Insense Interview

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

(Ola, Bass) Our last album, “Burn in Beautiful Fire”, came out in 2011. We have played shows and festivals, and went on some great tours supporting bigger metal-acts like In Flames, Trivium and Demon Hunter. That album actually got nominated for the Norwegian Grammy, but didn't win. Unfortunately.
When the interest started to fade out, we began the process of making new material for our next album , “De:Evolution”, which just came out.
We finished the recording of this record last August, but it took almost a year until it came out. Because of some unfortunate record company -issues, the release took half a year longer than we planned. In the waiting time we did some gigs, made a couple of music videos and released a few singles, and went on a small tour supporting the great “the Devin Townsend Project”.


2.Recently you have released a new album how would you describe the musical sound of the new recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

“De:Evolution” is  a continuing of what we did on our last two albums. The song structure is more or less the same, but we have tried to incorporate more melodies, heaviness and darkness into the songs. We are more to the point on this one. Have trimmed down the dead meat and filling parts.
We try to mix hard, brutal and dark elements with more soft, melodic and mellow parts. In the past, on our earlier records, it was all about aggression and brutality, but we have softened up a bit on our older days, hehe. Don't get me wrong, we are still a hard metal-band, but we are not afraid of dealing with other musical directions than just the extreme.    

3.The band has been around for 15 years, what is it that motivates you to keep the band going after all of these years?

We like doing what we do. Just as simple as that. We are close friends and we have a lot of fun together, both in rehearsals and on tour. And of course, our music keep getting better for every album that we make. We see an advance in our songwriting, and slowly more and more people are getting into our music.

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

The thin, red line in our new album “De:Evolution”, is a reflection around human minds and progression in life. The lyrics touches topics related to the modern man and its stagnation of development. Seems like people of today are more interested in personal welfare, success and fame, than the strive of individual perfection and growth.  We may have reached a point where we no longer develop, the evolution seems to have reversed and we are getting stupider and stupider as species. Such a misanthropic topic….    


5.What is the meaning an inspiration behind the name 'Insense'?

There is no deep meaning behind the name ‘Insense'. It´s just a cool name (we think, at least). A friend of us came up whit that name a long, long time ago. And we liked it and thought it sounded kickass.

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?

Playing shows at ice-hockey stadiums and in huge arenas on the In Flames/Trivium/Ghost/Rise to Remain/Insense-tour in 2011, was certainly something special.
Our stage performance is quite intense. Lots of sweat, headbanging, lights, a massive sound and excessive aggression are some keywords that describe our shows. We try to make a powerful appearance, and we want the audience feel like they have been eaten and digested by a dinosaur at the ending of our gigs.

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

Yeah, we have hopes and plans for tours and shows for the future. An issue for us right now is that we are in need of a decent booking-agency to book shows for us outside Norway. At this point, we have just a couple of shows booked, so we are working on the show-bit at the moment. Hope to get a tour booked for this autumn.
For a band like us, the perfect tour would be as a support act for a bigger band. Let´s face it, no one shows up for a small, Norwegian, unknown band on tour. We are dependent on a more famous band to tour with so we can expose our band to a bigger crowd, and hopefully reach out to some potential new fans.


8.Your manager is also the front man for In Flames, do you feel having a well known metal musician managing your band has done a lot of help when it comes to getting your music out there heard?

It sure draws some attention having a well known rock-star connected to your band. It´s kind of a quality stamp. Anders is a good man to have on board, having him on the team has opened some closed doors for us.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer material by fans of extreme metal?

So far, we’ve got quite positive response from the metal-press. The feedback has been overwhelmingly good. Of course, some hate us as well and give us harsh criticism. But we are not used to lots of attention to our band, so we are happy for every review and every exposure that we can get. Good or bad.There will always be those angry metal guys hiding behind their computer keyboards, complaining how bad and shitty they think we are and how awful and inappropriate they find our music, but that is ok for us. Can't please them all, unfortunately. We focus on all the nice words we get, and are pleased to see that lots of people seem to like our new stuff.


