Už zase zvedáš oči k obloze. Marně hledáš pomoc. Nikdy nepřijde. Nebe stále mlčí, ale Satan je přítomný. Můžeš ho potkat v chladných kostelech, jen tak na ulici nebo u svého kamaráda, o kterém sis myslel, že ho znáš. Přetvářka a klam, temnota v duši, spousta zážitků, které bys chtěl raději zapomenout. Snažíš se stále bojovat, objevovat, pořád máš v sobě touhu ničit hudbou. Už dávno nemusíš nikomu nic dokazovat. Jsi silný, jako stará šelma, která má ještě všechny zuby. DESASTER jsou na tom velmi podobně. Tahle smečka prašivých psů svůj styl vybrousila k dokonalosti.
Chladný black metal, ostrý thrash, tohle všechno zamíchané v jedovatém koktejlu. S perfektním vokálem, riffy i bicími. Se zvukem, který zabíjí. Zapalte ohně a strhněte všechny modly. Začněte konečně věřit sami sobě. Dejte do držky hlupákům, kteří šíří lži. Tohle je hudba mého mládí, tohle jsou kazety, džínové vesty, pivo a krásný holky. Je to výlet po časové ose zpět, ale také muzika, která je stále neskutečně silná a divoká. Jako život samotný. Dejte mi někdo pivo!
Jen si tak sedím, spokojeně se kývám do rytmu a marně hledám něco, co bych novému albu vytkl. Nic jsem opět nenašel. Němečtí maniaci jsou ve skvělé formě (stále). Určitě znáte ty chvíle, kdy na vás padá celý svět, když jsou mraky nízko, když máte splín, protože všeho toho zla a špíny a hloupých zpráv, válek, násilí, krve a tupých celebrit, je zkrátka moc. Potřebujete, stejně jako když vám bylo sedmnáct a štvaly vás umělé hvězdy na MTV, restart, nakopnout, zapálit znovu oheň. DESASTER tohle všechno umí, pořád dokáží nahrát skladby, které v sobě mají potřebnou sílu, energii a tlak. Stále smrdí sírou. Už dávno nevěříš v Boha, ani v jeho poskoky. Viděl si příliš mnoho zla. Přesto, možná proto, že si starý bastard, neztrácíš naději. Jo, kamaráde, tahle hudba ti vyrve všechny vnitřnosti z těla a poláme kosti v těle, o kterých si ani nevěděl, že je máš. Budeš hrozit pěstí ve svém pokoji u starého přehrávače, pít u toho pivo a tvé děti budou kroutit hlavou, co jsi za blázna. Jenže ty víš, ty stále věříš v sílu hudby, v poctivý mosh-pit, v koncerty, které v tobě zanechaly krvavou stopu. "Kill All Idols" je albem, které je reálné, opravdové, divoké, uvěřitelné a autentické. Když potkáš podobně prokletého kamaráda a on se tě zeptá, jestli si slyšel nové DESASTER, tak ty jen kývneš spokojeně hlavou na souhlas. Nemusíš nic dodávat, oba víte své. Je mi úplně jedno, že se svět točí úplně jinak a je po okraj narvaný umělými kapelami. Určitě umějí lépe hrát, mají lepší promo materiály, hezčí fotky, ale kurva, tohle je metal, jak si jej pamatuji já. Novinka se mi zadřela pod kůži, věřím kapele každý tón, každou notu, každý úder bicích i výkřik do tmy. Pro mě to pořád hodně znamená. Amen! Strhněte všechny modly! Ohně znovu hoří do tmy! Pekelný black thrash metal, který smrdí sírou!
Asphyx says:
You raise your eyes to the sky again. You search in vain for help. It will never come. Heaven is still silent, but Satan is present. You can meet him in cold churches, just on the street or at the house of your friend you thought you knew. Pretense and deception, darkness in your soul, many experiences that you would rather forget. You are still trying to fight, to discover, you still have the desire to destroy with music. You have long since stopped having to prove anything to anyone. You are strong, like an old beast that still has all its teeth. DESASTER is very similar. This pack of mangy dogs has honed its style to perfection.
Cold black metal, sharp thrash, all this mixed in a poisonous cocktail. With perfect vocals, riffs and drums. With a sound that kills. Light fires and tear down all idols. Start finally believing in yourself. Put a stop to the fools who spread lies. This is the music of my youth, these are cassettes, denim vests, beer and beautiful girls. It's a trip back in time, but also music that is still incredibly strong and wild. Like life itself. Someone give me a beer!
I'm just sitting here, nodding along to the beat and searching in vain for something to criticize about the new album. I haven't found anything yet. The German maniacs are in great shape (still). You know those moments when the whole world falls on you, when the clouds are low, when you're exhausted because all the evil and filth and stupid news, wars, violence, blood and stupid celebrities are just too much. You need, just like when you were seventeen and the artificial stars on MTV annoyed you, a reboot, a kick, a rekindle the fire. DESASTER can do all this, they still manage to record songs that have the necessary strength, energy and pressure. They still stink of sulfur. You haven't believed in God or his minions for a long time. You've seen too much evil. Still, maybe because you're an old bastard, you don't lose hope. Yeah, buddy, this music will rip all the guts out of your body and break bones in your body that you didn't even know you had. You'll be banging your fists in your room at your old record player, drinking beer in front of it, and your kids will be shaking their heads at how crazy you are. But you know, you still believe in the power of music, in an honest mosh-pit, in concerts that left a bloody mark on you. "Kill All Idols" is an album that is real, genuine, wild, believable and authentic. When you meet a similarly cursed friend and he asks you if you've heard the new DESASTER, you just nod your head in agreement. You don't have to say anything, you both know your stuff. I don't care that the world spins completely differently and is filled to the brim with fake bands. They can definitely play better, have better promo materials, nicer photos, but damn, this is metal as I remember it. The news got under my skin, I believe the band every tone, every note, every drum beat and scream into the darkness. It still means a lot to me. Amen! Tear down all the idols! The fires burn into the darkness again! Hellish black thrash metal that stinks of sulfur!
