With "Excessive Outburst Of Depravity" Protector, the German-Swedish band around Martin Missy, the only remaining member of the original line-up, releases the fourth album after the reunion in 2011, this time again via High Roller Records. Since the revival of the band, Protector are now fortunately known to a larger number and especially to a new generation of metal fans, yet Protector unfortunately belong to the club of the most underrated metal bands of all time. In a fair world Protector would have the status of a band like Sodom, but well, that's another story...
Friday, July 1, 2022
Thursday, June 23, 2022
INTERVIEW JOAKIM STERNER (NECROPHOBIC / UNHALLOW)
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
REVIEW DEFECTED DECAY "TROOPS OF ABOMINATION"
Defected Decay from Hattingen in the southern Ruhr area were founded in the summer of 2019. After their debut album "Kingdom of Sin", "Troops of Abomination" is the second work of this duo, which is also active with Suffersystem. Before that, they were musically active with Resurrected, a permanent institution in the underground, and Dark Before Dawn.
Monday, June 13, 2022
INTERVIEW MORTUUS INFRADAEMONI
Sunday, June 12, 2022
INTERVIEW MORTUUS INFRADAEMONI (ENGLISH)
"Everything is transient and ends in the last big question, eternal death - but at the same time death is always a door to something different, unknown."
As I said in my review of the new album (see here), Mortuus Infradaemoni are a very special band with a profound musical aura that is really not ordinary or profane (to cross-reference the pseudonym of one of my interview partners). Just like this interview, I thank the band for the open words, the detailed, interesting musical recommendations and the word (monstrosity) of the year, see the question about social media.
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Hello, first of all congratulations on the strong new album "Inmortuos sum". When I saw that you have a new album out, I was surprised, I had long considered Mortuus Infradaemoni as no longer existing, I think it was the same for some others. What happened after the last album "Imis Avernis" from 2009, that a band comes up with a new album after 13 years is not exactly the rule...
Friday, June 10, 2022
REVIEW MEFISTO "PHOSPHORUS"
After disappearing into oblivion for almost three decades after their foundation, Mefisto have released three albums since then. Especially the last album of 2019, "Octagram" (Bathory had an "Octagon" album, Mefisto and Bathory are, so to speak, the primeval soup of Swedish extreme metal) was appealing, as it was a very dark and heavy work.
Thursday, June 9, 2022
INTERVIEW EMINENZ (ENG)
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Hello, many greetings from Cologne to Annaberg-Buchholz. How are things in the Eminenz camp at the moment? Well, a few months after the release of the strong new album "Diabolical Warfare", what is your first conclusion about the album, also regarding the reactions of fans and press?
Yes, it's going very well at the moment. The album has been surprisingly well received by fans and fanzines. Since each band member has different musical influences, we first had to reconcile them so as not to completely abandon the style of Eminenz. We seem to have succeeded quite well.
INTERVIEW EMINENZ
Sunday, May 29, 2022
REVIEW EMINENZ "DIABOLICAL WARFARE" (ENG)
Eminenz from Annaberg-Buchholz in Saxony have been active in the underground for ages, since 1989 to be exact. Not least their joint appearance with the then unknown Mayhem (still with Dead as singer, and if I'm not mistaken, announced as "Death Metal from Norway") in Germany also ensured a solidification of their status in black metal circles, especially in retrospect. Funnily enough, the legendary "Live in Leipzig" performance featured Manos, who later changed into a kind of comedy band, and whose part is often attributed to Eminenz. But more about that later in the interview with Eminenz here at Systematic Desensitization Zine.
REVIEW EMINENZ "DIABOLICAL WARFARE" (GER)
Eminenz aus dem sächsischen Annaberg-Buchholz sind ja nun schon seit Ewigkeiten aktiv im Underground, genau genommen seit dem fernen Jahr 1989. Nicht zuletzt das gemeinsame Auftreten mit den damals noch unbekannten Mayhem (noch mit Dead als Sänger, und wenn ich mich nicht täusche, als "Death Metal from Norway" angekündigt) in Deutschland sorgte auch gerade im Nachhinein für eine Verfestigung ihres Status in Black Metal - Kreisen. Lustigerweise waren bei dem so legendären "Live in Leipzig"-Auftritt die später zu einer Art Comedy-Band verkommenen Manos am Start, deren Part oftmals Eminenz zugeschrieben wird. Dazu aber später mehr im Interview mit Eminenz hier beim Systematic Desensitization Zine.
