Hey guys! Thank you for doing this interview with DutchMetalManiac. Could you briefly introduce your band?

We are a contemporary progressive metal band from Barcelona. Our music is characterized by a powerful voice with many registers, very strong riffs, virtuous solos and unusual rhythm structures but easy on the ear. Our music talks about experiences from our past and subtle social critique. We’ve released two records, Drizzle of Cosmos (2017) & Transcendence (2020).

How was the band formed? Did you know each other before?

The band was formed in 2012 by ex-members from another Spanish band. In 2015 Kris (singer) became the new singer of the band and gave a big change in the style of our music. Transcendence is the true sound that we wanted since the beginning.

Let’s talk about your album, Transcendence. It got really good reviews so far, and I personally really liked it as well. How did you guys approach the songwriting and the recording?

It’s been a long process since we wrote the songs until we recorded the songs. Most of the songs are composed by Carlos and written by Kris, but we love to compose together.
Many things in Transcendence are involved. The theme of the song, what we want to express with it and the target. We like to be sharp but subtle in many ways as possible.

How long did it take to get the whole album done?

Nine months more or less, including the recording, mix and mastering.

Which band(s) inspire you and your songwriting?

Opeth, Symphony X, Dream Theater, Myrath, Leprous and a long etc.

I know that Spain has an active metal scene. What’s your opinion on the metal scene in your home country? Any bands you are really into at the moment?

There are many bands with lots of talent but in our country usually “metal” doesn’t succeed. The language barrier is tough for reaching the frontiers.
We have a few favourite bands from Spain like Mind Driller, In Mute and Docka Pussel.

Covid-19 is affecting everyone at the moment. How did it impact you as a band, and as individuals? Did you find any creative solutions for e.g. band practice?

Everyone has stopped right now. We released the album one week before our lockdown. Even while all our concerts have been canceled for 2020 (We had quite few including a tour through Europe) we tried to be as active as possible.

A lot of festivals and tours were cancelled. Did you have some gigs or a tour lined out already? If so: are you working on alternative dates, and when can we hopefully see you on tour?

We are trying to reschedule everything as soon as the venues had the permissions.

Quite a lot of bands also stream entire concerts, either live or pre-recorded. Is that something you did consider as well?

Yes, we’ve received a couple offers but due to the recent change in line up we still haven’t managed to make it happen. We hope we can in the near future.

Any of the greatest and/or most bizarre moments on or off stage you feel like sharing?

It is funny that in almost all soundchecks our equipment is always working properly then in the main show it doesn’t hehe.
Another curious thing that’s always happening to us is when we get together for a serious meeting of the band it is always raining outside (that’s the reason for Drizzle of Cosmos).

Is there anything you would like to say to our readers?

Stay metal and support local bands!
Thank you for doing the interview!

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In a word: brutality. This holds true for virtually all songs, but each one is spiked with some little extras. Opener Nocturnal has some melodic death metal influences in its second part, while second track Oblivion has an entire softer outro. Slave and Uprising won’t let you breathe through at all, as harsh vocals meet unsoftened brutal beats. The ever so small break comes then in the form of Beneath the Sun’s intro, but soon enough, the track stomps along harsh vocals again. Universe dives off towards the metalcore corner. Closing off is Deceit, which seems to be another hallmark track, but then – lo and behold, there’s a saxophone at the end! That was unexpected but fit in nicely and was a refreshing closing statement to this album.

In conclusion: Nocturnal Misery is a true death metal album that is predominantly marked by brutality, but that incorporates little extras here and there that keep you engaged as listener. Thus, no boredom with that one, and I can recommend it to any death metal fans that are on the hunt for something with a twist. 9/10.

