It’s been four years since the release of DarkBlack’s “The Barbarian’s Hammer” EP and if you ask me, it’s been far too fucking long! These power/speed/NWOBHM heroes serve up a steaming helping of awesome with the release of “The Sellsword”, an album that is in most respects, a perfect album. Ignoring the obvious influences (Judas Priest, Diamond Head and even a twinge of Black Sabbath here and there), DarkBlack manages to keep their shit from sounding like (fill in the NWOBHM blank here) worship by adding their own flare in every conceivable angle. From pounding to shredding, DarkBlack has their craft down pat!
Earlier I said, “…in most respects, a perfect album.” Here’s why I said most: the mixing is muddier than Chimera’s diaper after I let her have a few bites of her mother’s enchiladas! The vocals are way too low in the mix and it a fucking shame since Tim has perfect voice for screamin’ the metal.
Overall: DarkBlack captures the spirit of the NWOBHM and morphs it into their own unholy army that they unleash upon the world in “The Sellsword”!!!
Posted in Reviews on February 16th, 2011 by General Blaspheme
Genre: Black Metal
Label: Independent
It would seem that Matthew P. Davis has created something relatively new in black metal. And I’m liking it.
Picture a little bit of early Cradle of Filth, some Morgul, and some Moloch put into a blender with a flaming Bible and two shots of Jack Daniel’s. Add a dash of Emperor’s Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk, and Labyrintheory is a winner.
A nice demo of five songs, In Memoriam is an impressive first start for this band.
7.5 out of 10.
Posted in Interviews on February 15th, 2011 by General Blaspheme
Here’s another old interview from Funeral Rain Zine’s infancy. Posted to the FRZ MySpace back in June 2009, my e-chat with Ailyn from Sirenia was, I think, one of the first big stepping stones for myself and FRZ. Enjoy.
For people who have never heard Sirenia, how would you describe the sound of the band?
I would say Sirenia’s style is Gothic Metal or Symphonic Metal, but maybe people think otherwise. I never listen to music and say “this band’s style is that one, that other band’s got this other style”. Does it matter the style when the music is good?
What of the lyrical themes? Are there any themes that seem to repeat, or are they more of a story or concept?
Morten composed the tracks from the album as he’s always done with all Sirenia albums, so the stories behind each song are only known by him and he never reveals his inspirations. He prefers each person to give the meaning they want. So I could give you my opinion, but I don’t want it to be like a statement of the real meaning, so I’ll keep it to myself.
You are in a band that has a strong history, even before it’s current inception. You are in a position that requires you to follow in the footsteps of three other frontwomen, who each have their own fans. Do you find this daunting at all?
From the beginning I knew it wouldn’t be easy, because the band’s got former singers and some people prefer them over me, but I don’t find it annoying, cos it’s usual. Each person has their taste and some think they like more former singers, but I’m not Fabienne, Henriette or Monika, we all have our own unique style. My singing being different from theirs doesn’t mean I’m better or worse, just I’m different. I’m just trying to give my best, so my band is happy with me and the choice they made when they selected me, and so people can like my work and be happy with it.
You yourself have a strong history in music, singing ever since you were 15. Could you give us a quick rundown of your music career?
I found I wanted to be a singer when I was about 12, but I just sang at home. I played my favourite singers of the moment’s songs and tried to imitate them, and that’s how I began with music. At 15 I told my mum I wanted to be a singer, and I got enlisted to a musical school, but for personal reasons I had to leave after just one year. Then sometime later I sang every year in my home town in a show they made to get funds for Alzheimer disease. I’ve also participated in contests, both nationally and internationally. In 2007 I was in the first Spanish edition of X Factor, and I was booted off the fifth. When I was out of the show I worked with some musicians from Granada, but the project didn’t work out because they wanted pop and I wanted Gothic Metal. Just after I left this project, I got the chance to be Sirenia’s new vocalist.
How was recording the new album for you? Did you have time to get to know the band before recording, or were you pretty much thrust into the role?
The album’s recording was real fun. In the studio there were just Morten and I, and we had so much fun during the recording process. It was easier than I thought it would be. At first I was slightly worried because it was the first time I was in a studio to record something so important as a Sirenia album, but just as the music started it was easy. Morten’s music gives so many things so I just had to let myself go into what I was listening.
When we began recording I already knew the band members, because in the second audition they were all there. Also, before the album’s recording we had a couple of shows.
The first single from the new album, entitled “The Path to Decay” has a great video, directed by Patric Ullaeus. How was working with Patric for you and the band?
Working with Patric was really great for us, he’s a charming person and very professional. Also, Patric’s been on the industry for so long and he’s worked with many big bands, so he’s got a lot of experience in this. So for a band like us it was great to work with someone like him because he understands our vision of things. Even before seeing the results of the video shooting we knew we would be happy with the final result.
Other than the kinds of music you perform, what do you listen to? Are there any particular bands you’d like to namedrop as favorites or influences?