Monday, May 16, 2022
INTERVIEW AKERBELTZ
The release of the new strong album "Merciless", which should delight all fans of traditional black metal sounds, was a good occasion for an interview with the Spanish black metal institution Akerbeltz, which has been wreaking its havoc in the Spanish underground since the distant year 1996. I talked to the factotum behind the band, who also plays in Korgüll The Exterminator.
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Hey, how does it feel to finally have the new album out with "Merciless"? What have been the reactions to it so far?
Hell! I´m very pleased that after so many years I could release an album that´s worth to be the logical continuation of the predecessor. The reactions up to now are really positive, especially because with this type of band the promotion comes straight from the reviews of fanzines and the social media as I don’t have the possibility to play live.
Monday, May 9, 2022
REVIEW AKERBELTZ "MERCILESS"
Spanish black metal institution Akerbeltz from the tourist town of Lloret de Mar, which has been doing its mischief since 1996, released its eighth album via Black Seed Productions these days. The factotum, the man for everything, in this band also wears the pseudonym Akerbeltz and is also active in Körgull the Exterminator, which have far surpassed his main field of activity in terms of fame. Akerbeltz have always been and still are deepest underground, although certainly legions of fans should have at least heard the name Akerbeltz since the explosion of black metal in the 90s.
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
INTERVIEW ANDREAS PETTERSON (DE ARMA / NORDVIS / ARMAGEDDA)
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Hello Andreas, how are you doing at the moment? De Arma's new EP "Nightcall" will be released soon. Tell me something about it, what I immediately notice is the emphasis on gothic rock, the metal parts have disappeared completely. Was that a natural process or were the metal parts supposed to disappear deliberately?
Hi – all good here, thanks. I'd say that "Nightcall" is the result of a natural process, during which we manifested music of a kind we've wanted to play for many years now. After our 2013 debut album "Lost, Alien & Forlorn" we started toying with the idea of writing songs which were more synth-driven, thereby making metal a smaller part of the totality. I think I can say with some confidence that the "Nightcall" EP reflects this approach. Since both of our albums were written in close succession, it feels great to now release music which is fully representative of De Arma of today.
Thursday, April 28, 2022
REVIEW MORTUUS INFRADAEMONI "INMORTUOS SUM"
These days I more or less got to know that Mortuus Infradaemoni have released a new, third album. Honestly, after the two previous albums from 2007 and 2009, I had long suspected the band in the eternal hunting grounds, so I was all the more pleased that the band still exists.
The new album called "Inmortuos sum" is released by Iron Bonehead Productions, after the two predecessors were released by Cold Dimensions, the label of former Lunar Aurora musician Andreas "Whyrd" Bauer. And there we are already at the right keyword, namely Lunar Aurora . The two protagonists behind Mortuus Infradaemoni, Nathaniel and Profanatitas are both ex- members of the legendary Lunar Aurora.
Sunday, April 24, 2022
INTERVIEW DEATHRITE
Deathrite from Leipzig have been a household name in the death metal scene at least since their killer album "Revelation of Chaos". With the stylistic changes of the successor "Nightmares Reign" they then pushed some people in front of the head, many others were thrilled. Now their new EP "Delirium" was released these days, a good reason to interview singer Tony.
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Hello first of all. How are you doing? You just released the new EP "Delirium". How are the reactions to it so far? And how was the release show with Vidargängr and Nocturnal Witch?
Hello Gerald. We are doing well, so far there are only positive reactions to the new material. Release show was great, full house. A meeting of many friends and acquaintances.
Thursday, April 14, 2022
REVIEW MESSE MORTUAIRE "NOCTURNAL DEMONIC VISITATION"
Messe Mortuaire from Lille, France release their first EP "Nocturnal Demonic Visitation" these days via the busy Greek label Repulsive Echo Records. I heard the band name this day for the first time, but hope to hear more soon from this diabolical death metal band, which is composed of three veterans of the French scene.
