Interview: 2016, July 20. Tragon @OccultBlackMetal zine

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Tragon: We are currently finishing the recording of our second full length album “In Full Regalia” and also working on new songs for a split release in 2017 and a third album.

2. Currently you are working on a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Tragon: “Admire The Cosmos Black” was an album we hadn’t planned and contained songs from different eras of the band. This time we had a more clear vision and there was only one main composer, which makes the songs more cohesive and homogenous. We also went a little more aggressive, there are songs in the new album that offer more time to headbang than what we used to have in the past.

3. Your lyrics cover some Ancient Hellenic Pride and Anti Christian themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those topics?
Tragon: These are only some of the subjects that generally interest me and I spend time studying. The band is my preferred channel to speak about those specific issues. We are an anti-religious band, and since we happen to live in a Christian country our lyrics are antichristian. When I am not touching this subject, I either speak of the Ancient Greek world (we were always fascinated from the Greek mythology, and to be honest with you, I would personally prefer the “official” religion of Greece, if there has to be one, to be the ethnic mythos of Greece instead of the ethnic mythos of Judea that currently is) or the history of Vlad Tepes a.k.a. the “Dracula”.

4. I know that the band was named after ‘Vlad Tepes’, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this historical character?
Tragon: When we started the band we were fascinated by the stories around Vlad, both the historic one, as well as the fictitious “Dracula” of Bram Stoker. Who doesn’t like brutal heroes who impale their enemies and vampire stories, right? Above all, the title “Lord Impaler” felt really fitting for a black metal band and this was the deciding factor…

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Tragon: Lord Impaler have only played live 3 times, the last one was 2 months ago, and the one before that was 16 years ago. Our latest show, supporting Rotting Christ, was certainly the best we have given, a traditional black metal show with blood, corpse paint and a great atmosphere.

6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Tragon: We are in the talks for some shows in November but we don’t have any dates booked right now. We keep our ears open for opportunities to play more shows.

7. Recently you where a part of a split with ‘Dizziness’ and ‘Hell Poemer’, what are your thoughts on the other bands that had participated on the album?
Tragon: They are both an excellent sample of Greek black metal. Each one has developed their own brand, Dizziness are closer to the primitive Hellenic Pagan black (alongside cult bands like Nergal and Athos), while Hell Poemer are closer to the classic Greek black metal sound but expand on it in modern ways. Worth checking their other works.

8. Also on the split you had done a cover of Bathory’s “Call From the Grave”, what was the decision behind doing your own version of this song?
Tragon: Whenever we do a cover we are picking on songs that we would have done differently. We don’t really see the point in re-making a song of a band that plays similar music with us and just performing their song as it is. With “Call…” we felt we could really make it shine in our style and so we went for it.

9. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your current music by fans of black metal?
Tragon: People around the globe seem to genuinely enjoy our music. We’ve got a lot of positive feedback and it’s only getting better over the years. Of course there has been the occasional bad review every now and then, which we welcome and appreciate (that’s how you learn you need to improve usually), and it mostly boils down to “we’re not original enough”, which I am fine with: we never tried to innovate much, we’re playing the music we like to listen to. There are bands like Virus or Dødheimsgård who try to re-invent themselves every album. We are not this kind of band.

10. When will the new album be released?
Tragon: I really cannot give you an estimate. We hope to finish it in 2016, but even if all go as planned, it will then depend on any labels that may express interest in it. Generally, we hope for a release this year.

11. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Tragon: We have always been fans of Norwegian and Swedish black metal, and it shows. This isn’t something we try to do, it has become a personal style of composing (as far as I can tell at least, from working closely with Lord Nebulah, our main composer). Bands that shaped us, hmm, I will say Emperor, Immortal, Dark Funeral, Marduk, Satyricon, but again influences aren’t something we consciously choose, and we’re listening to lots of different stuff that might have crept in our minds in some way. Currently I am listening to Behexen’s latest album and recently added Imperium Infernalis’ “Imago Dei” on rotation. This last one is another excellent sample of contemporary Greek black metal.

12. How would you describe your views on Occultism?
Tragon: I am living in the age of logic, which means no gods, no devils, no fairies. However I do find occult theories somewhat fascinating and when I have time to spare I do read occult books. Whenever I reference anything religious in my lyrics, they mask something deeper, they are just a symbolic link to what I really want to talk about. For example, Satan is the rebellious free man, I am not a Satanist, but you will see him mentioned A LOT in our third album…

13. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Tragon: Firstly, I would like to point everyone to our official Bandcamp page at http://lordimpaler.bandcamp.com where you can listen to our entire discography. We recently uploaded a compilation named “Demology – The Decade of Obscurity”, which is free to get and covers our first decade, our demo era. Secondly, a word to all metal fans: SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SCENE. Going to a local concert, buying a DIY product, getting the word out, it makes all the difference in the world. Give the underground bands the time to stand on their feet for when the dinosaurs die off. Last (but certainly not least), thank you for this interview. We greatly appreciate the time and effort you put into it. ΧΑΙΡΕ!

source: http://occultblackmetalzine.blogspot.gr/2016/07/lord-impaler-interview.html

Review: CBTWE @OccultBlackMetal zine

This  is  a  review  of  a  3  way  split  album  between  Greece’s  Dizziness,  Lord  Impaler  and  Hell  Poemer  called  “Carved  By  The  Winds  Eternal”  which  was  released  by  Symbol  Of  Domination  Productions  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Dizziness  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  traditional  form  of  Greek  black  metal.

There  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  atmospheric  soundscapes  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and raw  black  metal  direction  that  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  while  the  vocals  are  grim  yet  high  pitched  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

Both  of  their  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid paced   and  fast parts  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  melodies  at  times   and  both  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  is  also  some  session  work  from  Iapettos  666  of  Unholy  Archangel  on  the  second  song,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  powerful  at  the  same  time  while the  lyrics  cover  folklore,  ancient  lore  and  mysticism  themes.

In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sound  recording  from  Dizziness  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  Greek  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  “Goddess  Of  the  Moon”.

Next  up  is  Lord  Impaler  a  band  that  plays  a  Hellenic  form  of  black  metal.

Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  fast,  raw  and  melodic  black  metal  sound  that  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  some  tremolo  picking  while  the  vocals  are  grim  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of   the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  their  side  of  the  split    and  both  of  their  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

There  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  while  the  second  song  is  a  cover  of  Bathory’s  “Call  From  The  Grave”   which  also  has  more  rawness  than  the  original   version,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Anti  Christian  and  Ancient  Hellenic  Pride  themes.

In  my  opinion  Lord  Impaler  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  Hellenic  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  “A  Fire  That  Burns”.

Closing  the  split  is  Hell  Poemer  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  raw  and  epic  form  of  black  metal.

Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  fast  and  raw  style  that  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  while  also  mixing  it  in  with  melodic  guitar  leads  and  atmospheric  synths  while  the  vocals  are  grim  black  metal  screams  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and fast  parts.

All  of   the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  the  second  track  has  a  more  tragic  approach  with  the  synths  while  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  and  whispers,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Ancient  Pride,  Philosophy  and  the  Dark  Side  Of  Nature.

In  my  opinion  this  is  another  very  great sounding  recording  from  Hell  Poemer  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  epic  and  raw  Greek  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of t he  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  “The  Sacral  Knot  Of  The  Hierophant”.

In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  Greek  black  metal.  8  out  of  10.

source: http://occultblackmetalzine.blogspot.gr/2016/07/dizzinesslord-impalerhell-poemercarved.html