Tělo bylo již ve značném stádiu rozkladu. Našel jsem jej víceméně náhodou. Ten, kdo tu nebožačku zabil, si dal hodně záležet. Dravá zvěř i červi již odvedli velký kus práce. Přesto bylo znát, že jí to muselo slušet. Když ještě chodila po tomto světě. Teď tu leží, jako kus nepotřebného masa a její vyděšený výraz dává všem na vědomí, že jí někdo hodně ublížil. Ohledávám postupně tělo a říkám si, že tohle snad ani nemohl udělat člověk. Byla to bestie, která začala znovu lovit v močálech.
Přesně na tyhle morbidní momenty jsem si vzpomněl, když jsem poprvé slyšel nové debutové EP britských SMOULDERING TOMB. Byla to vlastně náhoda. Toulal jsem se podsvětím a najednou na mě odněkud vylezly skladby, které smrděly jako mršina. Poslechl jsem si ukázky, strávil s novinkou nějaký ten společný čas. Dostala se mi do snů a vytáhla na povrch ty nejděsivější noční můry.
Na undergroundovém death metalu mám rád jeho opravdovost, takovou tu špínu, která se vám postupně dostane pod kůži. Pánové na to jdou ostře, nekompromisně, moc se s tím nepářou, ale nezapomínají ani na chladné a temné pasáže, které dodávají skladbám na ještě větší uvěřitelnosti a jakési tajemnosti, která mě právě přesvědčila o tom, abych o téhle kapele napsal. Je to vlastně jednoduché. Sedím ve svém pokoji, pečlivě poslouchám a najednou jsem ve své fantazii ve smradlavých močálech, ve kterých leží zohavená mrtvola. Vše, moje představy i hudba, je nasáklé zkaženou krví, hnisem a nenávistí. Těžké riffy střídají ty vzdušnější, sem tam jsou slyšet určité společné prvky třeba s takovými MORTICIAN nebo CARCASS. Vše mokvá, je shnilé, smradlavé, hnusné. Pokud máte tuhle odrůdu smrtícího kovu rádi, budete určitě spokojeni stejně jako já. Za sebe musím dodat, že se mi líbí zvuk i motiv na obalu. Zkrátka a dobře, pokud jste také fanoušci krutého, reálného, uvěřitelného, autentického pohřbívání zaživa, tak neváhejte ani chvilku. Dostanete pořádnou porci zahnívajícího masa, které vám bude podáváno na víku od rakve. Tohle je hudba ze starých pohřebišť, z opuštěných jatek, z patologických sálů. Nezapomínejte na to, že některá mrtvá těla mohou před tím, než přejdou na druhou stranu, obživnout. Můžu vám podepsat vlastní krví, že se debut SMOULDERING TOMB rozhodně povedl. Doporučuji poslouchat v absolutní tmě! Hnilobou a zkaženým masem nasáklý smradlavý, surový death metal, u kterého vás pohřbí zaživa!
Asphyx says:
The body was already in an advanced state of decomposition. I found it more or less by accident. Whoever killed this poor woman took great care. Predators and worms had already done a lot of work. Still, it was clear that she must have been beautiful. When she was still walking this earth. Now she lies here like a piece of useless meat, her terrified expression letting everyone know that someone hurt her badly. I examine the body and think to myself that no human could have done this. It was a beast that had begun hunting again in the swamps.
It was precisely these morbid moments that came to mind when I first heard the new debut EP by British band SMOULDERING TOMB. It was actually a coincidence. I was wandering through the underworld when suddenly songs that smelled like carrion popped up out of nowhere. I listened to the samples and spent some time with the new release. It got into my dreams and brought my most terrifying nightmares to the surface.
What I like about underground death metal is its authenticity, that kind of dirtiness that gradually gets under your skin. These guys go at it hard, uncompromisingly, without messing around, but they don't forget the cold and dark passages that give the songs even more credibility and a kind of mystery that convinced me to write about this band. It's actually simple. I'm sitting in my room, listening carefully, and suddenly in my imagination I'm in a stinking swamp with a mutilated corpse lying in it. Everything, my imagination and the music, is soaked in rotten blood, pus, and hatred. Heavy riffs alternate with airier ones, and here and there you can hear certain common elements with bands like MORTICIAN or CARCASS. Everything is wet, rotten, smelly, disgusting. If you like this kind of deadly metal, you'll definitely be satisfied, just like me. For my part, I have to add that I like the sound and the motif on the cover. In short, if you are also fans of cruel, realistic, believable, authentic burial alive, don't hesitate for a moment. You will get a good dose of rotting flesh, served to you on a coffin lid. This is music from old graveyards, abandoned slaughterhouses, and pathology rooms. Don't forget that some dead bodies can come back to life before they pass over to the other side. I can sign with my own blood that SMOULDERING TOMB's debut is definitely a success. I recommend listening to it in complete darkness! Stinking, raw death metal soaked in rot and decayed flesh that will bury you alive!
Už je čas, řekla mi dáma s kosou. Vzal jsem do rukou lopatu a začal si kopat vlastní hrob. Země byla zmrzlá, stejně jako staré prašivé kosti, které jsem objevil. Zůstaly tu uloženy od devadesátých let minulého století. Kopu dál, hlouběji a mrazí mě v zádech. Poslouchám u toho nové skladby polských tmářů TORTURED CORPSE. Ještě mám v hlavě vzpomínky na skvělý nedávný koncert na festivalu SYMBOLIC FEST.
S touhle smečkou jste se mohli u nás na stránkách již několikrát setkat. Recenze, rozhovor i report jsou odkazovány dole pod dnešní recenzí. Gentlemani z temnot pokračují ve své morbidní práci. A nutno rovnou dodat, že jí odvádějí na výbornou. Pokud jsi stejně jako já vyrůstal na starých VHS kazetách a miluješ k smrti staré horory a pravý, reálný, masakrující smrtící kov staré školy, potom jsi zde správně. Doporučuji poslouchat v chladu a naprosté tmě.
