1.Expectation of Winter Dormancy 11:13
2.Cold of Loneliness 09:35
3.Do Not Close In 05:20
4.Timelessness 10:21
5.In Vain Wanderings 11:35
Genre: Doom/Death Metal
Rating: 4/10
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Aequiternus - Cold Of Loneliness (2011)
1.Expectation of Winter Dormancy 11:13
2.Cold of Loneliness 09:35
3.Do Not Close In 05:20
4.Timelessness 10:21
5.In Vain Wanderings 11:35
Genre: Doom/Death Metal
Rating: 4/10
Goetia - Theurgia Goetia [ep] (2011)
1.Void I am Myself 04:49
2.50.000 Breaths 04:13
3.Hawk-Headed God Enthroned 04:11
4.Paths of Seth (2nd Seal) 03:45
Genre: Black Metal
Rating: 9/10
Dead Eyed Sleeper - Observing Oblivion (2011)
1. Annihilation Of Opposites
2. Internal Subjugation
3. Narcistic Panopticum
4. The Soothing Intrusion
5. Sullen Eyed Reternity
6. Efficiency In Conceit
7. Abysm
8. The Dead Eyed Sleeper / Pt. II ~ The Ethereal Lake
Genre: Progressive/Technical Death Metal
Rating: 8/10
Wizard Smoke - The Speed Of Smoke (2011)
1. Dead Wood 6:56
2. Butcher 5:19
3. Weakling 8:06
4. Growing 10:49
5. Panama II 8:13
6. Witches Brew 6:18
Genre: Stoner/Sludge Metal
Rating: 6/10
Servile Sect - Realms Of The Queen (2011)
1.Only the Sky is Gentle 04:38
2.Stabbing Through 06:53
3.Burning Season 04:34
4.Stone Shore Shrine 04:46
5.Shiver Off the Heat, Shiver Off the Feeling 06:21
6.The Howling Abyss 02:24
7.Seven Whole Days 05:10
8.Universe and Self, Sender and Receiver 08:35
Genre: Experimental Black Metal
Rating: 7/10
Sons Of Seasons - Magnisphyricon (2011)
01 Magnisphyricon: Temperance 2:03
02 Bubonic Waltz 5:47
03 Soul Symmetry 5:01
04 Sanctuary 5:56
05 Casus Belli I: Guilt's Mirror 6:01
06 Magnisphyricon: Adjustment 0:41
07 Into The Void 5:17
08 Nightbird's Gospel 7:03
09 Tales Of Greed 4:56
10 Lilith 5:30
11 Casus Belli II: Necrologue To The Unborn 5:26
12 Magnisphyricon: The Aeon 0:23
13 1413 6:53
14 Yesteryears 5:06
Genre: Progressive/Symphonic Metal
Rating: 7/10
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
The Noob Exchange: Hugo Flores and Jessica Lehto (Factory of Dreams) Interview
First and foremost, thank you both for taking the time to do this interview with me.
Factory of Dreams: It's our pleasure!
1) I know that you both are involved in other musical projects so i guess my first question is how did it come about that you two got involved with Factory of Dreams? How did this collaboration come together?
Jessica: Hugo got in touch with me back in late 2007 via MySpace, asking me if I'd be interested in doing vocals for his new project. He sent me some demo samples and I liked what I heard, so I recorded some demo vocals and sent them over to him. Luckily he liked what he heard and collaboration began.
Hugo: Yep, that's pretty much it! Jessica was a real find and to me one of the best vocalists around today because she doesn't merely sing extremely well, but she can also do her own music and recordings. I searched a lot, both within my home country and abroad. I even put out a few adverts late 2007, but no one was close to Jessica and after hearing the demo she did, I was blown away! Melotronical is the result after 3 years of hard work with Factory of Dreams.
Just to provide some insight into this, I started Factory of Dreams so I could create less complex music than my Project Creation that was totally focused on progressive and a more experimental musical approach.
Nevertheless, Factory still is prog, but a more direct one I suppose. The 'Cybermetal' kind of genre could eventually be a good definition for our sound.
2) When i listen to "Melotronical" i hear a variety of different things musically. With Jessica i can almost hear what seems to be an almost Enya-esque type of vocals. What are your influences or inspirations?
Jessica: It's cool that you mention Enya, that's definitely one of my influences! Apart from her I also listen to The Gathering, Ladytron, Björk, Sarah Brightman, Nightwish, Within Temptation, Anna Ternheim and so on, so I guess I'm influenced by these bands/artists as well. I find inspiration not only in other music but also from people around me and beautiful landscapes.
Hugo: ah Ladytron, listening to that band now actually, pretty alternative/electro synth stuff. I enjoy most of what Jess mentioned, and I agree, you can find a little of Enya there, especially listening to tracks from Melotronical such as 'Back to Sleep'. Jessica's track Broken is also a good example of some Enya's influences to me, and we even did a remake of this track, included as a bonus track for 'A Strange Utopia'.
As far as music is concerned, I'm listening to Therion, Dimmu Borgir, Birthday Massacre, Devin Townsend, Within Temptation, Ladytron.
