● Thank you Donj for giving us this chance to chat about your comeback album, can you tell us what are your reasons for abandoning music for this long time?

Oh. I had to go through the ups and downs. Not only as a musician but as well as a human. There have been many obstacles that I believe have been settled for the best.

Since our last show back in 2015, the band went through another dark time. All members just went into different paths such as marriage, divorce, birth, and death. So, it has been hard for me to ensembles the members to do another album or another show for some reason, but I guess working and releasing the new materials should pay off for this time.

● Getting back to music after this absence may be challenging, what are the main hardships you face while scripting the new album?

To be honest, I recorded this album more than 6 times with different tracklists that none of them I liked. I’ve been writing this material since 2016. But, it just had never the chance to reach any shore.

Plus, when you’re recording all the instruments, writing lyrics, and doing all on your own it’s a nightmare. Especially, when you’re doing it by yourself without anybody helping you! But, there are too many chains up my neck and the only way to let it out was music, or else I don’t know what mess I’d be doing.

● As we moved to your new album, can you give us more details about it?

I believe it’s bold, angry, evolving and It has a different sound and production. I believe I got out all my true emotions, worries, and burdens in this record.

Simply, I believe in this record to be pushing Sallos into a better place musically. And, hopefully, the listeners like it and get its message.

● We know that the band, unfortunately, lost one of its members, Moe El Assi, would you pay certain tributes to him? Did he participate in the album before his death?

Yeah, unfortunately, last year we lost a great person, friend, musician. My best friend Moe was the spirit that held the band together. He was the reason for having the “Blast of the Eastern Storm” album as we recorded it at his place.

In addition, the sickest screams in the album were done by Moe, not me. He had great charisma on and off stage. By his death, the band felt apart as members, but not as brothers.

The four of us were so connected in strange ways, I had to take a whole year to accept his death. However, to be honest, I spiritually communicated with him, and I heard him much time telling me: “Do it Donj, do it for my sake.”

I still feel his presence and spirit around in the recording room. We tried to work on some material back then, but nothing was out just ideas. This time, I guess he will be proud of what’s coming out as he is always with me in my heart and mind. I still receive hidden messages from him, believe it or not, we talk.

● What are the new ideas or sounds that metal lovers here in the local scene could find in the upcoming album?

I’ll leave this to the listeners to decide. I believe I got my soul out in this record, and then only the true judge will be the listeners. But, I can say more blasting beats, more sick solos, and musical dynamic, in addition, the tracks are not long in duration like the previous album, more punch in the face.

● Do you prepare any stage returns?

It’s hard to say, Sallos is all about me now. There are nonactive members left to play live. Sad, but in any chance to find the right members for it, it should be considered.

● When will your album come out?

Currently, the album is in the hands of Silver Steel Studios, France. I’m waiting for my turn for the mixing and mastering process. So, I can say within the next 3 months or less, hopefully, it should be all out if no new catastrophe happened.

Photo Courtesy: Doaa Hamza, Sallos Band’s Facebook Page

After exchanging warm greetings to pave the way to the questions, we recalled one of the closest Nile experiences to the heart of the Middle Eastern fans, their performance in Dubai a few years ago.

This event witnessed the participation of two shining Arab metal bands: Nervcell and Scarab. Also, we asked him to evaluate his relationship with middle eastern bands and fans.
Kollias said: “It is great that we have been to many places I’d love to. But, of course, get to Egypt one day is an absolute dream for the Nile. We actually got some offers and everyone said yes. When we can make it; we will make it very special as there is a possibility of shooting video there. But, we have to find the correct time or the right time to do that; otherwise, it could be super expensive for us.” He added that there are many things that connect the Nile to Egypt so, “We won’t the opportunity to shoot a music video there to make it extra special.”

Then Kollias expressed that Nile’s Karl Sanders visited Egypt in 2019 to participate with an Egyptian metal artist (Nader Sadek). But, none of Nile’s other members had the chance to come to Egypt.

We back to our first topic again which is Dubai’s concert. He described: “I remember Dubai, we had a great time.” But he revealed that he isn’t very familiar with many names of Middle Eastern names.

Next, Kollias told us the music he is listening to nowadays. He explained: “The music I am checking and listening to now is more into rock, jazz, funk. So, I am missing a lot of new metal acts worldwide. I am fascinated by other styles I am listening to try to get in other styles, discover new things to add them to my music.” “I listen to metal since I was 7 years old, but nowadays, I am listening to less metal, but I am trying to find new music.”

