Well known Serbian Crossover/ Thrash Metal band Nadimač from Belgrade released their new video. Don't forget that their new album comes out this summer for Witches Brew record label from Germany.
Thundersteel - The Exorcism
Genre: Heavy Metal
Label: Tmina Records
Format: CD
Our view : 87 %
Serbian metal cannot boast with a large number of serious
bands that can express and present themselves in a proper way. Classical heavy
sound that captivates all true lovers of this genre with its old and very well
known structure, it comes from Novi Sad (Serbia). It is about the band
Thundersteel founded in 2012, which starting as a solid cover band became a
true heavy metal bomb. In 2013 they recorded their first album "The
Exorcism", which came out in 2013. labeled by a well known Serbian
"Tmina Records".
Creaking tires, hot asphalt covered in leather and studs is
a characteristic way of life of true metal rebels. Heavy and also melodic sound
of the song "Anger of the Road" opens the gates of the album
"The Exorcism". Guitar riffs along with high solo parts and classical
vocal scream bursts are the right choice to begin a crazy ride with Thundersteel.
Like a thunder follows the next song "Outlaw Lament", which rays with
its classical heavy riffs and clearly accentuated refrain which completes the
whole impression for the auditorium. The second song will already fury your appetite
and make you rage for more! Slower but strong and melodic piece "Ride the
trigger" enlightens us to all the capabilities that this band carries. Set
your sails and ride the seas of an extraordinary fourth song "Sail
away" that will win over every heavy metal adventurer's heart. Amazing
guitar parts and riffs along with pure, high and slightly epic heavy metal
sound will invoke the true feeling of this sail. After this one Thundersteel
will take you to the hellish ride through the songs called "Stand
Up", "Idols Castle of Light" and "Lock em out". The
eight song on the album is a dark ambient intro to the song "The Exorcism"
by which this album is named. If you ask us, this intro will take you through
the old satanic horror movies popular in the '80, and seal this band into a
true timeless heavy metal story. Following song "The Exorcism" is musically
and lyrically sophisticated piece of the true heavy masters. The last song
"Past Time Lords" is closing this album with its captivating and
alluring strength.
As for the sound production, this album completely satisfies
all technical criteria for a band like this. This album will definitely be more
heard of, and who knows how far will the voice of Thundersteel reach. This is
the name that will certainly gather all of the harsh old sound and leather
lovers. If you haven't you should certainly listen to this album as soon as
possible!
Goatmare & The Hellspades – Bloody tales of the ghost town
If you take a look at the Serbian underground scene being a fan of bands like “Misfits”, “Blitzkid”, “The Crimson Ghosts” and other more or less famous horror punk bands all over the world, one name will certainly draw your attention – “Goatmare & The Hellspades”.
Combining horror punk and melodic psychobilly elements with comic, dark and slightly morbid lyrics on top of it, they surely determinate themselves as a distinctive phenomenon on Serbian underground scene, therefore gaining a huge loyalty of their Serbian and foreign fans. We bring you an exclusive interview with this remarkable and unusual band.
1.The name of your band is quite interesting and unusual by itself. Who was the creator and what was the inspiration for it?
- The band was named by Slavko Kozomora, lead singer and creator of the project back in 2009, and it is a literal English translation of his last name. The whole name came as a direct influence of rockabilly and doo wop legends, such as “Dion and the Belmonts”, “Buddy Holly and the Crickets” and others.
2.When was the idea of forming this kind of band born? Tell us more about the band's beginnings.
- The band itself began as a project in 2009, during Slavko's service with the Serbian Armed Forces. First songs were recorded in that period, and during 2010 the project became a band, gaining new members and having first gigs at the end of 2010.
3.What year did your first demo “Demo of the dead” come out? Who were the members then and did it change by now?
- “Demo of the dead” came out at the end of 2009, as a promo release. The whole crew was way different then, and none of the original members play In Goatmare today, but they still respect our work and support us all the way.
4.There are a few horror punk covers on your first demo album. Can we expect some more of that in future or will you write only original songs?
- No, those covers were made purely out of respect to the original authors, for promotional reasons. No covers were done since then, and I don’t believe there will be any more.