Friday, February 25, 2022
REVIEW ATRIUM NOCTIS "ATRIUM NOCTIS"
REZENSION "MORGOTH UNCURSED-THE MORGOTH CHRONICLES"
Gut Ding will Weile haben - fast sieben Jahre nach Erscheinen dieser Morgoth -Bandbiographie habe ich mir diese nun auch zu Gemüte geführt. Der Autor Christian Krumm dürfte dem einen oder anderen schon aufgrund der Werke "Kumpels in Kutten -Heavy Metal im Ruhrgebiet" und "Century Media-Do it yourself: Die Geschichte eine Labels" bekannt sein.
Das knapp 270-seitige Werk ist flüssig geschrieben, ich habe es an einem Nachmittag durchgelesen. Der etwas außergewöhnliche Ausgangspunkt besteht darin, dass der Autor die damaligen aktuellen als auch ehemaligen Bandmitglieder und Personen aus dem Umfeld im Rahmen einer Grillparty im Hause eines Bandmitglieds in Dortmund trifft und letztendlich wohl fast alle relevanten Informationen, außer vorheriger Recherche natürlich, im Rahmen dieses Treffens erhält.
Sunday, February 13, 2022
REVIEW "CONFESS"-AUTOBIOGRAPHY BY ROB HALFORD
Monday, January 31, 2022
REVIEW "NORTH FROM HERE - THE SENTENCED STORY"
I can still remember my first contact with the band's music. In Rock Hard magazine Germany, "North from here", the band's second album, was celebrated, and so I bought it in the Saturn Cologne at Hansaring (which, by the way, at that time in the distant year 1993 was considered - at least officially - the biggest CD selection in the world). I even remember that I also bought Sadist's "Above the light" and "The jilemnice occultist" by the Czechs from Masters Hammer.
Friday, January 28, 2022
INTERVIEW REXUL
Rexul hailing from Gummersbach in the Bergisches Land region, Germany, recently released a strong debut album (read the review HERE )that should convince every fan of sophisticated death metal with its great mixture of brutality and atmosphere.
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Hello, please introduce Rexul in short form. Who are you, when did the band start, how long did it take you to write and record the album? How were the reactions of the press and your environment so far?
We, Benny and Simon, formed Rexul from the ashes of Diabolical Imperium and Eklipsis in September 2018. In the same month we immediately started writing the first riffs and lyrics; it took us 31 months to write the whole record. So far, the reactions from the press have been good to very good. For some listeners the songs are too long or some riffs or melodies are repeated. For us, the songs were perfect at the moment we recorded them, but we don't know any musician who wouldn't change something in the recording or songwriting afterwards.
Thursday, January 27, 2022
INTERVIEW VOMIT SPELL
Hey, first tell us something about the band. When was Vomit Spell founded? Did you all know each other before or did you at least partly get to know each other through the band? In which other bands did you play before?
Hi, Markus (guitar) and Jochen (drums) met in 2015 through an ad and first met in a friend's rehearsal room to see if it would fit. The first song was then written and rehearsed in Jochen's gazebo (!!!). Then we rented a room and recruited Philipp (vocals) and Sepp (bass), both buddies. Marco, our second guitarist, joined us shortly before the demo was written. Sepp has left us in the meantime and since then we have been desperately looking for a replacement on bass. Markus used to play in the grindcore band Nyctophobic and since a few years in the crust/metal band Hellknife. Jochen was active in Hafrm, a local hardcore band from Mainz, and the death metal band I am Havoc.
Saturday, January 22, 2022
REVIEW VOMIT SPELL "VOMIT SPELL" (ENGLISH)
Vomit Spell from Mainz released their self-titled debut album on FDA Records in October last year, after a first demo was released in 2019. In 2020, this demo was also released officially on CD by FDA Records.
Vomit Spell play a great mixture of death metal and grindcore. I just throw names like Terrorizer, Repulsion, Napalm Death, Carcass or Autopsy into the round. But, to name a band that doesn't belong to this circle of old masters, you can bring the Danes of Undergang into play. So you see, this is not about technique and sophisticated aspects, but Vomit Spell dig deep in the dirt to create these ominous sounds. So on this release, atmosphere and authenticity take centre stage over the course of a good half hour!