He also reflected that he found various similarities between jazz and death metal. Then, we recalled the controversial words of Steven Wilson regarding the death of rock/metal music.
He answered: “I disagree,” adding, “Greta Van Fleet” consisted of young artists and they play the 70s rock music. “I really like this band because it gets me back to the 70s. I really like that part of rock music.”

After that, we moved to talk about the metal scene of Kollias’ homeland, Greece. Greece has various shining names in the metal industry currently. Rotting Crist and Septicflesh come on the top. Also, both bands are very popular for us in the region alongside Dimlight who performed many times in some Arab countries. But, we actually asked him about the scene during the COVID-19 crisis.

Kollias satirically replied: “Was there any metal scene during COVID-19?” He continued: “I know Rotting Crist did a show, I think, they played with people seated.”

The artist continued that everyone was free, there were no shows. Next, he added that he couldn’t travel anywhere, but now, the venues start to opening their doors once again so, there is somehow an activity in the scene.

So, we moved to talk about an important topic which is the new concept of online shows, paid online shows. Kollias reacted: “To be honest, I will vote NO. Because, I don’t really see the energy, It is a kind of a rehearsal. I saw many bands do these shows and I wasn’t impressed, but I was very impressed with Behemoth. Well, that is something defiantly worthy to pay. They had a big show. I was somehow surprised. It was massive! I would glad to pay for that.” he continued “It wasn’t a rehearsal. They invested money and time to make it very big,”

“So, I will vote yes for something like this. But, if we were in a rehearsal space, in a practice room, and then we put a camera…That is a no. I have here eight cameras, I can go live anytime. It will be a rehearsal,” Kollias described.

Next, we asked him about his early career and his technique. He answered: “I am 100% self-taught as there was no drummer in the city I grew up in, even in Athens there was nobody shows you how to do that (extreme metal drumming). So I had to learn myself. It was more difficult than today. I mean, now you can go on Youtube and watch any drummer. So, if you can see any drummer playing, you are learning. You can see moves to understand what he does. But, back then, we do it by ear. Around 2000, I met my teacher and one of my best friends Yannis Stavropoulos. He really changed my drumming a lot, he got me jazz, funk, I am more open-minded now, I learn how to get influenced by everything. So, I can hear pop music and find something very cool. I am not a fan of pop music, but I do practice pop music a lot.”

The talk drove us to tackle a sensitive musical issue which is the current Greek music. Kollias actually praised Alkinoos Ioannidis. He described him as “A great composer and a great musician. He plays high-quality music.”

We go back to the core of our interview, and the following question was about his Nile journey. “It was the summer of 2004. All of sudden, I got an email from Karl, it was like “Do you want to join us?” I said: yes. That started when I met Derek Roddy. I am still a big fan of him. I gave him a demo CD of my extreme metal band back then, Sickening Horror, and he listened to the CD.

Then, he went back to the states. Then, Karl asked him as their drummer left, he said: “I know one guy can play Nile stuff, but he lives in Greece.”

So, they called me, and I went to the States. There wasn’t an audition. I went there to play, I had no idea. I went there and we played together. After a couple of rehearsals, they said: “We want you to join the band.” I said that’s cool. Then, they said, let’s start writing the new album.” Then we asked him about his fears regarding leaving his country and start a career with the Nile.

He revealed that there were a lot of questions in his head like his ability to play every day in tours, or joining the band for recording.

 Kollias described his career with the Nile as “Amazing! We had good moments, and bad moments, we had easy times, and difficult times, but as a whole that is the journey of life, A lot of sacrifices we had to do for example when my kid was born, I arrived home 15 days before my kid arrived. So, if she was born earlier, I would be on tour. And, 20 days after my kid was born, I had to go on tour again. Also, when my father died, I was on a tour. It was hard and that’s the worst thing around touring, you can’t control situations like this.”

He continued: “The life of a musician is not easy. A lot of stress. It is a part of life. I like performing around the world, but that has a cost. Sometimes, it is tough, sometimes it’s ok.”
After that, we asked that if there is something else you want to achieve with the Nile. He said: “Playing in Egypt, I am super serious. I want to get there, and perform with my band, and have a lot of memories, shoot a video.”
After that, Kollias told us exclusive news regarding Nile’s upcoming album that the band started writing the new album, and one song is ready! The plan is to record drums around December.

PS: This interview was originally recorded on May 29.