Kapela vzešla z toho nejhlubšího podzemí. Z katakomb, ve kterých jsou uloženi v plesnivých hrobech prokletí, sérioví vrazi, násilníci a všichni ti, kteří navždy propadli temnotě a zlu. Pokud jsi fanoušek třeba takových CANNIBAL CORPSE, ROTTREVORE, NUNSLAUGHTER, IMPETIGO, REPULSION, CARCASS, AUTOPSY, je i pro tebe "Sinister Death" jasnou volbou. Mám to nastavené tak, že si musím vždy ověřit, zda kapela funguje i naživo. A ano, jejich vystoupení bylo zcela zabijácké. Stejně jako tři nové skladby (které připomínají rezavé hřeby, které budou jednou zatlučeny do víka od rakve i na tvém pohřbu) a dvě cover verze (DEATH, MASSACRA). Vše je náležitě shnilé, divoké, nespoutané, kapela mi připomíná smečku divokých psů, kteří se rozhodli nás svojí hudbou roztrhat na kusy. Také vnímáte ten vztek, tu surovou nenávist, tu touhu ničit? Potom je pro vás novinka určena, stejně jako pro mrtvého rakev. Smrt má mnoho podob a tu, kterou vám tentokrát pánové přinášejí, je velmi krutá, opravdová, reálná, autentická. Zvuk je náležitě špinavý, opravdu si jej užívám. Motiv na obalu považuji také za velmi povedený. Zkrátka a dobře, pokud si můj milý čtenáři, stále naplno věrný staré škole a miluješ tuhle muziku, mohu ti novou nahrávku jenom doporučit. Kývám se spokojeně do rytmu. Hrob je vykopán. Na tváři dámy s kosou spatřím spokojený úsměv. Nedivím se, hraje se tu hlavně pro ní, i pro všechny démony. A teď už mě prosím nechte, je čas, musím jít. Zapínám znovu play! Old school death metalový masakr rezavou pilou! Hudba, u které praskají kosti!
Asphyx says:
It's time, the lady with the scythe told me. I picked up a shovel and started digging my own grave. The ground was frozen, as were the old, scabby bones I had discovered. They had been stored here since the 1990s. I dig deeper and my spine is shivering. I'm listening to new songs by Polish dark metallers TORTURED CORPSE. I still have memories of a great recent concert at the SYMBOLIC FEST festival in my head.
You've probably seen this band on our website a few times before. The reviews, interview and report are linked below today's review. The gentlemen of darkness continue their morbid work. And it must be said that they do it very well. If, like me, you grew up on old VHS tapes and love old horror movies and real, real, old-school, massacring death metal to death, then you've come to the right place. I recommend listening in the cold and complete darkness.
The band came from the deepest underground. From the catacombs where cursed, serial killers, rapists and all those who have fallen into darkness and evil forever are buried in moldy graves. If you are a fan of CANNIBAL CORPSE, ROTTREVORE, NUNSLAUGHTER, IMPETIGO, REPULSION, CARCASS, AUTOPSY, "Sinister Death" is a clear choice for you. I have it set up so that I always have to check if the band is working live. And yes, their performance was absolutely killer. As well as three new songs (which resemble rusty nails that will one day be hammered into the coffin lid at your funeral) and two cover versions (DEATH, MASSACRA). Everything is properly rotten, wild, unbridled, the band reminds me of a pack of wild dogs who decided to tear us to pieces with their music. Do you also feel that anger, that raw hatred, that desire to destroy? Then this new release is for you, just like a coffin is for a dead person. Death has many forms and the one that the gentlemen bring you this time is very cruel, genuine, real, authentic. The sound is properly dirty, I really enjoy it. I also find the motif on the cover very good. In short, if you, my dear reader, are still fully loyal to the old school and you love this music, I can only recommend the new recording to you. I nod contentedly to the rhythm. The grave is dug. I see a satisfied smile on the face of the lady with the scythe. I'm not surprised, it's played mainly for her, and for all the demons. And now please leave me alone, it's time, I have to go. I'm turning on play again! Old school death metal massacre with a rusty saw! Music that makes your bones crack!
This material will be released in a limited cassette edition with our Dutch death brothers Funeral Whore in 2026! The search for a CD publisher is underway! Interested parties can contact us for a promo at: rotten.crematory@gmail.com
Stojím na rozcestí. Už dávno jsem opustil svoje nebohé a umučené tělo. Rozhoduji se, kam budou směřovat moje další kroky. Nemusím ani moc přemýšlet. Směr je dávno jasně nastaven. Dolů, do pekla, do podsvětí, mezi nemrtvé, mezi prokleté, do míst, kde musela vznikat i nová nahrávka australských ASHEN. Opět bylo vydáno další svědectví o smrti, utrpení, o bolesti, o absolutní temnotě.
S touhle smečkou jste se mohli na našich stránkách již několikrát setkat (recenze i rozhovor jsou odkazovány dole pod článkem). I letos se jedná o masivní, divoký, surový útok z toho nejhlubšího podsvětí. Pánové pokračují tam, kde minule přestali. Nutno rovnou dodat, že se jim to daří na výbornou. Jsem rád, že se moje duše vydala tímto směrem. Jedná se totiž o pravověrný death metal, který poslouchám celý svůj život. Amen!
