Κυριακή 29 Οκτωβρίου 2017

Caronte: Tales of Shamanic Doom.

Hailing from Italy, the Fenriz-approved Shamanic Doom band Caronte, returns with the new album 'YONI', just one year after "Codex Babalon" EP.


Speaking of the previous offering ('Codex Babalon'), singer Dorian says "it is mainly focused on the woman figure and on her power generating; contains also a lot of magical/sexual notions", to continue, "I think is a very powerfull record, in terms of energies, people who listened 'Codex Babalon' can confirm this. For sure is the most obscure work and with more occult elements we made".

The men behind Caronte are Dorian Bones (vocals), Tony Bones (guitars), Henry Bones (bass) and Mike De Chirico (drums).

How the cult started? Back at the end of 2010 they spent a lot of nights talking and trying to give birth an obscure smoky project which may have the same atmosphere of a ritual. Dorian confirms that "magic, sexuality, drugs were all themes we wanted to touch in our musical project. In particular, I was following a course of studies who brought me to write the lyrics and define the influence and the energy that nowadays we bring with us. From 2010 we released two EP, three albums and a split with the mighty italian doom metal band Doomraiser". 

Your lyrics sound very imporant and the music is indeed a mirror for them. Which are your influences on both lyrics and music?

Dorian: Regarding the lyrics, I have to mention the master Therion Aleister Crowley, Dion Fortune, Helena Blavadsky, Eliphas Levi and a lot of books on the Shamanism in South America and in the East. Often our lyrics are prayers, tales and chants that describe myths and rituals where we found all the energies that we bring in our project
Regarding music I can say Danzig, Coven, Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard, Candlemass and Cathedral.

You are not what we could exact call "Doom Metal", so how would you describe your music to someone that haven't heard you?

Dorian: I think that Shamanic Doom is the nearest definition some careful voices gave us. We feel very near as friendships and audience to the black metal scene (the most esoteric part) and the rest of extreme scene. I really don't like when people say stoner, I don’t feel part of that kind of message.

How would you describe the present doom, stoner, occult scene, which bands do you distinguish nowadays?

Dorian: Lately I think we really have a dynamic and prolific scene. Regarding the doom scene I say Cough, Windhand, Urfaust, Saturnalia Temple, Abysmal Grief, Doomraiser.  Stoner, I don't know... About Occult, I think of Acherontas, Behexen, Fides Inversa, Arktau Eos, Lapis Niger, Satanismo Calibro 9.

The latest Caronte album 'YONI' is out now on Van Records, and currently Caronte is on tour supporting the album.


Caronte discography:

Ghost Owl EP (2011)
Ascension (2012)
Doomraiser / Caronte Split (2013)
Church Of Shamanic Goetia  (2014)
Codex Babalon EP (2016)
YONI (2017)


Join Caronte on Facebook HERE.

Love is the Law. Love Under Will.
93,93/93




Δευτέρα 23 Οκτωβρίου 2017

Martin Eric Ain - A rebel life in darkness, art and glamor.

From the ashes of Hellhammer, Celtic Frost was risen. Tom G. Warrior and Martin Eric Ain were the leading force that inspired the extreme metal scene in the years to come.


"Morbid Tales" (1984), "Emperor's Return" (1985) and "To Mega Therion" (1985) are the foundations of extreme metal, and "Into The Pandemonium (1987) is a genre-breaking record that introduced us the term "avant-garde" in metal music. An experimental dark album with undeniable influence. This influence was both musical, artistic and visual. 

Martin Eric Ain was separated from Celtic Frost during the recordings of "To Mega Therion" but returned very quickly and even if Tom Warrior was the prime composer, Martin was the link that completed the gaze into the darkness with his contributions in lyrics, music and image.

"Cold Lake" (1988) was an abomination, Martin Eric Ain wasn't there and Tom G. Warrior doesn't want to listen to this record again. "Vanity / Nemesis" (1990) marks the return of Martin Ain and after few years, there was silence. But during this silence, the impact of Celtic Frost in metal music was growing over and over...

While Tom G. Warrior is death-obsessed in general, Martin Eric Ain was deep in the art of darkness and while they seemed to share a common morbid vision behind Celtic Frost, they probably had a different approach and social sense. Celtic Frost was Tom Warrior's life's work and there is no doubt about it. But Martin was the nocturnal factor that added another (and yet so similar) dark artistic element to the band.

In late 2001, Tom Warrior and Martin Ain began to write music together again, along with Erol Unala on guitar and, from late 2002, drummer Franco Sesa joined them. The album was completed in the end of 2005, the title is "Monotheist" and Celtic Frost dominate the metal press and festivals for almost two years.

Few months prior to the release of "Monotheist" in 2006, Martin Eric Ain visited the offices of the label and unfurled full-color printouts of the complete layout, including final artwork for everything (both CD and vinyl) and provided detailed explanations about all symbolism, meaning and importance of what he presented. At this time and after the years of Noise Records and the problems and artistic limitations they had, now they knew exactly what they wanted and everything was done under their control.

