Surtur Interview

Q. Can you give us an update on what's going on with the band these days?

A. We are rehearsing regularly. Composing new songs for our first full length album. We are doing some shows in Dhaka as well.

Q. In November you had released an ep,how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
A. We are an old school thrash metal band from Bangladesh. Influences came from 80s,in particular from late 80s. As you can see later 80s bands were digging the darker side of metal,they rode in a sonic speed and vocals were in a screaming fashion. We felt the essence and  the music came from this spirit naturally. I can't exactly tell how the sound on the ep really is as its mixed up with our own thoughts. But that's our music.

Q. The band has been around since 2012 but waited until 2015 to release any music,can you tell us a little bit more about the first 3 years?

A. I formed the band in 2012 with 3 of my friends. But the lineup was never stable until 2014. Then I met Rifat(our drummer) in mid 2014. We jammed for a while. Meanwhile I met Riasat(our vocalist) through a mutual friend. Then Efaz (Our bassist) came along with Riasat. We jammed for a while and everything went so perfect back then. We started appearing in local gigs with our originals and hit studio in June 2015. Finally we released our debut EP on November 2015.

Q. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

A. The hate toward everything that is unjust. We like to share our mental states through the music. Sometimes we like to focus a mans  innermost quest to freedom. We like horror fictions a lot. Our lyrical ambitions are limitless infact. Above that a common fact is that the music ,the riffs,the lyrics they mean something. Like "Maggot Filled Brain" means a so called great and hypocritical mind we tend to see all around.

Q. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Surtur' ?

A. Our vocalist Riasat came up with the name. Surtur is a Nordic fire demon and prophesized to set  the world in flames. We thought this character fits with our kind of music that demolishes all the barriers.

Q. What are some of the best shows the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

A. We recently played a show named 'obituary for the living'. It  was fantastic. Lineup was great. Shared the stage with death metal monsters Warhound(Bangladesh),bone crushing thrash metallers Enmachined(Bangladesh), Exalter(Bangladesh) who just had their second ep and Dissector,Burial Dust,Killgator were lethal too. All the bands were like minded and old school. We supported each other like brothers. And talking about the performance, I  believe each of the members of a band should know the lyric properly based on the song itself was composed. That's what we do. And the energy it comes naturally with the music on stage for us.

Q. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
A. Yeah some organizers from abroad contacted us. Let's see how things gonna work.

Q. According to the Metal Archives page the band is signed to Witches Brew,when did you get in contact with this label?

A. Our drummer mailed them the bandcamp link of our ep. They liked our music and immediately replied. They re-released the EP in pro CD format on 26th February,2016. Hell lotta thanks to them.

Q. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by the fans of thrash metal?

A. Feedback's been killer. Lots of radios,zines,blogs featured us worldwide. People from all over the world randomly ordering our ep. Not only the thrash listeners but all kind of metal listeners like black metal heavy metal death metal listeners are also digging our music. Some are mentioning us a death/thrash or black/thrash act often. Some even termed our genre  black/thrash/death!  But thats good to hear as I've always wanted to do something new. I never liked being stuck in any kind of barriers of a single genre. It's always about breaking the law you know. So,being a new band we are really overwhelmed by the response.Thanks to Qabar Extreme Music PR, The Metal Detector Music Promotion,Cheryl from Witches Brew,Raimi from Faithcraft productions,all the distros,radios,zines,blogs and of course all the die hard metal maniacs.

Q. When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

A. As soon as we are done with the song writting you'll hear from us. Talking about musical direction I can't really tell where we are going. We've always let the music,all the madness come naturally. Like If I write a song that's based on something that was going around on my mind that time. So we'll never write another "Descendant of Time". Let's see what happens in our sophomore release.

Q. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

A.Sepultura,Razor,Sadus,Demolition Hammer, Merciless,Protector,Morbid Saint to name a few. I am listening Ripper(Chile),Armament(India),Deathhammer(Norway),Perversifier(France) these days.

Q. What are some of your non musical interests?
A. Reading a lot of horror fictions,playing Table Tennis, playing video games are some of them.

Q. Before we wrap up this interview,do you have any final words or thoughts?

A. To the metal listeners-listen to good music. Support underground bands and labels. Don't just listen to bands because of their region but for the music. There are a lot of new bands worth of checking out. The scene worldwide is getting better day by day. And finally thank you for the interview. Have some good time ahead brother!


Answered By Shadman Omee (Guitarist of Surtur)

Your Higness/The Quietus/2016 EP Review

  Your  Highness  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016 ep  "The  Quietus".

  A  very  dark  bass  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  the  only  song  on  this  recording  before  over  20  minutes  and  a  few  seconds  later  aggressive  yet  melodic  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  and  psychedelic  sounds  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  after  awhile  drums  start  to  kick in  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars.

  When  guitar  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording  they  give  the  music  more  of  a  70's  rock  feeling  with  also  adding  stoner  elements  into  the  music  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody while  also  bringing  in  the  heaviness of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  when  slide  guitars  are  utilized  they  bring  in  elements  of  blues rock  into  the  song  along  with  some  touches  of  country  music  and  the  songs  also  brings  in  a great  mixture  of  slow  and  mid  paced  parts.

  Your Highness  plays  a  musical  style  on  this  recording  that  takes  the  heaviness  of  stoner  and  sludge  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  elements  of  classic  rock,  blues  and  country  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Your  Highness  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge  and  stoner  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  8  out  of  10.

Fragment/Nothing Will Ever be the Same/Atypeek Music/2016 CD Review

  Fragment  are  a  band  from  France  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  post  metal,  drone  and  shoegaze  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Nothing  Will  Ever  be  the  Same"  which  was  released  by  Atypeek  Music.