Přehrabuji se ve starých kostech, kopu další hroby do zmrzlé země. Poslouchám pečlivě. Skladby jsou napsány s mokvajícím krvavým pohledem na svět. Rychlé, divoké a živočišné pasáže střídá atmosféra plná chladu a naprosté tmy. Zvuk považuji, stejně jako motiv na obalu, za velmi povedený. Vše je krásně čitelné, prašivé zároveň a muzika zde nepostrádá potřebný tlak a energii. Jednotlivé motivy se mi dostaly postupně do vnitřností, začaly v nich hnít, hlodat, kousat, aby nakonec vyhřezly ven jako dlouho neléčený vřed. "Leave the Flesh Behind" je jako nějaká starodávná choroba, která byla uložena v hlubokém hrobě. Letos byla vytažena na povrch, vykopána za úplňku, následně vypálena na hudební nosič. Pokud jste fanoušci kapel jako MORBID ANGEL, MONSTROSITY, BRUTALITY, DISMEMBER, WOMBBATH, ENTOMBED, AT THE GATES, BLOODBATH, BOLT THROWER, potom si můžete být jistí, že jste zde správně. Na ASHEN se mi vždy líbilo, že mají svůj jasně definovatelný rukopis, svůj vlastní výraz. Líbí se mi způsob, jakým kapela přistupuje k muzice. Jsme jedné krve! Nakonec jsem, i když to hodně bolelo, rád, že má duše opustila tělo. Mám rád, když ve mě dokáže kapela probudit emoce, když mě umí vymáchat obličej v kaluži plné krvi, když mě umí rozdrásat zevnitř. Australským maniakům se to opět povedlo. Jako starý hrobník vám musím novinku doporučit. Hoří zevnitř, je opravdová, krutá a reálná. Je prašivá jako tělo dlouho pohřbené mrtvoly. Poslouchejte hodně nahlas! Morbidní, temný, surový death metalový obřad v tom nejhlubším podzemí! Popraskají vám všechny kosit v těle!
Asphyx says:
I stand at a crossroads. I left my poor, tortured body behind long ago. I am deciding where my next steps will take me. I don't even have to think too hard. The direction has long been clear. Down, to hell, to the underworld, among the undead, among the damned, to places where the new album by Australian band ASHEN must have been created. Once again, another testimony of death, suffering, pain, and absolute darkness has been released.
You may have already encountered this pack several times on our website (reviews and interviews are linked below the article). This year, too, it is a massive, wild, raw attack from the deepest underworld. The gentlemen continue where they left off last time. It must be said right away that they are doing an excellent job. I am glad that my soul has taken this direction. This is the true death metal that I have been listening to all my life. Amen!
I rummage through old bones, digging more graves in the frozen ground. I listen carefully. The compositions are written with a bleeding, bloody view of the world. Fast, wild, and animalistic passages alternate with an atmosphere full of cold and utter darkness. I consider the sound, as well as the motif on the cover, to be very well done. Everything is beautifully legible, yet ragged at the same time, and the music does not lack the necessary pressure and energy. The individual motifs gradually got into my guts, began to rot, gnaw, and bite, and finally burst out like a long-untreated ulcer. "Leave the Flesh Behind" is like some ancient disease that was buried in a deep grave. This year, it was brought to the surface, dug up under a full moon, and then burned onto a music carrier. If you are a fan of bands like MORBID ANGEL, MONSTROSITY, BRUTALITY, DISMEMBER, WOMBBATH, ENTOMBED, AT THE GATES, BLOODBATH, BOLT THROWER, then you can be sure you're in the right place. What I've always liked about ASHEN is that they have their own clearly defined style, their own expression. I like the way the band approaches music. We are of the same blood! In the end, even though it hurt a lot, I'm glad my soul left my body. I like it when a band can stir emotions in me, when they can splash my face in a pool of blood, when they can tear me apart from the inside. The Australian maniacs have done it again. As an old gravedigger, I have to recommend this new release. It burns from within, it is real, cruel, and realistic. It is as rotten as the body of a long-buried corpse. Listen to it loud! A morbid, dark, raw death metal ritual in the deepest underground! It will crack all the bones in your body!
Probudím se do tmy, do absolutní tmy. Ticho a nicota. Slyším tlukot svého srdce. Samota duše, samota těla. Tápu v temnotě, marně hledám nějaký záchytný bod v dnešním chaotickém světě. Oproštěn od zbytečností, jen já a mé svědomí. Někdy to bývají těžké souboje. Poslouchám stále dokola nové album polských SYMBOLICAL a noční můry získávají čím dál tím reálnější podobu. Mám tuhle smečku rád už od jejich počátků, líbí se mi jejich rukopis, způsob jakým přistupují k muzice jako takové. Zemřel jsem? Znovu se narodil? Neutuším, u téhle nahrávky je možné cokoliv.
Základem je zde klasický, tradiční death metal, přidávány jsou potom další prvky. Jednou jsou motivy těžké, sekající a mokvající, jindy vzdušné, přemýšlivé, zazní i ambientní pasáže. Jako celek potom novinka hoří zevnitř. Každé další setkání je spíše obřadem, rituálem, snovou záležitostí, než jen obyčejnou hudbou. Jestli existuje dnes kapela, která hraje zajímavě a neotřele, jsou to právě SYMBOLICAL. To ti klidně podepíšu krví, můj milý čtenáři.
Tihle polští maniaci zkrátka přistupují k hudbě jinak, jsou originální, mají svůj výraz. To je v dnešní době víceméně generických nahrávek malý zázrak. Vylézt na vysokou horu, skočit dolů, létat v ledovém větru, tohle všechno jsou myšlenky, které mi létají hlavou jako můra kolem ohně, když "Hope for Aerist" poslouchám. Mám rád, když mě dokáže hudba zaujmout, strhnout, rozdrásat zevnitř, když u ní musím přemýšlet, neustále se vracet. U SYMBOLICAL to letos opět platí ve všech bodech obhajoby. Marně hledám něco, u čeho bych mohl být kritický. Nic tu zkrátka není. I zvuk se velmi povedl. Je dobře čitelný, ostrý a chladný zároveň a krásně zvýrazňuje jednotlivé nálady. Motiv na obalu je volně inspirovaný dílem Williama Blaka. Fanoušek tak dostane komplexní dílo po všech stránkách. Jenže to by v dnešní době bylo stejně málo. Poláci navíc přidávají velkou porci talentu, schopnosti napsat velmi zajímavé motivy, skladby, které po sobě zanechávají krvavou stopu. Chlad se zde potkává s tmou, syrovost je uhlazena naléhavostí. Víte, poslouchám hudbu skoro 35 let a to, co si pustím do přehrávače, musí projít mnoha požadavky mojí stupnice. Pánové letos opět dokázali, že hrají od srdce, odhodlaně, opravdově, reálně a autenticky. Pokud máš rád muziku jako takovou, určitě si tuhle malou kapelu s velkým srdcem z Polska poslechni. Zhasni všechna světla a nech jejich hudbu, aby na tebe jen tak působila. Probudíš se do tmy, do absolutní tmy. Do ticha a nicoty. Uslyšíš tlukot svého srdce. Samota duše, samota těla. Budeš tápat v temnotě, marně hledat nějaký záchytný bod v dnešním chaotickém světě. Oproštěn od zbytečností, jen ty a tvé svědomí. A také tahle nahrávka. Temný a chladný death metal, který je absolutní definicí samoty, síly a naděje! Dokonalá hudba plná emocí, která vás rozdrásá zevnitř!