Besides this, I love sci-fi movies, and books, always have. I was very influenced by Steven Spielberg's movies when I was little, Close Encounters, E.T , but also Alien from Ridley Scott, The Thing by John Carpenter, etc.. I also like astronomy, mysterious things, and all this leads me to expand these ideas in musical form. Another inspiration I must confess was new age music that introduced me to synthesizers, and to great melodies, so this was a starting point to evolve and incorporate more electric instruments with the music. David Arkenstone was perhaps my biggest influence. He does new age music but also symphonic rock and pretty epic stuff.
3) Im extremely fascinated by how well you work together despite being miles apart. How difficult is it to pull off such a collaboration of this kind?
Jessica: I don't think it's too hard, but of course it has also gotten smoother and smoother for each record since I've gotten to know Hugo's music better when working on each release. Still the way we work has kept being the same since it works out very well. He sends me tracks and lyrics as he finishes them, I record stuff, send him a demo, sometimes he asks me to change something and then I do that, sometimes I realize I want to change something and then I do that, and then I send him the actual recordings for mixing.
Hugo: Yea, for Melotronical I hardly noticed anything to change about Jessica's vocals. I did rerecord a few of mine, but not that much, just a few spots where more aggressiveness was required.
But Jessica is kind of a perfectionist so she was always saying, 'oh I'll just rerecord this little thing here', and I'd say 'Sure, ok, I think it's ok but yea'…Then after that change, 'hmmm, I can make it even better' and I'd say 'Yea sure, hell why not'.. It's like that movie with Bill Murray 'Groundhog Day' that goes around in circles lol (a favorite movie of mien too). Nah, I'm exaggerating, Jess just did that for a few tracks, but she really wanted to make everything perfect and I really must praise the attitude J
I like the way we work and honestly I think it's the best way. We wouldn't get too much work done anyway if we were to be on the same studio, goofing around is more fun ahah
4) Sweden has always been known for a hot spot for metal bands of all kinds. The most notable act coming out of Portugual is Moonspell but in the last few years it does seem to be garnering more attention with bands like Factory of Dreams, Lux Ferre, and The Ransack. Do you sense a movement in the music scene coming out of your home country Hugo?
Hugo: March was a great month for Portugal. We've seen Factory of Dreams, Heavenwood, Urban Tales, A Dream of Poe and a few other acts releasing good albums, and some with notable international acclaim. There was a period where there was stagnation. The market was adapting to the internet and to new 'rules' if you will of producing and marketing music. That is being overcome gradually, and Portugal is no exception. Another band that I should mention is Web, that just release an album called Deviance and they….arghhh….they 'dethroned' us from number 1 at the charts from http://vianocturna2000.blogspot.com/ (a great Portugeuse radio and webzine). Kudos to them of course J.
5) For me, some of my favorite tracks on the new record are "Melotronical", "Obsessical", "Whispering Eyes", and "Protonic Stream". Do either of you have any favorite tracks or moments on the new record?
Jessica: My favourite tracks are probably “Obsessical” and “Back To Sleep”, and perhaps also “Reprogramming”. In “Whispering Eyes” and “Dimension Crusher” I really like the interaction between Hugo's vocals and mine, Hugo is a really good singer and I'm really happy that he decided to do the male vocals for this release. I enjoy his aggressive vocals in “Protonic Stream”, they really contribute with a lot for the track.
Hugo: Thanks Jess. I do what I can, but you're a far a better singer ;) Obsessical, Protonic Stream and Back to Sleep are my favs. Obsessical due to it's power. It's a contagious track, the energy really takes us in. Protonic due to the melodies and variety and it's an emblematic track lyrically, easily one of the best I've ever produced. Back to Sleep is so atmospheric and melodic, very beautiful. And while hearing it, try to close your eyes and wander through the galaxies…
Whispering Eyes was the natural single, it's catchy, powerful and still prog.
6) Now, have you two ever performed live together or have any plans to tour for this project?
Hugo: It's difficult, and I never thought about it thoroughly since from the start this was planned to be a studio based band. We'll see about it, we never know. Right now, we're focused on other stuff as well that Jess will let ya know later on the interview J.
7) Is there a specific concept to "Melotronical" lyrically speaking?
Hugo: There is yes. Following the track list order, there's is a story that we're telling. It's all about how an 'engineered' molecule evolves into a living breathing entity and how she experiences emotions and life.
Instead of focusing on visually creating worlds and strange Lands as opposed to 'A Strange Utopia', I basically wanted to follow closely the sound that my new songs were developing. The sound was very electronic, like a kind of sonic boom of tronic sound, whatever this means..
So, moving on with the storyline, this new 'Entity' simply does not know that it can change her own dimension, so one of the 'messages' that Melotronical is telling is that we're all capable of 'Creation', and we do have the capabilities to determine the course of our lives, if we're determined to do that. Upon reaching 'Dimension Crusher', the entity destroys her current dimension and via Reprogramming starts rebuilding a whole new one, reprogrammed to meet her visions and desires as a conscious being.
