Following the confirmed release date of their upcoming album "Valkyrja", upcoming tour date announcements and a hefty load of activity over the year 2013, Global Metal Apocalypse spoke with Týr's lead vocalist / guitarist Heri Joensen and discussed about the history and current situation with the Faroese Metal scene, Týr's touring and music activity, as well as talking about the Faroese language and how fans can learn how to pronounce the vocabulary in order to sing to their songs.

2013 saw the lads from the Faroe Islands partake in the North American leg of the Paganfest tour with Ensiferum, Heidevolk, and others. Coupled with their upcoming release of "Valkyrja" scheduled for a release date of 13th September in various editions: Fan edition, Limited 2 CD edition, Digi-CD, LP and digital download, it seems to be a good year for Týr, except the sad departure of long-time drummer Kári Streymoy who quit the band on 12th May 2013 owing to a back injury he sustained 5 years ago. Swords at the ready, here we go.



So guys this is Heri Joensen from the Faroe Islands metal band Týr and now that you're considered the Faroe Islands most successful metal export, how does this feel for the band in general?

It feels very good actually, erm and I think we are not only the biggest metal export I think actually we are the biggest music export in the Faroes, I think, but I'm not really keeping up with the scene, but there are some people who play country and western music who do quite ok, I'm not sure how well but I'm 90% sure we are the biggest music export. I take great pride in that of course, erm what else can I say?


As far as the band's concerned, because you sing about the Vikings and Nordic mythology, do you feel that Týr is different from other metal bands in Scandinavia that do similar styles?

There are probably some that are a bit like us, not the same style of music and maybe similar lyrics but also the other way round, well I'm not sure I think our music is fairly unique but the text writing is not all that original, there maybe some bands who do it in the same way but I mean with our combination I think we have set ourselves apart a little bit from everyone else in this genre, so this Viking Metal whatever they call it isn't really a kind of metal it's more of an attitude in the lyrics and I mean the music styles often have nothing to do with it other than that they are types of metal.


You'll be releasing your latest album on September 16th in the UK (September 17th in North America, and September 13th in Europe) "Valkyrja", could you explain the process behind this album?

Yes, we have been working on this album since around the time we finished the last album and we always do it like that because there's always something in the works, some of the songs that were leftovers from the last album that didn't make it onto that album for various reasons, some even older and about two or three months before studio time that was this March we started working very hard to get the material done and even though we have all the basic ideas before that I guess most of the work is done in the period of the few months leading up to the studio, and we work on the internet sending files to each other, I use a programme called Guitar Pro and we also do some scratch recordings on Logic and the last thing to be done is the lyrics, I have the idea for the name of the album and the basic story outline long in advance but the actual lyrics aren't written until the very last moment.


Because you play Folk Metal do you take any influences outside of the Folk Metal genre?

Yeah I guess we do, I mean our sound and our approach is very basic Heavy Metal with some progressive elements in it so erm, I mean there is clearly a cross between some kind of Progressive Metal and Folk, so needless to say I guess we do that and we I think all of us grew up with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal you know especially Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and those bands, some German bands also like Accept, Scorpions and all the American bands like Pantera, Metallica, Manowar, Dio, Motley Crue all that, so that you know growing up listening to metal like that of course has influenced our approach to metal in general, now all we did was add some Folk to that, that's basically how I see it, so you have to say it's something like 50/50 as there's the folk influence and the other 50% is the you know standard good ole Heavy Metal influence.


So how did Metal begin in the Faroes, how did it start?

Well, when I was young I used to watch Headbangers Ball on MTV, that was before the Grunge wave hit and that's how I got to know most of the Heavy Metal I know of, there was some enthusiasts before that who played you know I guess you can call Hard Rock, there was some cover bands on the Faroes I remember even before that who played Deep Purple and Rainbow especially, so I was aware of this Hard Rock thing and I'm not sure if you call Deep Purple Heavy Metal I don't think you do, anyway that's beside the point so there has always been someone there for us to look up to ever since I was young and there was some local metal bands or Hard Rock bands that played a few concerts every year that we used to enjoy a lot and go listen to, it's been there for all my musical life you know as some kind of metal in the Faroes and now we are a part of it.


You originally started off on Tutl Records, you then went onto Napalm and now onto Metal Blade, do you feel that you have made progression in as far as going from and to different labels?

Yeah I clearly have that feeling, of course Tutl is a non-profit musicians owned company so they don't have the international presence, but the good thing about them is if you make music here they will release it almost regardless, so that was a very good way for us to get started and that with a little bit of international attention was enough to get us to Napalm and then that was a great step forwards especially in promotion, I'm talking of when we released on Napalm and as for this one (upcoming album) regarding Metal Blade we haven't released the album yet but it looks very good so far and I hope that it will be an equally big step forward.