Asphyx says:
I wake up in darkness, absolute darkness. Silence and nothingness. I hear my heart beating. The loneliness of the soul, the loneliness of the body. I grope in the darkness, searching in vain for something to hold on to in today's chaotic world. Freed from the unnecessary, just me and my conscience. Sometimes it's a tough battle. I listen to the new album by Polish band SYMBOLICAL over and over again, and my nightmares become more and more real. I've liked this band since their beginnings, I like their style, the way they approach music as such. Have I died? Been reborn? I don't know, anything is possible with this recording.
The foundation here is classic, traditional death metal, to which other elements are added. Sometimes the motifs are heavy, choppy, and oozing, other times airy and thoughtful, with ambient passages also making an appearance. As a whole, the new album burns from within. Each subsequent encounter is more of a ceremony, a ritual, a dreamlike affair than just ordinary music. If there is a band today that plays in an interesting and original way, it is SYMBOLICAL. I would gladly sign that with my blood, my dear reader.
These Polish maniacs simply approach music differently, they are original, they have their own expression. In today's world of more or less generic recordings, this is a small miracle. Climbing a high mountain, jumping down, flying in the icy wind—these are all thoughts that fly through my head like moths around a fire when I listen to "Hope for Aerist". I like it when music can captivate me, sweep me away, tear me apart from the inside, when I have to think about it, constantly return to it. With SYMBOLICAL, this is once again true in all points of defense this year. I search in vain for something I could be critical of. There is simply nothing here. The sound is also very well done. It is clear, sharp, and cold at the same time, beautifully highlighting the individual moods. The motif on the cover is loosely inspired by the work of William Blake. Fans get a comprehensive work in every respect. But that alone would not be enough these days. The Poles also add a large dose of talent, the ability to write very interesting motifs, compositions that leave a bloody trail behind them. Coldness meets darkness here, rawness is smoothed over by urgency. You know, I've been listening to music for almost 35 years, and whatever I put on my player has to meet many requirements on my scale. This year, the guys have once again proven that they play from the heart, with determination, sincerity, realism, and authenticity. If you like music as such, be sure to listen to this small band with a big heart from Poland. Turn off all the lights and let their music just affect you. You will wake up in darkness, in absolute darkness. In silence and nothingness. You will hear your heart beating. The loneliness of the soul, the loneliness of the body. You will grope in the darkness, searching in vain for something to hold on to in today's chaotic world. Freed from the unnecessary, just you and your conscience. And also this recording. Dark and cold death metal, which is the absolute definition of loneliness, strength, and hope! Excellent music full of emotion that will tear you apart from the inside!
tracklist: 1. Let There Be No Light 2. Seven Deadly Sins of the Soul 3. Flames of Eden 4. A New Breath of the Universe 5. Flesh of Clay 6. Ruins of the Divine Heart 7. Chapter I: Only Fleme 8. Chapter II: Throne of Despair 9. Chapter III: Feed the Beast 10. Chapter IV: The Hammer's Sorrow 11. The Prophecy of Ahania
Ave JADE! Welcome to the mystical underground. I would like to start by thanking you for your music. I've been following you since the first demo and you play exactly the kind of mysterious, magical death metal that runs through my veins. I was really looking forward to this year's new record and when it came up for review I was immediately lost. Could you please introduce us to the new album? How did it come about and what direction did you want to take?
Dear Jakub, I’m well aware of the support you have given us since the beginning, and I have not enough words to describe how valuable we receive it… Thanks a lot for the job you do for the underground, the metal community and of course our very own music. Priceless!
“Smoking Mirror” sounded and was conceived from primitiveness, a channel to put together some ideas and set the path to follow from then on. 2022’s debut album “The Pacification of Death” probably exposed our more Death Metal side to date but with a way more layered composition and arrangment level, while the 3 tracks from “The Sempiternal Wound” a way more Doom language. The sophomore album probably puts the balance on the Black Metal side, due the more Atmospheric and dense approach to music, but never was something planned.
I don’t like to use the Black Metal label out of the Atmosphere, but I’m pretty sure your readers and album listeners will get what I mean. As Jade listeners has already got from past experiences and will get with this new album, there’s a need of playing such game with balance, all driven with the main goal so called emotion. Music must emanate emotion, density and being so dynamic. I would love someone to consider Jade’s music under the band’s name label, as in my opinion happens with many other bands, Bolt Thrower or Katatonia back in time, or today’s Bölzer for naming just three.
So, more than redefining our style/sound, I want to believe we are shaping more and more our own language.
I personally find the new album "Mysteries Of A Flowery Dream" even more mysterious, mystical. Listening to it, I feel like I'm visiting some ancient ritual. But the new one seems to me a bit more complicated, more demanding to listen to. What is the reason for that? Have I noticed a change of musicians? Why is that?
Honestly, the line-up change has nothing to do with the album composition or arrangement beyond the synths sections on some songs opening. On this album we have continued with the same method since the debut Ep. Demo songs made by me, and then jumping into guitar arrangements by A. I feel that giving him freedom to arrange the guitar lines, with his unique harmonic skills, is the best decision I have ever made. But, that’s it… in fact this time we did a sort of preproduction version of the album in between of the Studio recording and my initial demos. Basically to give us more time to recognize the songs and work with a bit more feedback and chances to improve.