As I mentioned, there's also a strong criticism towards our own world. So is the case with 'Protonic Stream', the aforementioned track:
“Welcome to the System
Made for Survival
Not for Living
Protonic Stream”
There's little time to fully 'Live'. This is more of a prison and a pseudo-democracy. The album deals with destiny, with creation, with freedom. In our world and in the world of Melotronical, people follow trends, follow a leader, 'destiny' controls them and not the other way 'round.
When the album begins, with the aggressive 'Enter Nucleon' , we witness this electronic molecule evolve, she discovers the world and falls in love with it. The music is chaotic, frantic, because the concept demanded the fusion of atomic particles to occur. Upon track 3 it becomes a living breathing entity living in a paradise world. Once things start getting clearer, the world isn't such a paradise anymore, stressful lives and no time to really enjoy it makes the world seem darker. The rest of the album is this constant search for a way to change things and to change its own dimension. Reprogram the universe!
Finally, the name Melotronical came to mind because it was a symbiosis between Music and Machinery. The theme is indeed different from what we usually go for on Factory of Dreams, even though it's always science-fiction.
8) Any plans on doing any video's for the new record? And if so, what song or songs might we see in the future?
Jessica: A third video clip is being planned, so hopefully all that needs to be ironed out around that project will match soon. What song that might be we might keep as a little surprise :)
Hugo: Yes, very excited about! That's gonna be the highlight now and will take loads of efforts and time. We're trying to setup an epic set and having quite an atmospheric take on the video's visuals and aesthetics. I think it's gonna be awesome!
9) I had previously read a statement by you Jessica that initially when you started working with Hugo you had to adjust your vocal style to fit the music. For myself i have to say that listening to all 3 records this one seems the most cohesive or fluent when it comes to the chemistry of you two. Do you both feel more comfortable with each other now or is it just simply a natural progression of the music?
Jessica: That's true yes, at first I wasn't used to such fast-paced vocals so it really was a challenge. By now it feels natural to sing this way, so I guess it's a natural progression yes. I've always felt comfortable working with Hugo, but of course, the more you work together the more comfortable it might get, so I suppose that might have something to do with it as well. I know fairly well what Hugo expects and I know fairly well what to expect from him, too, so that helps. I think what has mainly developed though is a deeper friendship. Perhaps that is somehow reflected in the work too, although I don't see how, just brainstorming here ;)
Hugo: I don't see this as a strictly professional collaboration, it's just two friends working on what they enjoy, Jessica said it all. We speak regularly and not just about music, so, we share the friendship and that's cool because you can work so easily that way. Jessica is just a very nice person.
I agree with Jess, it's a natural progression. Musically, and I speak for the music alone, I hardly do the same with each record. This time, perhaps influenced by a growingly violent world, I did emphasize the more aggressive side of Factory's music, thus reflecting that state of mind. Still, it's a very enjoyable album with atmospheric passages as is usually with Factory's sound.
10) Ive been a fan of music for over 35 years and i like to ask this question whenever i do interviews. I think it would be safe to say because of the internet, music tv, etc that last 20 years has been somewhat of an oversaturation of bands and music. In order to survive you really need to stand out as a artist and ironically i almost missed hearing you guys and only found you by accident. But when i did i fell in love with the music and craftsmanship that you both put into this project. Do you find it frustrating to try and get interests for Factory of Dreams or do you simply just do it for the love of the music?
Jessica: To me the important thing is just to do this as long as it makes me happy. I don't think that much about the interests in the project although it's of course nice when people like what we do, saying something else would be a lie. But it's not frustrating trying to find interests since I don't handle promotional stuff really, hehe. Hugo is a good soul doing that via Facebook, MySpace, Reverbnation and what not.
Hugo: Music first, but this is our 3rd album and I'm consciently working to promote the band. I mean, if the music indeed is good and most of all original, people should listen and the word has to go out to the most people possible. If we have the means to do that, well that's another question, but we try our best and we're not alone; we have a cool label backing us plus good friends such as you James and other magazines, sites and radios and journalists. So, let's keep on doing what we do and better.
It's not easy indeed to make new fans every day, but it's possible if we have the intelligence, the creativeness, and, has to be said, the money to do it.
Musically, I don't see no boundaries. The secret here is to do what you want, no matter what. This ensures your mark and your originality. We tend to keep surprises coming with each track, thus ensuring a driving force towards this originality and a rupture with the norm.
11) I want to thank you both again for taking the time out to answer this humble man's questions but if you havent guessed by now ive become a big fan of you both and look forward to future releases. As of the moment "Melotronical" is still my favorite album of 2011 and is in constant replay on my ipod. Is there anything you would like to say to your fans?
Jessica: Thank you for your time and for the nice questions! And thanks to the people out there who listen to us, it's really great that you enjoy what we do. Keep listening :)
Hugo: Ah, this was so enjoyable and easy to do, cuz for once, Jessica lead the interview, so, she said almost everything before me ;) ahah
Many thanks James, and thanks to Itsallabotumusic Radio friends for the fantastic, and I really mean it , FANTASTIC support!
Factory of Dreams: It's our pleasure!
1) I know that you both are involved in other musical projects so i guess my first question is how did it come about that you two got involved with Factory of Dreams? How did this collaboration come together?
