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.  

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.

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.

INTERVIEW WITH KJETIL MANHEIM (ORDER / EX-MAYHEM) PART II

"Euronymous was pissed as hell when I decided to leave, he was really mad."

As announced, here is the second part of the interview with Kjetil Manheim of Order (read part one HERE), in which we talked about his further musical playgrounds in the field of noise music. We also talked about the transfiguration of Norwegian black metal and the film "Lords of chaos", among other things, we talked about his farewell to Mayhem, about the former singer Dead, people's preference for stories and myths, exorcisms as well as Kjetil's love for Berlin.

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.

INTERVIEW WITH KJETIL MANHEIM (ORDER / EX-MAYHEM) PART I

"Being a human is a very lonesome journey."

Here is the promised interview with Kjetil Manheim, the drummer of Order, who released their new strong album "The Gospel" these days. Kjetil had a lot to say, so I divided the interview, which took almost two hours on Skype, into two parts. In the first part you can read what Kjetil has to say about the new album in musical and lyrical terms - we talked about the fragility of human life, buddhism, Aleister Crowley and organized religions, the (im)possibility of life after death but also about Emperor. In the second part we will talk about Kjetil's other musical playgrounds in the field of noise music, but also about the transfiguration of Norwegian black metal and the movie "Lords of chaos". We talked about his departure from Mayhem and former singer Dead as well as Kjetil's fondness for Berlin.

Hi Kjetil, more or less coincidentally, Norwegian weeks are upon me. A few hours ago I did an interview with Mortiis and an interview with Jørn Steen, the maker of "Saga", a movie including a wild mix of black metal, vikings, bikers and zombies, featuring Sarke and also Ted from Darkthrone, is also in the making. Has somehow unplanned so emerged....

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?

INTERVIEW WITH MORTIIS PART II

"We showed up with the makeup and the masks and there were all these art lovers, it was like a gasp went through the crowd, because we looked like fuckin bums."

So, this is part two of the in-depth interview with Mortiis, the first part can be read HERE. This time we talked about his influence on a whole genre and a lot of other music, artists, bands and projects. It's about ABBA, Björk, Beherit, Ildjarn, Swedish hardcore, Nine Inch Nails, Apoptygma Berzerk, the rating of Mortiis by Barney from Napalm Death and the cover of the "Stargate" album. Furthermore, it is about the payment of musicians by streaming services and the effects of the Corona pandemic. Have fun reading!

Of course, in mainstream terms, you are not so popular, nevertheless, how does it feel to have virtually invented the "dungeon synth" genre and to have inspired thousands of people, myself included (back in the distant 1997), all over the world to start similar projects, sometimes with more or less success? Of course I can only speak for Germany, but at that time incredibly many people from the black metal scene had such a Dungenon Synth -Project at the start, I don't even want to know how many recordings in some cellars or attics live their shadowy existence for decades....

But it's not as easy as it looks, you know?

Yes, of course. 

Oh, I guess that's flattering. If they're inspired by me, that's always nice to hear. It's always cool, I like seeing metal guys starting these projects because it means they have an open mind in music, it means that they don't only listen to one thing and that they do have a broader interest in music in general. It doesn't have to be limited to Cuban music. I mean, you know, if they're into fucking jazz, I think that's cool, too. You know, I used to be kind of a narrow minded guy myself. Like in the very early '90s, it was black metal or nothing. And I just think that sometimes that creates a bit of an asshole. You know, when all you care about is one thing and everything else can go to hell, I just don't like that. That attitude, to me, seems very limited and simple, so I'm glad to see people that want to do something else at the same time. You know, looking at things in a broader light. That's a positive thing to me.