5.In August 2011 comes out the compilation “Pandemonium vol. 3” which promotes young bands from Pancevo, along with your song “Kapela”. Not long after, you released a split edition “Slike straha” with “Drugo lice” from Belgrade. Recently another split edition came out on a cassette, with a Czech band “Lucky Boneheads crew”. How important split editions and compilations are for you, and would you collaborate with some band that are not alike in your genre in future?
- To us, split editions are a very important way of band cooperation. The genre itself isn’t that relevant because we do our best to be on the good terms with every band we respect. We are good friends with a significant number of death metal, oi!, melodic punk, black metal and hip hop bands, as well as rock, horror punk and rockabilly bands.
6. Some of your first editions were signed with “D.I.Y or die”. Do you think that Serbian bands have problems finding publishers more often than bands abroad?
- In our case it is not so much a question of finding a publisher, it is more about doing things by yourself the way you think is best and the way you want them done. But, to answer your question, yes, it is difficult to find a publisher, unless you have a metal band, and even then we’ve heard more than one story from a metal or rock band that, in terms of broadcasting support or marketing, got exactly nothing from the publisher, not even having the most basic contract honored. The whole publishing business is very different from, let’s say, 20 years ago, so we opt for DIY. That way we know exactly what we get.
7.Tell us more about Serbian "horror punk scene"? Does it even exist? Which bands can be singled out if there are any? Is the situation better in the region?
- At this point, I really don’t know if the Serbian horror punk scene still exists. We do our best to make as much gigs as we can and make new songs along the way, but we really don’t know how active the other bands are.
8.Zombies, floppy discs, audio cassettes and video games. Pure horror punk story in an oldschool way. Tell us more about that.
- Old school is the best and only way to describe it. The things you mentioned above are things we all like, and it brings out nostalgia for a carefree time we all used to have.
9.Your album “13 ways to die” comes out in 2013 labeled by “Punkthrone Mafia Records”. Could you share something about publisher and how did it get to collaboration with them?
- Punkthrone Mafia Records is our own record label made exclusively for publishing our own work, and promoting bands we like. Other PMR releases include “Misha Mashina – Na leđima žirafe” in 2013, and “Raskid13 – Mi imamo bend” in 2015.
10.The album “13 ways to die” is in our opinion an outstanding musical and lyrical piece with every single song being a hit. Which one is in your opinion the crowd’s favorite?
- Thank you so much for your compliments. In our opinion, we believe that “Sve je mrtvo” creates the best atmosphere where ever we go, but still, every place has its own favorite song. Some of the other popular and very well liked songs from “13 WTD” are “40 dana”, “Sadista i Kanibal”, “Leševi u Gepeku”, “Creva u Kadi”, “Ti noćas umireš”. Those songs really pick up the crowd and people often request them for an encore.
11.Your phenomenal live acts are a rarity in our region. You have also had the chance to perform on some big festivals as well abroad. Do you have any friends and fans in other countries? Which appearance would you single out as the most special one?
- Lately we are working on some new material which will be released soon, so we put live shows aside for the time being. Our new single “Moja si” will soon see the light of day, and we will try to promote it as much as we can by making new gigs, in Serbia as well as abroad. We have many friends that respect our work in Croatia, Czech Republic and other European countries. To us, every appearance is special, but I think that our performances in Zagreb will be the one that we remember for the rest of our lives. The hospitality of the people there and the unique positive energy from the crowd is simply unforgettable.
12. In the last decade most of the industry in Pančevo was closed down, historical and cultural monuments were cast into oblivion and many young people have left the town. Did that fact have an influence on your inspiration and is it somehow connected with the song “Grad duhova”?
- “Grad Duhova” symbolizes not only Pančevo, but every city that has had a great number of bands and a rich culture in terms of music and live performances. In the last couple of years concerts became scarce, but it seems that that period is slowly ending and the whole scene is picking up. All we can do is play as much as we can and hope for the best.
13. It seems that “Goatmare and The Hellspades” is a virus for which there is no cure… Thank you for this interview, and last but not the least: Are there any plans for future or everything is dead ("Sve je mrtvo")?
- I like these 13 question interviews. Thank you for this opportunity, I hope we will have a chance to talk again soon. Our plans for the near future are to release “Moja si” as well as some other singles (complete with official music videos) as soon as we can and play as much as possible to promote them and bring our music closer to our devoted fans. Don’t be silly, Goatmare can’t die.