Interviewed by: Rana Atef

Edited and Revised by: George Kollias

RA: Congratulations on your upcoming concert, as this concert will be a continuation of your tributes to classic rock bands such as Bon Jovi, Guns N Roses, and others. So, how do you arrange your selections? In addition, do you receive any requests from fans?
MM: Choosing the songs is the nastiest part! We fight over the songs because every member brings in a bunch of songs and fights to the death to convince the other members!
So, we try to work it out from there and narrow the list to fewer songs without killing each other (laughs).
For example, some members like Dream Theater, and others not, the same goes with Pantera and Slayer, however, we all agree upon our passion for old and classic rock.
And, yes, we receive requests from fans but not necessarily play them. On the other hand, they enjoy our selections due to the engagement with the band and the vibe of the music.

RA: It is the first time since your return to see a supporting band in your performances, Zaeer, how is your relationship with the band? And to which degree Zaeer’s music is close to VYRUS mood?
MM: We share the same rehearsal studio, so we always meet there and Zaeer members are our fans.
When we heard their original song, we were very impressed! These guys are good.
Actually, we believe in helping out and giving chances to other bands especially young bands with great potential, Zaeer fits the bill perfectly. They play only originals and in Arabic.

RA: You were one of the earliest rock/metal bands in Egypt to head to the stage after the end of the partial lockdown in Egypt? How did you take this decision, how did you feel about it?
MM: Of course, we don’t want to be trapped forever, it’s very frustrating, that’s why we decided to adapt and move on.
We try to stay safe and encourage our fans in our gigs to maintain safe distancing, etc.
Therefore, we respect all people’s points of view regarding how to deal with COVID-19 and we are sure that some fans refrain from coming cause they are afraid.
Although, the venue at El Sawy Culturewheel is abiding by safe distancing, masks when entering and temperature checking prior to entering the venue, the venue is also well ventilated (almost open-air), so things should be pretty safe. We all need entertainment!

RA: After arranging such tributes to classic rock bands, we can see another dynamic and active face of VYRUS, How did set the idea?
MM: Yes, we are planning an acoustic set, a rock ballad set, and a thrash metal set.
Regarding the idea of arranging tribute to classic rock bands, the idea came to us after many successful Metallica tribute gigs we did in 2019; we wanted to do something new.
So, our 80’s and 90’s gigs have already proven to be very successful in terms of fans’ feedback & engagement.

RA: What are the challenges you face currently especially after COVID-19?
MM: Many venues are closed or don’t allow live bands!
RA: In your upcoming concert, will you play Metallica songs? 
MM: Hell yeah m/.

RA: any updates regarding your original stuff?
MM: We played a couple of our originals live, however our fans prefer cover songs! Because they love to interact whether sing-along, headbang or do whatever.
We know that they appreciate our originals but prefer the majority to be cover songs, that’s why we are sticking to that
RA: Can you send a message to your fans? And What are the main selections on your setlist?
MM: Actually, our fans send messages to us and we appreciate their feedback whether good or bad!
We listen to them and put them into utmost consideration.
Moreover, we always make surprises in our setlist(s), as we always add new selections.
We have many dedicated fans and they come to most of our gigs regularly, so we never play the exact songs, so we at least so we changed almost 40% of the setlist selections for each gig.

At the end of the interview, we wish Vyrus and Zaer all the best for the upcoming concert. And, readers don’t forget that the concert is coming in a few days!! For more updates, make sure to check the event’s Facebook page!

Interviewed by: Rana Atef

Photo Courtesy: Vyrus

RA: Before asking any questions, how was 2020 for you?

OS: 2020 was really a hard year, not only for us but for every single musician who used to be on the stage most of the time. 

RA: You started the year by releasing a new single! Can you tell us more about its idea? Is it part of your upcoming album?

OS: Stalingrad, the thing is that we were not able even to see each other because of the lockdown and so on, no jams at all. So, we got the idea to release a track with a video from home and was the trend at that time.

Most of the bands like Lamp of god as an example made a video from home. We choose that specific track as the lyrics talk about a war where a lot of people had been killed. Same as the war with Coronavirus. And Stalingrad was just a single and it’s not a part of our next album.

  RA: Moving to your 2020 live concerts, You performed twice this year, and you were part of a Rock Festival hosted at El Sawy Culturewheel, how was your experience? 

OS: That gig was incredible! We were very thirsty to perform again. And everything was just amazing that day.

RA: You are working on a new album,  Is there any latest updates about your new album? Its concept? Its themes? Guest musicians?

OS: As you know, our songs describe fantasy fairytales, and the next album gonna take your minds behind the sees with its story. We are working on the recording these days.

And yes, we have guests in this album but it’s gonna be a surprise. And let me tell you, that I am so excited!!

RA: Do you think that 2021 could be better for the Metal scene?

