Vein  Records.

 A  very  technical  and  technical  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  deep  death  metal  growls  as  we;;  as  a few screams  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  demonstrating  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill.

  A  great  amount  of  prog  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  in  both  the  riffs  and  solos  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  blast  beats  can  be  heard  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  and  the  album  also  remains  brutal  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Amentia  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  and  technical  while  also  mixing  in  a  more  modern  prog  element,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  murder,  death  and extermination  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  Amentia  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  and technical  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kill  Me"  "Slow  Decay"  and  "Paranoia".  8  out  of  10.

Arkana Code Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
1) Paolo. Oh ok. the band started in 2008 writing and playing inedits tracks... we were not interested to play covers... we had many changes in line up since to the current line up. I think this is the best line up for arkana code project.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
2) Paolo. try to say brutal, melodic, progressive,technical sound. I hope those that hear us for first time are agree about it.

3.This is your first release since 2010, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
3) Paolo. So many time has passed since 2010 because we had many changes in line up.. this towed away a lot of time before recording this new work Brutal Conflict.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
4) Francesco. I write all lyrics, the concept of all lyrics tell contrast between human and nature, describing cruelty of our human etichs and the inconsciousness of the system where we live.

5.What is the menaing and inspiration behind the name 'Arkana Code'?
5) Francesco. The name Arkana Code is a acces key to conscience of self-destruction of human race.
Paolo. I found this name in 2009... I liked how it sounds so I named the band as Arkana Code since to the primordial line up.. no inspiration in particular in this name... but lyrics of all our songs are connected to this name.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
6) Paolo. The best shows are here in Italy at the moment.... Many venues in Rome and Pescara, our town where we come from... we never had a show out of Italy at this moment... I can describe our stage performance as brutal, technical, with loud volumes.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
6) Paolo. The best shows are here in Italy at the moment.... Many venues in Rome and Pescara, our town where we come from... we never had a show out of Italy at this moment... I can describe our stage performance as brutal, technical, with loud volumes.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?
8) Francesco. All webzine and magazine have reviewed a new album “Brutal Conflict” very well, we are excited, and fans appreciated our new album and in particular our new videoclip "Psychiatric Kingdom".

9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
9) Francesco. I'm working in a release with my project one man band Phantasos and an other project funeral doom In Lacrimaes et Dolor, other members have other project over Arkana Code.

10.Where do you see the band headng into musically during the future?
 10) Francesco. We are worked on a new album for ten years of activity by Arkana Code. Paolo. I Prefer don’t see the future..... I prefer to live day by day.. better to avoid possible disappointments.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
11) Paolo. Many bands.... Nevermore, Carcass, Archenemy, Children of Bodom, Death, All Shall Perish. At this moment nothing in particular I’m listening.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
12) Paolo. ok I go gym... I like body building and powerlifting discipline...and bike... I’m a bikers during free time.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
13) Paolo. Yes, I would thanx all metal guys who hears and likes us on our facebook page .. I ask them to help us to grow up. And you for this interview and all staff of TheTrueBringerOfDeathZine. Thank you very much!

Fate Unburied Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
1 - We are a four-member Death Metal band from Vicenza (IT), active from 2012. We came out with an EP “Dehumanized Society” (2012) and on 27th March of this year we released our first full-length album “Logos” via Sliptrick Records.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?
- We developed our sound starting from Death Metal, which is the most recognizable one in our tunes, but it’s surrounded by various influences. We wanted it to be something new and very
personal, so we improved it with a progressive and groovy attitude, combining driven and 
punchy riffs with melodic and inspired ones.

3.This is the first release since 2012, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
 - In 2012, when we published our first EP, we played with a guy who was guitarist and the main vocalist. After he left the band we needed to replace him, so some time later our guitarist
Francesco joined us, but we still didn’t have a singer so the other guitarist Riccardo started to
sing. For this reason we needed some time to re-arrange and work on our songs, in order to
make them sound the best!

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

4 - Our lyrics mainly deal with psychological or philosophical topics. In particular, in our latest  album all the lyrics are connected by the Greek concept of “Logos”, a natural law which leads
the universe and the mankind. We describe and analyze the human behaviors and their relation with it. This law may be listened and told, and that’s what we did in this work.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Fate Unburied'?
5 - Our name is taken by Foscolo’s sonnet “To Zakynthos”. We made our interpretation of the lasts lines: “…and our fate already written, the unmourned grave.”. We think it gives us a deep and hidden meaning, which probably contributes to making our music more interesting.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
6 - We played many shows in the last years, sharing the stage with amazing bands. Between them
there is a great metal fest in Venice (Death Over Venice), with amazing bands like Hideous Divinity and some shows supporting the european tours of Kingcrow, Votum and Darkfall. We try to make our live performances engaging and powerful, giving the best to amaze the audience.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

7 - We want to play around Italy next year to support our new album, but for the next one we are
planning to tour abroad maybe in Germany or east Europe.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme metal?
8 - Our music is still not yet widely known abroad, but we had some very positive feedback from
people who listened to us for example in Norway, Germany or Japan. We are so glad that our
music is such appreciated!

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
 - We are already working on new tunes for our next album. In this one the progressive aspect of
our sound will be improved, we will make it more various and emphasize the difference between strong and atmospheric parts. We like to keep evolving our sound and experiment new solutions.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
10 - All of us has very different musical influences, but we have some bands that mainly influence our sound, such like Cynic, Gojira, Animals as Leaders, Meshuggah and Carcass. Anyway we keep discovering new music, for example nowadays our vocalist Riccardo is listening to The Dillinger Escape Plan, and the guitarist Francesco is very well engaged with Periphery. Not always our musical taste coincide, but this helps in developing an heterogeneous sound!

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

11 - Music is our main interest and we put all our devotion into it, anyway some of us have other
hobbies like sports.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12 - As an emerging band, we know how hard can be to have visibility and get some results,
put if you believe in your music and do it with passion, you only have to persist with determination, and you’ll get where you want, don’t give up!