And of course regarding Tutl Records, your side project Heljareyga is signed to them.

Yes, I wanted to do something a bit more local with Heljareyga and I didn't even go to any other labels. I called Tutl Records up, got the deal and they made a distribution deal with some company in Germany and I have two more albums in that country I want to make and actually I want to release the next Heljareyga album before doing the next Týr album again.


I noticed that Heljareyga specifically has got Ísak Petersen from Synarchy as your bassist so with all that sort of inter-connectivity do you think that the Faroe Islands metal scene is more tight-knit than any other country or dependency?

Well I don't know any other country that is as small as the Faroes and that has a metal scene so I guess that goes without saying, we all know each other and we all play together sometime, so yeah it is pretty tight-knit.


Now going back to Týr now you got your UK tour coming up and how are you preparing for that and is this your first tour in the UK?

We have just picked out the songs for the set list and we are rehearsing with Amon Djurhuus these days.

No no no, we have been in the UK many times since 2006, and we have been there a few times since, last time was I think last year or two years ago the York festival, Viking festival.


What was the reception you got the first time round?

It was pretty good we were on tour with Amon Amarth from Sweden and they draw a big crowd so that was of course nice to get to play for them the crowd that Amon Amarth attracted, it was a good UK tour and then the last time was probably the best so far in the UK at the York Viking festival, that was amazing.


So with the tour coming up you're covering a lot of dates in Europe, are there any countries that you are going to be playing in that you haven't played in before?

Oh yeah, yeah! Actually we are very excited about that, we are going to Ireland this time we have never been to Ireland before and I am really excited to get there we have had many requests from people, it just never happened yet and now we finally get to do it, I am really looking forward to that, it's always nice to put another country on our list especially such as one as Ireland and also Romania, we have never been there before either and so we shall see what that is going to be like.


Of course you're touring with Skalmold from Iceland and also Finntroll, now have you toured with Finntroll before? If not this will be a new experience for you guys?

No we haven't, neither of those bands we've toured with before. We played together with them at some festivals here and there, never had a chance to tour with them. This will be a new experience for us, but they're Finnish and they're all the same (laughs) I feel like I know them already.


Going back to your upcoming album, because a lot of your die-hard fans have been following you through the years, but for those that are new to you guys from the upcoming album what song should they check out?

The first two 1. "Blood of Heroes", 2. "Mare of My Night" and the fourth one "The Lay Of Our Love", maybe also the last one "Valkyrja" the title track, that will give you... if you listen to those four songs you will have a pretty broad or whole impression of the band I guess.


Track number nine, "Fánar Burtur Brandaljóð" which looks like is in Icelandic, could you explain what it means?

Nope that's in Faroese and it means 'Fate is the sound of swords' and well it's erm, if you know the storyline of the album there is a Viking warrior (just someone no names mentioned here) who leaves his home and wife, goes off to battle with the intention to die, hero enough to make the Valkyrie carry him off to the realm of the gods in specifically to Freya and her realm Fólkvangr as is described in Norse Mythology, so this is the part where he has to die and is lifted by the Valkyrie from the ground up through the skies and so as he goes up the sound of swords fades away for him. That's the meaning of the title.


Now regarding the releases the band has done, the songs are in English, Faroese and Icelandic, because of the multilingual presence, for the fans that can't sing along because they don't know how to pronounce the words in Faroese or Icelandic, do you have any tips for them?

Well that's not easy because, it's not really pronounced the way it is written especially if you're really used to reading English, so if you are really interested in how to pronounce it you should go to maybe one of the news websites in the Faroes the ones that has video on them, go towww.KVF.fo and listen to some Faroese and how it is pronounced, you can even look up an article and there's a automated play button so you could play and hear how it is pronounced, and I know it's complicated but that's the only thing I can think of.


And is Faroese only really spoken in the Faroe Islands?

Yes, there are maybe 15,000 Faroese people living in Copenhagen or somewhere else in Denmark as a whole, but that's the largest gathering of Faroese people outside of the Faroes and there are 50,000 people in the Faroes, so maybe only 70,000 or 75,000 people in the whole world speak Faroese and it's the national language of the Faroe Islands, and you're not going to find it in many other places except a little bit in Denmark, some in Iceland and a bit in Norway maybe, but that's from immigrants from the Faroes.


Going back to Týr, the band has been going since 1998 and so what would you say has been the highlight of the band's career so far?

