#72 January 18, 2016 (no.3 in January) Washington state, U.S.

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Exterminas Inner Sanctum

Mefisto Nordjevel

free metal: Helhest, My Own Demise, Asgëir plus: concert calendar www.fuglymaniacs.com (issues online, videos, …)

— Metal Bulletin Zine P.O. Box 1339 Lake Stevens WA 98258 USA Metal Bulletin Zine #1-20: (2006-2009): Wisconsin #21-26: (2009-2010): Texas #27(2010)--now; Washington state All album reviews, news, updates below are by MMB, unless stated otherwise. ** Exterminas (Italy) Dichotomy release: November 11th, 2015 label: Satanath Records Below you will find an assessment of the album, which is available in full at the Bandcamp link below. You will also find the band’s bio which was provided by the band to this publication. style: black metal instrumentation: the guitars are the dominant element, backed up by very competent, tight drumming vocals: low growling; relatively monotonous and consistent; similar to, perhaps, Immolation production: modern, relatively clear sound, for this style; not necro/garage black metal songwriting: the thrashy riffing, the tremolo and guitar playing in general stands out and gives the band its identity; the songs sound very inviting from the beginning general assessment: Exterminas on this album puts on a showcase of experience and intelligence. The album is meant to stand out through the use of memorable guitar work, headbanging intensity and songs that will appeal to the black metal audiences. The band definitely

shows up in full force on this album, ready to execute as best as they can. The listener will notice easily that there is knowledge and skill at work in the various phases of the instrumentation. The sound quality is modern; not as affluent as latter-day Dimmu Borgir or Satyricon album, but clearly a quality recording is the objective of Exterminas. The black metal, the black thrash and the war metal audiences are the main crowds that will support this album.

band information: “Exterminas was formed in 2008 by Raven and Moloch, at their first musical experience, and after some time Skoll joined as bassist and later Februus as vocalist. In 2010 a demo, called "Abaddon", was recorded and received good reviews from the Italian press and critics. Then followed some live shows with internationally renowned bands such as Necrodeath and Impiety. Two years later, the debut full length album, Seventh Demoniacal Hierarchy, was released by the American label Metallic Media. The album allowed Exterminas to be known worldwide, getting the approval from the Asian audience above all. Shortly after the release of the debut album, the band played for the first time

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outside Italy, taking part in a festival in Serbia together with the legends of Slavonic black metal The Stone. At the end of 2012 Eskathon joined the band, after a big experience in studio and live shows all around the world with Impiety. He brings to the band some death-thrash influences, which contribute to increase the complexity of new songs. In 2015 the band has finished and recorded the new album. In the meantime live activity goes on, with some huge Italian shows with bands like Rotting Christ and God Dethroned. Some shows are already booked for the new season, in Italy as well as abroad.” Some bands they played with: Rotting Christ, God Dethroned, Necrodeath, Impiety, The Stone, Khephra, Wolf's Hunger, Logic of Denial, Karnak, Kurgaal, Xeper, Riul Doamnei, Common Grave, Necrosy, Blaze of Sorrow, The True Endless, Chronic Hate complete discography: Abaddon (demo) – 2010 self-released Epistulae ad Luciferum (compilation) – 2010 WOM Records Message from the other side (compilation) – 2011 Grom Records Seventh Demoniacal Hierarchy (full album) – 2012 Metallic Media Skoll: bass (2009-present) Raven: drums (2009-present) Moloch (Xeper [live]): guitars (2009-present) Februus: vocals (2009-present) Eskathon (ex-Impiety): guitars (2012-present) 1.God's Hammer 06:09 2.Unleashing the Cruelty 03:28 3.Collapse into Time 04:45 4.Swallowing the Gravity 05:01 5.Upheaval Seems Anathema 04:04 6.Wandering from the Death’s Shore 04:44 7.In Apotheosis of Pandemonium 04:56 8.The Dawn of Deceit 07:00

total time 40:07 www.satanath.bandcamp.com/album/sat135-exterminas-dichotomy-2015 www.facebook.com/Exterminas www.youtube.com/user/exterminasofficial exterminas666@yahoo.com dejan.ext@gmail.com tel.: +39 3403458489 ** Inner Sanctum (India) Legions Awake release: April 26th, 2015 label: independent

