Rock – Black Forest Magazine

Grave Pleasures – Motherblood

November 5, 2017 by Line Evensen 0 Comments

We’ve been listening to Grave Pleasures ever since they called themselves Beastmilk. Back in 2010, when they first entered the scene, we thought they were a fresh breath with really appealing aestetics. We covered them when they changed name to Grave Pleasures, and released their ‘Dreamcrash‘.

Now they have unleashed their brand new ‘Motherblood’ on Century Media, and we’re in awe. Once again Grave Pleasures feels like a fresh breath! The lyrics are poetic in all their gloomy post-punk apocalyptic catchiness. Just sing along to these lines:

Be My Hiroshima
Be my great destroyer
Make these crimes of my heart erupt
Like flowers on the far horizon

They have made some changes in the line-up since Dreamcrash, and the band now consists of writers Mat McNerney/Kvohst (Hexvessel, Beastmilk, Code, DHG) and Juho Vanhanen (Oranssi Pazuzu, Atomikylä), Aleksi Kiiskilä on guitars, Valtteri Arino on bass and Rainer Tuomikanto on drums. Frontman Mat/Kvohst explains ‘Motherblood’ this way, and we can’t but agree:

If you have never danced with the skeletons, then this album is your gateway drug to all the nihilistic pleasures of the grave. Apocalyptic post-punk never sounded so desperately bleak and wild yet never grinned so maniacally and writhed so fervently with tongues that whip the tombs.

You can find out more about the band here:
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And listen to them here:

New song from Grave Pleasures’ upcoming album

July 19, 2015 by Jan F. Lindsø 0 Comments

Cover artwork for “Dreamcrash”

Earlier this year Beastmilk announced that they had parted ways with their founding member and guitarist Johan “goatspeed” Snell. They changed their band name to Grave Pleasures and has since recruited Linnea Olsson (The Oath, Sonic Ritual) and Juho Vanhanen (Oranssi Pazuzu) on guitars, and Uno Bruniusson (ex-In Solitude, Procession) on drums. The release of their album “Dreamcrash” has been set to September 4th, 2015, and has made public a song called “Crying wolves”, which can be heard below.

The band describes the album as a complex and feverish set of modern rock songs. Urban tribal rhythms; potent melancholia; raw pop sensibility; irreverent ferociousness – “Dreamcrash” is seductive in its surrealism one minute, and a cold shower of harsh reality the next.

“I am concerned with a total collapse of our dreams”, says their vocalist Mat McNerney. “Hacking out this feverish, frantic and very uninhibited music, it exposes and lays raw some intense emotions. As we get deeper and closer to capturing the spirit of what we set out for this band to be, we are touching some vital nerves. It’s getting under the skin, under the flesh.”

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Astralia – soundscapes of emotions and dreams

July 3, 2014 by Jan F. Lindsø 0 Comments

Even though we tend to draw to darker and more extreme genres, it’s not a big secret that we’re big fans of the post-rock genre. This other day we discovered a band called Astralia from Barcelona, Spain. And being fans of both their genre and their place of origin, we decided to get a few words with their guitarist Roger Guzmán.

You obviously follow the tradition of post-rock by not having any vocals. As you have no lyrics, can you please say a little about what stories your songs tell?

Really good one, and tough… Perhaps I would say “feelings or emotions” rather than stories. For me (Roger), this is where the greatness of this genre lies. Instrumental music has the power to scratch in the deepest of your soul, free and blow your mind. Now, the song is not restricted anymore to a closed message or story. You can be carried along, depending on your mood or your feelings at that time. It’s kind of magic. I really enjoy when fans or friends tell us the way they feel the songs or the different things they imagine when listening, each different from the other. You can make the people dream. That’s wonderful.

Where do you draw inspiration for your work?

This question is intimately linked with the first one. I think that the three of us are really inspired by the nature, and I mean nature in every sense. Happiness and sadness, loneliness, the fresh breeze on a summer day, a sunset in the beach, looking at the stars in the mountain… It’s difficult to answer how to capture this into music, but somehow it happens. We try to write emotions in the form of music. At the end, everything is nothing but nature.