There have been a lot of highlights sort of outshining each other along the way, when we went to Iceland it was the first country we really got a hit in, that was a fantastic experience and that was in 2002 I think, and then signing with Napalm and starting to tour on the mainland that was also amazing. Also playing twice at Wacken Open Air Festival in Northern Germany and both times have been mind-blowing fantastic and now I think recording this album and signing a deal with Metal Blade feels like a real milestone and I hope in retrospect it will be as well.


And you toured with Ensiferum and Heidevolk on the North American leg of the Paganfest tour, was this successful for Týr?


Oh yes! Probably our best tour so far in the USA, it was very very well supported with a good attendance and we know both bands well, we've toured many times with Ensiferum so it's a great feeling to be on tour with people you know and you only get to meet them on tour, you know just meeting old friends and having a ball for a month it was a great experience.


Finally are there any hello's, thank you's, greetings you wish to issue to your Týr fans, friends, family, etc?


I'm not sure how far your broadcast goes but I would like to appeal to everyone who has any interest in this kind of music to please buy our albums and come to our shows and that would pay my bills and I hope I can in return provide you with music that you will like.


You can read up about the album, upcoming tour and other bits here.

http://globalmetalapocalypse.weebly.com/12/post/2013/07/tyr-announce-new-album-release-single-and-unveil-tour-dates.html


http://www.tyr.fo/
https://www.facebook.com/tyrband?fref=ts

By GMA's India Correspondent Farzand Bawa

Enmachined is an old school Thrash Metal band from Bangladesh which has come to vile existence in the early days of 2011. The loggerheads are spreading the chaos of bone crushing metal madness through killer live onslaughts and through the destruction of everything that stands in their path. The lyrics of these thrashers are about protesting against oppression and real life events. They have vowed to kill with their ruthless sonic insurgence. Their first international gig will be Ritual Ascension Fest organized by Putrid Ascendency which is being held in Kolkata, India.

On the ground breaking appearance at Putrid Ascendancy's Ritual Ascension Fest II (in association with GMA), we go one step further and ask Anil, the Guitarist and Nasa, the Bassist from the Enmachined camp about their plans and news about their Demo which is to be released soon!


Hails, how is the band doing right now and how is the preparations going for the next attack at War.Cult.Supremacy?

Nasa - Thrash greetings from Bangladesh brother! Enmachined is doing great right now. The loggerheads are ready with their artilleries to strike at the hearts of everyone at the upcoming congregation of bestial death! Let the Visas be done. We are psyched to kill!

Anil - Greetings! The band is running on full pace now. The upcoming onslaught has encouraged us to kill with power and we are getting ready with hammers, axes whatever we can find to ensure that, there would be definite injuries at the venue and we are planning to inject our splinters and steels and we hope the parasites will control thereafter. Just hoping to get the license to kill, which would be Indian Visas on our passports.

How did Enmachined come to be in existence? And what is the ideaology behind the band name?

Nasa - Enmachined is the brainchild of five violent minds. We have all played with different bands earlier, but our respect for thrash metal has bonded us together to create this sonic barrage in early 2011. As for the name, Enmachined is a cosmological system where cyborgs will rule the earth and will crush the feeble mortals. We hope it happens soon!

Anil - In the beginning Noor, Abir and I the three thrashers joined forces to create some sonic artillery's in the early days of 2011. We were in a maze of troubles but we never stopped our aural carnage. Our will to terrorize the oppression's has let us advance this far, and about the name, it’s just a f**king great name and even we gave a meaning to it. It’s a man turning into a machine and he comes in one purpose - to destroy what destroys you! Enough said!


Often we hear the so called 'Religious-head's' coming into the path of "Metalheads" saying the music is harsh, Satanic and what not! Has the band experienced this?

Nasa - No bro. Religion and music are totally different entities. We have not yet faced such misconceptions.


And what is the major influences as far as the song writing is concerned for the band? Both lyrically and musically?

Nasa - The song writing is a cohesive effort. During our practice sessions we jam, and if we find riffs that sounds killer we work on those, and that’s how songs of Enmachined have been made. This is how we transcribe our sonic assaults.

Anil - There is no such major influences for song writing, but we do like raise our bullet belts against oppression which is usually expressed in our lyrics, and also real life events. Musically, we try to establish a killing field in correlation with cruel environment it will create.


The essence of the Old School Thrash Metal seems to be gone nowadays with the math-school shit acting as a disease, what are the band's thought's on that?

Nasa - That math-school garbage can rot in the toxic wastes of hospitals! Such kinds of false musical acts have polluted the music scenes worldwide. Enmachined has only one solution for them - just f**king butcher those fags mercilessly.