It seems that here in the U.S. the band Inner Sanctum is a new name to many metal audiences. The band gives the following short description: "The story so far... Inner Sanctum was formed in the early months of 2007. Chintan and Michael, the founder members having played with each other for several years decided to join forces and form a band that would best express their influences in music. Tejas who previously played for Premonition was roped in as the second guitar player. In search of a drummer and vocalist the trio auditioned several but zeroed in on Abhinav (ex Illusion) and Gaurav, thus completing the line up." In general, these are the elements of Inner Sanctum: style: groove metal; similar to Lamb of God

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instrumentation: groove-centered, uptempo pounding rhythms; generally uptempo, aggro feel vocals: semi-comprehensible thick growling in the style of Lamb of God production: modern metal, pro-level quality general assessment: Grooves and aggro rhythms are the main focus. Inner Sanctum will appeal to a much wider cross section of the mainstream metal public that goes for the aggro sounds, speaking broadly in a range that includes Lamb of God, Pantera or Slipknot or latter-day Slayer. They prefer to keep pounding hard, keep chugging hard. It appears that the album has been well received by the metal press in India and in other places. You can listen to the complete album on Bandcamp. 1.Incipiens 01:54 2.Wake of Destruction 04:28 3.Reflections of the Past 04:36 4.Realms of Oblivion 03:39 5.Legions Awake 04:34 6.Tainted Soils 04:36 7.March of the Wounded 05:48 8.Existence Denied 05:48 9.Guardian 05:18 total time 40:41 www.innersanctum.bandcamp.com www.facebook.com/innersanctumindia ** Mefisto 2. 0. 1. 6 Vic Records release: 22 February 2016 Here is a bit of information about the cult and long-defunct 80s extreme metal band Mefisto

(Sweden) and its return. After that, you will find a general evaluation by this publication of the new album.

Recently the folks at Vic Records revealed a compilation of two demos from Mefisto, an extreme metal band from Sweden that had two demos in 1986. Of course, Mefisto is not nearly as well known as other, more successful names in 80s Swedish metal, but Mefisto’s demos showed a band with a lot of promise, a promise that was left unfulfilled because in time, Mefisto ended and left those demos as its legacy in the history of lesser-known extreme metal bands from Sweden. Now, decades later, Mefisto returns with its first album. This is the official information about the return of Mefisto: “MEFISTO started back in 1984 under the name Torment. Along with Obscurity, the two were the first Swedish extreme bands to follow mighty BATHORY. Both bands were of superior quality, however after just 2 demos, both folded as they were simply too early with their extreme music at the time and getting no support. MEFISTO since gained a cult status, heavily

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influencing the upcoming extreme music underground, especially the local Stockholm Death Metal scene. Featuring mega-talented guitarist Omar Ahmed, who delivered tight riffs and great solos, played out in a classic yet extreme manner, that to this day sounds fresh and relevant. Roberto Granath delivered violent drumming like only a few have before. After the departure of bassist / singer Sandro, guitarist Omar took over the vocals aswell. 30 years after the demos there is finally the MEFISTO debut album 2. 0. 1. 6. Recorded in Stockholm, mastered by Dan Swano (Opeth, Katatonia, Bloodbath). Coverart by Roberto Toderico (Tygers of Pan Tang, Soulburn, Sinister).” * * general assessment of the new album: Mefisto’s old style was the general sound of 80s black metal, extreme metal vocals reminiscent of early Bathory, Sodom and Hellhammer, three bands that really took Motorhead/Venom’s vocal influence and ratcheted up the extreme factor substantially. Mefisto’s music sounded, basically, like cult, evil, dark thrash. To people that have certain expectations the new album will be a huge surprise, let’s find out why. First, there’s the issue of the vocals. As you already read, given that the old vocalist is gone, the guitar player has taken over the vocals, which sound very, very different. The vocals now are aggro-metal, tough-guy scream-growl, a harsh tone, with some punk/street traits, very “in-your-face.” The new album is new recordings of old songs from the demos. Comparing the instrumentation itself, the new versions simply sound like modern, better-quality recordings, and the new songs do sound similar to the old