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

I think we have sort of found our expression now. It took some time to find it, but on our tree past albums we have carved out some kind of a music-style that we are very proud of. Norwegian Correct Metal, we call it:) NCM, we take the best parts from every genres that we like, and make the correct metal, metal how it´s supposed to sound, hehe.

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?

We have quite different taste in music, the four of us in the band. We have all a similar back catalogue containing bands like Metallica, Pantera, Meshuggah, Obituary, Death etc, but we listen to all sorts of music besides that. Everything from grindcore to sweet ballads.  No techno or trance though…  


12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Nothing very interesting, I'm afraid. We are quite a boring bunch of men. As we get older and our bodies seem to start working against us, we try to keep in some kind of shape. Some of us plays squash, others go for a run….zzzzz, and one of us is just letting his body expire. We are fans of good food and beer, zzzzzznore, and movies, serieszzzz and      TV-games… yawn!…must…not..fall….to…sleep…from… this…über-boring……answer….Other than that, we are quite dull and total uninteresting as human beings… Unlike our band and our music, which is full of life and power.  Next question please!

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

Support bands that you like. Go to concerts, buy merch and music.
… And of course, check out our new record “De:Evolution”! It rocks hard!

Rectified Spirit/Self Titled/2014 CD Review

  Rectified  Spirit  are  a  band  from  India  that  plays  a  mixture  of  power,  thrash,  modern  and  death  metal  with  a  musical  style  they  call  'libero  metal'  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  and  self  titled  2014  album.

  Clean  playing  and  spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  alter  the  music  goes for  a  more  heavier  and  melodic  direction  along  with  some  guitar  leads  and  the  music  sounds  very  close  to  power  metal  which  also  leads  up  to  some  clean  singing  vocals  and  metalcore  style  screams  that  also  border  on  death  metal.

  Blast  beats  are  used  on  a  regular  basis  throughout  the  recording  and  the  solos  that  the  band  uses  are  very  melodic  and  old  school  sounding  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  good  amount  of  thrash  elements  find  their  way  into  the  bands  musical  style  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  death  metal  growls  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording h ave  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  gets  more  technical  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  band  also  adds  in  a  heavy  amount  of  groove  metal  into  their  musical  style  and  there  is  also  one  track  that  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  the  acoustic  guitars  do  make  their  returns  at  times  and  the  band  also  add s in  a  couple  of  tracks  that  are  very  close  to  the  10  minute  mark.

  Rectified  Spirit  play  a  very  heavy  and  diverse  form  of  metal  take  takes  from  power,  thrash,  groove,  death metal  and  metalcore  to  create  their  own  style  of  metal  that  is  heavy,  melodic  and  almost  mainstream  sounding  all  at  the  same  time,  the  production  sound s very professional  for  a  self  released  recording  while  the lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Rectified  Spirit  are  a  decent  sounding  mixture  of  power,  thrash,  modern  and  death metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should c heck  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "To  Hold  A  Saber"  "The  Magician's  Birthday"  "Vengeance"  and  "Mother".  7/5  out  of   10.      

Shards Of Humanity/Fractured Frequencies/Unspeakable Axe Records/2014 CD Review

  Shards  Of  Humanity  are  a  band  from  Memphis,  Tennessee  that  plays  a  technical  and  old  school  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Fractured  Frequencies"  which  will  be  released  by  Unspeakable  Axe  Records.

  A  very  melodic  and  technical  sounding  guitar  lead  starts  off  the  album  before  the  music  heads  into  a  more  old  school  thrash  metal  sound  along  with  some early  death  metal  screams  and  growls  as  well  as  some  blast  beats  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  good  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Guitar  leads  are  used  throughout  the  album  and  a  good  amount  of  the  music  sounds  like  it  could  of  easily  been  released  in  1989  and  also  has  the  feeling  of  early  albums  that  where  recorded  at  the  Morrissound  studios  back  in  those  days  and  the music  goes back  to  the  original  style  of  technical  death  metal  as  well  as  being  heavily  influenced  by  the  era  where  death  metal  was  still  evolving  out  of  thrash  and  a  good  amount  of  the  later  mentioned  genre  is  still  a  very  big  part  of  the  bands  musical  style.