Coming back to the band, the much awaited "Thrash Assault" demo is killing more people soon. Any insight into it?

Nasa - Yeah it was a kickass journey for Enmachined. We learned a lot about how to infect the global metal with our thrash assaults, and we also got kudos from a lot of listeners from abroad. Their support is a massive win for us!

Anil - This demo would be a killer one and hope people won’t get enough of it. The song ‘Thrash Assault’ is one kickstart to our band’s success so far. Noor is the man behind it!


How is the scene back there in Dhaka?

Nasa - Yes the scene in Dhaka has been in a coma for a few years but slowly it has been improving.  A lot of international artists have played in some underground concerts arranged by the local metal hordes. The fans appreciation towards their music has also changed, like collecting demo tapes and official merchandise. Yeah, good days are here for Dhaka metal scenario.


Which albums would you guys see as the primary influences to the sound of Enmachined?

Personally we have some many influences that it will be illogical to mention all of them now. So let’s keep the list short at these –

Slayer - Show No Mercy
Sodom - Code Red
Nuclear Assault - Game Over
D.R.I. - Definition
Coroner - Mental Vortex
Overkill - Taking Over
Kreator - Extreme Aggression
Judas Priest - Painkiller

What is your take on the guys at Putrid Ascendancy?

Nasa - Massive respect! This group is doing a killer job promoting the vilest form of metal to the listeners. Their efforts of arranging killer gigs and supporting deserving acts are much appreciated by Enmachined. This is one of the true metal brotherhoods from India which will go a long way for their deadly efforts. Total support for them from the Enmachined horde.


How is the Indian scene looked upon by the guys back in Bangladesh, especially Kolkata?

Nasa - Yes the Indian scene is bloody awesome! We have an immense respect for the rising acts such as Necrodeity, Purgation, Armament, Kapalin and the other hordes exhibiting utter destruction! And who can forget the mighty Kryptos and Dying Embrace, the elder ones who have infused chaos into the Asian scene from a long time back! Massive respect to all of you vile hordes!

Anil - The Indian metal scene is growing day by day and making a strong bonding within the South Asian countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Malaysia and Thailand. The bands are gradually motivating the bands of other countries and showing them that yeah we can do it too. The mighty Kryptos would be an example of how global metal can be.

It's sad that being in Metal money often becomes THE biggest factor and as a result some "compromises" have to be done, both with the quality as well as the sound. Has anything as such happened to Enmachined?

Nasa - Enmachined has been suffering from recognition since its savage birth. Still we have never given up our integrity because the urge to exhibit our sonic bestiality is beating in our hearts. Enmachined was, is and will always be true to the chaos it manifests!


Any chances of the band bringing in some Merchandise, or the awaited demo to Kolkata?

Nasa - Hell fucking yeah brother. If you don’t have cash, rob your nearest bank right now, cause we have some killer merchandises to sell!

Anil – Yeah, you sure don’t want to miss out any of the merchandises. The merchandise would be available at the venue only if we could pass through Indian customs with them. I guess we might have to bribe them with some merchandises as well haha!


Any words for all the fan's here in Kolkata waiting for the next killings?

Nasa - Brace yourselves. Some bones will surely be crushed!

Anil - Annihilation awaits, WE ARE COMING!

Best wishes go to Enmachined for their next occult venture. Burn the place down. Let there be "Murder in the front row". Hails!

Nasa - And there will be! Thanks for taking an interest on the loggerheads! Bone-crushing awaits Kolkata!

Anil - Yes, we are ready to slay holding axes. Beasts will be unleashed soon. Thanks and Kolkata, get ready!


Read the announcement of Enmachined's signing with Salute Records here


Enmachined:-

Abir - Vocals
Anil - Guitars
Noor - Guitars
Nasa - Bass
Sabbir - Drums.


https://www.facebook.com/enmachined
http://www.youtube.com/user/Enmachined


Facebook Event link for Ritual Ascension Fest II:-
https://www.facebook.com/events/154565728083266/

By Farzand Bawa

Nafarmaan is a Black / Death Metal band who formed in 2008 and hails from the lands of the mighty Bengal. The detested ones, the Nafarmaans each united by common hatred for the sacred entity, are bound to obliterate all who dare to stand against their ideologies; which as the name suggests is anti-religious. Vowing not to spare believers of any religion, for all is the same and hence are guilty of the same crime.