songs, in broad terms. Yet, the songs do not sound alike. The energy, personality and mood are very different. As strange as it may seem, the music sounds like prog thrash now: still thrashy, but more musical; more skilled, but the old cult spirit has been replaced in the process. (If you ask them, the band might tell you that the “cult” spirit was just bad-quality recordings by a band with no money and no experience.) This general direction is the overall sound of the new album. In a way, it makes no sense to expect the band to sound similar to the old days, but the truth is that the old and few Mefisto maniacs that expected the old magic to return will be severely disappointed due to the sheer number of new differences: the vocals, production, instrumentation, vibes, amongst other factors. On the other hand, Mefisto is “new” to most people and there is no doubt as to the quality of the new album. Plus, the metal audiences that like to discover old cult bands and that like to hear the old folks get back on the horse should be glad to hear Mefisto ride again. Just in case it is not clear: if you really expected or wanted Mefisto to be black metal (80s black metal or otherwise), then stay far away from this album. If you are not so uptight, then explore the new sounds and see what you think. www.facebook.com/Mefisto-234630006720804/ www.vicrecords.com ** Nordjevel Nordjevel Osmose Productions release: 28 January 2016 This Norwegian black metal band will have its debut album ready for the metal world very

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soon now. The album is very fast, blasting modern black metal, but the riffs and the songs are memorable. Let’s learn more about them right now! Below is some band information and then some questions and answers. ** biography: “Nordjevel was started in this unholy year of 2015 by Nord and Djevel, after conversations about views, music, black metal and all things occult about Norway. They found out they had so much in common, and they thought they should start playing together as their views on black metal, the origins of Norway and the occult were matching 100%. Later the idea of this band was aired to Fredrik, who jumped onboard immediately. He will be a member on all future releases, as he also contributes to the writing of the music, but will only be able to appear live when he has time from Marduk. A session drummer for live appearances is already in place.” members: Doedsadmiral: vocals, lyrics (Svartelder, Doedsvangr) Nord: guitars, bass (Fatal Impact, Tvangeste, Byrdi) Fredrik Widigs: drums (Marduk, Rage Nucléaire, The Ugly) ** Hello! I have been listening to your self-titled debut. Is it correct that Nordjevel began in 2015? If your band started in 2015, then how is it possible to have full album ready so soon?! Was the music already written?! Nord: We got together in may of 2015, and after a short talk we found out we all had the same vision. The writing process began right after that, the album was written in a month or two. After that we went straight to recording. Anything is possible with an

effective unit with a clear vision, discipline and hard work.

How did you get in contact with Osmose Productions? Did they know you already? Doedsadmiral: I spoke with Herve on mail, and sent him 2 tracks from the album, and he was really blown away by them, and he just said. Let's do this! Nord and Djevel (now Doedsadmiral) began the band because their perspectives were the same about black metal, says Facebook. How would you describe your views on black metal? As you know, most of the old bands from Norway don’t play real black metal anymore, they play punk or prog or experimental. Nord: Doedsadmiral had a vision of what kind of band he wanted to hear, and after a short conversation I realized that we had the same outlook on this music. There are countless amounts of black metal bands all across the planet, but very few that actually bring something to the table. As you say, most of the old bands have moved on to something else. I completely understand that these artists want to transcend and develop their music

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into new areas, but in the process they left a void newer bands haven't been able to fill, with a few exceptions. We are all about bringing the old and the new together without tarnishing neither in the process. Doedsadmiral is in another two bands called Svartelder and Doedsvangr. How would you describe those two bands? I have not heard them yet, unfortunately. Doedsadmiral: I would say Svartelder is very experimental, dark without any boundaries. Black Metal without restrictions. We have an upcoming album coming in 2016 on Dusktone. Doedsvangr is very dark, ugly, violent and pitch black. We will record our debut album sometime in 2016. Nord is in Fatal Impact, Tvangeste and Byrdi. Fatal Impact is on Metal Archives, but I cannot find the other two bands. Fatal Impact is traditional heavy metal, says Metal Archives. Therefore, how does Nordjevel give Nord a chance to express other ways of making music? Nord: Tvangeste is a quite well known band in the semi-underground. They are a Russian band based in Canada. Due to various factors, the band isn't very active at the moment, but will come back in the near future. Byrdi is a pagan/folk music band and has nothing to do with metal, and I left that project after finishing the first album, just when Nordjevel began. Fatal Impact is the band I have been the most active with, and the whole package is very different from Nordjevel. It is a very different expression. The darkness in Fatal Impact is more layered and hidden amongst other things, and I love experimenting with that. On the album, is it drum programming or does Fredrik from Marduk play drums? Are you