REVIEW VOMIT SPELL "VOMIT SPELL"
Vomit Spell aus Mainz veröffentlichten im Oktober letzten Jahres ihr selbstbetiteltes Debütalbum auf FDA Records, nachdem im Jahr 2019 schon ein erstes Demo veröffentlicht wurde. Dieses gelangte 2020 schlussendlich ebenfalls bei FDA Records nachträglich zu offiziellen Veröffentlichungsehren auf CD.
Vomit Spell spielen eine großartige Mischung aus Death Metal und Grindcore. Ich werfe hier einfach mal Namen wie Terrorizer, Repulsion, Napalm Death, Carcass oder Autopsy in die Runde. Aber, um eine Band zu benennen, die nicht diesem Kreis der alten Meister zugehörig ist, kann man die Dänen von Undergang ins Spiel bringen. Ihr seht also schon, hier geht es nicht um Technik und Schöngeisterei, sondern Vomit Spell wühlen tief im Dreck um diese unheilvollen Klänge zu erschaffen. Auf dieser Veröffentlichung stehen also Atmosphäre und Authentizität im Laufe der guten halben Stunde im Vordergrund!
REVIEW REXUL "EREBUS...VIRTUOSUS...ALPHA" (ENGLISH)
Rexul from Gummersbach in the beautiful Bergisches Land region released their debut album these days (actually two months ago) on FDA Records, probably Germany's most distinguished death metal label. The two band members S. Milizia and B. Oprea were previously (temporary) active with Diabolical Imperium, who released two albums and were active between 1993 and 2015. It's perhaps due to this history that Rexul did not content themselves with a demo or an EP as their first sign of life, but instead came directly to the public's attention with a complete album.
REVIEW REXUL "EREBUS...VIRTUOSUS...ALPHA"
Rexul aus Gummersbach im schönen Bergischen Land veröffentlichten dieser Tage (genau genommen schon vor zwei Monaten) ihr Debütalbum auf FDA Records, Deutschlands wohl profiliertestem Death Metal Label. Die beiden Bandmitglieder S. Milizia und B. Oprea waren vorher schon (zeitweise) bei Diabolical Imperium tätig, die zwei Alben veröffentlichten und zwischen 1993 und 2015 tätig waren. Gerade dieser Vorgeschichte ist vielleicht auch geschuldet, dass sich Rexul erst gar nicht mit einem Demo oder einer EP als erstem Lebenszeichen begnügten, sondern direkt mit einem kompletten Album in den Fokus der Öffentlichkeit treten.
Friday, January 14, 2022
INTERVIEW VERHÄNGNIS (ENGLISH VERSION)
Good things take time
In October 2020 I discovered more or less by coincident the Bandcamp profile of a band called Verhängnis (the german term for doom or fate), who offered two releases there, a demo and an album. Fascinating, gruff, dragging doomdeath with echoing vocals and expressionistic German lyrics had immediately caught my attention. Associatively, the legendary Australians of Disembowelment came directly to my mind. I wrote to the band to ask if they were interested in an interview and heard nothing for a long time. Then, at the beginning of 2022, I suddenly received a mail out of nowhere that my message must have been hidden deep in the spam folder. Well, almost one and a half years later this interview can take place after all, meanwhile the band also has a second album called "Irrlicht" in their repertoire, which was released in October 2021.
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Hello, please tell us something more about Verhängnis. When exactly and from what occasion followed the formation of Verhängnis?
Hi. First of all, thank you for the invitation to the interview. I'll have to elaborate a bit more. I've been playing in various bands for quite some time and have also been involved in recording technology and music production for a few years now. Together with one of my closest friends, I spontaneously went into the rehearsal room around 2015 and we recorded the demo for our then two-man project Kriegszittern without much prior knowledge, with simple means and a lot of experimentation. Over time, more and more equipment and experience came along and I started working with synthesizers, drum machines and MIDI. Sometime in 2018 I started to combine the two areas and recorded the songs that would later be called "Finsternis" and "Abgrund". I didn't have a fixed idea in which direction it should go and just tried it out. After I tinkered with the two songs every now and then over the next two years, but actually had enough other stuff to do, the pandemic came in 2020 and everything was put on hold for the time being.