We try to write emotions in the form of music.

How is the post-rock scene in Barcelona, or in Spain in general?

Unlike the rest of Europe, where instrumental music is pretty consolidated, here people are not used to listen to music without lyrics. The genre is still growing, faster every day. Even so, several bands could get known in the scene (Toundra, Exxasens, Syberia…) playing in the finest European festivals. Besides, nowadays there are also people working hard to promote instrumental music by setting up dedicated festivals around the country. However, there is much work to do.

You’ve released an EP and an album. What can you tell us about the future of Astralia?

Hopefully touring, writing and recording. This summer we will tour around the north of Spain presenting our new album ATLAS. However, we want to cross the border and we will start planning a small european tour as soon as we finish this one.

We would definitely love to see Astralia on stage, so an European tour sounds great. If you’re into post-rock, you surely know what to do. Watch their video for ‘You Are Here’ or listen to their album ‘Atlas’ below:

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Alfahanne – Alfapokalyps

July 3, 2014 by Line Evensen 0 Comments

When Alfahanne released their debut black’n’roll album ‘Alfapokalyps’ in february 2014, they were pretty new to the scene, allthough some of the members have been active in the black metal movement since the early 90’s in bands like Vinterland and Maze of Torment. On this debut album as Alfahanne, they managed to get guest vocalists such as Hoest from Taake and Kvarforth from Shining. In fact, Alfahanne did a split with Shining last year.

Alfahanne says they play “…alfapocalyptic rock exclusively”. And their formula is black metal with a mix of classic rock, punk and some goth influence.

Tracklist:

1. Bättre Dar – guest vocals from Niklas Kvarforth (SHINING)
2. Ormar Af Satan
3. Såld På Mörkret – guest vocals from Hoest (TAAKE)
4. Dödskult
5. Rocken Dör
6. Syndarnas Flod
7. Alfa Hordes
8. Indiehora – guest vocals from V’gandr (HELHEIM, TAAKE)
9. Där Drömmarna Dör
10. Alla Ska Mé

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New video for Beastmilk’s “The Wind Blows Through Their Skulls”

June 13, 2014 by Jan F. Lindsø 0 Comments

The new video from Beastmilk’s amazing debut album ‘Climax’ which was released last year. According to Noisey, the song is about the world coming to an end, and how you would handle it. According to Beastmilk, “you could be a giant wuss and hold your family tight, telling them how much you love them and junk. Or, you could be a real dude and go down dancing with the ship”. Noisey reports that the video is a mix of scare flicks from the 50’s and 60’s cut together.

Remember to watch out for Beastmilk, as they are heading out on the road with In Solitude and Obnoxious Youth:

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Papa Emeritus II of Ghost to be replaced

June 2, 2014 by Jan F. Lindsø 0 Comments

Ghost: Papa Emeritus II and the Nameless Ghouls

According to Metal Hammer, the famous Swedish occult rock band Ghost, are searching for a new vocalist. In a recent interview, one of their anonymous band members, a Nameless Ghoul, told Metal Hammer that Papa Emeritus II is ‘… a real asshole’, and that they are about to replace him. At the moment, nothing has been announced, but I would make a wild guess and say that the new vocalist might sound pretty close to his predecessors.

Ghost: Papa Emeritus I and the Nameless Ghouls

In an interview with Kaaos TV, a Nameless Ghoul also confirmed that their new album is in the works. They have demo songs ready, and will be recording it in the fall of 2014. According to the Nameless Ghoul, they will take it to a different step, like they did from the first album ‘Opus Eponymous’ to their second album ‘Infestissumam’, and even a bit further. We can’t wait!

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Pitch black headphones for the blackhearted

March 19, 2014 by Jan F. Lindsø 0 Comments

A few years ago, Marshall Headphones released their Pitch Black models. The headphones are, as the name says, completely colorless, and we must say they simply looks amazing. We haven’t tried them yet, but with Marshall being known for quality, we’re sure they sounds good as well.

For more information, reviews and ordering, check out the link below:
http://www.marshallheadphones.com/product/major-pitch-black