satisfied if the drums sound too much like drum programming? Nord: I know there is a lot of programming and copy/pasting in drums nowadays, but not with us. Fredrik is a machine, and there is absolutely no cheating with his playing. I have the raw recordings, and the drums sound like they do on the album. Check out his videos on the internet, and you will understand what I mean. Doedsadmiral: Personally, this doesn't sound close to a drum machine to me at all. Black metal often takes pride in having a raw production? What is your opinion about the type of production that you seek for your babd? How did you come into contact with Fredrik? Nord: The production we wanted on this album was powerful but cold. We realized pretty early in the writing process that this music wouldn't fit a raw production. You gotta keep in mind that the necro bands usually play much slower and less intense than we do. Doedsadmiral: I knew I needed at great drummer for this album. And I was just sitting listening to Marduk's "Frontschwein" and was really impressed with Fredrik, so I took a chance and reached out, and we tried with a couple of tracks, and from there he became a permanent member Was it difficult to choose which song to start the album? “The Shadows of Morbid Hunger”� starts off with a traditional black metal energy, fast and intense, but also with a bit of melody in the guitar. Then, “Sing for Devastation”� wastes no time in continuing the black metal. Actually, even towards the

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end, the songs with Norwegian lyrics keep up the intensity high. Yet, there is always a bit of melody in the songs. Is this a difficult balance: to play really fast and still have melody? Nord: We had some discussions about the opening track, but quickly landed on the piece you mentioned. It's not very difficult to balance the insane intensity with the melodies. It's all about the composition and the balance between the different stems. Our music would lose its depth and dark atmosphere if we got rid of the melodies. It would be hard for us to express what we want to express without the melodic aspect. I find that the album is fast, but it’s memorable, even catchy. At first, it was a bit of overwhelming with the speed and blasting. I think that the songs would go well live, for the audiences looking for fast black metal today. What are your hopes for Nordjevel for 2016 and beyond? Do you plan or want to tour? Nord: It's always nice to hear that the album is memorable. Too many albums leave you with no recollection of any riffs or parts at the end of the album, and that doesn't exactly make you wanna spin it again. We hope to play as much live as possible in 2016, and we hope to get some festival shows even though the album is a bit late for that. Nordjevel on stage will be quite an experience, both for us and the audience. Some black metal bands express political views a lot in interviews. For you personally, how important is it to have Nordjevel be a band that expresses political views or opinions about Christians, Jews and Muslims or about the governments and politicians? Nord: That stuff has no importance in Nordjevel. Nordjevel is a vehicle for something entirely different than what is happening on

the surface in contemporary society. Metal bands sometimes say: “We have great fans!” and things like that. Yet, everyone knows that record sales for metal music are low and for extreme metal music that they are very low. Why is that, in your opinion? Are there too many bands? Are cds too expensive? Do the metal publications cover too many trendy bands? Speaking of this problem, how can people who like your music support your band? Obviously, clicking and giving a band a like is pretty ridiculous as a form of “support.”� Nord: It's no secret that downloading and online streaming killed album sales. I think there are too many bands, but most of them never hit the shelves anyway. Cd's aren't too expensive, but people simply have no use for them anymore. I don't think most kids today even have cd players. If fans wanna support their favorite bands, go to the shows and actually pay for their work instead of streaming their songs online. With no source of income, more and more bands will simply reduce music to a hobby and channel their focus elsewhere to stay alive. By the way, who plays the keyboards on a song like the last one on the album. It’s only a bit of keyboards, but it’s a nice touch to have. Is it a guest on the album or is it Doedsadmiral? Doedsadmiral: This is a guest, namely James Fogarty, who I also play with in Svartelder. A really musical genius. ** the album is: 1.The Shadows of Morbid Hunger 2.Sing for Devastation 3.Djevelen i Nord

