Archive for Carpathian Forest

TROLLFEST BEGIN RECORDING SIXTH FULL-LENGTH ALBUM

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , on 28th June 2013 by Contra Mundi

Trollfest, whose music sounds like a combination of folk, metal, madness and an 80’s game soundtrack (Editor: So, something absolutely kickass then?!) have begun recording their sixth studio album. So far, they have the drum tracks nailed and have something a little different to offer their fans this time around. Trollfest had this to say:

We will record eleven metal tracks and we also have a couple of acoustic songs up our sleeves, but at this stage obviously we are not sure which ones will make it onto the album.  We will, however, be taking a slightly different musical direction with this album.  The sound will undoubtedly beTrollfest, but it will vary from our last two releases.   We will also be using a different studio this time.  We have been more than happy with the Strand Studio who did an amazing job on En Kvest For Den Hellige Gral and Brumlebassen but we just wanted to get a different sound to match our new musical direction so we decided to use Endre Kirkesola’s Dub Studio in Oslo.

With their self-proclaimed musical brand of ‘True Norwegian Balkan Metal’ which sounds like a tongue in cheek acknowledgement of the ‘True Norwegian Black Metal’ slogan bands such as Gorgoroth and Carpathian Forest sport, Trollfest have a steadily increasing fan base and a proactive attitude to their music performance and production. Having seven members that have already made their name in prestigious Black and Extreme metal bands, their combined ability with a variety of instruments from all corners of the world is extremely impressive.

They have so far in 2013 played a number of festivals and enjoyed a tour of North America as part of legendary Paganfest America Tour. Expect to see them unfurl their joyful madness at the Masters of Rock and Wolfszeit Festivals and be sure to catch sight of their spectacle.

To celebrate Trollfest’s 10th anniversary, the band have released a limited edition 12” picture disc named A Decade of Drekkadence; which includes 16 tracks of new and previously unreleased material spanning the band’s career. There are also three covers, including songs from Tom Waits and Britney Spears which will undoubtedly be terrific. The artwork on the disc is a creation from collaborators Swedish Cartoonist Jonas Darnell and designer Terje Johnsen who have worked with Trollfest in the past and is quite something to behold in terms of uniqueness. The vinyl also includes an email address that purchasers can contact to receive an MP3 download.

The album will be released on NoiseArt Records. The album is available exclusively from this location. A video for the Spears track “Toxic” was recently released and can be seen below.

Trollfest online:

http://www.trollfest.com
http://www.facebook.com/trollfestofficial
http://trollfest.bigcartel.com/
http://soundcloud.com/trollfest
https://twitter.com/TrollfesT_Band
http://trollfest.blogg.no/
http://www.myspace.com/trollfest
http://www.reverbnation.com/trollfest

 

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Anders Kobro side-lined from Carpathian Forest due to post-operation problems

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , on 2nd June 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Norwegian Black Metal legends Carpathian Forest announced today that drummer Anders Kobro will be sitting out the band’s upcoming shows due to post-op problems that have occurred following full hip replacement surgery earlier this year.  His recovery has been much slower than expected, and on-going problems, which may even require further surgery, have had a marked effect on his playing recently.  With a confirmed schedule that includes Hellfest, Party.San, Meh Suff and Brutal Assault, and more to be announced, drummer Jonathan Alejandro Perez will step in, allowing Kobro time to recover and get back on form.

Commenting on the situation, guitarist Tchort said:

It was pretty obvious to everyone, band and fans alike, that Kobro’s playing since his operation has not been up to his usual high standards. But more worrying was the fact that the heavy schedule of rehearsing, live performances and travelling was actually hindering his recovery.  Carpathian Forest has had the same line-up for so many years that it’s a bit of a shock to the system to think that he won’t be with us for the time being, but Jonathan is a skilled and experienced drummer and we have no doubts that he is more than up to the job.

Ironically, the band had to cancel its recent appearance at the Maryland Deathfest, not because of Kobro’s health, but because the embassy didn’t return his passport in time for him to fly out, even though all the visas had been requested at the same time and guitarists Tchort and BloodPervertor and bassist Vrangsinn received theirs in plenty of time. Tchort also commented:

There has been much speculation and rumour about why Carpathian Forest had to pull out of MDF but there really isn’t anything sinister about it at all, just an excess of bureaucratic red tape. Kobro’s passport was delayed in the system, and with Nattefrost they requested a lot of additional documentation which is not normally required, and which would have taken months to obtain.   We were, in any event, going to play as a four piece, and we waited for Kobro’s passport until the very last possible moment.  We have since found out that the door is still very much open to granting Nattefrost a visa in the future so we can look forward to finally being able to play in front of our US fans.