Friday, January 7, 2022
INTERVIEW VERHÄNGNIS
Gut Ding will Weile haben
Im Oktober 2020 entdeckte ich mehr oder weniger zufällig das Bandcamp-Profil einer Band namens Verhängnis, die zwei Veröffentlichungen, ein Demo und ein Album, dort anbot. Faszinierender, grufig-ranziger, schleppender Doomdeath mit hallenden Vocals und expressionistischen deutschen Texten hatte unverzüglich meine Neugier geweckt. Assoziativ kamen mir die legendären Australier von Disembowelment direkt in den Sinn. Ich schrieb die Band an, ob Interesse an einem Interview bestände und hörte erst einmal lange Zeit nichts mehr. Angang 2022 erhielt ich dann plötzlich aus dem Nichts eine Mail, dass meine Nachricht wohl ganz tief im Spamordner versteckt gewesen war. Nun gut, also fast anderthalb Jahre später kann dieses Interview doch noch stattfinden, mittlerweile hat die Band auch ein im Oktober 2021 veröffentlichtes zweites Album namens "Irrlicht" im Repertoire.
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Hallo! Erzähle doch mal bitte etwas mehr zu Verhängnis. Wann genau und aus welchem Anlass heraus folgte die Gründung von Verhängnis?Hi. Erstmal Danke für die Einladung zum Interview. Da muss ich direkt ein bisschen weiter ausholen. Ich spiele seit längerer Zeit in diversen Bands und beschäftige mich seit einigen Jahren auch mit Aufnahmetechnik und Musikproduktion. Zusammen mit einem meiner engsten Freunde bin ich ungefähr 2015 spontan in den Proberaum gegangen und wir haben ohne große Vorkenntnisse, mit einfachen Mittel und viel Experimentierfreude die Demo für unser damaliges Zwei-Mann-Projekt Kriegszittern aufgenommen. Mit der Zeit kam immer mehr Equipment und Erfahrung dazu und ich hab angefangen mit Synthesizern, Drumcomputern und MIDI zu arbeiten. Irgendwann 2018 hab ich dann angefangen die beiden Bereiche zu verbinden und die Songs aufgenommen, die später einmal Finsternis und Abgrund heißen würden. Ich hatte keine feste Idee in welche Richtung die Sache gehen sollte und hab einfach ausprobiert. Nachdem ich in den nächsten zwei Jahren immer mal wieder an den beiden Songs rumgebastelt hab, aber eigentlich genug anderen Kram zu tun hatte, kam dann 2020 die Pandemie und alles war erstmal auf Eis gelegt.
Thursday, October 21, 2021
INTERVIEW WITH KJETIL MANHEIM (ORDER / EX-MAYHEM) PART II
Did you watch the „Lords of Chaos“- movie and if so, did you like it, didn't you like it? How about the actor who played your role?
Well, first of all, I haven't watched it. I can't see any reason I should see it. It's not a great movie if I understood it right from people, it's not an "Oscar". So, I can't see why I should have watched the movie because it has nothing to do with reality. So far as what I've heard from people who have seen the movie, it has nothing to do with me whatsoever. But of course, they have put it in the context where they got some aspects ot pieces like they have our names, but it has nothing to do with my life. I don't understand why they made that movie.
Tuesday, October 19, 2021
INTERVIEW WITH KJETIL MANHEIM (ORDER / EX-MAYHEM) PART I
Yeah, Maybe this is a coincidence. Or maybe something happens in Norway these days?
Haha, maybe, I don´t know…
Yeah, that movie sounds interesting.
I would say it is something like a horror comedy. Not not to be taken too serious. According to that, I want to ask, did you maybe watch the 30th anniversary Emperor livestream ?
No, I didn’t. I saw that board, which was announcing it, and I thought I was going to watch it, but I haven't yet. So, I have it still in front of me. Did you watch it?