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Winterfylleth

9/17/2014

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Winterfylleth is the Old English name for October, so it's fitting that these British black metal lords will release their 4th full-length album, The Divination of Antiquity (Candlelight Records), on October 6 (10/07 in the States). For those of you already familiar with this incredible band, you know that October provides the perfect backdrop for the enchanting, pastoral, pagan black metal purveyed by the Winterfylleth gents. I recently caught up with guitarist and vocalist Chris Naughton to get his thoughts on the new album and the band's upcoming plans.


How would you describe your sound to those unfamiliar with the band?

Chris Naughton: Winterfylleth plays black metal with a distinctly British twist on it. We have brought in folk, monk chant and other traditional influences into the black metal style and have hopefully made it our own. We sings songs about our history that relate to how we could - as a people - change and adapt to our pressing social and political issues in the modern world. The songs are typically quite expansive in length and quite epic/emotional in their style. Check out
this video of our latest 'single' to get a feel for what we are doing as a band 


How does The Divination of Antiquity differ from your previous releases?

CN: I think this album is a progression from the other albums, as they all have been I feel. It is our 4th album as a band and finds us in a place where we have been together for 7-8 years and have really found our way as a band and as songwriters. We have had the chance to do tours together and play bigger shows, really honing our live performances, and I feel this has really translated into our writing. We’ve a few different songs on this album compared to the other albums and have moved the sound into broader realms than just black metal on a few songs. I think this keep it interesting and puts a nice twist on what a Winterfylleth song can be. Also I think the production on this record is better than the previous albums. We had more time to consider it and also the
surroundings of a new studio environment alongside our long term producer, Chris Fielding, really helped the sound.

 Who are some of your main influences?

CN: In terms of our individual influences as band members, they are quite varied across the spectrum of metal, and beyond. But as a band I would say our influences are bands like Drudkh, Primordial, Enslaved, Ulver, Hate Forest, Bathory and bands who have mixed the aggression and passion of black metal with the folk influences and culture of their countries. 
 
What inspired you to start playing music?

CN: Personally (as I can only speak for myself here) I always loved rock and heavy metal music and grew up around great British rock bands like Queen, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep and Cream. I lived in a town with a huge punk rock and live music scene, which really inspired me to pick up a guitar in my early teens and start trying to learn and write songs. I always loved the way that Tony Iommi and Ritchie Blackmore played the guitar and wanted to be like that. I just happens I discovered heavier more underground bands and went down that route, which led me to playing black metal.

Who are some current bands that you're listening to?

CN: For me personally, I am listening to the following at the moment:

Pallbearer – Foundations of Burden
Ghast – Dread Doom Ruin
The Ruins of Beverast – Blood Vaults
Necros Christos – Nine Graves
The King is Blind - The Deficiencies Of Man
Worship – Terranean Wake
Opeth – Deliverance
My Dying Bride – The Vaulted Shadows
Eastern Front – Descent into Genocide 
Bölzer – Soma
Sheol – Sepulchral Ruins Below the Temple
Ashes – Hreow

How did Winterfylleth come together?


CN: Winterfylleth came together in 2007 as Simon and I were wrapping up the Atavist – doom metal
band – project we used to do. We talked about doing songs based on history and culture and trying to put a uniquely English spin on to black metal. It started off raw and punky in the beginning but we soon refined that to be the expansive, flowing black metal you would hear today.

What kind of gear did you use on the new album and does that differ at all from your live setup?

CN: On the record we used 3 different guitar amplifiers; a Peavey 5150, a Peavey XXX and a Green amp belonging to our producer Chris. We also used an Ampeg bass rig. In terms of this differing from the live environment, we tend to just use the XXX amps live and have a Peavey bass head we tour with. In terms of guitars, I use and am endorsed by Caparison guitars and I used my custom Dellinger fx guitar on the album. Mark is endorsed by Fender/Jackson and used his baritone Telecaster on the album. Simon played a custom Mapex kit on the album with Paiste cymbals, but he also uses that live so there is no change there.

Do you have any touring plans coming up?

CN: We have a few things coming up. We play Colchester with our friends in Eastern Front and The King is Blind on Sept 20th; we play our label's ‘Candlefest’ show in London on October 4th; Damnation Festival in Leeds on November 1st; and then a 5 date UK/Ireland tour with Behemoth, Decapitated and Grand Magus in December from the 9th to the 13th. Otherwise, we have a few things on the back burner for 2015, so keep a look out.

Anything else you'd like to add?

CN: The Divination of Antiquity is out Oct 6th. Hail Heritage.

Winterfylleth Website
Winterfylleth Facebook
Candlelight Records
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Ultimate Playlist - Vol. 6; Rafa Martinez (Black Cobra)...