Lyrically the band never intends on exhorting anything but that which is deemed as the exact representation of their hatred for the very foundations of all so-called established religions which are a direct translation of the name of the band Nafarmaan, the blasphemer, the disobedient. On the acknowledgement of their very first live performance which will be at the upcoming Ritual Ascension Fest II, as one of the two headlining acts from Opar Bangla, Global Metal Apocalypse goes ahead and interviews their drummer, Nohttzver (ex-Weapon) and their vocalist, Imam Iblis (Bloodlust) on their debut gig, debut EP, "Quayamat Lullaby" and how the band have been going since their beginning in 2008!

The interview was conducted by "D" on behalf of GMA! Read on for further blasphemy...


Hails, hows the band doing right now and whats the killing strategy for this upcoming nuclear war invasion: War.Cult.Supremacy?

Nohttzver: Ave! Nafarmaan is doing great and are sharpening it’s blades for the upcoming nuclear war invasion at the moment. Apart from a few Visa related glitches presently the band is ready to kill.

Imam Iblis: Thanks a lot for having an interest on Nafarmaan. Much appreciated. We have been rehearsing and raging to hit the stage. Debut show seems to be just like we wanted it to be.


This is your debut performance. How excited or determined are you to desecrate and banish everything in your path at War.Cult.Supremacy?

Nohttzver: As Imam mentioned earlier, Nafarmaan was itching to go live and what better than inaugurate the first live ever in India and in a majestic city like Kolkata. Currently the Bangalore and the Kolkata hordes are considered to be the truest die-hard metalheads from India in my books. The maniacs over at Kolkata are going to witness the wrath called Nafarmaan first hand and for the first time since this is going to be our first ever live appearance, so expect nothing short of what your expectations are from us. Guess it’s pretty special for all of us.

Imam Iblis: It’s not a measure of the level of excitement or determination. It doesn’t go up or down. May it be a rehearsal or a live act, it’s always up there. Nafarmaan means just that. Uncompromisable filth and disrespect for all organized morality. We are absolutely honored to be a part of this occasion.

Going back to the very basic questions, How did Nafarmaan come to its existence? Could you tell us about its initial line up and member changes? Have all these effected the sound of the band anyhow?

Nohttzver:

Nafarmaan was a thought I conjured up. I never intended to create a line up after my former band Weapon which I co-founded as well. I was totally out of reach and didn’t have a single thing to do with music rather than even metal back around 2005 / 2006. Let’s just say I was confronting my inner demons and getting in and out of rehab ha ha. My thought progressed and started taking form in 2008 when I was approached by longtime friend and guitarist Agnee Azaab. We started writing songs and I came up with the name of the band. There has been three lineup changes so far. Vocalist, bassist and a guitarist. The former members were quite a burden for the force and none played their respective roles when called for. So parting ways was inevitable. Nafarmaan took form mainly after we got hold of Imam Iblis. The founder of the first ever Death Metal band from Bangladesh ‘Bloodlust’. He has always been a kickass vocalist with a reputation to go with that. The Nafarmaan sound was complete when in early 2012 two new additions were made to the lineup. Nafrat and Marhoum. It is just not the sound that makes us an entity but rather our ideologies, beliefs and perceptions of how we see things.


What is the meaning of Nafarmaan? Could you tell me about the ideological reference for such name?

Nohttzver: The name Nafarmaan is mainly an Islamic / Urdu name. It means insubordination / rebellious / disobedience to any forms of beliefs mostly religious beliefs and ideologies. We dont and will not support any false religions and we stand as who we are, for we are Nafarmaans.

Imam Iblis: Simply put, Nafarmaan is the worst kind of sinner. We embrace it!


Hailing from Bangladesh and playing such abrasive and harsh music with blasphemous lyrics, have you ever faced any kind of oppression or threats?

Nohttzver: Yes we have actually, and quiet a number of times. The most memorable one for us was during our recording sessions for the EP. Someone from the recording studio deliberately erased three vocal files from the vocal takes when he understood what our lyrics were about. We being who we are, went in and got things done our way. Apart from that these nuisances keeps on happening, so we don’t really give a f**k.

Imam Iblis: We would’ve been the ones who mock faith and morality even if we weren’t making music. That is the reason behind choosing such a form of music to vomit out how we feel. These threats from people with zero sense of humor and rotten cum in their head have been coming in for years. These things don’t matter.


Could you shed some light on the bands musical references? What kind of bands or musicians have influenced the style you guys play?

Nohttzver: Our influences ranges from Polligiti (subcontinental folk songs), eastern classical, to the vilest extreme forms of noises there are.

Imam Iblis: I personally listen to most forms of music. There’s just way too many to name. But I think my influences come more from literature and art than music itself. A 70% - 30% split would be approximately correct.