Since I began singing, I listen to all kind of music styles, I don’t like to concentrate in just one style. Listening to all this, I get the chance to learn things that I wouldn’t if I just listened to just one of them. There are a lot of bands and vocalists that I like, so I can’t start saying which ones or we would never end!
I’ve read that you happen to love videogames. What kind of consoles do you prefer, and what’s your favorite game at the moment, and your favorite game of all time?
I love videogames, but lately I don’t have time to play, but for long travels I usually take my PSP so I can get distracted. At the moment I like a lot of games, but my most favorite videogame from years ago is Final Fantasy 7.
I’ve also read that you’re a fan of The Lord of the Rings, the books and films. What else is on your reading/watching list?
Yes, I am a big fan of The Lord of the Rings. Before the movies were shot I already had read the books a couple of times. I love everything that’s written by Tolkien, even I can’t remember exactly how many times I’ve read each book or seen every movie. I like to read all kind of stuff, but I love fantasy books, with fiction, action, etc…
Posted in Interviews, Videos on February 13th, 2011 by General Blaspheme
The following is a very old interview, from when Funeral Rain Zine was just a wee baby. I’ve lifted it from the FRZ MySpace, and it was originally posted there in September of 2009. Answering my questions is Larry Roberts of the brutally underrated band Novembers Doom.
At the end I’ve added the video for “Autumn Reflection”, simply because it’s such a good song.
Larry, if you don’t mind, could you tell the readers a little about yourself and what you do?
Well, my name is Larry Roberts, I live in Chicago and I’ve been a member of NOVEMBERS DOOM for a little over ten years now, and I’m the lead guitarist in the band. I also do alot of the song writing and arranging for the group, and am sort of the “musical conscience” of the band, haha. Meaning that I am the one who usually tries to make sure we’re keeping on the right path and that everything meets a certain standard for us.
How long have you been playing music? What made you decide to take this path as a career?
I started playing guitar when I was about 10 years old, and started performing in little bands and stuff when I was about 13. I took formal lessons for the first five years that I played, so I learned to read music (though I’ve gotten a bit rusty over the years) and I learned some theory and whatnot. Those years were great because I learned alot of different styles of music besides just hard rock and metal. That works well for me now because Novembers Doom incorporates alot of different influences into our music. I decided at an early age that being a musician was what worked for me, it just seemed to make sense and it’s always been a part of who I am. I couldn’t imagine just giving up music and pursuing something else. This is who I am and what I’m meant to do.
Musically, November’s Doom is just that: doom. There’s a lot of death metal happening in the sound as well. What do you think it is that drives the band, not just yourself, to play a style of music that is depressing as hell to listen to?
See unfortunately I have to disagree with you a bit on this one… we really don’t consider ourselves a “doom” band, though doom metal is definitely part of what we do. Don’t get me wrong, I think doom metal is great and we’ll always be into it to some degree, and I know alot of our fans are doom metal fans in general. But we decided long ago that we didn’t want to be one of those bands who just fit neatly into one small category like that, but it doesn’t sum up everything we’re about, and it’s just not the overall focus of what we do. We’ve got plenty of death metal in there too like you mentioned, and some classic metal, but we have alot of non-metal influence as well, plenty of other influences from Pink Floyd to the Beatles and so forth. The musical/instrumental part of our sound I think is quite varied. But our lyrics are probably the most consistently dark and “depressing” factor in our music, I suppose, but that’s just because Paul tends to write about things that are going on with him, physically and mentally, and alot of it is not the happiest shit to talk about, unfortunately for him. But it serves as a means of catharsis to be able to sing about it. So that catharsis, and the drive to be an artist and do music that means something to him, is definitely what drives Paul. And I would say that it pretty much sums up the rest of us as well. Bear in mind, however, that we’re not a bunch of depressed negative people all the time. We’re normal guys, with a goofy sense of humour lots of times, and we have families and relationships and so forth. Playing this kind of music just seems to come from us naturally, and I guess it’s drawing from that darker place in our personalities that just needs to come out somehow. We’re not a band that draws from fantasy or tries to fit into some kind of image. Everything we write is just what flows out of us at the time, depending on our moods and mindset. Which is a big part of why no two NOVEMBERS DOOM cds sound exactly alike, because we’re always growing and changing as people, and the music we write reflects that. We don’t intentionally write music to “depress” people, really we just want our music to promote thought. It’s music that hopefully puts you in a mood, whatever mood that happens to be, and causes you to think about things.
The band has gone through a lot of changes in members, Wikipedia stating that there are 13 “Former Members”. Has this made it hard for November’s Doom to continue, or has the lineup changes made it an interesting challenge. Or, even, does it not matter?
Well, when you consider that the band officially began in 1989, it’s not hard to understand why there’ve been so many changes in the lineup, as that tends to be how it goes as people grow up and change or move on in their lives. It’s sad sometimes to see certain people drift apart and have to leave them behind in order to keep the band moving forward. But I think overall the changes we’ve made have always been for the better. Every album we’ve done, I believe, has gotten better and better, and that’s largely due to the new people we take into the band. We always want to make sure that the new members are not only cool and on the same wavelength as us, but also that they’re a step above the person before them in terms of musical ability. We try really hard not to take any steps backwards.