9/11/2014

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San Francisco's doom/sludge heroes Black Cobra are currently out on tour (see dates below) with Lo-Pan, destroying cities across the country before returning home to wrap up work on their forthcoming 5th album. Drummer Rafa Maritinez checked in from the road with his surprisingly eclectic Ultimate Playlist.
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Blue Öyster Cult - "Take Me Away" (The Revölution By Night, 1983)

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Pentagram - "Starlady"  (First Daze Here, 2002)

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Metallica -"(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth" (Kill 'Em All, 1983)

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Tom Waits - "Shore Leave"  (Swordfishtrombones, 1983)

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Antonio Carlos Jobim - "Insensatez" (The Composer of Desafinado, Plays, 1963)

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Ludwig Von Beethoven - "9th Symphony, 2nd Movement" (N/A, 1824)

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James Brown - "Sex Machine" (Live at the Olympia, Paris, 1971, 1992)

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Les Baxter - "Calcutta"  (Sensational!: The Exciting Sounds & Rhythms of Les
Baxter
, 1961)

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Vangelis - "Rêve"  (Opéra sauvage, 1971)

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The Moody Blues - "Nights in White Satin" (Days of Future Passed, 1967)


BLACK COBRA US Tour w/ Lo Pan:
 
9/11/2014 Chop Shop - Charlotte, NC
9/12/2014 Strange Matter - Richmond, VA
9/13/2014 The Pinch - Washington, DC
9/14/2014 Dusk - Providence, RI
9/15/2014 Nectars - Burlington, VT
9/16/2014 TT The Bears - Boston, MA
9/17/2014 Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA
9/18/2014 Saint Vitus - New York, NY
9/19/2014 Lost Horizon - Syracuse, NY
9/20/2014 Bug Jar - Rochester, NY
9/22/2014 Howlers - Pittsburgh, PA
9/23/2014 Reggie's - Chicago, IL
9/24/2014 7th St Entry - Minneapolis, MN
9/26/2014 Replay - Lawrence, KS
9/27/2014 Lost Lake Lounge - Denver, CO
9/28/2014 Burt's Tiki Bar - Salt Lake City, UT
9/29/2014 Dive Bar - Las Vegas, NV
10/01/2014 The Garage - Ventura, CA
10/02/2014 New Parish - Oakland, CA
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Ultimate Playlist - Vol. 5; Pontus OttossonĀ (Snailking)...

9/5/2014

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As Swedish stoner/sludge/doom titans Snailking prepare to release their debut album Storm (9/16, Consoling Sounds), guitarist and vocalist Pontus Ottosson checks in with his top-10 playlist. Check back next week for a review of the new album. In the meantime, check out a few tracks here: http://snailking.bandcamp.com/album/storm. Huge thanks to Pontus for his participation.

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Melvins – “Night Goat”  (Houdini, 1993)

“My first introduction to Sludge. I was heavily in to grunge at the time and I’m afraid I only bought the album because Kurt Cobain had production credits on it. Instant favourite and the record that has probably changed my life the most.”

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YOB – “Ball of Molten Lead” (The Illusion of
Motion
, 2004)


“My introduction to YOB was through their album The
Illusion of Motion, a pheno- menal album and band that everybody should listen to.”

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Sleep – “Dragonaut”  (Holy Mountain, 1992)

“This together with Electric Wizard is what got me into stoner and doom metal many years ago. I actually heard it in the movie Gummo for the first time.”

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OM – “At Giza”  (Conference of the Birds, 2006)

“Two thirds of Sleep, bass, drums and vocals only. This is music you start cults to.”

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Indian – “The Impetus Bleeds” (From All Purity, 2014)

“Simply put, the best song of 2014 so far.”

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Pink Floyd – “Have a Cigar” (Wish You Were Here, 1975)

“Took me many years to try to figure out if it was Roger Waters or David Gilmour singing on this one, turns out it’s Roy Harper.”

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Black Sabbath – “Snowblind” (Vol. 4, 1972)

“This is a song we’ve jammed together in the band, even before there was a band. If not the best, one of the best Sabbath songs.”

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Alice in Chains – “Sludge Factory” (MTV Unplugged, 1996)

“Who would’ve known Alice in Chains were better un- plugged? Classic per-formance.”

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Toto – ”Africa” (Toto IV, 1982)

“Not many people know this, but we have a ritual in Snailking and that is to listen to this song before every gig. It started out as a joke but has now become a thing we do.”

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Ufomammut – “Lacrimosa”  (Snailking, 2004)

“If Toto’s Africa is our joke song in the band, this is the one we’re all serious about. We love Ufomammut and this is our favourite song from their record Snailking that we ended up taking our band name from.”

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