Jessica: Hugo got in touch with me back in late 2007 via MySpace, asking me if I'd be interested in doing vocals for his new project. He sent me some demo samples and I liked what I heard, so I recorded some demo vocals and sent them over to him. Luckily he liked what he heard and collaboration began.
Hugo: Yep, that's pretty much it! Jessica was a real find and to me one of the best vocalists around today because she doesn't merely sing extremely well, but she can also do her own music and recordings. I searched a lot, both within my home country and abroad. I even put out a few adverts late 2007, but no one was close to Jessica and after hearing the demo she did, I was blown away! Melotronical is the result after 3 years of hard work with Factory of Dreams.
Just to provide some insight into this, I started Factory of Dreams so I could create less complex music than my Project Creation that was totally focused on progressive and a more experimental musical approach.
Nevertheless, Factory still is prog, but a more direct one I suppose. The 'Cybermetal' kind of genre could eventually be a good definition for our sound.
2) When i listen to "Melotronical" i hear a variety of different things musically. With Jessica i can almost hear what seems to be an almost Enya-esque type of vocals. What are your influences or inspirations?
Jessica: It's cool that you mention Enya, that's definitely one of my influences! Apart from her I also listen to The Gathering, Ladytron, Björk, Sarah Brightman, Nightwish, Within Temptation, Anna Ternheim and so on, so I guess I'm influenced by these bands/artists as well. I find inspiration not only in other music but also from people around me and beautiful landscapes.
Hugo: ah Ladytron, listening to that band now actually, pretty alternative/electro synth stuff. I enjoy most of what Jess mentioned, and I agree, you can find a little of Enya there, especially listening to tracks from Melotronical such as 'Back to Sleep'. Jessica's track Broken is also a good example of some Enya's influences to me, and we even did a remake of this track, included as a bonus track for 'A Strange Utopia'.
As far as music is concerned, I'm listening to Therion, Dimmu Borgir, Birthday Massacre, Devin Townsend, Within Temptation, Ladytron.
Besides this, I love sci-fi movies, and books, always have. I was very influenced by Steven Spielberg's movies when I was little, Close Encounters, E.T , but also Alien from Ridley Scott, The Thing by John Carpenter, etc.. I also like astronomy, mysterious things, and all this leads me to expand these ideas in musical form. Another inspiration I must confess was new age music that introduced me to synthesizers, and to great melodies, so this was a starting point to evolve and incorporate more electric instruments with the music. David Arkenstone was perhaps my biggest influence. He does new age music but also symphonic rock and pretty epic stuff.
3) Im extremely fascinated by how well you work together despite being miles apart. How difficult is it to pull off such a collaboration of this kind?
Jessica: I don't think it's too hard, but of course it has also gotten smoother and smoother for each record since I've gotten to know Hugo's music better when working on each release. Still the way we work has kept being the same since it works out very well. He sends me tracks and lyrics as he finishes them, I record stuff, send him a demo, sometimes he asks me to change something and then I do that, sometimes I realize I want to change something and then I do that, and then I send him the actual recordings for mixing.
Hugo: Yea, for Melotronical I hardly noticed anything to change about Jessica's vocals. I did rerecord a few of mine, but not that much, just a few spots where more aggressiveness was required.
But Jessica is kind of a perfectionist so she was always saying, 'oh I'll just rerecord this little thing here', and I'd say 'Sure, ok, I think it's ok but yea'…Then after that change, 'hmmm, I can make it even better' and I'd say 'Yea sure, hell why not'.. It's like that movie with Bill Murray 'Groundhog Day' that goes around in circles lol (a favorite movie of mien too). Nah, I'm exaggerating, Jess just did that for a few tracks, but she really wanted to make everything perfect and I really must praise the attitude J
I like the way we work and honestly I think it's the best way. We wouldn't get too much work done anyway if we were to be on the same studio, goofing around is more fun ahah
4) Sweden has always been known for a hot spot for metal bands of all kinds. The most notable act coming out of Portugual is Moonspell but in the last few years it does seem to be garnering more attention with bands like Factory of Dreams, Lux Ferre, and The Ransack. Do you sense a movement in the music scene coming out of your home country Hugo?
Hugo: March was a great month for Portugal. We've seen Factory of Dreams, Heavenwood, Urban Tales, A Dream of Poe and a few other acts releasing good albums, and some with notable international acclaim. There was a period where there was stagnation. The market was adapting to the internet and to new 'rules' if you will of producing and marketing music. That is being overcome gradually, and Portugal is no exception. Another band that I should mention is Web, that just release an album called Deviance and they….arghhh….they 'dethroned' us from number 1 at the charts from http://vianocturna2000.blogspot.com/ (a great Portugeuse radio and webzine). Kudos to them of course J.
5) For me, some of my favorite tracks on the new record are "Melotronical", "Obsessical", "Whispering Eyes", and "Protonic Stream". Do either of you have any favorite tracks or moments on the new record?