OS: Hopefully, that “covidooo” dies soon and everything would be stable. And if that happened, it will be our year.

RA: How is the scene of Alexandria today?

OS: The metal scene in Alex is thirsty for the bloody stage!!

This song marks the return of the old Empyrium style which characterized by long tracks, progressive mood, and heavy doom/folk tunes.

The track starts with a very heavy intro with catchy guitar tunes enhanced with orchestral and atmospheric sounds. The intro recalls the unforgettable “Lover’s Grief” and “The Blue Mist of Night.”

The acoustic part in the middle can be related to “Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays.” Moreover, at 5:45, there is a tragic emotional part, it is so close to the funeral style. This part becomes more catchy after adding beautiful guitar tunes that enhance the folk style that Empyrium used to present in its last 3 albums.

This part is like recalling the Bavarian epic sounds into the music, the scent of the green landscapes, and the whiteness of the frozen peaks of mountains.

The shift between the heavy doom metal parts and the folk acoustic movements engage the listener to a new style of Empyrium’s music.

Empyrium used its popularity and good memories the band left in its listeners’ minds to present a more improved style and fresh sound after long years of absence.

Rana: Finally, I am interviewing one of Wintersun members. Actually, this band is one of the most favorite bands. Thank you so much, Teemu for accepting our invitation to this interview and for being with us today.

Teemu: Hey Rana, actually, it is my first interview with a Middle Eastern webzine through Zoom, so thank you for having me here;
Rana: So, let’s warm-up together and let me ask you about your relationship with Middle Eastern bands and musicians.
Teemu: Well, the first name that comes to my mind is Equilibrium’s drummer “Hati”, he is from Israel, although Equilibrium is a German band. We have played some festivals together and have gotten to know each other over the years. 

I guess Orphaned Land is probably the most known metal band from the Middle East. I also know Melechesh, having seen them live at 70000 Tons Of Metal in 2015. I’m also a fan of Blackfield, so I know Aviv Geffen from there. Other than, that I’ve also had some students from Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Rana: So, after this warming up, I need to start with “Time I”, it was your first album with “Wintersun” as you didn’t catch the very first album “Wintersun”. This album means a lot to Egyptian metalheads as they are big fans of Wintersun and it means a lot to me too. So, can tell us more about TIME I and your memories of your early days with Wintersun?
Teemu: Before answering your question, I had a quick check of the countries we have the most Facebook followers from and actually, Egypt was there, I think the fifth. So, it is like what you said about having a lot of fans there which we appreciate a lot.
I joined Wintersun three months after the first album came out.

To go a little bit back in history, Wintersun originally started as a solo project by Jari as he had songs that didn’t fit for Ensiferum. In 2004 Jari had booked a studio to record the first Wintersun album and the schedules didn’t match to Ensiferum’s touring plans, so Jari decided to quit Ensiferum in order to focus on Wintersun. Jari asked Kai Hahto to play drums and the two recorded the self-titled “Wintersun” debut during the first half of 2004, and it was released in September 2004.

After the successful reception of the album, the record label asked Jari to put a band together for live shows so he started looking for members.
Jari knew Jukka Koskinen from Norther and asked him to play the bass. Jari had originally asked his childhood friend and Ensiferum drummer Oliver Fokin to play the second guitar, and Oliver can be seen on the Beyond The Dark Sun music video, which was filmed before the album release, but soon he decided that not to continue in Wintersun. In October 2004 Jari announced on the Wintersun website that he’s looking for a guitarist and a synth player, and I sent him a message to ask about the audition.

We talked and I sent him some audio clips of me playing the guitar. After live auditioning about 10 potential guitarists Jari couldn’t decide between me and another guy, so he Jari gave us the guitar tracks of the first album on a CD to learn in a couple of weeks. Then after the final live auditions, he chose me and I was the happiest guy ever! This was Christmas 2004.
In early 2005 I met Kai and Jukka for the first time as we started practicing together. In summer 2005 we started playing live shows, the first couple shows in Finland and then internationally as well. In December 2005 we had our first bus tour across Europe supporting Exodus and Hypocrisy, which was really magical! I was 18 years old at the time.
In May 2006 we started recordings for the TIME album – which was still supposed to be one album at that point – and I got to visit the legendary Sonic Pump Studios for the first time and see what professional studio work looks like. That was all very exciting.
Later in summer 2006, we played again some big festivals.

