In the vastness of the internet I came across ChronicleS from Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, who play absolutely great, dark and sinister death metal, as can be heard particularly well on their very strong, recently released debut album "Spirits of the Mortified". A good reason to talk to the band.
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Hello, please introduce ChronicleS to the readers of Systematic Desensitization Zine. Who are you, how did you find each other? According to Metal Archives, the band has existed since 2015, but it wasn't until 2019 that there was a first sign of musical life in the form of the "WarMachine" EP. Did this take a relatively long time because it was difficult to find suitable band members?
The band has been in existence since 2015 in the city of Mymensingh in north-central Bangladesh. It was Billah (guitarist) and Shodo (Bassist) who had the idea to form a band after being consumed by the vast world of metal music. Very soon the band got its other members as Nihan (guitarist), Jim (former drummer) and Omi (vocalist) embarked the journey of ChronicleS. At that time, ChronicleS was the first death metal band in a long while, that had been renowned throughout the nation from Mymensingh. We took part in a whole bunch of underground gigs and the local underground community was building gradually.
We released our first EP when we thought it was the right time, that’s it. Since 2019, we have had consistent releases until now.
We had a little change in the line-up as Niyaz joined the band as the new drummer. We want to show gratitude to Jim who has been a major part of this band since the beginning. We hope the best for our war brother. The current line-up consists of Kafi (Vocalist), Nihan (Guitarist), Billah (Guitarist), Shobdo (Bassist) and Niyaz (Drummer).
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I really like your dark, sinister death metal. Which bands, both well-known and perhaps newer ones, have influenced you?
Well, that’s exactly what we feel about playing and listening to death metal, it should be dark and sinister. We wanted to create our own style of dark and sinister death metal. There are tons of bands we liked to listen to growing up as well as newer bands as well. Bands like Slayer, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, Necrophobic, and Deicide are the basic examples we could put out there. We want the listeners to say what they feel like when they listen to our songs!!
Let's move on to your latest debut album "Spirits of the Mortified". It starts with a beautifully eerie intro. Basically, the album convinces me with its great mixture of speed, aggression and atmosphere. The release date on Bandcamp is February 6, 2024, but it can still only be pre-ordered? Has the release date been postponed, will there perhaps also be a CD or even LP or cassette version if you find the right label?
The album has been physically released in limited editions in Bangladesh and we have it in our Bandcamp as well, you can buy and download the full album. We are also looking for labels to release the album worldwide.
Who is responsible for the great cover artwork of "Spirits of the Mortified"?
It's our brother Julian Felipe Mora Ibanez from Colombia. We know him through facebook and we like his work. So when the time came we decided to go with him. Gratitude to our brother Julian for his mind-fucking artwork!
Is there a particular reason why you capitalize the last letter at the end of ChronicleS? A unique selling point to differentiate yourselves from bands with (almost) the same name?
You could say that, or you could also say that the "C" and "S" are the pillars of hellfire consuming everything between them, so if anybody falls into the pits of ‘hronicle’ he will be tormented for eternity.
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What can you tell us about the metal scene in Bangladesh in general and in Dhaka in particular? Which bands should be mentioned, what are the infrastructures like, are there many live performance opportunities?
The metal scene in Bangladesh is cool in our opinion, we have always felt that we are in a living music scene. Even though there are not many events where metal bands from around the world could come and play here, still there are lots of bands who have come and played in Bangladesh.
There are always local underground events held regularly, we have an amazing gig coming up on the 2nd of March, and some great bands will be playing there from the local scene.
We have the Bangladesh Death Fest as well, which is held by Spiritual Deliverance Series.
Which foreign bands play in Bangladesh? Where do they come from?
A few names to mention are, Funerus, Defiled, Abigail, Manzer, Impiety, Riverge, Desecraivity, Infernal Execrator, Savage Deity, Kathgor, Lobotomy and Purgation, coming from the USA, France, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, India and Thailand.
Are there any good magazines, fanzines, or blogs from Bangladesh that deal with extreme metal that you can recommend?
There used to be one called Primitive Invocation Zine but it hasn’t published any new editions in recent times. There are a few online magazines out there, such as Mega Insane, MuSophia and so on.
Following on from this, the next question is: how are metal bands and listeners judged in Bangladesh? Are there many prejudices or even discrimination and threats due to religious fundamentalism and fanaticism? In the past there have even been murders of atheist activists and death threats in Bangladesh. What is the situation like today? Is this something that seems threatening in everyday life?