Jessica: My favourite tracks are probably “Obsessical” and “Back To Sleep”, and perhaps also “Reprogramming”. In “Whispering Eyes” and “Dimension Crusher” I really like the interaction between Hugo's vocals and mine, Hugo is a really good singer and I'm really happy that he decided to do the male vocals for this release. I enjoy his aggressive vocals in “Protonic Stream”, they really contribute with a lot for the track.
Hugo: Thanks Jess. I do what I can, but you're a far a better singer ;) Obsessical, Protonic Stream and Back to Sleep are my favs. Obsessical due to it's power. It's a contagious track, the energy really takes us in. Protonic due to the melodies and variety and it's an emblematic track lyrically, easily one of the best I've ever produced. Back to Sleep is so atmospheric and melodic, very beautiful. And while hearing it, try to close your eyes and wander through the galaxies…
Whispering Eyes was the natural single, it's catchy, powerful and still prog.
6) Now, have you two ever performed live together or have any plans to tour for this project?
Hugo: It's difficult, and I never thought about it thoroughly since from the start this was planned to be a studio based band. We'll see about it, we never know. Right now, we're focused on other stuff as well that Jess will let ya know later on the interview J.
7) Is there a specific concept to "Melotronical" lyrically speaking?
Hugo: There is yes. Following the track list order, there's is a story that we're telling. It's all about how an 'engineered' molecule evolves into a living breathing entity and how she experiences emotions and life.
Instead of focusing on visually creating worlds and strange Lands as opposed to 'A Strange Utopia', I basically wanted to follow closely the sound that my new songs were developing. The sound was very electronic, like a kind of sonic boom of tronic sound, whatever this means..
So, moving on with the storyline, this new 'Entity' simply does not know that it can change her own dimension, so one of the 'messages' that Melotronical is telling is that we're all capable of 'Creation', and we do have the capabilities to determine the course of our lives, if we're determined to do that. Upon reaching 'Dimension Crusher', the entity destroys her current dimension and via Reprogramming starts rebuilding a whole new one, reprogrammed to meet her visions and desires as a conscious being.
As I mentioned, there's also a strong criticism towards our own world. So is the case with 'Protonic Stream', the aforementioned track:
“Welcome to the System
Made for Survival
Not for Living
Protonic Stream”
There's little time to fully 'Live'. This is more of a prison and a pseudo-democracy. The album deals with destiny, with creation, with freedom. In our world and in the world of Melotronical, people follow trends, follow a leader, 'destiny' controls them and not the other way 'round.
When the album begins, with the aggressive 'Enter Nucleon' , we witness this electronic molecule evolve, she discovers the world and falls in love with it. The music is chaotic, frantic, because the concept demanded the fusion of atomic particles to occur. Upon track 3 it becomes a living breathing entity living in a paradise world. Once things start getting clearer, the world isn't such a paradise anymore, stressful lives and no time to really enjoy it makes the world seem darker. The rest of the album is this constant search for a way to change things and to change its own dimension. Reprogram the universe!
Finally, the name Melotronical came to mind because it was a symbiosis between Music and Machinery. The theme is indeed different from what we usually go for on Factory of Dreams, even though it's always science-fiction.
8) Any plans on doing any video's for the new record? And if so, what song or songs might we see in the future?
Jessica: A third video clip is being planned, so hopefully all that needs to be ironed out around that project will match soon. What song that might be we might keep as a little surprise :)
Hugo: Yes, very excited about! That's gonna be the highlight now and will take loads of efforts and time. We're trying to setup an epic set and having quite an atmospheric take on the video's visuals and aesthetics. I think it's gonna be awesome!
9) I had previously read a statement by you Jessica that initially when you started working with Hugo you had to adjust your vocal style to fit the music. For myself i have to say that listening to all 3 records this one seems the most cohesive or fluent when it comes to the chemistry of you two. Do you both feel more comfortable with each other now or is it just simply a natural progression of the music?
Jessica: That's true yes, at first I wasn't used to such fast-paced vocals so it really was a challenge. By now it feels natural to sing this way, so I guess it's a natural progression yes. I've always felt comfortable working with Hugo, but of course, the more you work together the more comfortable it might get, so I suppose that might have something to do with it as well. I know fairly well what Hugo expects and I know fairly well what to expect from him, too, so that helps. I think what has mainly developed though is a deeper friendship. Perhaps that is somehow reflected in the work too, although I don't see how, just brainstorming here ;)
Hugo: I don't see this as a strictly professional collaboration, it's just two friends working on what they enjoy, Jessica said it all. We speak regularly and not just about music, so, we share the friendship and that's cool because you can work so easily that way. Jessica is just a very nice person.
I agree with Jess, it's a natural progression. Musically, and I speak for the music alone, I hardly do the same with each record. This time, perhaps influenced by a growingly violent world, I did emphasize the more aggressive side of Factory's music, thus reflecting that state of mind. Still, it's a very enjoyable album with atmospheric passages as is usually with Factory's sound.
10) Ive been a fan of music for over 35 years and i like to ask this question whenever i do interviews. I think it would be safe to say because of the internet, music tv, etc that last 20 years has been somewhat of an oversaturation of bands and music. In order to survive you really need to stand out as a artist and ironically i almost missed hearing you guys and only found you by accident. But when i did i fell in love with the music and craftsmanship that you both put into this project. Do you find it frustrating to try and get interests for Factory of Dreams or do you simply just do it for the love of the music?