But what happened after "Monotheist"? According to Tom Warrior, Martin was a different person now. As he states in an interview at Iron Fist magazine (issue 10) "We just try not to meet. Martin lives to a different planet to the rest of us. He runs an empire of clubs and bars in Zurich, and we're not talking about metal clubs - he runs the hipster clubs. Martin is a millionaire and that's his world now". When they reformed Celtic Frost, Martin had already the basis of his empire and he admired Tom for sticking with the music, so he wanted to be a part of this but after a hundred plus shows he was sick and tired of touring when he already had this kind of life back in Zurich. But besides this glamorous life, Martin was always in the art of darkness. "I was at an opening of an exhibition in Zurich and I knew he [Martin] was going to be there and I went right up to him and I offered my hand, we hugged, we talked, we had a really good time but we're no longer the same as we were in 1983", Tom states.

"Monotheist" is the best metal reunion album. In my book it is also the best Celtic Frost album but I know that you won't agree with me.

From Hellhammer to Celtic Frost, Martin Eric Ain was an iconic important part of extreme dark music. 

Martin Eric Ain (born Martin Stricker, on July 18th of 1967) died on October 21st of 2017 by heart attack.

"I am deeply affected by his passing. Our relationship was very complex and definitely not free of conflicts, but Martin's life and mine were very closely intertwined, since we first met in 1982." - Tom Gabriel Fischer (October 22, 2017)

Only Death Is Real.




Κυριακή 1 Οκτωβρίου 2017

Ozzy Osbourne - No Rest For The Wicked

Listening and celebrating the heavier Ozzy solo album, originally released on September 28th of 1988. Let's remember...

by Andreas Andreou


After two great albums with Jake E. Lee on guitars, that were both of them more commercially successful (at that time, not now) than Ozzy's first two albums with Randy Rhoads, Ozzy parted ways with Lee by mid-1987. After being fired from Ozzy, Lee formed Badlands with singer Ray Gillen, but after that, he didn't do much and will mainly remembered as "one of Ozzy's great guitarists". But unquestionably, he was the perfect guitarist for Ozzy during mid-80s and a significant part of Ozzy's success.

Zakk Wylde (21 years old at that time) was Ozzy's new guitarist, and until today, his longest solo band member. According to Ozzy, Wylde is a great character, he works easily with him and he can play almost everything. After a while, Ronnie James Dio also got a young guitarist (Rowan Robertson, 17 at that time) and released the album Lock Up The Wolves (1990) but that was a much inferior album than No Rest For The Wicked and another small victory to the supposed old conflict between Ozzy and Dio, and even if Robertson wrote a big part of the album along with Dio, he was forgotten. On the other hand, and after many albums with Black Label Society and other solo works, nowadays, Zakk Wylde is considered a very successful guitarist.

With a recording line up including also Bob Daisley (bass), Randy Castillo (drums) and John Sinclair (keyboards), the band entered studio with producer Roy Thomas Baker but Ozzy was not satisfied because Baker coudn't understand his ideas and both parties continuing to disagree. After a while, Keith Olsen was brought in to continue and complete the album, but even after that, there is still something "strange" with the total result, especially the drum sound. However, this is the sound we learned and loved on this album. 

More powerful (not better) than The Ultimate Sin, No Rest For The Wicked is a goldmine of riffs and the most riff-driven solo album Ozzy ever recorded. Actually, this is the closest album to the Black Sabbath legacy and the heavy riffing has lot to do with this; just check songs like "Bloodbath In Paradise" and "Breaking All The Rules". Some different highlights include the epic "Fire In The Sky" with its great arrangment, and "Hero", a semi bonus track. Speaking of bonus tracks, there is also another song from these sessions, "The Liar"; a song that could fit in Savatage's Gutter Ballet, recorded before Gutter Ballet. All the demons of Ozzy's mind are present here and on the "Demon Alcohol" Ozzy speaks for his addiction bringing echoes of the past singing "Don't speak of suicide solutions, you took my hand, I'm here to stay".

However, these demons dominated Ozzy those years.  As usual, Daisley was gone / let gone after the recordings (just to return and leave again for one last time later) and Geezer Butler entered the band for the tour. The tour was successful and a mini live EP followed (Just Say Ozzy) along with a dark period for Ozzy. In August 1989, Ozzy returned home drunk after performing (ironically) at the peace festival in Moscow and announced to his wife and manager, Sharon, "I’ve decided you have to go" before trying to strangle her. Sharon didn't press charges and after that, Ozzy spends three months in rehab. Two years later, he returns sober with his most commercially successful album at that time, introducing him to a new generation of fans.

Tracklist: 1. Miracle Man, 2. Devil's Daughter (Holy War), 3. Crazy Babies, 4. Breaking All The Rules, 5. Bloodbath In Paradise, 6. Fire In The Sky, 7. Tattooed Dancer, 8. Demon Alcohol, 9. Hero