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Gerald Chau of Gendo Ikari

David Bowes spoke to Gendo Ikari’s Gerald Chau about the band’s beginnings and the creation of their brilliant debut LP Rokobungi.

Imperial Crystalline Entombment – Ancient Glacial Resurgence

This is breakneck black metal, an adrenalised take on the second wave’s coldest, bleakest melodicism that never gives the listener time to catch their breath.

Festival Review: Core.

So was the first instalment of Core. Festival a success? In almost every respect, yes.

夢遊病者 – Skopofoboexoskelett

Its 25 minutes are crammed with styles, ideas and fragmented motifs. Sometime they are brought into close contact, disparate tones and melodies pressed elbow-to-elbow and forced to share an uneasy coexistence, like warring troops forced into a shared trench.

Bruce Lamont from Yakuza

David Bowes spoke to Yakuza’s Bruce Lamont to discuss their return to power Sutra and how Chicago has influenced their sound.

David Weaver and Daniel Mutch of Core. Festival

With only a few weeks to go, David Bowes spoke to organisers David Weaver and Daniel Mutch about the first edition of Glasgow’s Core. Festival.

Frank Allain from Fen

David Bowes spoke to Frank Allain from UK post-black metallers Fen to discuss their searing return to form Monuments To Absence.

Takiaya Reed from Divide And Dissolve

David Bowes spoke to Divide And Dissolve’s Takiaya Reed to discuss the role of intuition in the steering of their sound.

Thy Catafalque – Alföld

It’s a lean and focused album, one that channels their early output while skilfully interweaving the diverse influences that they’ve picked up since then, but it does so in a way that feels natural and trims off any excess with brutal precision.

Bongzilla – Dab City

Dab City is a damn-near perfect representation of why they remain legends.

Rachel Davies from Esben and the Witch

David Bowes spoke to Esben and the Witch’s Rachel Davies about their latest record Hold Sacred, new beginnings and hidden spaces.

Berg and Fluss from Aara

As their epic Triade trilogy draws to a close, David Bowes spoke to Berg and Fluss of Swiss black metallers Aara to discuss its creation.

Mesmur – Chthonic

Chthonic isn’t the sound of a band seeking to reinvent themselves or their genre but it does show their ability to tap into what makes this music work.

Bacchus – II

There’s a perversely defiant spirit that runs through it, saturating each riff that strives to reach both heaven and hell. In seeking to explore the profundity of intoxication, Bacchus seem to have become one of the few bands around to replicate the bravado and regret that comes from any good sesh.

20 Years of Debemur Morti Productions

To celebrate 20 years of existence, David Bowes spoke to Debemur Morti Productions founder Phil to discuss the label’s lasting legacy.

As Light Dies – The Laniakea Architecture Vol.II

There is no denying that As Light Dies are musical chameleons. They have demonstrated that throughout their career, and with The Laniakea Architecture they have pushed their ambition and skill to its very limit.

Aara – Triade III: Nyx

It’s a rich slice of gothic drama that just so happens to sound like a bloody great atmospheric black metal record.

Megalith Levitation – Obscure Fire

They have an ability to infuse their heaviest moments with a thick, lysergic groove that makes it seem to crawl and slither out of the speakers. They create miasmas that reek of sulphur and incense, filling all available space with eldritch otherness.

Rotten Sound – Apocalypse

There’s no elitism, just a desire to play fast and loud and to make their voices heard. If you’ve listened to Rotten Sound at all in the past 30 years, ‘Apocalypse’ will feel like an old comrade in arms dragging you back into the fray.

BIG|BRAVE – nature morte

With nature morte, the Montreal trio have expanded the breadth of their sound and message while sacrificing none of what came before.

NAUT – Hunt

There’s enough variation that each of these eight cuts is able to forge its own identity while retaining a ‘last dance before doomsday’ vibe that is as authentic as it is relatable.

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