  Atmospheric  sounding  drones  start  off  the  album  while  also  throwing  in  some  elements  of  noise  and  after  a  few  seconds  the  music  starts  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  and  melodies  can  also  be  heard in  a  great  amount  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  a  lot  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Elements  of  industrial  and post  rock  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  cleaner  sections  bring  in  influences of  shoegaze  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  as  the  album  progresses  ambient  style  synths  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction  and  there is  also  a brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars and  they  close  with  an  instrumental.

  Fragment  creates  a  recording  that  is  mostly  in  the  post  metal  and  shoegaze  style  while  also  being  very  experimental  at  the  same  time,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my   opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Fragment  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  post  metal,  experimental  and  shoegaze,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Got  To  Let  You  Go"  "With  Eagle's  Claws"  and  "Into  Silence".  8  out  of  10.     

Psalm Zero/Stranger To Violence/Profound Lore/2016 CD Review

  Psalm  Zero  are  a  band  from  New  York  that  plays  a  very avant  garde  and  experimental  form  of  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2016  album  "Stranger  To  Violence"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Profound  Lore.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  atmospheric  post  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  violins  being  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  parts  before  adding  in  clean  singing  vocals  that  bring  in  touches of  death rock  and  post  punk  and  clean  playing  can  also  be heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard.

  Elements  of  synth  pop can  be  heard  in  the  music  and  the  guitar  leads  are  also  done  in  a  melodic  style  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  aggressive  industrial  vocals are  added onto  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals  and  all  of t he  songs  stick  to  a  slow  musical  direction  and  acoustic guitars  are added  on  the  last  track.

  Psalm  Zero  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes post  metal  and  post  punk  and  mixes  it  with  experimental,  death  rock,  synth  pop,  industrial  and  avant  garde  elements  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  some  something  original,  the  production  sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  existential  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Psalm  Zero  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental,  post  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Stranger  To  Violence"  "Not  Guilty"  and  "Oblivion's  Eye".  8  out  of  10. 

Shatter Messiah/Orphans Of Chaos/Sleaszy Rider Records/2016 CD Review

  Shatter  Messiah  are  a  band  from  Akron,  Ohio  that  plays  a  mixture  of  power  and thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Orphans  of  Chaos"  which  was  released  by  Sleaszy  Rider  Records.

  Melodic  guitar  leads  and  heavy  riffs  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  singing  power  metal  vocals  that  also  get  very  aggressive  at  times  and  the  music  also  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  modern  thrash  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of t he  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Throughout  the recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  they  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  80's  influences  in  with  a  more  modern  style  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  during  some  of  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  some  of  the  leads  also  add  in  progressive  and  technical  elements  and  on  the  last  2  tracks  towards  the  end  clean  playing  is  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  last  songs  is  a  power  ballad  as  well  a s being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Shatter  Messiah  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  power  and  thrash  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  a  more  modern  metal  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  anti  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Shatter  Messiah  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  power  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fix  For  Demise"  "Forget  Forgiveness"  "Doom"  and  "Free".  8  out  of  10.

 

Final Sign/Hold High The Flame/Tridroid Records/2016 Cassete Review

  Final Sign  are  a  band  from  North  Carolina  that  plays  a  mixture  of  heavy,  power,  speed,  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Hold  High  The  Flame"  which  will  be  released  on  cassette  in  October  by  Tridroid  Records.

  A  very  hard,  heavy  and melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along with  some  power  metal  style  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  while  mixing  it  in  with  a  more  modern  production  and  when  back  up  gang  shouts  are  utilized  they  bring  elements  of  thrash  onto  the  recording.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  remain  true  to  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  style  of  metal  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  elements  of  traditional  and  speed  metal  and  on  some  tracks  the  vocals  start  utilizing  more  aggression  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  while  towards  the  end  one  of t he  songs  also  adds  in  a  few  seconds  of  blast  beats.

  Final  Sign  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  traditional,  power, speed  and  thrash  metal  genres  and  mixes  them  together  with  a  more  up  to  date  approach,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  allegorical  presentation  of  human  issues  and  fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Final  Sign  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  heavy,  power,  speed  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Burn  the  Temple  Down"  "The  Sinister  Silence"  and  "The  Ominous Black".  8  out  of  10.

 

Bombarder/Okot Iz Pakla/Grom Records/2016 CD Review

  Bombarder  are  a  band  that  is  originally  from  Bosnia  but  now  resides  in  Serbia  that  has  a  30  year  history  and  plays  a  mixture  of  speed  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Okot  Iz  Pakla"  which  was  released  by  Grom  Records.

  Dark  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  and  they  also  use  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  which  also  introduces  melodic  guitar  leads  onto  the  recording  while  the  guitar  riffing  is  done  in  more  of  an  80's  thrash  style  along  with  some  very  aggressive  shouting  vocals.

Melodies  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  they  also  bring  in  a  more  modern  take  to  their  old  school  thrash  style  while  some  of  the  guitar  leads  also  bring  in  elements  of  traditional  metal  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  mix  in  a  touch  of  speed  metal  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Koldbrann's  "Davolja  Vrsalica".

  Bombarder  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  speed  and  thrash  metal  styles  of  the  80's  and  keeps  them  heavy enough  to  compete  with  the  younger  bands  playing  in  the  same  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  their  native  tongue  and  cover  death,  Satanism,  society  and  metal  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Bombarder  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  speed  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blizu  je  Kraj"  "Sam  protiv  svih"  "Satrati  ve"  and  "Potopljeni  Raj".  8  out  of  10.