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The first track is In Deception and to me, sounds like a James Bond soundtrack tune… we are talking the Roger Moore era, where they were actually good, so take that as a compliment. Next up is Of Raven and Pigs, which turns out to be a rock song, in my opinion, rather than a prog metal track. Still, this one’s bound to get your head banging, thus don’t dismiss it. Waywardly Broken reminds me strongly of Gotthard, and thus is personally a great track for me. No Rewind is also more of a rock song which has some oriental influences to it, while The Mansion is a bona fidae ballad. By the Blues starts with full force, only to pull back after a minute or so for a midtempo song filled with drama. She Dragoon then goes about the whole thing the other way around – it starts off slow and then kicks you in the butt afterwards. A remastered version of Feather Moves closes the album off.

In conclusion: Conception’s newest album is for sure a winner. I haven’t known the guys before, but to me, the similarities to Gotthard, which I love, are striking – but it’s not just a copy and paste state of things, but rather, I like the extra mile Conception goes in incorporating different styles. This one comes highly recommended! 10/10.

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First up is Mountains of Madness – a quite catchy rock song, with some hints of Black Sabbath in it. These hints become even stronger in the next track, Heavy is the Crown. The Baron’s voice reminds very strongly of Ozzy (the better years). More drama awaits in Shepherd, before it’s getting more romantic, even though not less rock’n’roll, in My Heart is Longing for You. Ghosts is probably the most complex song on the entire album, but not less catchy than the rest of it. Sun is a nice instrumental interlude that makes way for Pharos, a song that, especially in the beginning, could also be written by Volbeat. Same holds true for Black Water, while Memories is very much driven by the drums. The title track, Idols, then closes off the album.

In conclusion: Idols is a well-rounded off, albeit short, album. Chronus manages to keep the interest up and mix in obvious influences – I still cannot get over the fact that The Baron and Ozzy sound so much alike! Can recommend Idols for any progrock fans, or if you would like an easy, yet entertaining, listening experience. 8.5/10.

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Symphonic! That’s my first association. Dive Within, the first track, is filled with symphonic elements, while having a nice melodeath undercurrent driving the song along. Beyond the Horizon dials that back a bit, but includes, like its predecessor, a lot of lean vocals – quite a surprise, but it works out well. Then comes the Ode to Life – with some COB-like riffs and tunes in the beginning, which is just my taste, so the ode is approved Eager to Collapse starts off very mellow, only to make way for a proper melodeath song. Brutality is even increased with Resistance, after which your ears get a bit of a break with The Hollow Lights. Remain Unbounded stomps along very nicely, as does Words Left Unsaid. The second-to-last track, Voyager, kicks your butt nicely. The album then closes off with the tenth track, Built to Last – a proper melodic death metal track.

In conclusion: Ignis Aeternum is quite a diverse album, almost as diverse as life itself. The core of the album is melodic death metal, but it is spiced up with symphonic and progressive elements. It all fits perfectly, thus nothing to complain and a big recommendation from my side for this album! 10/10.

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Kick-off is Heretic Antiphon, a short instrumental track filled with drums and oriental influences. Things are then kicked up a notch with Enchantress – the forceful voice of Kris takes you on a journey that is filled with powerful riffs as well as mystique elements. Living Inside Me starts more mellow, but develops a drive that reminds of Symphony X, one of the bands Born In Exile feature as influences on their Facebook page. Herd of Deception in contrast leans more towards the symphonic end of things even though Kris also incorporates some growls and shouts in there. So far, the most outstanding track for me. After that, all fans of ballads will get their share with One More Line, another harmonious track that is sung with a lot of emotions, and thus has won me over as well. The following track, Ziggurat, is more upbeat, while Save Us has more of a rock’n’roll vibe to it. The Lighthouse of the Haunted Keeper is again a more romantic-symphonic track that slowly winds its way into your ear. The final track is Torch, a nice progressive track that rounds the whole album up quite nicely.

In conclusion: Born In Exile are a true progressive metal band that incorporates a lot of other influences – mainly symphonic and oriental tunes – and delivers a quite unique sound. The tracks are well phased and overall, Transcendence is a harmonious concept with great musicianship and a good production behind it. Thus, give it a spin! 9/10.