VERGEL - PURE CHAOTIC AND EVIL PASSION
Belgrade’s cryptic, “ritual” events in the past few months gave us a chance to meet various old and new Serbian bands, however one of them made an exceptional impression on a large part of the audience. They come from Belgrade, firstly gathered in Čačak in 2001, they are the darkest and rawest black metal band called Vergel. Our crew brings you the latest news of the black metal underground interviewing these guys!
1. Can you tell us something about your very beginnings? How, when and where have you gathered? What does the name Vergel mean actually? Does it have some special significance?
The band was founded in 2001 in Čačak (Serbia) and in the beginning it was a two-man band; EVL on guitar and COLDKAOS on vocals, later on bass and vocals. The first riffs we ever made were black metal, so it was kind of natural for us to go that way, following the instinct. We chose the name Vergel, it derives from an obscure dream. The only memory upon awakening is that word as a personal name of someone…
2. You were fist called Instinctum, and you changed it into Vergel in 2004. what are the reasons for it? Have you changed any band members since 2001 and who represents the band today?
At some point we felt like we wanted a more authentic and personal name for the band, it was the evolution of the idea, music and us. Vergel fitted better with the expression, though we didn’t have a stable line-up for years and few members have come and gone. But from 2014 the trio is: COLDKAOS on vocals and bass, EVL on guitars, BERSERKER on drums.
3. How big was the crowd at the black metal gigs at your very beginnings and has it changed since?
When we started playing black metal in Čačak back then, there weren’t any other black metal bands or musicians who played that genre of music. Many didn’t know about that and the others had their opinion based on fear, you could even feel a lot of animosity actually. We heard rumors that some people wanted to ban us through the local church. Their assumption was that we ritually sucked blood from animals like cats. That was a very good reputation in a black metal way. Generally, today’s Serbian metal scene is much richer than in 2001, more people play black metal (and other metal genres) and you have more places and festivals where you can play your music, as it is much more accepted today.
4. Your first demo hasn’t been released up till 2006. What was the reason for such a delay, considering you were gathered in 2001?
We didn’t want programmed drums on our records, that is the only reason why we didn’t record anything until 2006. It’s our own view on black art as it should be. During that time, we (EVL and COLDKAOS) played in local bands Last Funeral and Litter Infection up until 2006 when a drummer came in, but only for a short period of time and we managed to record the first demo. In 2009 EVL moved to Belgrade and the band was on hold from 2009 to 2014.
5. There is a song called “Banished souls echo” at your first demo album, which implies that the main topic of your lyrics is quite dark and occult. Considering that, where does the inspiration come from, and is it related with your private life in any matter?
For us, music is like “painting” with the sound. Riffs and verses are always a matter of the unconscious, never planned in forward, just coming out as parts of a bigger plan. So they are kept on a level of a moment, true feeling. Starting with those we realized then where it might take us and we combine all elements simply projecting our passion. So, the inspiration comes from the freedom, released passion. It’s same for music and life to be fulfilled.
6. Which bands had the most influence on Vergel’s work?
Scandinavian black metal bands have the greatest influence on us, mostly from the early-mid 90’s and the 80’s metal bands in general. But we don`t listen only to black metal. Influences are wide just like our interests.
7. After another long break you release your second demo in 2015. In your point of view, how important is it for an underground black metal band to have a good and quality music production? Could bands with less production quality still make the best of them?
Black metal production can go in many ways, from primitive to complex. The best thing would be if you can get the right production for your own ideas. It must be authentic, to bring the atmosphere to the listener and drag him in. Keeping in mind when the production is so clean and polished, it takes away from the chaotic and evil sound. There’s no such thing as a synthetic passion, you do have it raw or not.
8. However, your second demo sounds even more brutal and raw no matter what. Does it mean that we can expect something bigger from Vergel, like an EP or even an album?
We plan to record our first EP (4 songs) this year, full length album is coming out next year.
9. Our crew had the chance to listen to your live performance, and you sound absolutely brutal. Do you have some plans for some more gigs any soon? Any plans for future?
We don’t have exact plans for concerts, because our focus are on the upcoming record.
We thank you for your time and hope to hear some new stuff from Vergel! See you at some of the forthcoming rituals! Cheers!