Carpathian Forest online:

https://www.facebook.com/carpathianforest
http://www.myspace.com/blackshiningleather

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Carpathian Forest pull out of Maryland Deathfest due to last minute visa setback

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , on 24th May 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Carpathian Forest’s frontman Nattefrost is one more in the long line of Scandinavian Black Metal musicians who have been unable to gain entry into the United States due to the labyrinthine and draconian immigration laws that have so often denied US fans the opportunity to see their favourite European bands.  Despite this setback, Carpathian Forest, whose remaining four members had been granted visas, were still aiming to appear at the Maryland Deathfest in Baltimore on the 26th May as scheduled, but as a four-piece, with guitarist BloodPervertor taking on vocals.  Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, the embassy was not able to return drummer Kobro’s passport in time for the band to leave, and Carpathian Forest has therefore been forced to pull out of the festival completely.  However, three members – guitarists Tchort and BloodPervertor and bassist Vrangsinn will attend and will be available to talk to fans.

It is only under very exceptional circumstances that Carpathian Forest play without Nattefrost, the only other occasion having been when BloodPervertor stepped in to cover vocals on a handful of dates during the No Mercy Tour in 2004 when Nattefrost broke his collar bone.  Commenting on the original decision to go ahead despite the absence of the band’s iconic frontman and then still being forced to cancel, guitarist Tchort  had this to say:

When we decided to make the trip without Nattefrost, we knew that many fans would be disappointed, but at the same time we didn’t want to let down the organisers who have been so supportive throughout the whole visa process, and have done everything they could possibly to do to try and make it happen.  We were also very aware that Carpathian Forest has many fans in the United States who have waited a long, long time to see the band live, and, given the circumstances, there is always the possibility that Nattefrost may never be granted a visa, so this might have been the only opportunity our US fans will have to see us on stage, albeit minus one member.  To then have to pull out completely because of whatever delays occurred even though Kobro’s visa was granted, was a big disappointment for everyone.

Carpathian Forest recently returned to the scene after a period of stasis, and will spend most of 2013 playing a series of one-off shows and festivals while they prepare to record the long-awaited follow up to 2004’s Fuck You All!!!!

Carpathian Forest online:

https://www.facebook.com/carpathianforest
http://www.myspace.com/blackshiningleather

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NettleCarrier – NettleCarrier

Posted in Review with tags , , , , , , on 9th December 2012 by hammersmashedlauren

NettleCarrier
NettleCarrier
Released: 21st September, 2012
Black Metal
Released via Indie Recordings

With this album being NettleCarrier’s first full length album, they did a fantastic job at incorporating all the appropriate black metal elements into their music. The slow but heavy riffs paired with raspy, high-pitched screams made their music seemed ambient in a way but still fast enough to headbang to. However, as good as this album was, there was nothing that really stuck out to me as unique. It sounds like the same kind of black metal that has been made for years now. Not that there’s anything wrong with the way the album sounds, but it sounds just like everything else.

There are only seven songs on the self-titled album, each similar in length, quality, and delivery. After a while I felt like the entire album was just one, long song, and I could not differentiate between each one except for the few seconds of silence from when the tracks transitioned. If the tempo of a couple of the songs were sped up or slowed down even more just to give the album some variation, it would have been a lot more memorable and much easier to listen to.

Fans of black metal can definitely depict where this band has gained their influences from if they listen to the album carefully. The vocals, to me, sound very similar to Nattefrost [Carpathian Forest] and the instrumental composition of the album also sounds like Carpathian Forest paired with Marduk. Again, while this album was not poorly produced or written, it was just not memorable to me at all. Other than that, I thought the album as a whole sounded very well written and thought out, and I give this band credit for this being their first full length album. Hopefully their next album will have some differentiation to it and will sound a bit more personable rather than a carbon copy of all the other black metal that is out there today.

3.7/5

Lauren Gowdy

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