Could you tell us about how Nafarmaan writes their material as in song writing process, is there any particular process you follow?

Nohttzver: Basically till now me and Agnee writes the skeleton of the tracks and the rest of the band works on it. Lyrical concept is thought of before making the riff lines. So, you can understand, the riffs are made to follow the profanity the words describe.


Whats your opinion on the Asian underground cult movement? Since Nafarmaan will be on a compilation featuring some of the most influential bands like Mantak, Belligerent Intent, Orator, Twisted Fate, Savage Deity etc..

Nohttzver: As you know, we are already a part of a compilation involving the bands you mentioned. Great ties and brotherhood between us. The Asian underground scene has been flourishing quite rapidly nowadays. We have nothing but respect for those who keep producing true sound of death. We as Nafarmaan, are proud to be a part of this movement which represents an authentic sound, spearheading our native sound to the global ears. And mighty proud of it too!

Imam Iblis: Ah! Excellent sound on each of the bands you mentioned. Originality is present for each band’s noise. That’s what matters. I like the way how they’ve worked to give their band’s name a definitive sound. Respect!


What do you think of Indian scene in general? Are there any bands Nafarmaan would want to collaborate with in future?

Imam Iblis: Promising acts are coming out these days from India, especially Bangalore and Kolkata. Necrodeity, Purgation, Armament, Kapalin, Bevar Sea, Witchgoat just to name a few, and there are, Kryptos, Dying Embrace from the legendary ones. About collaboration, as I mentioned, these bands all have great sound, so when/if it happens you guys will be the first to know!

Tell us about the scene in Dhaka, In past and present. In term of purity of Metal, accessibility of skilled and knowledgeable musicians and work ethics? Also tell us about the fans and how they support metal? Do they support the bands by attending gigs, buying the official merch and materials? Hows the gig scene in Dhaka?

Imam Iblis:

I’d say it has been quite unfortunate for the Bangladesh underground scene for many years. No point detailing out the reasons, but it has been quite poor in most of the faculties you mentioned. However, for the past few years, things have started to look promising. There have been some excellent underground concerts, involving international artists as well. Fans seem to have taken a great interest in researching about the kind of music they actually like, getting their hands on official merchandise. This could be a good start.


Going back the EP, that is coming out soon, "Quayamat Lullaby", when did the band started writing the EP?

Nohttzver: F**k! That will be from 2008, the concepts and the song writing process started from then apart from a track or two. I must also mention that the songs wouldn’t have been what they are if it wasn’t for one of our brother Godslayer’s contribution. We are indeed grateful to him.


The EP seems to have four songs, is there anymore song the band had written?

Imam Iblis: Six tracks were recorded that night. The 4 tracks of the EP and two other. One of them, ‘Azaab Al Muminun’ is getting released on the ‘Southern Death Compilation CD’.


Nohttzver was the former drummer of legendary black metal band Weapon, so how Nafarmaan is different from Weapon? Is it a continuation of old primitive black metal sound of Weapon or separate entity that has its own musical DNAs?

Nohttzver: Weapon was Weapon. My era with Weapon mostly emphasized on songwriting that dealt with basic Death / Black or rather Black song structures but with utmost rawness. Nafarmaan is completely different from what you’ve heard from Weapon, the only two things you might find similar are one being Nafarmaan as like Weapon will give you something entirely different sound wise, and two you can relate to my playing a bit.


Name 5 most favourite albums that are important to Nafarmaan.

I:Blasphemy – Fallen Angel of Doom.
Sarcofago - I.N.R.I
Mayhem - De Myteriis DomSathanas
Venom – Black Metal
Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness

The list is endless.

Any words to the fans?

Nohttzver: Submit and Embrace the wrath that is called Nafarmaan.


What is your opinion about the guys at Putrid Ascendancy?

Nohttzver: Those guys are sick! Total respect to what they are doing to keep the true form of extreme metal alive, may it be gigs to promoting true deserving acts. This undoubtedly one of those banners from India who really knows what they are doing. Their support and brotherhood in its entirety is very much appreciated and cherished by us all. Our best wishes to them.

Imam Iblis: Excellent metalheads infest what is called Putrid Ascendancy. Support from Nafarmaan for all the madness they are to bring! Hails!


We wish Nafarmaan a very successful invasion in Kolkata. KILL! Also total support for this upcoming EP! Keep the black flame burning and cult alive! Thanks for this interview! Ave Lucifer!

Nohttzver: Thanks, Ave!
Imam Iblis: Thanks a lot. Till we meet in Kolkata.