 

Performing at Wacken Open Air in front of approximately 40000 people was one of the most memorable experiences. At the end of 2006, we also got to tour with Amon Amarth and Tyr. Those were great times!
Rana: So regarding the “Wintersun” album, how did you feel when you listened to the album for the first time?
Teemu: I first saw the music video of “Beyond the Dark Sun” – I think right before the album came out – and I became a fan of the music immediately and went to buy the album.

I had known Jari from Ensiferum but for me, the “Wintersun” album was something totally fresh. I felt it had a really nice mix between various styles and moods, and a lot of interesting guitar riffs, melodies, and solos; great vocal performance and lyrics; awesome blast beats and the kind of drumming I had never heard before; and moreover – really awesome songwriting! In my opinion, it is a perfect album. I listened to it every day back in 2004-2005 and I love still to listen to it nowadays.

Rana: You were attached to the music since you listened to it, so from being a fan of Wintersun’s music to a really active member in the band, Wintersun music is really unique, I can see the landscapes of Finland and its nature through the music, it seems so visual. How does the process of writing such music go as you participated in “Time I” and “The Forest Seasons”?
Teemu: Jari is very much the mastermind in Wintersun and the songs are all written by him. He usually has a clear big vision in his mind but of course, sometimes he asks our opinions and thoughts on the songs as well.

He has so many ideas in his head that coming up with strong songs never seems a problem for him. But he’s also very particular about sounds and production so recording and mixing is usually the harder part. We, the rest of the band members, try to help him with all the practical things and everything that is needed “behind the scenes” to run a band.

So, going back to Time I: After completing the basic drum, bass, and rhythm guitar recordings Jari started working on the orchestrations. With his vision growing and getting clearer along the way he was always learning more and more about making and arranging orchestrations but at the same time, he was facing a lot of trouble with his computers which could not handle the huge song projects.

After finally finishing the orchestrations, recording the remaining vocal and guitar lead/solo tracks, and having also learned how to mix himself in the last years, Jari mixed and mastered TIME I and it was released in October 2012. After that, the band had a long touring period lasting for almost 2 years.

Rana: Regarding Time II, when will the album come out? This is the question of every Wintersun fan! Is Time II is already written?

Teemu: The basic songwriting for the whole TIME album was completed around 2006. Most of the music was written between 2005-2006 and some ideas even before that. In 2012 the record label had the idea to split the album into two parts and so TIME I was released first. Jari was trying to work on TIME II in between tours but eventually, around 2015 it became clear for him that he was not able to finish TIME II as he wanted with his current gear and possibilities. 

Thus TIME II was put on hold and the band started planning a crowdfunding campaign to fund those better music production possibilities. The Forest Seasons album, with more simplistic production, came out of this situation and was a great start to our bigger crowdfunding project, which is planned to be three parts and three albums in total. Currently, it is still unclear when Jari will be able to finish the TIME II album, but most likely it won’t be yet the next album coming out.
Rana: Moving to another point, why does your relationship with fans on social media look controversial? There are a lot of discussions between the fans, and Jari.
Teemu: Yes, I think a lot of that is because of misunderstanding the crowdfunding and also our new Patreon community. I have to say I do understand fans sometimes being irritated having to wait for new music for a long time, and I think Wintersun has always had an amazingly supportive and loyal fanbase, which we are very grateful for!

Also, unfortunately in social media, even a smaller group of people with negative things to say often tend to be louder than the majority who try to stay more positive. And when somebody is misinformed we try to reply to comments to help them understand the situation better.
When we announced the crowdfunding the fans were expecting the release of “Time II”, so we explained in detailed documentary videos why there is a different new album, what the “The Forest Season” and the crowdfunding are, and that we hoped our fans to buy the album in a presale directly from us along with “The Forest Package” so we could eventually fund better conditions for Jari to work on the music.

 

 Because of totally different, more simple approach to writing, recording, and mixing The Forest Seasons, the whole album was done in only about 9 months between 2015-2016. After that, we meticulously planned and prepared the first part of the crowdfunding campaign in secrecy before announcing it.

The campaign run between March-April 2017 and the album and all the extra content was released in July 2017. From then on we had an active touring period for 2 years after which Jari has been getting back to writing new music again. He’s been actually very productive lately, but he has also learned from the past not to announce new music before it’s actually ready. That’s why sometimes it might seem that the band is inactive between tours because there might not always be frequent updates.

Currently, Jari is working on new music all the time and once the next album is getting ready then we put our heads together to plan and prepare the next part of the crowdfunding campaign.

To offer the most active Wintersun fans more extra content and at the same time keeping the band active even between tours we decided to create a Wintersun Patreon community at the beginning of 2020.