Jessica: To me the important thing is just to do this as long as it makes me happy. I don't think that much about the interests in the project although it's of course nice when people like what we do, saying something else would be a lie. But it's not frustrating trying to find interests since I don't handle promotional stuff really, hehe. Hugo is a good soul doing that via Facebook, MySpace, Reverbnation and what not.
Hugo: Music first, but this is our 3rd album and I'm consciently working to promote the band. I mean, if the music indeed is good and most of all original, people should listen and the word has to go out to the most people possible. If we have the means to do that, well that's another question, but we try our best and we're not alone; we have a cool label backing us plus good friends such as you James and other magazines, sites and radios and journalists. So, let's keep on doing what we do and better.
It's not easy indeed to make new fans every day, but it's possible if we have the intelligence, the creativeness, and, has to be said, the money to do it.
Musically, I don't see no boundaries. The secret here is to do what you want, no matter what. This ensures your mark and your originality. We tend to keep surprises coming with each track, thus ensuring a driving force towards this originality and a rupture with the norm.
11) I want to thank you both again for taking the time out to answer this humble man's questions but if you havent guessed by now ive become a big fan of you both and look forward to future releases. As of the moment "Melotronical" is still my favorite album of 2011 and is in constant replay on my ipod. Is there anything you would like to say to your fans?
Jessica: Thank you for your time and for the nice questions! And thanks to the people out there who listen to us, it's really great that you enjoy what we do. Keep listening :)
Hugo: Ah, this was so enjoyable and easy to do, cuz for once, Jessica lead the interview, so, she said almost everything before me ;) ahah
Many thanks James, and thanks to Itsallabotumusic Radio friends for the fantastic, and I really mean it , FANTASTIC support!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Colosseum - Chapter 3: Parasomnia (2011)
1. Dilapidation And Death 21:39
2. Questioning Existence 03:52
3. Passage To Eternity 15:40
4. On The Strand Of Nightmares 11:58
5. Parasomnia 10:16
Genre: Funeral Doom Metal
Rating: 7/10
Raven Woods - Enfeebling The Throne (2011)
1. Zâhir & Bâtin
2. Enfeebling The Throne
3. Breathless Solace
4. Ecstasy Through Carnage
5. Torture Palace
6. Upheaven-Subterranean
7. Inward Massacre
8. Stay
9. The Grey Cold Shade
10. The Fading Trace
11. Azab-I Mukaddes
Genre: Death/Black Metal
Rating: 9/10
Blackguard - Firefight (2011)
1. Tephra 0:34
2. Firefight 5:03
3. Farewell 4:07
4. Wastelands 6:20
5. Cruel Hands 4:43
6. Iblis 2:53
7. The Fear Of All Flesh 4:53
8. A Blinding Light 5:15
9. The Path 5:00
10. Sarissas 4:4
Genre: Melodic Death/Folk Metal
Rating: 8/10
Mord'A'Stigmata - Antimatter (2011)
1. Blood of the Universe 01:01
2. Kinetic Dogma 07:32
3. De Magnum Opus Solis 05:42
4. Antimatter 07:14
5. Metatron and the Waters 05:40
6. Serpent Salvation 03:27
7. ...it Writes the names of Ghosts 07:55
8. Theophagia 06:44
9. Eternity is Pregnant 07:26
Genre: Avant-Garde Black Metal
Rating: 8/10
Virus - The Agent That Shapes The Desert (2011)
1. The Agent That Shapes The Desert
2. Continental Drift
3. Chromium Sun
4. Red Desert Sand
5. Intermission: Furnace Creek
6. Dead Cities Of Syria
7. Where The Flame Resides
8. Parched Rapids
9. Call Of The Tuskers
Genre: Avant-Garde Metal
Rating: 5/10
Odd Dimension - Symmetrical (2011)
1. Farewell to the Stars 06:59
2. Rising Through Light 06:01
3. The Ecstasy of Hopes 06:18
4. Another Shore 06:21
5. The Day Meets the Night 06:33
6. Light Speed Journey 08:56
7. I'll Be Back Once More 06:25
Genre: Progressive Metal