  Shards  of  Humanity  display  a  great  amount  of  skill  and  talent  with  their  musical  style  and  also  shows  the  more  technical  side  of  early  death  and  thrash  metal  instead  of  going  for  the  more  raw  old  school style  that  most  newer  bands  fall  under  as  well  as  bringing  back  a  forgotten  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  rarely  utilized  these  days,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  all  at  the  same  time  and  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  scientific,  philosophical  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Shards  Of  Humanity  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  and  technical  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Astral  Agony"  "Internal  Rot"  and  "Suspension".  8 out  of  10.          

Inanimate Existence/A Never Ending Cycle Of Atonement/Unique Leader Records 2014 CD Review

  Inanimate  Existence  are  a  band  from  California  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "A  Never  Ending  Cycle  Of  Atonement"  which  will  be  released  by  Unique  Leader  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  distorted  sound  starts  of  the  album  along  with  some  synths  that  bring  a  very  ambient  and  symphonic  sound  to  the  recording  as  well  as  some  tribal  style  instruments  being  used  in  the  intro  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  into  a  more  heavy  and  brutal  technical  death  metal  and  direction.

  Vocals  utilize  both  deep  growls  and  growls  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  the  leads  sound  very  progressive  and  melodic  which  also b rings  a  perfect  balance  between  the  brutality  this  music  creates  an d  when  clean  sections  are  utilized  you  can  hear  elements  of  jazz  music  in  their  musical  sound.

  Some  of  the  tracks  go  pass  the  5  minute  mark  which  also  brings  in  a  more  epic  death  metal  feeling  at  times  and  the  band  also  uses  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  to  keep  the  music  away  from  being  boring  or  stagnant  and  at  times  acoustic  guitars,  folk  instruments  along  with  melodic  female  vocals  are  added  into  the  album  in  certain  sections  which  gives  the  music  a  more  ritualistic  and  shamanistic  edge  while  the  main  focus  is  still  on  a  more  technical  and  brutal  variation  of  death  metal.

  As  the  album  progresses  classical  music  style  musical  instruments  also  start  mixing  in  with  the  heavier  sound  of  the  music  along  with  the  synths  from  the  intro  making  a  return  and  adding  a  progressive  rock  feeling  to  the  recording  and  the  music  also  gets  more  diverse  as  the  album  progresses.

  Inanimate  Existence  create  a  very  original  style  of  technical  death  metal  which  is  still  very  brutal  but  also  utilizes  many  different  style  of  instruments  which  adds  a  more  exotic  and  esoteric  flavor  tho  the  musical  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  metaphysical,  shamanism  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Inanimate  Existence  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal,  technical  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Omen"  "The  Rune  of  Destruction"  and  "Out  Of  Body  Experience".  8  out  of  10.

Ending Quest/The Summoning/FDA Rekotz/2014 CD Review

  Ending  Quest  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  very  brutal,  raw  and  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "The  Summoning"  which  will  be  released  by  FDA  Rekotz.

  A  very  dark  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  mixture  of  leads  and  riffs  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  getting  heavier  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  going  into  a  faster  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  the  band  also  starts  to  bring  in  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  You  can  hear  a  small  amount  of  synths  and  spoken  word  parts  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  music  sticks  mostly  to  an  early  90's  style  of  Swedish  death  metal  while  also  bringing  back  a  more  raw  and  brutal  sound  that  is  rarely  utilized  in  the  Swedish  death  metal  revival  bands.
 
  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  evoking  a  more  dark  atmosphere  as  well  as  adding  clean  playing  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  bass  leads  being  utilized  on  one  of  the  tracks  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  brief  synth  instrumental  before  closing  the  album  with  a  heavier  tack.