Line up:

Nohttzver - Drums (ex-Weapon)
Nafrat - Guitars
Imam Iblis - Vocals (Bloodlust)
Marhoum - Bass
Agnee Azaab - Guitars


EP teaser:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNFHK5nrY6Y

https://www.facebook.com/Nohttzver?fref=ts

Interview by GMA's Bangladeshi Correspondent Nabil Abaddon
Banxai ChaosMaster a.k.a. Mim, is a supremely talented drummer who plays for the Technical Death Metal band Homicide. Homicide hails from Bangladesh, not really the place one would think of when it comes to that particular sub-genre of metal. However, with a very short history in the local scene, Homicide has proven to be one of the vilest bands out of the country. Homicice has just come out with their debut EP “Annihilation Pit”, which has been released by Infinite Regress Records, Australia. I spoke with Banxai to find out more about his band and himself.

Greetings Banxai! First of all, congratulations on the release of Homicide’s EP! Please give our readers a brief history of the band? How did the band’s formation come about?

Thanks! The journey of Homicide began in December, 2008 with three passionate members, Leon on Guitars, Istiaque on Vocals and Romen on Drums. They started jamming together to breed their inner violence through their ferocious and technical sound. As they were missing a bassist, the look up for a bass player was going on. A few days later, the line up completed as Anas joined the band as a bassist. As the pestilence was growing up, Romen decided to leave the band for study and other personal reasons few months later. The band was not able to find a suitable one until Reaz (of MechaniX) suggested Wahid as a substitute drummer. But it was a unfortunate for the band as Wahid also left the band due to musical differences. Finally I joined the violent squad of Homicide. The position of the other lead guitarist was maintained by Digonto (of Abominable Carnivore) for a few months, and then Shoumik joined as lead guitarist to continue Homicide's journey. Imtiaz Salim Tawkir is currently the manager and booking agent & Moin Ally is the official Photographer.


Technical Death Metal is relatively a new sub-genre in Bangladesh. What drew you guys into playing this style? Which bands inspire Homicide in that regard?

Yes, Technical Death metal is indeed a new Sub-genre in Bangladesh, but before we started this style of music, A band named Chromatic Massacre first started playing Technical Death metal in Bangladesh. Why are we doing this? Because this genre has influenced us from the beginning of our music career and we all wanted to do it. Moreover specially in Bangladesh, we don’t have many quality Death Metal bands except for the likes of Severe Dementia and Chromatic Massacre and both of the bands are paused for the time being. As we are inspired a lot by them, we wanted to continue the legacy what they have came up with, to show the whole world that Bangladesh is capable of doing this kind of music as well. The bands which inspire Homicide the most are Nile, Origin, Behemoth, Vital Remains, Hate Eternal, Cannibal Corpse, Psycroptic, Dying Fetus, Quo Vadis, Bloodbath, Decapitated, Severe Torture, The Faceless and lots more...

Tell us about the EP. The look of the album art reminds us a lot of the Ancient Greek action movies. What does the lyrical theme deal with?

Well, we wanted to make the whole EP like a story. All the songs are interrelated. And yes we talked about Ancient Greek stories in the EP. All the lyrics have been written by our vocalist Istiaque. Each of the songs contains Greek history. That is why the album cover is based on a Greek soldier and a battle field including four wolves as we are four member of the band. We also have used a shot recording in the intro from the Movie called 300.

Considering the complexed music you guys make, how does the song making process work in Homicide?

Well, usually we compose songs when we are together, like when we jam. Sometimes our guitarist comes up with his riffs. Then we make changes together to make the compositions colourful. It’s a challenge for us every single time as we make a composition, specially when we are representing Bangladesh. Most importantly to maintain the genre.

Lets talk about you brother. You have been playing drums for a long time now. How and when did it all start for you?

I never thought that I’ll be a drummer. I always wanted to be a guitarist. I used to play drums for my school parade band. Later on I used to teach my school mates as well. After that I figured out that I should continue my drumming with acoustic drums. Then I bought my first drum kit and my mentor was Reaz (Mechanix). I am ever grateful to him. Later on I found interest on Technical Death Metal as I was a huge fan of Nile. I took lessons from youtube as to how I can develop my blast beat and other techniques. Music was always my hobby. I never thought that my band and I will achieve this much. I think we all were really dedicated to what we are doing now. I must say we struggled a lot. Especially myself as we have less number of death metal bands here. We obviously don’t have many Death Metal drummers to teach those techniques. I really worked hard to come this far and yet have a long way to go.

Who are your personal influences or inspirations in drumming? And your favourite bands?

