After almost twenty years, Enslaved continues to push onwards into uncharted waters. This time, they’re promoting their new, critically-acclaimed album Axioma Ethica Odini on what’s possibly their biggest US tour yet (with countrymates Dimmu Borgir). Frontman Grutle Kjellson took some time to talk with me before the show in Denver. It was just above freezing where we spoke outside, but not surprisingly, the cold didn’t seem to affect him at all.
A one-word album title. Two band members gone, and in their place, the addition of three guest vocalists, booming choirs and a massive orchestra. And then of course, those white leather and fur costumes. Yeah, it’s been an exciting and unpredictable time for Dimmu Borgir. I sat down with Galder sat down before their show in Denver (with countrymates Enslaved) to talk about the creation of their new epic Abrahadabra, the changes in the band’s sound and how to kill time on the road.
You mean The Dead consists of three Australian musicians of the extreme whose neural pathways were warped in some internal fire of the mind, resulting in a sludgified, space truckin’ and head trippin’ terror march through death metal inhabited worm holes…or some shit like that? How absolutely shocking.
In metal more than any other genre it seems that the domain of the small/underground record label is more often than not run by those with a genuine appreciation and love of the music over anything remotely resembling profit motivation. That is certainly the case with Iordan K, owner, operator, and overload of Stormspell Records. The music offered is, in the most fundamental of terms, Heavy Metal. If it furthers your understanding of the Stormspell mission, then you may also wish to consider descriptors like “old school,” “traditional,” or “classic” heavy metal, as well as “thrash.” Iordan prides himself on offering the complete package to consumers and eschews MP3 sales. He also scours the planet in a quest to find the true gems of the genre, whether old, new, obscure, or geographically isolated. Iordan’s story is an interesting one, to say the least, and Stormspell Records is one of the coolest labels on this planet we call Earth. Read on, learn, and support metal! Labels like Stormspell and guys like Iordan deserve it.
Discontent with the waves of false metal plaguing our great nation, the members of Gravehill joined forces to school all in the realm of true death metal, and they’ve done exactly that since their inception. Ringleader Mike Abominator chatted with Teeth about Gravehill’s role in the takeover of the metal world, the band’s plans to dominate at Maryland Deathfest next year, and various other topics involving leather, steel, blood and carnage.
Tom Gabriel Warrior has much to celebrate. It’s been a busy and productive few years since the return of Celtic Frost ended in a storm of animosity and a lack of shared vision. But Warrior has before seen one band dissolve only to give way to something greater, and as he graciously gave a good, long block of his time from the road (after I’d been lucky enough to see Triptykon’s New York debut), he spoke—as he often has—about the dissolution of Frost… but he also made it clear, both in stated terms and in the tone of satisfaction he’s experiencing at the moment, that Triptykon, while rooted in his past, is a band of the here and now—and of the future.
Keep it coming, baby! I’m talking about the gurgling, coughing, crackling, and crushing sounds of old school Swedish death metal! The good stuff; not the weak imitations. There has been a resurgence of the filth these last couple of years in terms of new bands forming, old bands reuniting (or simply coming off long hiatuses), and an increased level of recognition for the forefathers. Sweden’s Interment is one of those “old” (circa 1988) Swedish death spine snappers that saw fit to reunite years later, releasing a gnarly split with the lordly Funebrarum in 2006 and knocking one out of the park with this year’s Pulverised Records’ release Into the Crypts of Blasphemy. Here is what guitarist/vocalist Johan Jansson (ex-Centinex, Demonical) had to say about it.
After reviewing and enjoying the debut album from Jaldaboath, I thought it might be entertaining to conduct an interview with Sir Jaldabaoth, the Grand Guitarist Inspector and Grand Sovereign Songwriter General of the self-proclaimed Hammering Heraldic Metal act (aka James Fogarty). Feeling that such issues as his split with The Meads of Asphodel, fellow British metal acts, cross cultural comedic boundaries and their current album Rise of the Heraldic Beasts warranted serious investigative journalism. Of course I should have expected that a knight responsible for crafting such songs as “Bash the Bishop” and “Axe Weilding Nuns” would not turn out to be a typical journalistic foray, and quickly descended into an uninformative but amusing episode of Black Adder…
After a critically acclaimed debut (2008’s …Of Frost and War), Dutch supergroup (members of Gorefest, Asphyx, Thanatos and Houwitser) left fans wanting after a strange digital only EP last year, but have now fully satiated fans with a full-length follow-up that continues the quality of the debut. Though still a war themed album, On Divine […]
In the overly pissed-in kiddie pool that is today’s heavy metal music, it’s nice to see a mean, smirking heavyweight like Chicago’s Cardiac Arrest land a cannonball right in the center and, with a sonic blastwave, send so many thumb-sucking weaklings flying. I mean, it really warms the heart. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, three of four members of said band were recently able to communicate with Teeth of the Divine about everything just short of My Little Pony and brain surgery. Read on for the gory details.
DEATH ANGEL are back with their new opus ‘Relentless Retribution’. The two previous albums ‘The Art of Dying’ (2004) and ‘Killing Season’ (2008) seemed to divide the crowd quite a bit. How does the new album fare? Inspired? Uninspired? Total Thrash Domination? Read our review!