On studio we spent more time than in previous recordings on finding a good sound for each instrument, and how worked among them in terms of frequencies and so. We had so clear that the guitars should be a defining element in terms of production, as they are in terms of composition, but I think the sense of freedom and control we feel album after album and show after show, are the only reasons to perceive such a level of complexity. It’s not on purpose at all… In fact I always remark Albert that Jade’s music must remain primitive in its nature, despite the additional Heavy Metal touch and reinterpretation he may add on our own sources.
The only change we have suffered, is on the drums position, which supposes the 3rd drummer since our debut Ep. But having Bud with us since the Split with Sanctuarium, has allowed us to consolidate strategies and rhythmical patterns.
Oh, lest I forget... Could you please take us through the history of JADE. How did the band come into being, who was at the beginning? You each come from different places (Spain, Germany), does that cause you any problems?
Jade was a creation of mine, which seed was laying in my head for almost 20 years, due a long trip to Mexico. There was something hidden from that journey which definitely grew in me connecting concepts and music needs during 2017. At that time, I was in touch with my friend Dylan, based in Berlin and who used to play drums many years ago. We matched interests and a sort of self-promise at 2016’s Party San metal Open Air, where Graveyard were playing, for which we would play together someday. We took the time to record a 4 track demo I had during a short job visit to Barcelona in 2018, and started spreading the project. First through a self-release tape, and later with the professional release under Pulverised Records’s banner, also with the help of Swedish label Nigredo Records.
Dylan was a sort of spark to my music expectations, for which I felt the need of recovering my role as composer in a band. My role in Foscor and of course in Graveyard as live singer, was lately reduced to the vocals, lyrical and management parcels, so it was a natural and organic need that I was feeling. Working with someone from another country was a sort of challenge, but probably the best thing Jade could ever have had, as a kick off point.
From there to now, there has been a big location change for Dylan, which totally affected to his possibilities to keep practicing drums or considering accomplish the schedules I wanted to follow. I’m talking about 2022’s debut album „The Pacification of Death“, which in my opinion should get done right when I started to recover my life after pandemic and a very harsh personal period. His role was reduced to writing some lyrics, that were included in that debut and also the recent split Lp with Sanctuarium. We have lost contact during the last times, and that’s why although we started this project together, now remains in silent mode and I run most of the band parcels.
So, being a full band line-up based in Barcelona, this is Albert on main guitars role, for whom my compositions reach the level of arrangement they do; Bud, as the third drummer I’ve been working with, already responsible of the drum lines on “The Sempiternal Wound” split, after Marc departure to focus efforts on his main bands Trollcave and Sanctuarium; and Christopher, and old dog from the Catalan and Spanish scene who also plays and has played in some of the most relevant bands here, and who adds a classy touch on stage and a friendly vibe out of it. My role keeps being of the main member, composer, lyricist, manager and any other shitty role you might imagine… I love it, and not because I’m a creepy egocentric or egoist in terms of sharing the band’s parcels and roles. I consider it a way to make my bandmate’s life easier, and get them focused for when the band really need them.
Let's go back to the new record. The first thing I noticed is of course the cover art. The author is Adam Burke and the motif is a giant spider going through a storm. How did you choose the motif and how does it relate to the music? I have to say that the cover evoked a lot of strange moods in me. I like it, but at the same time I have respect for it. How do you feel about the motif and why did you team up with Adam?
The album lyrical concept digs into the relationship between life on earth and the mysterious magical world of dreams, for which we might identify the human soul in Ancient Mesoamerican cultures. The waking mind and the energetic body used at death, or to sleep, form the aura, and how dreams play a crucial role within these cultures’ cosmovision is what here dwells.
There’s a 9 levels sort of pyramid of dreams you might compare to an ascending process to improve yourself as individual, that composes the main part of the lyrical conception here.
A journey into the dialogue between conscious and subconscious dreaming states and the mysteries around.
Having always in mind the way those cultures conceived its world, with gods and entities on the 3 main levels with a so rich list of tales and interrelations, the reference of the powerful moon goddess Ixchel, creative and destructive came to me as a nice resource for expressing how all this life seemed to be controlled by unknown forces. She was associated with the Spider, who creates the thread of life like an umbilical cord. She could give life to beings and nature, but also punish and sent floods and storms to the earth in her destructive phase…
That was the initial guide I shared with Adam Burke, and the importance of each character on this scene, and his magic came naturally to close this really majestic painting.
I’ve always read and perceived Adam’s art close to my music vision… Based on how his talent can shape and compose with lucidity and efficiency a strong and so iconic idea, while his skills with the brush, colour can reach the sort of texture from beyond sometimes I don’t read in other artists. It’s the balance between rawness and not so defined details what probably touches me and actually complements how I see music. For sure his role is as important as for being considered another member of Jade.
Besides, despite the cover for the debut Ep “Smoking Mirror” wasn’t a commissioned work, giving him the few references and elements I have in mind is a sure bet of success from the very first sketch. At least, during the two experiences lived with both full length albums, I don’t remember a single correction from my part. Although I remember asking him to add a few more elements ( spectres in the case of “The Pacification…”cover, and ascending bodies on the new album one ) for getting the concept fully expressed.
The sound, yes, the sound is always very important. This is even more true with your music than anywhere else. You have to hear every note, every note, to bring out their power. You put yourselves in the hands of Javi Bastard and Jaime G. Arellano. What were your feelings going into the studio and what were your ideas? How does one actually achieve such a majestic, well-read yet restless and mystical sound?
Since the very first Ep we have repeated the formula used at Moontower Studios. Javi, Its owner, is a long-time friend and band mate in Graveyard. We perfectly know each other, and things can follow the most efficient, productive and trustful method you may imagine. So having Javi and his Moontower Studios as the place to make things happen, is nothing but a sure bet and of course a privilege.
With the previous releases we have always started recording drums there, and then jumped into some weeks to record guitars, bass and vocals at our own place over them. After that our lines are reamped and mixed in the studio, until the final mix which as usual has just taken very few corrections from Javi’s initial proposal. As the only change introduced compared to the previous stuff, the final Mastering process was sent to our friend Jaime G. Arellano to get an even better piece from his Orgone Studios in Portugal.