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First up: Sculpted Into Life by the Hand of Death. This song is 8 minutes long and a lot happens there: it starts off very melodic and harmonious – but only for about 2 minutes, and then the growls happen. The song stomps along in quite a doom-y fashion for another two minutes and then switches to a beautiful, soft instrumental bridge, that carries the deep growls that set in after a while. Finally, the pace picks up towards the end, ending in an epic outro. That vibe is picked up the following song, Barren Harvest. Again, there’s a more doom-metal influence to be found as well as heavier parts. Next up: Decrepit Elegance. It’s a purely instrumental song and with just one minute length an interlude rather than a track on its own – but very calming and ambient, the absolute contrast to what’s about to happen next: Absolute Ruin is a dirty, heavy death metal track that kicks you right in your behind. Unfortunately, the pace again slows down towards the end, which, in my opinion, is a pity. Some aggression up until the end would have made that song to really stick out from the rest. That’s mainly because the other two tracks, The Antechambers of Eternity and A Deeper Shade of Sorrow, are more doom metal tracks and could have used that aggressive counterpart well. Nevertheless, the whole record blends together well.

In conclusion: this 6-track, roughly 40-minute-long offering is a true death/doom metal blend. The songs are quite diverse. All songs revolve around, how could it be any different, death and doom. Oh yeah! That’s the soundtrack for your winter blues, and it’s well done, at that – so give it a spin. 9.5/10.

Here you can also read our earlier review of Rotting Kingdom’s self-titled album.

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It all starts with the title track, Violent Death Rituals, which comes first all calm and stomping, only to make way for a full-blown, heavy death metal song. This continues with the second track, The Silent War, but that contains somewhat more thrash elements. This trend to switch between one song that is more death metal-oriented and one song that is more thrashy, continues for the rest of the record, which closes with As the Cannons Fade.

In conclusion: Thanatos offers a high-quality record that is spiked with 10 death/thrash tracks. Violent Death Rituals is never boring to listen to, as the guys clearly stick to what they like and are good at. However, at least to me, also no song really sticks out, leaving me a bit underwhelmed, which is a pity. Still, this record comes recommended to any thrash/death metal fan – 8/10.

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First up is the title track, which already starts off very heavy, only to be even further enhanced by gutturals that drive the songs stomping, dark atmosphere. The song ends with a blackened outro and makes way for Eudaimonia. Heavy riffs lead the way to a more metalcore song. Six Feet Deep, No Party Too Steep not only has a great title, but leans more towards brutal death metal and therefore is my favorite of the four songs. Last up: Weltschmerz. This is a very varied song that cannot really be described, but is best experienced.

In conclusion: The guys of Necrotted managed to deliver a great EP with strong musicianship, songwriting and production, and the only shame is that it’s very short (alas, but that’s the nature of an EP, isn’t it?). In any case, this wets the appetite for a longplayer – but in the meantime, check this one out! 9.5/10.

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Of course the electronic part is in there again, and dominates opener Deathbed. That one is partly brutal, and partly very melodic. That is even better blended together in Closer to Extinction, which is my favorite track off the album. The following Lifelong Tragedy is a very opulent, bombastic song, while Tightrope dials back and has more of a rock-flair to it. Aliens seem to land at the very beginning of Dark Horizon, while the song stomps on in the background. It’s a quite calm, reduced song with a dark atmosphere. Dead Calm is a nice piano interlude with one crescendo in there – a sign of what there is to come? Yes, it is. War Forevermore is a pressing, in-your-face song that disrupts the calm that was created by the previous two tracks. My Pain floats along, and then makes way for Born Hollow, a track that once again combines synths, rock, metal, calm and brutal parts very nicely. Last up: In Memoriam. While that associates depressing, doomish funeral-music at first, it is a beautiful ballad with some opulent touches to it – and a great, calming way to close off this record.

In conclusion: the guys stand by their eclectic mix of metal and electronic music. While that sometimes resulted in weird and hilarious situations on Slaves to the Greed, this time around the guys manage to combine those styles very nicely. As you might have guessed, I like this record very much, and so will you, I’m sure. 10/10.

You can read our review of Dead End Finland’s Slaves to the Greed here.

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