Thanks, cheers!
Scaffold – Like Devil in the Church
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Taurunum records
Format: CD
Our view : 82 %
In the nineties those representing the extreme metal scene in Serbia were quite rare. Talking about the scene and the death metal genre we must certainly notice the band Scaffold. In 1993 the band released their first demo, following their first album “The other side of reality” in 1994. Fourteen years later, in 2008, they had their comeback, and a year later they record an EP “Like Devil in the Church” which was released in 2015 by “Taurunum Records”. Exactly this EP made us say something more about this veteran Serbian death metal band and take our devilish steps trough the church altar.
Overture to this mini album is the intro “Like Devil in the Church” which begins with sound effects that symbolize the dark secret of the clerical life (unlocking an old church doors followed by echoing footsteps of a monk walking through the church hallway). The entry says in favor of the chronologically composed tale that this EP brings. “Like Devil in the Church” is an emotional and fairy-tale melodic piece which takes you in another dimension – the world of Scaffold tales. The slow acoustic performance is interrupted by a fast and striking song called “Murder with clear conscience”. Classical dirty oldschool rhythm brought trough piercing recognizable Scaffolds vocal are fusing in a whole along with biting death metal riffs. In the second half of this song an exceptional guitar solo stands out. In the mere end of the piece a very describing theatrical melody strikes trough, and the song itself abounds accurately combined bridges.The next song, “A night to remember”, is a very energetic, raw and brutal piece, and it brings you the theme with its evil guitar riffs. Next comes the song “I, Caesar” which will certainly leave every true lover of heavy sound breathless. An outstanding piece filled with fast guitar parts, with a unique refrain that caches your ears even after first listening. In the end, Scaffold brings us the cover of a song “Suicidal Future” from an old Belgrade’s band Bloodbath.
Inside the covers of this EP there is a small history of this band for all new fans to read and discover everything about Scaffold and its lineup. Covers are designed by GSall of Scaffold, lyrics and music was written by Ivica Dujic (vocals) and in charge of the producing was Srdjan Brankovic. All true lovers of extreme metal genres and death metal sound should certainly have this EP in their collection and listen to this story brought by old school death metal veterans. The band Scaffold has definitely came back, but is this just a beginning of something bigger? We shall find out soon!
KOLAC - BLACK TO THE BONE
Long nine years have passed since black metal band from Belgrade
1. When did the idea about forming “Kolac” first come to light? Tell us more about it’s very beginnings.
First of all thanx for the interview and greetings to all the dark souls reading this. Kolac was formed in 2006 by two friends Zlorog (guitars, vocals) and Grob (bass). The basic idea we had back then was to form each our own one-man bands. Fortunately, we did not have enough skills to do everything a band requires on our own, so we decided to join forces and start a band together. We agreed upon the name almost instantly, as we both wanted a Serbian word that somehow represents the obscure and terrific parts of our history, and is still eerie sounding in the ears of our countrymen, while on the other side is written in full without the Cyrillic letters, so that the people abroad can figure it out. It didn’t take us long to start working on material that would become our first demo. Still, we had a vacant position of drummer in the band, so we decided to start searching for the third part of the line-up while working on the songs. The curse that to some extent follows us today still.
2. Your fist demo “9/11 Last minute silence” came out in 2008 in exactly 13 copies. This intriguing numeration can be seen in your other releases. How important is that numeral and lyrical symbolism to you?
I wouldn’t say there is some more profound numeral symbolism to our releases or to our lyrics. The thing with numbers was actually very coincidental. The whole story is that we were tired of looking for a drummer and wanted to show our faces to the crowd. So, after a while we decided to release a demo with programmed drums. At the same time there was a Nunslaughter concert announced in Belgrade
3. “…No god” is on our opinion your best demo so far, where the band has clearly determined it’s lyrical style. Where do you pull your inspiration from?