Probably there’s way more share of work files at home between A. and me during the chords and vocals recording than at the studio itself. Have in mind there’s a pre-production work from my initial demos that sets a good guide for what we close on the final recording process. But I think there’s no better team to translate our ideas than Javi at Moontower and Jaime at Orgone. I’ve been talking ith Javi many times about the way I perceive and conceive music, doesn’t matter if it’s Death Metal, Black Metal or a way more progressive approach. There’s always a sense of emotion and intangible aura that must cover everything like a flavour… it’s ho we conceive music as the channel to open a dialogue with ourselves and the far beyond.
In your lyrics you venture into ancient cultures, dealing with spirituality, darkness, mysticism. Where do you get your inspiration for them? What books do you draw from? I really like that you make the lyrics stand out so much that it has clear thoughts and ideas. It's not very common in death metal, yet it's very important. How did the lyrics for the new album come about?
The album lyrical concept digs into the relationship between life on earth and the mysterious magical world of dreams, for which we might identify the human soul in Ancient Mesoamerican cultures. The waking mind and the energetic body used at death, or to sleep, form the aura, and how dreams play a crucial role within these cultures’ cosmovision is what here dwells.
This is a poetized journey into the dialogue between conscious and subconscious dreaming states and the mysteries around.
The “Flowery Dream” is the inebriated state of ecstasy for which a lucid dream happens. We can also attain this state while awake, by altering our state of consciousness, bringing the tonal (waking state) and the nahual (sleep/dream state) together in what may be called daydreaming, or dreaming while awake.
From Mesoamerican cultures to Chinese and Southern Asian ones, the greenstone was conferred with deep spiritual symbolism and used to connect the earthly level to the unknown. The history of the countless traditions, legends and cults remain as an endless source of topics in terms of lyrics for the band, with a rich historical narrative also poetized which we cannot find in European soil through this rare mineral. I guess we are way more used to see the world and its historical conception from our European eyes than from the depths of other cultures. The connection I did of all these terms and topics while taking studies of symbolism, and my trip to Mexico like 20 years ago, as I mentioned earlier in the interview, probably are the spark to choose such an unusual name and propose this lyrical landscape.
I usually dig into articles, history books or online sources when there’s an initial idea I want to develop. Within the Measoamerican ancestral cultures there is an epic narrative in the describing the celestial world, and how its patterns may serve to overcome ominous times and the gathering of dark deities and creation Gods for Mayans. The subconscious guide was found in the Moon calendar and sets with ‘The Stars’ Shelter’, the opening track to the dreaming journey.
With ‘Light’s Blood’, the topic was to deal with the importance of dreams, which is demonstrated by how the Maya discussed them, as Omens not meant to be feared. Dreams are myths, described in mythical speech. When talking of the soul, there’s a phenomenon within the human body called “koyopa” which might be described as lightning in the blood, or sky serpents some are born with and others awaken through powerful spiritual experiences.
The Stars’ Shelter (II) is and instrumental track which serves as a soundtrack of the ancestral Mexican cosmovision. The ascension and descent of forces and celestial bodies converge on the middle realm finding balance. As above so below. And as a sort of break during the album tracklist.
It is said that Mictlan (the underworld) is not a place but a state of resting, to be in that moment of dreaming. The tough fight and transition facing the tyrannical tests and punishments, reaches the ultimate level reaching the longed rest of the soul with “9th Episode”’s lyric.
In “Darkness in Movement” there’s a reference to the 9th level of Temictzacoalli, the Toltec pyramid of dreams, which claims to be the sacred place of sleep, the place of darkness from where light emerges. There are no dreams, only darkness in movement, and we access the mind of the Black Eagle, the place of the original plan. This is the last test related to power and ego, where we have the option of intervening or not in the original plan, depending on whether we can transcend the light and darkness of the mind.
Finally, the last song serves as a summary of the album title. “A Flowery Dream” is the inebriated state of ecstasy for which a lucid dream happens. We can also attain this state while awake, by altering our state of consciousness, bringing the tonal (waking state) and the nahual (sleep/dream state) together in what may be called daydreaming, or dreaming while awake.
Each of the musicians plays in other bands. Does that mean that JADE are more of a project? Have you ever played live? And you don't plan to? I would imagine some old temple, ruins, where I think your music would stand out very well...
Jade was conceived from the need of recovering two main aspects on my life. The role of composer, which I declined for some years in order to leave space as composers to the guitar players, and reach better results, with my other band Foscor... And also recover the feeling I had during the first years of that band on stage. We started playing shows in May 2023, just a few months after releasing our debut album “The Pacification of Death”, and during the first 6 months from the album promotion and release we will play live the same amount of shows that during the past 2 years. We have toured UK once, and played in Germany, France, Portugal or Spain repeatedly. In September we will do our first 10 dates European run through France, Netherlands and Germany, and I’m sure 2026 will be similar.
Being honest, with Jade I needed to be back to my comfort zone, a way more energetic performance, visceral and easy to shape on studio and on stage. I also missed my role as singer and bassist from the early years. It‘s been almost 15 years being more involved in only vocals performing, writing and band managing than playing my own music.
Our debut show was indeed in a Medieval Fortress in Catalonia, in 2023, during the Necesse Mori II Festival. Quite unique event and fantastic scenario for debut our band live.
JADE is one of the bands that are recognizable within the first few moments. You have your own expression, your own face, your own handwriting. I wonder how a new song is actually created? When does the initial idea come? Is it in the studio? Or at home, where it's quiet and peaceful? When does the inspiration come?
Jade’s foundations are set in a past musical period, for which I felt I needed to get back after many years trying to develop other music paths through my other bands. I needed to rescue what meant to be my youth main musical inspirations, and which without doubt shaped who I am.