Rating: 8/10
Charnier - Humanicide (2011)
1. L'Exode des Dieux (Intro) 01:12
2. L'Aube Purificatrice 03:19
3. Йradication Massive 03:10
4. Haineux 03:55
5. Dйmence 04:15
6. Du Sang pour Yog-Sothoth 04:46
7. Ithaqua 04:07
8. Le Seigneur des Abysses 05:40
9. Pourfendeurs de Dieux 02:55
10. Carnage aux Portes des Cieux 04:18
11. Charnier 03:55
Genre: Death Metal
Rating: 6/10
Friday, March 25, 2011
Ribspreader - The Van Murders (2011)
1. The Beginning of Their End
2. The Cleaner and Mr. Filth
3. A Morbid Journey
4. Sick Minds Think Alike
5. Going to L.A. (Instrumental)
6. Silicon Valley of Death
7. Slaughterhouse on Wheels
8. Cadaver Disposal
9. This Is the Ribspreader
Genre: Death Metal
Rating: 8/10
Havok - Time Is Up (2011)
1. Prepare for Attack 03:57
2. Fatal Intervention 04:28
3. No Amnesty 03:30
4. D.O.A. 03:43
5. Covering Fire 04:15
6. Killing Tendencies 05:32
7. Scumbag in Disguise 04:34
8. The Cleric 04:46
9. Out of My Way 03:20
10. Time Is Up 04:00
Genre: Thrash Metal
Rating: 9/10
Vintersorg - Jordpuls (2011)
1. Världsalltets Fanfar
2. Klippor Och Skär
3. Till Dånet Av Forsar Och Fall
4. Mörk Nebulosa
5. Stjärndyrkan
6. Skogen Sover
7. Vindögat
8. Palissader
9. Eld Och Lågor
Genre: Progressive/Viking Metal
Rating: 6/10
Suidakra - Book Of Dowth (2011)
1. Over Nine Waves 01:57
2. Dowth 2059 04:38
3. Battle-Cairns 03:35
4. Birog’s Oath 04:17
5. Mag Mell 03:19
6. The Dark Mound 05:14
7. Balor 04:41
8. Stone Of The Seven Suns 05:01
9. Fury Fomoraigh 05:42
10. Otherworlds Collide 01:39
Genre: Folk/Melodic Death Metal
Rating: 8/10
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Crimfall - The Writ Of Sword (2011)
01. Dicembre (1:43)
02. Storm Before The Calm (5:57)
03. Frost upon Their Graves (5:29)
04. Cahceravga (1:13)
05. Shackles Of The Moirai (5:02)
06. The Writ Of Sword (6:54)
07. Geadgai (4:34)
08. Silver And Bones (8:22)
09. Son Of North (5:48)
Genre: Folk/Viking Metal
Rating: 8/10
Blut Aus Nord - 777 - Sect(s) (2011)
1. Epitome I 07:57
2. Epitome II 06:51
3. Epitome III 04:52
4. Epitome IV 11:52
5. Epitome V 06:23
6. Epitome VI 07:31
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Rating: 4/10
Straight Line Stitch - The Fight Of Our Lives (2011)
1. Tear Down The Sky 04:15
2. Conversion 04:23
3. Laughing In The Rearview 04:21
4. Cold Front 03:54
5. No Tomorrow 03:36
6. Bar Room Brawl 04:21
7. One Reason 03:28
8. Never Surrender 03:20
9. Living Dead 03:26
10. Sound Of Silence 03:31
11. Ashes In The Wind 03:29
Genre: Metalcore
Rating: 7/10
Debauchery - Germany's Next Death Metal (2011)
01. The Unbroken 06:11
02. Zombie Blitzkrieg 03:20
03. Warmachines At War 04:08
04. Animal Holocaust 03:57
05. Bloodslaughter Onslaught 04:39
06. Germany's Next Death Metal 04:57
07. School Shooter 04:20
08. Death Will Entertain 03:30
09. Armed For Apocalypse 03:49
10. Genocider Overkill 03:13
11. Killing Is Our Culture 04:04
12. School's Out (Alice Cooper Cover) (Bonus Track) 03:34
Genre: Death Metal
Rating: 7/10
Within Temptation - The Unforgiving (2011)
01. Why Not Me 00:36
02. Shot In The Dark 05:02
03. In The Middle Of The Night 05:12
04. Faster 04:24
05. Fire And Ice 03:52
06. Iron 05:39
07. Where Is The Edge 03:59
08. Sinad 04:24
09. Lost 05:16
10. Murder 04:17
11. A Demon’s Fate 05:30
12. Stairway to the Skies 05:32
Genre: Symphonic Gothic Metal
Rating: 8/10
Doomsword - The Eternal Battle (2011)
1. Varusschlacht 5:24
2. Eternal Battle 5:09
3. Wrath of the Gods 5:14
4. Soldier of Fortune 6:28
5. Battle At the End of Time 5:22
6. The Fulminant 4:05
7. Song of the Black Sword 4:23
8. The Time As Come ... 1:49
9. Warlife 5:17
Genre: Epic Heavy/Folk Metal
Rating: 5/10
Artillery - My Blood (2011)
1. Mi Sangre (The Blood Song)
2. Monster
3. Dark Days
4. Death is an Illusion
5. Ain't Giving In
6. Prelude to Madness
7. Thrasher
8. Warrior Blood
9. Concealed in the Dark
10. End of Eternity
11. The Great
12. Show Your Hate 2011
13. Eternal War 2011