“…No God” demo was a turning point for Kolac. We printed a shitload of copies, and spread it out all around the world. A lot of copies went to the zines, some distros showed interest in it, and a lot of people started noticing that we are as serious as we can be. We went for a more serious approach to our music, we learned some new tricks, and gathered all experience we had at the time. All this combined induced a good number of good reviews, a lot of the zine editors thought we were promising a good future even though we were still young and had a lot to learn. As for the inspiration, it was easy. We were young and naturally enraged at a lot of stuff going on around us. The hardest part is actually summing up that rage and letting it all burst out in the form of a song. Religion was a logical choice of topics since Black Metal was always closely associated with blasphemy, and we could see the stupidity of christians in our very surrounding. Falseness of their behavior, and swearing oaths to god whenever and wherever possible, while behaving completely opposite in their real lives was a great source of inspiration. Our lyrics usually don’t dwell on the deeper level of exploring religions, but more on the mocking of their beliefs. Same goes for other religions. We spit upon allah and his loyal suicide bombers, lazy buddhist assholes sitting on their asses all their lives, whiny jewish “we-were-harrassed-by-egyptians/hitler-feel-sorry-for-us” goat herders and such lowlifes believing some god will make their death interesting but only if their lives are boring.
4. The third demo, ”Like a nun to the slaughter”, comes out on a cassette and since then you are one of the few bands who frequently publishes their material the old school way. Do you find the cassette someway being a better choice than a CD edition and why?
With the third demo we wanted to do a tape, because we personally like tapes. Nothing more to it. It’s just a childhood fantasy, because we grew up in times when tapes were all you can find. CDs were just getting in Serbia Sodom
5. In January 2011 your debut album “Bastard son is dead” comes out. Were you satisfied with the cooperation of the record label “Moon Records”? What song would you especially recommend to your fans?
We came in contact with Moon Records from Poland
6. There is a quite significant number of split and live editions in your collection as well as compilations. Do you collaborate with some bands, and which one of them would you recommend for our readers to listen to?
Splits and compilations are always a great way of finding out more good Underground bands on one release, and we always liked them. So any time we spotted a possibility on appearing on one or the other we gladly took it. Of course there’s always that aspect of supporting your friends and their bands and projects. All of the split releases we made have been in collaboration with bands and persons we respect and support, so on all of them you can find bands you should check out, and support. They are all real Underground warriors, and deserve respect even if musically they are not to somebody’s liking. We are very proud of all our split releases and we are definitely going to make more of them in the future. As many as possible. Most of our previous split releases are sold out, but try and find some other releases by Stonecrypt, Mrznja, Eris, 1389, Satanic Forest
7. The first album “ Bastard son is dead” also comes out in a CD form with the label “Some kind of distro”. What is “Some kind of distro” and how does it work?
Some kind of distro is actually not a label at all. It is as the title says, just a distro. That is my small distro i started back at the time of “…No God” demo. We have done a lot of trades with that demo, and some releases I traded for started to pile up, so I decided to form a list, and try to spread other bands’ music. Soon enough, my distro started expanding, and I started doing it more on a regular basis. It is still relatively small but I am still trying to keep the spirit of Underground by promoting some small, unknown names. As the album story goes, we tried to find a label to release a CD version of it since it was recorded, but with no luck. With the second album coming we wanted to round up the first album chapter, and with no label in sight, we decided to release it ourselves. And since we didn’t want to put some random label name, or form our own label, we just used the name of my distro as a label on the CD. So, as you can see, Some kind of distro didn’t really release it, but just appeared as a name of the label instead of putting just blank space.
8. During the summer of 2014 you performed at the Exit festival sharing the stage with worldwide known bands. What did it feel like and what were your impressions on that performance?
Exit Festival was a real big experience for us. It was the first time we got a chance of performing on a big stage on the most professional equipment possible, and for the bigger crowd. Unfortunately it didn’t all go as well as we planned. We had trouble with the monitors, sound crew didn’t do their job well enough, and since we got a very shitty time for the performance (at 4 AM the last day of the festival), there was not that many people in the crowd. But still, all things considered, we had a good time at the festival, met a lot of our friends, and some new ones, hanged out with some real Underground maniaks, and seen a lot of good bands performing live. At the end we figured that these big festivals are not exactly made for small bands like Kolac, so I don’t think you will have the chance to see us on one of them any time soon. We are a small band, and we work best in small, crowded, stinky clubs where we can feel the interaction with the crowd more intensely.