For the most part, most metal bands keep their style and sound. They know their niche, stick with it and possibly beat it to death, which is all well and good. With bands like Dismember, Bolt Thrower, Dimmu Borgir, Iron Maiden, Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel and such, fans know what they are getting and are OK with that. Heck even a few minor tangents and subtle flirtation with experimentation have risen on some of Metal’s most revered acts: Napalm Death, Amorphis, Death, Hypocrisy, Convulse, Paradise Lost, Anaal Nathrakh, Immortal, In Flames, Gorefest and the most obvious one, Metallica have changed, but all were recognizable. What about the rest?
Vortex and Mustis gone. A 100-strong collection of musicians and singers from the Norweigan Radio Orchestra and Schola Cantorum Choir. All those three-word album titles, lopped down to a single word inspired by the magickal writings of Aleister Crowley – a man whose life was a mystical, semen-slick orgy of occult excess. And speaking of […]
ENSLAVED has been producing quality music throughout the years. Sure, some of the albums have been better than others, but the band has been amazingly consistent with their releases none the less. Their new album, Axioma Ethica Odini, is just around the corner. How does it stack up? Is it a failure? Best album of 2010? Find out and read our review!
Epitomite Productions and Teeth of the Divine are are proud to team up for this mind blowing, ridiculous giveway. That’s why there’s a friggin’ nuclear explosion going on. We’ve got not one CD, not three CDs, not even five CDs… but NINE (9) CDs to give out! Count ’em! Nine CDs! And three T-shirts too!
Similar to the intestinal parasite that must be removed from the punctured gut by being wound around a stick and sucked slowly from the wound, Humangled churn and slurp at the innards, and can only be removed forcibly. Admit it: you’re hungry now, aren’t you?! These sick Italian deathsters bring forth Fractal, their punishing 2010 release. Contact was made with founding members Andrew Goreds and Luke Scurb, who were eager to let TOTD pick their brains.
Six Pack Witchcraft? Huh? Yeah, that’s right, motherfuckers. Määx (pronounced may-axe) is rumblin’ through your speakers, moshin’ through your flower bed, and guzzlin’ all your beers, and when they’re done with all that, they’ll probably be bonin’ your wife. And you’ll like it! Six Pack Witchcraft is their newest lo-fi, low class offering on Abyss Records, and it’s full of venom, denim and booze. Members James Brown and Brett Schlagel corresponded with Teeth of the Divine in between chanting and hell-raising.
Iron Maiden. It’s been ten years since ‘Brave New World’ came out and now there’s a new album on the block. Is there really a need to review it at all? Everyone’s got an opinion of it already, and so do we. Well, at least one of us does. Read Erik Thomas’ views on ‘The Final Frontier’ and voice yours in the comments.
Festivities ahoy! The 13th Tuska Open Air festival was to be held, for the last time, right in the middle of Finland’s capital Helsinki. Three days of metal with a strong line-up meant that the metal gathering held in Kaisaniemi park was going to be sold out: The 33,000 (and then some) visitors made sure the area was crowded. Cramped like sardines in a can. Compared to Sauna Open Air in June, the weather too was also different – pretty much the complete opposite as the temperature was lingering between 77 and 84 Fahrenheit. So, what happened?
Infectious Grooves are back on the road, taking their own special brand of Funk, Punk and insane musicians, starting with the SOUNDAWAVE festival across Australia! I had the pleasure of talking to guitarist, Dean Pleasants about Infectious Grooves, his projects and any of their plans in the near future.
TeethoftheDivine.com and Dark Descent Records are teaming up to give 4 brutal CDs to one lucky TOTD reader.
Montreal based tech-death metal band, BENEATH THE MASSACRE, have launched the track, “Black Tide,” from their upcoming five song EP “Marée Noire”, which will be released in North America on September 14th. It will be available as a limited edition red 7″ record and on CD. Pre-order is now available for each format, as well […]
Today we offer you a thorough look at Korn’s―yes, Korn’s―latest album ‘Korn III: Remember Who You Are’. Have we gone insane? Is our belief in Heavy Metal faltering? Lack of judgment? Are the recent heat waves to be blamed? Or perhaps, just perhaps, we actually have something worthwhile to say? See for yourself!
On a relatively steamy July afternoon, Italian guitar wizard Luca Turillia of symphonic power metal masters Rhapsody of Fire called this Teeth-scribe from an enchanted forest of unicorns, and we spoke in detail about the group’s latest masterpiece, The Frozen Tears of Angels, Luca’s own incredibly detailed lyrical and musical concepts, and the band’s collaboration with horror movie legend Christopher Lee.
First off, I don’t have anything against double-kick drumming in and of itself. If I did, I don’t think I could be a metal fan in general. But I digress… is it me, or do a lot of metal bands seem to be relying on intense, near-constant double-kick drumming over the last few years to somehow seem heavier or more intense? Everyone from modern power metal bands to deathcore bands to newer so-called traditional heavy metal bands. The drumming is just so over the top.