It launched in April 2020 and includes exclusive weekly videos, a forum, podcasts, and other content from all the band members against a small subscription fee. We’ve had a lot of fun doing the Patreon, especially our monthly video podcasts together! As the amount of content keeps on growing weekly we hope that more and more fans will eventually find their way there!

That was our first part with Teemu Mäntysaari so stay tuned for the next part!

Personally, Silentium is one of my favorite bands, I have a lot of memories with the band’s music especially “Altum” and “Amortean”, so the band’s absence saddened me a lot, but I am now so glad to review “Motiva” especially on a day carries a special date “10/10/2020”. When I listened to the new album, I found out new musical tendencies appeared within Silentium’s music. I mean, the band carries a distinct sound which is a combination of symphonic music and gothic elements. But, in “Motiva,” there is a progressive mood in some tracks, slight death metal techniques, and more power metal presence.

I can’t say the album carries any signs of Silentium’s long absence, the mood of the album reflects the same musical line the band’s approached in “Seducia” and  “Amortean” but in more professional and mature performance. Starting with “Truth” (my favorite track”, the music starts in fading in technique just to give you a fast warming up. The track performance is so vivid and active as the band shouts and saying “Silentium is back”. Epic symphonic lines mixed with dynamic tunes of guitars and the beautiful vocals of Riina. Moving to “Unchained”, I like the position of “Unchained” in the album as if Silentium reminds you of the dark side of Silentium. While listening to “Seducia” and “Amortean”; you can distinguish the presence of dark, depressive, and angry tracks; this is the angry Silentium.

 The third track of the album is “Vow” when I listened to the intro of “Vow”, I remembered, “My Broken Angel” and “Unbroken;” emotional intro with the outstanding presence of keys and sorrowful guitar melodies. “Safer/Easier” mood is not also far away from “Vow”, but it could be slower or calmer only in the beginning as it carries also a high part, this part caught my feelings; it beautifully reflected the pain of a broken woman, lamenting loneliness, and bleeding!

If you listened to Silentium before, you may recognize that the bands introduced some long-progressive tracks, and those tracks are somehow carrying another shape of Silentium music as the band combines other techniques like death, growling vocals, power metal, horrifying sounds. You can experience that once more in “Vortex” and “Tide”. “Tide” is not the following track after “Vortex” but I combined them here because they have the same approach.

The same goes for “Circle” and “Friend”, both tracks are amusing instrumental tracks, I liked the idea of including instrumental tracks with vocalization by Riina, it is obvious that the band is really thirsty for revealing their musical talents.

In general, Silentium’s return album “Motiva” is a beautiful piece of music. There is clear evidence of maturity and improvement in the process of musical composition and performance. The album is full of catchy guitar tunes, emotional key sounds, breathtaking symphonic riffs, and well-made vocal lines. I am impressed, it is beautiful to not feel that the band is far away from music and stage. The final rate is 9/10.

It may surprise you that we are starting our playlist with a Swallow the Sun hit! But, Songs from the North is a good track to warm up your mood. This track is an emotional one, carries wonderful acoustic tunes with vivid and warm clean vocals by Mikko Kotamaki. The music takes you to the breathtaking landscapes of Finland and the beautiful northern lights.

Steven Wilson’s Pariah is a calm and atmospheric track. It brings the breeze of the early cold mornings, the smell of rainy days, and the pain of being lonely. The fusion of electro music/ indie mood with progressive rock pattern is amazingly composed.

After this warming up, we need just to take it to a higher level, and when it comes to October and doom music mood, we should mention Katatonia whose music carries a beautiful depressive rock style contains many doom influences. Sistere is a melodic depressive track with low pitch and killing depressive guitar solo.

Well, now you recognize the shift, Katatonia gives us the presence of guitar tunes we need and the track somehow carries a classic rock mood, so the shift from Katatonia to Lynyrd Skynyrd is somehow applicable. The Last Rebel is a victorious song, a man who leaves everything behind and follows his path bravely.The warm guitar tunes with lively key sounds fire the needed warmth for cold days.

“a blank face in the windowpane!” No Opeth fan can forget this amazing verse from Windowpane which marks the timeless Damnation! The kings of progressive music is a wanted choice in cold mornings.

When it comes to sorrow and cold, Draconian exists! This track of Draconian is really outstanding, you can embrace fields through those amazing folk tunes and experience the sense of nocturne through the catchy vocal performance.

Nick Cave’s gothic musical fusion is absolutely relevant to Autumn, especially his “No More Shall We Part” which is an emotional, sad, and darkened one.

