Chris Dick

** Dødheimsgard’s new album, A Umbra Omega, is no joke (see mental strongman Vicotnik’s argument at the very bottom). It’s a vicious mind-warp of an album, aggressive in its obtuseness and adventurous in its boundlessness. It’s at once black metal (free think!) and not at all (non-conformist!). A Umbra Omega riffs on, then destroys said riffs on, previous albums 666 International and Supervillain Outcast. This is Dødheimsgard. Extra-dimensional black from the deepest, darkest pits of space and time. A Umbra Omega is ritualistic in its abrasiveness, religious in the outcome of surviving its completeness.

From 666 International forward, Dødheimsgard has imbibed in the weird, the strange, and the obtuse. I figured you would’ve tried to pull the opposite of what you’re known for on A Umbra Omega. Maybe that’s too predictable too. So, you opted to stay weird. Was that kind of the idea?

Vicotnik: It was no specific idea as such, but since I love music, it is natural for me to get inspired by other genres as well. There was really never any moment in my life, where I only listened to black metal. I am also product from that school of reasoning that was very much present in the early ‘90s scene, that plagiarism is the biggest sin of them all. So if you look at 95% of the bands from my era, they all (for good or for worse) evolved in some shape or form. The black metal sound of the ‘90s was in itself a little piece of sonic evolution, since early black metal records of the ‘90s did not really have any specific counterparts from the ‘80s. In addition, you had the x-factor in the ‘90s, because nobody knew what they were doing, and the engineers that were set to produce these records had no knowledge of how a record like this was supposed to sound like. I like the idea of pursuing the unknown factor, that sets the table for creativity. There are viable reasons for bands to produce their record over and over again. They may be based on some sort of ideal, or success-recipe. Inadvertently this also means that these bands, to some degree, have to abandon the creative process. Musically one could say that the main focus of this album is the feeling/atmosphere, while the tools rendered to achieve that sought after atmosphere varied through different creative approaches.

The Children of the night
Tribulation fly, wingless into the night, redefine modern death metal
dB Rating: 9/10

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What is the literal translation to the band name, Der Weg einer Freiheit? Is there a secondary, less obvious interpretation as well? Nikita Kamprad: It can be roughly translated to “The Way of a Freedom”, but actually I never liked any of the translations I came across. Writing and playing music live makes me feel…

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“We have unleashed our new video upon humanity,” says Incantation frontman/death metal legend John McEntee. “Brought to you by the tireless efforts of Black Arts Media and filmed at the Vermillion Haunted School House in Ohio. Many thanks for allowing us the use of your establishment. For it’s notable aggression and speed, amidst the albums…

** Chicago-based melodic death metallers (think: Children of Bodom meets Arsis meets Iron Maiden) Starkill are ready for world domination. New album, Virus of the Mind, is a significant step forward for the young bucks, blending black, death, and power metal together to form a sonic attack few have the wherewithal to pull off successfully….

When we premiered Dysangelium’s “Ave Obscuritas Incarna” little over a month ago, faces melted and religions faltered (HERE). Well, Decibel and WTC Productions are hoping for a full skeletal collapse and for a great earthquake to swallow the Vatican whole after we premiere Dysangelium’s new album, Thánatos Áskēsis. “Every time we start working on new…

** A vocalist change is never easy. Now that Alissa White-Gluz is fronting Arch Enemy, The Agonist have in their ranks a multi-faceted replacement in Chicago-based sensation Vicky Psarakis. Found by The Agonist on Youtube doing a variety of metal and non-metal covers, along with originals, Psarakis represents a new chapter for the group. This…

** See Armageddon contest info at bottom of post! It’s no secret guitar wiz Christopher Amott is no longer sharing albums and stage with his brother Michael in death metal sensation Arch Enemy. The younger, blonder Amott has moved on to his labor of love called Armageddon (no relation to the ’70s hard rock band…

“Pale Pretender travels heavy hearted through ominous landscapes in a world where more is not enough,” says Callisto vocalist Jani Ala-Hukkala. Finns aren’t the most talkative of peoples, so it stands to reason Ala-Hukkala is letting the gravity of his statement (and the “Pale Pretender”) do most of the talking here, which is fine for…

Steffen Kummerer is better known for his stupidly good guitar and vocal work in the obscenely great tech death outfit Obscura. But Kummerer has a dark side. One that harkens back to the mid-’90s, when Swedish death metal tyrants Dissection reigned the cold winds of nowhere and drank, with pure joy, night’s blood with Elizabeth…

** 2014, the Year of the Horse. 2014, the Year of Horrendous. While Horrendous’ previous full-length, The Chills, sent death metallers back to the grave (whatever that means), new album Ecdysis made the stateside trio a household name (admittedly small number) and a contender for top spots on Year End lists. Trust us, the word…

By Mike McGinnis The point of no return. It’s not always the easiest concept to absorb. But approaching that point during the production of a record is both frightening and cathartic. After about a year of writing and almost half a year of demoing and recording eight new songs, we’re now approaching that point. We…

Highly proficient, super-classy death metal is rarity these days. That’s why Abysmal Dawn’s new album, Obsolescence, should be on your radar. It’s probably not, but we’ll do our part to change that. Forged in the great fire pits of Los Angeles and informed by a wide range of great artists, Obsolescence, immediately makes its mark….