We have never felt any discrimination or negativity from the general people of this nation. We know what it’s like to live in Bangladesh and how are the people here. We don’t give a shit about what people would think about us and if somebody is trying to come at us we can stand up to them, we ain’t scared of ‘em.
Since you are talking to a German magazine, what can you tell us about "Steel from Germany"? Which bands do you like? If so, then I would guess Sodom, Kreator or Destruction, right?
Of course, these bands are some of the greatest metal bands of the world. We also like Morgoth, Necrophagist, Crematory, Incubator and Fleshcrawl. We would also recommend KHNVM, a death metal band with the joint force of Bangladesh and Germany.
What are your next plans for the future?
We are currently writing and composing new songs and preparing an EP that we are hoping to release in 2024.
The last words belong to you, here you can get rid of everything you haven't said so far...
We released our first EP when we thought it was the right time, that’s it. Since 2019, we have had consistent releases until now.
We had a little change in the line-up as Niyaz joined the band as the new drummer. We want to show gratitude to Jim who has been a major part of this band since the beginning. We hope the best for our war brother. The current line-up consists of Kafi (Vocalist), Nihan (Guitarist), Billah (Guitarist), Shobdo (Bassist) and Niyaz (Drummer).
.png)
Well, that’s exactly what we feel about playing and listening to death metal, it should be dark and sinister. We wanted to create our own style of dark and sinister death metal. There are tons of bands we liked to listen to growing up as well as newer bands as well. Bands like Slayer, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, Necrophobic, and Deicide are the basic examples we could put out there. We want the listeners to say what they feel like when they listen to our songs!!
Let's move on to your latest debut album "Spirits of the Mortified". It starts with a beautifully eerie intro. Basically, the album convinces me with its great mixture of speed, aggression and atmosphere. The release date on Bandcamp is February 6, 2024, but it can still only be pre-ordered? Has the release date been postponed, will there perhaps also be a CD or even LP or cassette version if you find the right label?
The album has been physically released in limited editions in Bangladesh and we have it in our Bandcamp as well, you can buy and download the full album. We are also looking for labels to release the album worldwide.
Who is responsible for the great cover artwork of "Spirits of the Mortified"?
It's our brother Julian Felipe Mora Ibanez from Colombia. We know him through facebook and we like his work. So when the time came we decided to go with him. Gratitude to our brother Julian for his mind-fucking artwork!
Is there a particular reason why you capitalize the last letter at the end of ChronicleS? A unique selling point to differentiate yourselves from bands with (almost) the same name?
You could say that, or you could also say that the "C" and "S" are the pillars of hellfire consuming everything between them, so if anybody falls into the pits of ‘hronicle’ he will be tormented for eternity.
.png)
The metal scene in Bangladesh is cool in our opinion, we have always felt that we are in a living music scene. Even though there are not many events where metal bands from around the world could come and play here, still there are lots of bands who have come and played in Bangladesh.
There are always local underground events held regularly, we have an amazing gig coming up on the 2nd of March, and some great bands will be playing there from the local scene.
We have the Bangladesh Death Fest as well, which is held by Spiritual Deliverance Series.
Which foreign bands play in Bangladesh? Where do they come from?
A few names to mention are, Funerus, Defiled, Abigail, Manzer, Impiety, Riverge, Desecraivity, Infernal Execrator, Savage Deity, Kathgor, Lobotomy and Purgation, coming from the USA, France, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, India and Thailand.
Are there any good magazines, fanzines, or blogs from Bangladesh that deal with extreme metal that you can recommend?
There used to be one called Primitive Invocation Zine but it hasn’t published any new editions in recent times. There are a few online magazines out there, such as Mega Insane, MuSophia and so on.
We have never felt any discrimination or negativity from the general people of this nation. We know what it’s like to live in Bangladesh and how are the people here. We don’t give a shit about what people would think about us and if somebody is trying to come at us we can stand up to them, we ain’t scared of ‘em.
Since you are talking to a German magazine, what can you tell us about "Steel from Germany"? Which bands do you like? If so, then I would guess Sodom, Kreator or Destruction, right?
Of course, these bands are some of the greatest metal bands of the world. We also like Morgoth, Necrophagist, Crematory, Incubator and Fleshcrawl. We would also recommend KHNVM, a death metal band with the joint force of Bangladesh and Germany.
What are your next plans for the future?
We are currently writing and composing new songs and preparing an EP that we are hoping to release in 2024.
The last words belong to you, here you can get rid of everything you haven't said so far...
Death metal music plays a vital role in our lives, and we will keep it alive in us until we kick our buckets, we have still a lot to give to our fans, to this industry and music scene. And we will soon put our name throughout the universe!