When it comes to Autumn, Jazz music is needed and I think it is the best way to reduce those feelings of pain, and Frank Sinatra is one of the best choices. I can’t find the right words to describe such a masterpiece as “My Way”.

Bon Jovi’s music is an enjoyable meal for sure. Their warm and melodic beats give you the company you need. I select the acoustic one because it is full of heat and vivid performance whether in the musical performance of vocal performance. So, I thought, it could a good way to get out such doom darkened mood we created above.

I think this track is a beautiful choice to enrich our playlist. “Apogevma Sto Dentro” is a famous Greek track originally performed by Alkinoos Ioannidis, the track talks about embracing nature and the impact of romance on the soul. The selected version is a famous live version performed by 2 Greek music legends Haris Alexiou and Sokratis Malamas alongside Ioannidis. This version is closer to rock and pop-rock mood. It starts with catchy acoustic tunes followed by an astonishing nai solo (flute). I know, you may feel that the presence of a Greek track could be strange, but try it!

The voice of the nightingale is the best choice to hear before taking off your headphones. Water and Wine is one of Aleah‘s most famous solo tracks. The queen of gothic rock handles pure feelings of sorrow and overthinking through her angelic voice and breathtaking gothic acoustic guitar melodies.

Finally, I wish you a great and warm Fall time, hope you enjoy our playlist!

Anathema

I prefer to start with “Anathema” from “Distant Satellites” (2014). Yeah, the name of the song is so close to the name of the band, but the lyrics of this song could summarize the journey of the band; “but we laughed, and we cried, and we fought, and we tried and we failed, but I love you.” The music carries beautiful key sounds with charming vocals performance, it is so close to theatrical monologue.

Inner Silence 

It could be not one of the most listened tracks of Anathema, but for me, it is one of the best ones of the band. The track could be short but it is really deep. The intro of the keys and the sounds cellos and guitars conquer your feelings and the wonderful lyrics will absolutely catch your thoughts; “when the light of your life sighs and love dies in your eyes.” Inner Silence is taken from Anathema’s successful release “Alternative 4” (1998).

J’ai Fait Une Promesse 

This song could be somehow unfamiliar to you. This one is taken from Anathema’s first full length “Serenades” (1993) and I was careful to check Anathema’s early stuff. It is closer to early Katatonia, more into death and depressive ones. Moving back to the song, “Jai Fait Une Promesse” is a short French track performed in a pitch closer to the folk music performance. Make sure to listen to it.

Lost Control

“Lost Control” is one of the most listened Anathema stuff and it is one of the definitive tracks of the band. “Lost Control” is a very depressive and heartbreaking song, especially, its final part starting with “yes, I am falling, how much longer till I hit the ground?“. It expresses the human’s tragedy melancholy! The song is taken from the timeless “Alternative 4” (1998).

Springfield

“Springfield” is taken from the band’s latest album “The Optimist” (2017). As for me, this song is so special. It is composed of huge and rich instrumental fusion. Just enjoy the music.

Better off Dead  

“Better off Dead” is also one of the unfamiliar tracks by the band, but it is a beautiful and expressive song. If you a fan of piano songs with emotional pitch, this is for you. “Better off Dead” is added to “Alternative 4” in the later versions of the album. Please note that this song is not an Anathema original, but it is a Bad Religion band cover.

Sentient

“Sentient” is an instrumental track taken from “Eternity” (1996). It is the most track suitable for Autumn, it is cold, full of shivers, melancholic. You can hear the sound of the gray clouds, misty sky, and ghostly nights.

One Last Goodbye

There is no Anathema list without “One Last Goodbye”. This song has unforgotten memories with me, I remember every tune of, it could be a song for forever farewell or a long-gone lover! death, fear, coldness, and sorrow! “One Last Goodbye” is taken from “Judgment” (1999).

 Harmonium

“Harmonium” is a surprising track! It is taken from “A Natural Disaster” (2003) and it is a wonderful progressive track. There are different musical combinations as rock, depressive/atmospheric, and orchestral. I feel strange heat and hate in this music, “I was trying to live my life, it wouldn’t let me feel free to comprehend, what I see will never end.”

Regret

“fear, regret, loneliness,” those three words summarize Anathema’s lyrical themes, and “Regret” is a gate for many people to cross to Anathema’s music. I still remember the moment my best friend sent me the link of this track to travel to Anathemas’s realm.

 I hope you enjoy our list and keep supporting your favorite music taste. Finally, a few years ago, our co-founder NJ Bakr had the chance to interview Anathema face to face in Dubai, she was the first Middle-Eastern Metal interviewed to had such a huge step in the Middle Eastern metal journalism career, check it through this HERE.