Pretty hard to answer. So many drummers in the list. Definitely my first favourite is Rafa from Severe Dementia and Reaz from Mechanix. I mainly follow George Kollias (NILE), and John Longstreth (Origin). And my favorite bands are NILE, ORIGIN, THE FACELESS, DYING FETUS, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, DEATH, MORBID ANGEL. Joey Jordison is also one of my favorite drummers. He inspired me a lot in drumming. Can’t argue with that.

Tell us about your gears Banxai! What do you like to use in the studio and live?

I prefer zildjian and I use them as well.

Cymbals:

Pitch black crash 17”
Pitch black crash 18”
Pitch black Heavy Ride 22”
Pitch black splash 10”
Pitch black Hi-hat 14”
Pitch black china cymbal 17”
I also have Paiste cymbal - Paiste crash 17”

Drums sticks:

Pro-mark and Vic Firth.
Drums stick Size: 7a

Pedal:

Iron Cobra twin pedal. These are not good enough for Death metal Drumming. I Prefer Axis. Soon I will switch to those.

Back in the early 2000’s, bands like Dripping Gore, Bloodlust, Ostitto were the first few bands to start this brutal music in Bangladesh. Severe Dementia took it to the next level. A lot of Death Metal bands have come and gone since then and now it seems that there are only three / four Death Metal bands active to bear that torch. What do you make of the Death Metal scene in Bangladesh? How things have changed in the scene now?

Well that's really a hard question. Dripping Gore, Bloodlust, Ostitto they were the pioneers of Death Metal scene In Bangladesh (none of them are active now). We have learned so many things from them. Back in the 2000’s, it was quite difficult doing Extreme Metal. I must admit we are here because of them. Talking about Severe Dementia, they are the main Inspiration of Death Metal in Bangladesh. You can ask just anyone! Each and everyone knows Severe Dementia’s music. Severe Dementia taught Bangladeshi metalheads what is Death Metal. Because of them, we are here and extreme metal still exists here. Back in 2000’s, it was quite impossible to make people understand what is extreme metal music. To most of the metalheads back then, the idea of metal music revolved around Metallica ,Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Pantera etc. But Dripping Gore, Ostitto, Bloodlust, Severe Dementia changed that perception for good. Well, the main problem we face in Bangladesh is the lack of Extreme Metal listeners and musicians. Doing Death Metal is not an easy task. People here who are into this music don’t last long because of less recognition and lack of devoted followers. And another reason is that we have good number of Death Metal guitarists but really a few drummers. I don’t know about other Death Metal bands here, but I don’t have any plans to shut down Homicide. Recently the scene here has been changing rapidly though. Now we have quite a good number of Death Metal fans In and outside Dhaka. We have two International acts like Severe Dementia and Orator .Few weeks ago I had a tour with Homicide in Chittagong (2nd Major city of Bangladesh). It was one hell of an experience. Metal scene outside the capital is getting damn good day by day. It was quite unexpected. We are trying our level best to take it further, especially the Extreme Metal scene In Bangladesh. There are many organizations here who are working to keep up the spirit of Extreme Metal. One of them is Metal Morgue. They are doing quite well. I am really grateful to Saimum Hasan Nahian (Powersurege & Severe Dementia) and Rahman Kazi for organizing such level of gigs here through Metal Morgue. I am lucky that I have their full support.

Share your experience with the Australian record label Infinite Regress Records. How did the both parties get together? How are they promoting Homicide internationally?


Well, IRR is absolutely amazing. Basically, I mailed our mastered songs to the owners: Lindon and Steve. They are great people indeed. And they liked our tracks and agreed to sign Homicide immedietly. And so far it’s been a great experience for me to work with them. Homicide has plans for gigs in Australia and we will definitely hit Australia sometime soon. We also have plans for our full length album this year if things go well. This time around Steve is going to master all our tracks. We are looking forward to that. About the promotion, IRR is doing a great job! It is beyond our expectations and we thank them for the immense support. Not only IRR, each and every band from IRR is helping us. I would also like to thank Goliath for the amazing album art.

Thanks a lot for your time comrade! Any last words?

It was an honour giving an interview to GMA. The day is not far away when Bangladesh will have some insane metal crowds and we will arrange shows like Wacken and Bloodstock. I want to see my limits.

You can follow Homicide on our facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/homicide.bd?directed_target_id=0

You can also buy our EP from :

http://infiniteregressrecords.com/store/ep/irr-new-release-homicide-annihilation-pit-ep/

You can also search on iTunes by typing 'HOMICIDE Technical Death metal'.