  Enging  Quest  are  another  newer  Swedish  band  that  goes  for  the  traditional  death  metal  style  of  their  home  country  but  bring  in  a  more  raw,  less  melodic  and  brutal  approach  to t heir  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  all at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Gore,  and  Horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ending  Quest  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sumerian  Invocation"  "A  Host  Of  Flesh"  "Evocation  Of  Carnal  Flesh"  and  "The  Lament  Configuration".  8  out  of  10.    

Ecocide/Eye Of Wicked Sight/Disharmonic Records/2014 CD Review

  Ecocide  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Eye  of  Wicked  Sight"  which  was  released  by  Disharmonic  Records.

  Sci  fi  sounding  ambient  synths  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  out  in  a  slow  death  metal  direction   before  going  into  a  more mid  paced  direction  and  adding  more  thrash  influences  into  the  musical  sound  and  then  it  starts  to  speed  up  and  add  in  blast  beats  and  growls  and  the  music  starts  having  a  more  old  school  death/thrash  metal  feeling.

  After  awhile  the  music  starts  utilizing  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  incorporating  more  melody  into  their  musical  sound  and  they  also  add  in  spoken  word  and  science  fiction  movie  samples  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  all  of  the  tracks  remain  true  to  a  mid  80's  to  early  90's  era  of  death  metal  but  with  a  good  dose  of  thrash  being  mixed  into  the  sound  and  I  can  hear  a  little  bit  of  early  Malevolent  Creation  and  Massacre  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  early  Death  in  their  musical  sound  while  the  band  is  not  a  copy  of  either  band.

  Ecocide  go  back  to  the  mid  80's  to e arly  90's  era  of  Florida  death  metal  with  their  musical  sound  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  raw  energy  of  thrash  metal  to  create  a  sound  on  this  recording  that  is  very old  school  yet  very  heavy  all  at  the  same  time,  th e production  sounds  very  professional  in  and  early  90's  way  while  the  lyrics  cover  Aliens,  Science  Fiction  and  Sumerian  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ecocide  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  mixture  of  death and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Alien  Intervention"  "Tale  From  Beyond"  and  "Beneath  the  Flesh".  8  out  of  10.

  

Human Fate/Part One/Doweet Records/2014 CD Re-Issue Review

  Human  Fate  are  a  band  from  France  that plays  a  mixture  of  world  music,  experimental  and   extreme  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2009  album  "Part  One"  which  was  re-issued  by  Doweet  Records  in  the  year  of  2014.

  Folk  instruments  and  ethnic  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  multi-cultured  female  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  the  intro  death  metal  vocals  find  their  way  into  the  music  and  the  music  starts  mixing  the  ethnic  sounds  with  a  more  melodic  and  extreme  groove  metal  sound  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts.

  Acoustic  guitars  find  their  way  into  the  music  constantly  during  the  album  and  also  mix  in  with  the  heavy  parts  on  a  regular  basis  along  with  a  good  amount  of  female  vocals  being  mixed  in  with  the  death  metal  growls  and  screams  and  you  can  hear  a  good  amount  of  new  age,  middle  eastern  and  hindi  folk  music  elements  throughout  all  of  the  tracks  while  the  main  focus  is  on  a  death/groove  metal  sound.

  On  some  of  the  later  tracks  melodic  male  vocals  and  hardcore  style  screams  are  added into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  the  music  adding  in  more  metalcore  influences  into  their  musical  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  album  have  a  very  heavy  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  blast  beats  are  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Human  Fate  takes  the  heaviness  of  death  metal,  groove  and  metalcore  and  mixes  it  in  with  progressive,  folk,  ethnic  and  world  music  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  life,  death  and  mankind.

  In  my  opinion  Human  Fate  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  world  music,  experimental  and  extreme  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Unify  Mankind"  "Seed  Of  Creation"  and  "Pariah".  8  out  of  10.