As for me, I am somehow aware of the different musical backgrounds form the ideology of Hecate’s music: there is “Lord Mist” the main composer of the band, and the one who takes the responsibility of the whole instruments except the drums, in addition, Lord Mist is the main founder and composer of various black metal bands such as Frostagrath, Hateful Desolation and Astray.

Another shining name gives Hecate more power and heat, Zander Adam who is known for his successful Destiny in Chains glorified the scene with the band’s influential performance and sets one of the most successful corporations in the scene with Sinprophecy’s Sayed Ragai. Adam is not a strange name in the local black/symphonic metal world as he has previous experience of Zatreon.

The final member of the band is Mohamed Hesham Al Assaal who is the demonic force of drums, Al Assaal is also a member of one of the most successful death metal projects in Egypt which is Al Azif. All those various experiences are outstanding reflected in the music of the album.

It’s the first time for Hecate to produce such a symphonic black metal release that carries death metal tendencies, there are well-composed and outstanding orchestral lines well mixed with the heaviness of death metal riffs and the harshness of black metal melodies. “Naamah,” the intro of the album is a very good way to introduce the mood of the album through a brilliant fusion of orchestral sounds and horrifying spoken vocals.

While “King Ov the Underworld” is somehow colored in the same mood of the previous track with more dynamic death metal lines backed by richer epic symphonic sound; in 2:30, the mood of the track turns to be closer to atmospheric/depressive style with darkened clean vocals, this atmospheric/depressive style continues till the end of the track! Closer to the outro, you can recognize minor instrumental vibes appear from the heart of the major ones as if there is a parallel orchestra. Moving to “O Aollyen, O Azael,” it looks more dynamic and heavier, there are various orchestral moods in the track as if it is a soundtrack of the Inferno. The outro of the track carries a riff closer to the depressive musical tendencies of Frostagrath’s last album “A Defective Incarnation.” 

Reaching the main track of the album “In Nomine Artem Blackium,” in my opinion, this track is the most track carries the whole influences of Hecate’s members’ influences: blackened death riff calling the mood of Hecate’s “The Order of the Black Light,” well-organized vocals calling the glory of Zatreon, dynamic black/death drums expressing the moods of Al Azif, and depressive black metal lines representing Frostagrath’s soul especially in 5:09. The symphonic lines also somehow carry the oriental mood of the orchestral lines used by Orphaned Land. So, I can say that it is the richest track of the album. Here we reached the middle of the album. The second half carries a new musical atmosphere.

“Into the Ultimate Void” is like a short interlude to another phase of the album as if you are inside the center of the hell! “Sons of Hecate” represents another phase of the music, closer to the style of Septicflesh with outstanding soprano vocals performed by Italian soprano Sarie, it is not the first time for Sarie to cooperate with Lord Mist as they both participated before in a symphonic black metal project called Oreb Mavet. There are various vocals pitches represented in the second half of the album, it seems like calling Zatreon‘s classic work! The part starts in 2:40, it is like the instrumental part of Zatreon’s “Unleashed the Mankind”. 

The same mood increased through the following track “ Surrealistic Ressurction”, I need to praise Sarie’s performance as it gives the music more epic and orchestral beauty, her vocals are so catchy and magical, it really carries the glory of the Italian orchestral heritage!

The last two tracks are “Sorrow” and “The Ocean ov Hell”, I think “Sorrow” is closer to the blackened death style, I like how feelings of rage and regret explained in such a rhythmic atmosphere, more feelings of hell, while “The Oceans ov Hell”, gives us the slightest idea about the upcoming Hecate‘s stuff. It’s more creative, handles more extreme music with a great mix of symphonic touches along with the excellent usage of the chorus. You can easily witness the progress in Hecate through this track.

Finally, Hecate succeeded in introducing a vivid musical combination to the local scene, the harshness and melody of the music are magical, the symphonic music and usage of the chorus are perfectly implemented. High Harmony and accuracy, excellent quality with perfect expressions about war mixed between English and Latin, which presented the album with the colors of epic mythology, and high philosophy. I should praise the excellence of symphonic and orchestral composition outstandingly reflected especially in the second disc. The work of vocals are really impressive, despite his absence away from the scene for years, Zander Adam proves that there is no limit for his skills and talent! The final rate of the album is 9/10! Make sure guys of listening to the album especially if you are a fan of Septicflesh! “In Nomine Artem Blackium” is out on the 6th of August.

For ordering the band releases click HERE.