I don’t know how long ago the official site was updated with your mini-bio, so about your favorite books and albums: any new ones recently?
Yeah, come to think of it, that bio on our site hasn’t been updated in quite some time. I usually tend to update it on things like Myspace or Facebook but always forget about the one on the official site! I’m always coming across new music or books that entice me. Lately I really love Mastodon’s “Crack The Skye” and the new Paradise Lost and Katatonia cds too, just for example. As far as books goes, I read alot of biographies on various kinds of artists in music, film, etc. I read some comics like Nova and Spider-Man and G.I. Joe. As for fiction books, I liked the Dexter series of books as well as Harry Potter, and I don’t really care if people think that’s lame or whatever. I’m an adult man who can choose what I like and couldn’t care less if it’s approved by the metal minions out there, haha.
Despite the fact that the same mini-bio has ruined this question, I won’t let it stop me! What kind of gear do you use? Any new additions to the arsenal?
I think I have updated my gear since that was written, actually. My main guitars are Fender Squire Subsonic baritones. I have two of them, and while they’re not expensive guitars, they are by far the best baritone guitars I’ve owned or played, and I’ve played quite a few. They’re extremely well made and they feel great, which I admit kinda surprised me at first. They’re even neck-through, not bolt-on necks, which is super comfortable. Sadly they don’t make them anymore. For live gigs I use Line 6 Flextone I heads, and in the studio I use a variety of different heads. On our latest cd I mainly used a Mesa Boogie DC-10 which was extremely thick and powerful. And I have a couple of 4×12 cabinets with vintage 30 Celestion speakers. I don’t use much in terms of effects or anything, a little bit of delay and chorus for leads sometimes but that’s it.
And finally, what can we expect from November’s Doom in the next six months? Twelve?
We just spent the last couple of months playing some one-off festival dates in various places like Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal, and the U.S. We’re heading up to Calgary in a couple of weeks to play the Noctis III fest, and then perhaps some midwest dates with Woods Of Ypres shortly thereafter. No real plans yet for a U.S. tour, because we’re very picky about who we’ll work with and what we’ll settle for when it comes to playing the States. We’ve spent enough years of our lives trying to play good shows here and not get completely screwed and it’s hard. Overseas we fare much better and play better shows for bigger crowds, and we sell good over there, so naturally we tend to tour there more. But we’re discussing plans for the States, we’d especially love to get out to the west coast and southwest and even just do a short tour in that area, since we’ve never really tackled that part of the country. We’re also making plans to go film our next music video, which we’ll probably do down in Florida with Cage XXI productions again, who we made our “Autumn Reflection” video with. And then aside from that, the plan is to start writing music for the next cd, which we’ll start doing here in the late fall. We’re all quite eager to get back to writing, even though the new cd is only a few months old. I’d like to get in the studio again sometime in 2010 if possible.
Any thing you would like to add to this?
We appreciate everyone’s support, and want the fans to know that bands can’t carry on for long without them. Buy the cds, go to the shows, buy a t-shirt, join the Facebook groups, post your comments on Youtube, and just generally help spread the word if you really like a band. It all greatly helps and it’s not getting any easier for bands to keep things going these days, though you might not realise that. So we really do appreciate the fans who support us and spread the word, and we appreciate being given space in interviews such as this to get the word out as well. Thanks and cheers!
Oh Jesus Christ. I bought this DVD at Wal-Mart for $5. So already I knew the quality. The fact that it’s an epic battle between a… well… mega shark and a giant octopus… let’s just say I knew it was going to be crap, but probably a fun watch anyway.
Boy was I mostly wrong.
First up, if you’re going to use CGI to do a fair amount of the action for you (shark coming towards naval ship for example), don’t use the SAME DAMN SHOT three or more times. Or when your shark and octopus are fighting.
There were other instances as well. Stock footage is weak. It’s even weaker when used multiple times.
Second, if you’re going to write a movie and fill it with nobodies, at least make sure they can act. These people cannot. And, along with this, make sure the plot is believable. For the most part, this movie is not bad in that regard, but the ‘love story’ is complete shit. People don’t know each other for a day or so and then fall madly in love to have sex on a navy ship. Just doesn’t happen.
Finally, continuity errors are crappy, especially when they are brutally blatant. If you remove those, chances are you’re on your way to a brighter future as a filmmaker.
And include some kind of special features on the DVD! A “Making Of…” or “An Interview With…” or even a drunken commentary track.
Unfortunately for me, however, there is also a sequel. Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus, which naturally I now have to hunt down and buy, simply because it stars Jaleel “Steve Urkel” White and Robert “The Doctor” Picardo, and looks to be a better movie in general.
Check the trailers for both flicks below.
4 out of 10.
