Utopia Platafórmica

Bran - “Odcházeni” (Signal Rex, 2022) Warlike melodies wrapped in bucolic and dormant atmospheres. From sharp riffs, so Black Metal, to delicate and almost sweet moments. The musical reality that this Czech trio exposes us to is truly expansive and challenging. From icy Black Metal to richer details in Heavy Metal melody, these 4 songs are rich in quality, where the identity so strong of Eastern Black Metal is felt. Novices in this edition - at least under the name Bran - the trio manages to create a whole fantastic environment, where that idea that we sometimes have of “something missing to fill in the spaces”, does not exist here.  The atmospheres, the riffs, the details, all very well conceived, avoiding these “hollow spaces”. And the transition from violent lines to calmer moments is done in an almost natural way, as if this were the natural order of things. Undoubtedly these 4 tracks will leave a mark. The acoustic guitars with which they open the last track also show some...

Alghol – From the Swamps…   Continuing with this hard task of digging up old interviews that were not posted, we head to Portland, Maine. After an amazing EP ("Forgotten Paths"), we reach 2022 and the artist's new release: "From the Caverns..." (2022). Let us walk into the swamp, and drown… Welcome. Allow me to tell you that “Forgotten Paths” is a superb Black Metal release, one of the best I have had the opportunity to listen to in a long time. What is the concept behind it? Thank you! Much appreciated! As for the concept, “Forgotten Paths” was primarily inspired by early 90’s Black Metal and the kind of mystery that surrounded the scene back then. There’s a zine I was reading around the time I recorded the EP called “Forgotten Path Magazine,” and their mission statement talks about resurrecting old traditions and spirit of the underground. I thought that was a really cool idea, so that kind of became the theme/concept for the song “Forgotten Paths”. I want...

Grievance – A Constante Presença da Ancestralidade Tivemos a oportunidade de falar, ano passado – 2019 – ainda que de forma breve e muito específica, se o posso dizer. Desta feita quero aproveitar a oportunidade para te colocar questões mais abrangentes. Obrigado, mais uma vez, pela oportunidade de, pela 2.ª vez, te incomodar com algumas perguntas. Antes de mais, parabéns pelo mais recente álbum ("Nos Olhos da Coruja").  Comecemos pelo início, comecemos por 1997. Como tem sido esta caminhada com Grievance? Tem sido uma caminhada cheia de peripécias e mudanças, que tem acompanhado toda a minha vida adulta, praticamente. Olhando parar trás e para o ano da formação é quase milagroso o facto de Grievance ainda existir, pelo facto de ter sido formada como um duo e agora funcionar como projecto a solo, algo que nunca me teria passado pela cabeça na altura, mas a força de continuar sobrepôs-se a tudo, inclusive a esse facto, e aqui estou, quase 25 anos depois. A musica evoluiu...

Arbor The North American scene has given us, recently, so many good releases that I believe it did change people’s idea on USBM. I know it did change mine. From the visceral and pungent butchers in Profanatica, or VON, to the XXI century and the likes of Arbor, the focus of this article, Black Metal from the other side of the pond has changes a lot… or maybe it was our perspective that changed. Arbor is a one-man-band from the New York, in the state of New York. The man, by the name Taurus, also conjures Black Metal in Fellwinter and Gauntlet Ring, and I advise all of you to check both, in case you have not already. Arbor plays Black Metal, rooted in melody and a not so weak melancholy. Why not weak? Well, I am a sucker of melody, and I look for melody in whatever genre I listen to. The idea of being just a big sonic blur, is something I despise; the idea of random noises, just no… “Winter Moon”, from 2021, is Taurus’ first release with Arbor, and what a release it is. This Ne...

Thank you very much for your willingness to answer these questions. It is, without a doubt, a pleasure. Of course, thank you for the opportunity.   Let us start at the beginning: tell us a little about the history of this project. The concept and idea for Adrasteia started in the winter of 2018 and became fully realized and embodied in late 2019. Adrasteia has many meanings, in Greek it translates to “inescapable.” It also refers to the nymph who raised Zeus in secret from his father.     From what sources does the inspiration for your sound come from? It is not limited to Black Metal or Ambient; it is a whole "beast" formed by these and different melodies. My primary source of inspiration comes from the harsh beauty of winter.   Within nature, we find the life cycle of brutality and awe from roaring tundra to the gentle snowfall and the mysterious magnetic conjurations of the moon.   Sonically, there is a lot of inspiration taken from bands like Paysa...