9. The “Nigra Mors” record label has presented “Kolac” along with a Spanish band called “Xerion” in vinyl edition in 2013, which was followed by a mini tour in Spain
Similar story with the one I already told in the case of Moon Records. We have met with the name Xerion with the split release they have done with Macedonian band Maras , on Terror Blast Productions, also from Macedonia Serbia Galiza , Spain
10. At the end of 2014. “Kolac” signed with well known Serbian underground record label “Grom Records”. How did it come to that collaboration and can we expect it to continue further on in the future?
As stated above, “Zauvek Crni” album came out on pro tape on Nigra Mors Productions in July 2014. There are a couple of important facts I must mention first. The album was recorded during a long time period of about year and a half. Artwork was done by Hostile Takeover design studio held by two of our dear friends. They did an amazing job, and we are very satisfied with their effort, so it is in our plans to work with them again and again, until we bore them to death. The album itself is somewhat different from the stuff we done before, much darker and less chaotic. We practically announced our subtle change of direction on the split with Xerion. Of course, we still hold on tightly to the Black Metal roots, just with a bit of different angle to the sound well established by the old ones. Tape was released in a limited edition of 100 copies and at this moment is counting the very last pieces. So, the next step was obvious. We needed to find a label to release a CD version, and htat is where Grom Records comes in. We have a long standing friendship and respect with Grom Records, and we have been supporting each other for over a decade now. This collaboration is a logical next step, and we agreed on all the terms and conditions very easily. The CD should be out spring/summer 2015, and we are looking forward to spreading the darkness together with Grom. As far as the long term collaboration is concerned, it will definitely happen one way or the other. We will most definitely remain friends and supporters forever. Whether we release something on Grom again or not, you will always be able to find Kolac releases on Grom distro, and Grom releases on Some Kind Of Distro. That is the only way Underground should work, and we will work like that as long as there is a breath in our lungs.
11. “U smrti zatecen”, “4 boga jarca”, “Raskrsten” are only a few of many well known hits. Who writes your music and who are the members of the band today?
From the very first riff, up until today, all Kolac music has been written by Zlorog. One of the reasons for starting Kolac instead of two one-man bands was the fact that Zlorog was struggling to write lyrics and I was struggling to write music. So, in the end, Zlorog writes the music and I write the lyrics. Usually I write the lyrics first and send it to Zlorog, and then he turns them into songs. Zlorog is also responsible for the recording, producing, mixing and mastering of our releases. Of course, he also handles the vocal responsibilities and guitar. Apart from him, Kolac is formed by Grob on lyrics and bass, Omadan IX on guitars, and hopefully contributing to composing songs and lyrics in the future. Also as a part of the Kolac crew we have L’hiver on session drums. He became a part of our band during the recording session for the split with Xerion, and after that recorded our second album and a couple of covers for us. Since he is German, he is still considered a session musician, even though he comes to play Kolac shows from time to time, whenever he gets a chance. While talking about L’hiver we must mention his own band called Winterblut, somewhat of a veteran band on a German Black Metal scene. Check out this band if you get a chance, you might like it.
12. How important is the production and sound quality in your opinion considering this music genre?
When talking about Black Metal, there is always that debate on raw or clear sound. It all derives from the early Black Metal days and demos released back at the end of the ‘80s and early ‘90s. The way I see that thing, those early recordings were made that way because that was the peek of recording quality back then. I strongly believe that if those early bands had the technical abilities we have today in 21st century the whole story would be very much different. Of course, on the other hand, that raw sound has its strong points, brings with it a completely different atmosphere to the recording, and the much needed “coldness” to the sound. Unfortunately bands today take it way too far. Very few young bands realize that you can still have raw sound but still pretty audible, in the sense that you can still hear all the instruments, and retain that dark atmosphere. After all, the darkness and coldness are mostly made by the music itself, not by pushing a huge buzz in the front of your sound. Just listen to the latest releases by most of those old bands, and you will know what I mean.
13. Thank you for this conversation. Finally any foul plans for even darker future?
Many things are planned in the very near future. At the time this interview is published, there will already be released the “We Worship Desaster” tribute double CD with a contribution by Kolac. As already mentioned, our second album “Zauvek Crni” will be released spring/summer 2015. Also during the summer there will be released another tribute album, this time a tribute to Satanic Warmaster, which will also contain one Kolac cover. At this point we have a show confirmed on May, 23rd in Novi Sad , Serbia
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