Genre: Thrash Metal
Rating: 7/10
4th Dimension - The White Path To Rebirth (2011)
1. The Sun in My Life (5.11)
2. Consigned to the Wind (7.01)
3. Goldeneyes (4.54)
4. Sworn to the Flame (3.51)
5. Everlasting (6.26)
6. A New Dimension (5.32)
7. Winter’s Gone (5.31)
8. Labyrinth of Glass (4.43)
9. Angel’s Call (4.53)
10. Landscapes (Vestige of the Earth) (4.55)
Genre: Symphonic Power Metal
Rating: 4/10
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The Amenta - V01D [ep] (2011)
01. Empty [00:42]
02. V01d [05:19]
03. Erebus [04:07]
04. Ache [03:45]
05. Junky [04:50]
06. Spine [03:58]
07. Null [02:52]
08. Vermin [04:10]
09. Nihil [05:23]
10. Nil [03:18]
11. Enigmatize [04:19]
12. None [03:16]
13. Junky (remix) [03:07]
14. Nihil (remix) [03:21]
15. Vermin (remix) [02:56]
16. Erebus (remix) [03:17]
Genre: Industrial Death Metal
Rating: 8/10
Blood Ceremony - Living With The Ancients (2011)
1. The Great God Pan 07:31
2. Coven Tree 04:48
3. The Hermit 02:35
4. My Demon Brother 04:48
5. Morning of the Magicians 06:58
6. Oliver Haddo 02:12
7. Night of Augury 06:05
8. The Witch's Dance 00:41
9. Daughter of the Sun 10:11
Genre: Doom/Heavy Metal
Rating: 6/10
Obscura - Omnivium (2011)
1. Septuagint (7:18)
2. Vortex Omnivium (4:14)
3. Ocean Gateways (5:56)
4. Euclidean Elements (4:51)
5. Prismal Dawn (6:20)
6. Celestial Spheres (5:28)
7. Velocity (6:04)
8. A Transcendental Serenade (6:13)
9. Aevum (7:51)
Genre: Progressive/Technical Death Metal
Rating: 9/10
Amon Amarth - Surtur Rising (2011)
1. War of the Gods 04:33 (256 kbps)
2. Tцck's Taunt - Loke's Treachery Part II 05:58
3. Destroyer of the Universe 03:41
4. Slaves of Fear 04:25 (256 kbps)
5. Live Without Regrets 05:03
6. The Last Stand of Frej 05:37
7. For Victory or Death 04:30
8. Wrath of the Norsemen 03:44
9. A Beast Am I 05:14
10. Doom Over Dead Man 05:55
11. Aerials (Bonus Track) 03:39
Genre: Viking/Death Metal
Rating: 8/10
Necros Christos - Doom Of The Occult (2011)
1. Temple I
2. Baal Of Ekron
3. Temple II
4. Hathor Of Dendera
5. Gate 1
6. Temple III
7. Necromatique Nun
8. Temple IV
9. Invoked From Carrion Slumber
10. Gate 2
11. Temple IX.99
12. Doom Of Kali Maa - Pyramid Of Shakti Love - Flame Of Master Shiva
13. Gate 3
14. Temple V
15. Succumbed To Sarkum Phagum
16. Temple VI
17. Visceras Of The Embalmed Deceased
18. Gate 4
19. Temple VII
20. The Pharaonic Dead
21. Temple VIII
22. Descending Into The Kinly Tomba
23. Gate 5
Genre: Black Metal
Rating: 8/10
Friday, March 4, 2011
Turisas - Stand Up And Fight (2011)
01. The March Of The Varangian Guard 03:51
02. Take The Day! 05:26
03. Hunting Pirates 03:43
04. βένετοι! - πράσινοι! 03:49
05. Stand Up And Fight 05:27
06. The Great Escape 04:51
07. Fear The Fear 06:14
08. End Of An Empire 07:16
09. The Bosphorus Freezes Over 05:37
10. Broadsword 05:00
11. Supernaut 03:56
Genre: Folk Metal
Rating: 9/10
Saille - Irreversible Decay (2011)
1. Nomen 01:52
2. Passages of the Nemesis 07:22
3. Overdose of Gray 05:42
4. Plaigh Allais 04:56
5. The Orion Prophecy 04:15
6. Revelations 02:57
7. Maere 05:36
8. Tephra 06:21
9. Tremendous 04:25
Genre: Symphonic Black Metal
Rating: 8/10
Children Of Bodom - Relentless Reckless Forever (2011)
01. Not My Funeral 04:55
02. Shovel Knockout 04:03
03. Roundtrip to Hell and Back 03:47
04. Pussyfoot Miss Suicide 04:10
05. Relentless Reckless Forever 04:41
06. Ugly 04:13
07. Cry of the Nihilist 03:30
08. Was It Worth It? 04:06
09. Northpole Throwdown 02:55
Genre: Melodic Death/Power Metal
Rating: 7/10
Cavalera Conspiracy - Blunt Force Trauma (2011)
1.Warlord 03:05
2.Torture 01:51
3.Lynch Mob 02:31
4.Killing Inside 03:28
5.Thrasher 02:49
6.I Speak Hate 03:10
7.Target 02:36
8.Genghis Khan 04:23
9.Burn Waco 02:52
10.Rasputin 03:22
11.Blunt Force Trauma 03:58
12.Psychosomatic* 03:07
13.Jihad Joe* 03:29
14.Electric Funeral (Black Sabbath Cover)* 05:39
Genre:Thrash/Metalcore
Rating: 7/10
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