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4.The Funeral Smell 5.Denne tidløse krigsdom 6.Blood Horns 7.Det ror og ror 8.Når noen andre dør… 9.Norges sorte himmel www.nordjevel.moonfruit.com/ www.facebook.com/nordjevelofficial www.soundcloud.com/Nordjevelofficial www.youtube.com/channel/UCQBQPM_iEe9kJeZq_nFdcug THE END **

FREE METAL MUSIC Danthor Wildcrow is a musician with several musical endeavors and they are available for free. Read below about his projects Helhest, My Own Demise and Asgëir. Helhest The self description says: "Helhest is a melodic death metal band."

The recording is called "Day One" and it was released on January 1st, 2016. It is along the lines of “groove extreme metal,”

with some melodic passages. 1.The Darkest Breeze 01:23 2.Extreme Hate Experience 03:31 3.Flower Power 03:34 4.Let Me Play with You 03:39 5.Death Cookies 01:19 6.Deception 04:07 total time 17:33 www.helhestofficial.bandcamp.com/releases www.facebook.com/helhestofficial?_rdr=p www.twitter.com/helhestofficial My Own Demise “My Own Demise is a band formed on November 16, 2013 whose style mix Death Metal and Groove Metal creating an aggressive, powerful and forceful sound. The lyrics talk about Norse mythology bringing to the music a dark atmosphere. Some of their songs have a clear influence of Brutal Death Metal.”

www.myowndemise.bandcamp.com www.facebook.com/MyOwnDemiseOfficial

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Asgëir Street, raw, energetic heavy metal.

www.asgeir.bandcamp.com/releases www.twitter.com/AsgeirOfficial

concert calendar Seattle region concert calendar by Metal Bulletin Zine (Washington state). If you know of other metal concerts in the area, please get in contact with Metal Bulletin Zine. January 30 Nile at El Corazón January 31 Warbringer, Enforcer, Exmortus, Cauldron, Oxygen Destroyer at Studio Seven, Seattle February 5 Act of Defiance at Funhouse, Seattle February 6 Black Sabbath at Tacoma Dome - February 9 Nervosa, Fallen Angels, Crud Guns, Trust Me Im Scared at Studio Seven, Seattle February 19 Fleshed Apocalypse, Carach Angren, Abigail Williams, Kill Closet, Darklight at Studio Seven - Seattle February 20 Skelator at Funhouse - Seattle February 20 Metal Church at Louie G's in Fife February 21 Coffins, Noothgrush, Lesbian at Highline in Seattle February 23 Cradle of Filth at The Showbox - Seattle

February 23 Gravespell, Embryonic Devourment at Funhouse, Seattle March 3 Children Of Bodom at El Corazón, Seattle March 5 Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, Cryptopsy, Abysmal Dawn at El Corazón - Seattle March 6 Helloween at The Showbox March 7 Delain, Sonata Arctica, Nightwish at Showbox SoDo March 19 Slayer, Testament, Carcass at Paramount Theater - Seattle March 24 Y & T, Zero Down at Studio Seven, Seattle April 1 Decibel Magazinel Tour ABBATH, High On Fire, Tribulation, Skeletonwitch at El Corazon - Seattle April 11 Iron Maiden at Tacoma Dome April 14 Iron Kingdom at The Kraken Bar and lounge - Seattle April 23 D.R.I. at El Corazón, Seattle May 1 Napalm Death at The Showbox - Seattle May 08 Primal Fear, Luca Turilli's Rhapsody at El Corazon - Seattle June 5 Iron Kingdom at Tony V's Garage in Everett — metal programs (these are Pacific Times) Mosh Pit (Madison, WI): Monday night 9:30pm-12am WORT 89.9 fm www.wortfm.org Sweet Nightmares (Houston, TX): Thursday night 9pm-12am KPFT 90.1 fm www.kpft.org Excuse All the Blood (Olympia, WA): Friday night 11pm-1am www.kaosradio.org Metal Shop (Seattle, WA): Saturday 11pm-3am KISW 99.9fm www.kisw.com — This zine is available at: www.issuu.com/metalbulletinzine