I’m talking of late 80’s / early 90’s Death Metal, the sacred British Doom trinity and Norwegian Black Metal on early mid 90’s. At that time, a listener had the sensation that every album released was a sort of pioneer using similar tools and clearly different way. That’s the value I’ve always been interested in, despite sounding so pretentious. It’s not an easy path to walk, but the fact you say that our music is recognizable from the first listen gives me a really special feeling of satisfaction and pride.
I like to speak about language, not sound... Jade’s proposal might be read from the eyes of that past time, but shall be filtered by this attitude of trying to offer a new perspective to an existing point of view. I guess that playing in different bands for almost 30 years has to have an impact on the way you read those past references, so, I agree with your point about us but without a sort of innovating aim… Music from any genre and time still has path to be developed. The difference comes naturally from the fact we all are different, but having open heart and mind to cross the line.
I like to compose at night, at my home studio… usually from a lead guitar melody that might lead the whole song. It’s a matter of working a solid and coherent music story in 3 or 4 riffs, melodies, that are dressed then by a rhythmical base on guitars and drums, as primitive as possible.
I don’t think on new music until I know I should start planning a new release, and that’s always after putting all my heart on the post release stages and parcels, like Live activity, promotion or so…I don’t jump into a new song until I close the one I’m working in, and there hasn’t been a single song I created that wasn’t included in a collection of tracks for a release. Even more… all the creations are chronologically recorded and released as I did them. I feel that way makes more credible what Jade is and who and where comes its music from.
Everybody started with music somehow. What were your beginnings? When did you first pick up an instrument and start playing? Who inspired you? Please reminisce for us...
I remember being at High School and sharing time with friends not only listening to music but playing some instruments and trying to work on cover bands or even with on stuff. I think I picked the bass because it was the most requested instrument at that time… Everybody wanted to play guitars, drums or even singing!!! Ha, ha, ha… I quickly developed myself on other instruments as Keyboards, in order to add atmosphere to the bands or rehearsals I was sharing with friends here and there.
It was at the time when Rock, Metal or whatever you want to mention Heavy Metal, was way more a transversal cultural movement with no the level of specificity that the end of 90’s would add on music.
I was on the branch of Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal and later Death Metal, Grind, Doom and Black Metal…while most of my High School mates were more into Hardcore and Punk stuff, I was poisoned by darkness in a way that would change my entire world until now. I started playing from Thrash to Hardcore stuff actually, but quickly at mid 90’s I began emulating the vibe of mainly Black Metal bands that inspired me to new levels. That mix of Death Metal, Doom and Black I was mentioning before.
As I mentioned before, you are a band with German-Spanish roots. Is the history of both countries somehow reflected in your work? We are all influenced by the society, the experiences, the places we grow up in. Recently, I've coincidentally read a few books set in Catalonia (I've been there on holiday too) and I have to say that I was literally fascinated by the history!
Not in our case…or not in the direct way that for instance performs on another of my bands like Foscor. I’m pretty sure that the person I am has been shaped not only from the music I’ve been listening, which at some point has depended on what I’ve been able to discover from the place I live… but from the cultural background I’ve been raised in. But Jade was a project I wanted to reach timeless levels of reading from music to lyrical parcels, so having the sources on far ancient cultural points makes it be way more distant from our reality than with other bands.
There’s probably a sense of clarity on where exploring and how history and tradition might open a wide door to explore… as it happens with the Catalan culture, but this is way more connected to who am I and the attitude behind Jade, than the band itself.
What does music mean to you? Is it a hobby, a relaxation, a lifestyle? For example, I can't exist without music at all. I listen to it from morning till night, I dose it according to my mood and taste. I'm the fool with headphones on, lost in my own world. How do you perceive music, death metal?
I’m a music consumer since my youth years, and not only metal on all its variants, but Post Punk, Pop Music and Classical music stuff. I have less time than I used to have for properly listening an album, take out the envelope and enjoy of this sort of ritual… but I do need to be connected to the music I’ve been linked since my early years to the new I’m adding and still discovering.
I always love to live music, not simply listen music… So I guess that having a band, attending concerts or being in touch with all sort of industry agents makes me have a full or richer experience than when I started just listening.
Trading in the 90’s was something I learnt after joining bands with an international approach to how develop a music project. But definitely that time was the seed to who I am now and how I still can count many friends out there met from the shared passion for music. Lifestyle I would say matches better with the definition of who I am.
Necessary question at the end. What are JADE planning in the next few months? If you have something to say and would like to tell it to fans, promoters, labels, you have the opportunity, here is the space...
We are now on mid-August, and in less than a months we will not only embark ourselves in a 10 dates tour with our country mates Totengott, but release new stuff with a friend band. We are waiting to the official press release, but a limited batch of copies on one of the most incredible formats I enjoy listening music, will be out.
The dates we have scheduled for “A Veil Of Dreams” Tour 2025 are as follows:
12.09 FR - LYON - Over Eighteen Motors w/ South Of Hell
13.09 FR – STRASBOURG – Le Local
14.09 NL – LEEUWARDEN – Alternative Café Mukkes w/ Mourn
15.09 GER - MÜLHEIM AN DER RUHR - AZ Mülheim
16.09 GER - BREMEN - Zollkantine w/ Hallucinate
17.09 GER - HAMBURG - Bambi galore w/ Hallucinate
18.09 GER - WOLFSBURG - s.v. Jugendhaus Ost w/ Hallucinate
19.09 GER - WEIMAR - Party.San Herbstoffensive VI*
20.09 GER - DRESDEN - HD - Die Rock& Metalbar
Additionally, before that tour, we will be playing at this fantastic lineup festival in our hometown
Thank you so much for your music and for this interview. I think you can guess what I'm going to do. I'm going to turn off all the lights and let the new album "Mysteries Of A Flowery Dream" take me to other worlds. I wish you all the best in your personal lives as well! Good luck to you!
Thanks a lot Jakub!! It’s been a pleasure to share these words and chat in your site. I really hope we can meet us soon in person, that would make this experience and relation way more special and richer. Keep up the great job you do!! Cheers!
Recenze/review - JADE - The Pacification Of Death (2022):
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