Sub-Sahara Africa has seen many metal scenes being born over the past few decades and despite the vast amount of talent that resides over there, it's taken so long for the metal music industries across North America and Europe to open their doors to these bands. We have seen Overthrust (Botswana) play in Germany, Arcana XXII (Namibia) release their compilation "A Return to the Darkland / The Untold" through the German label Einheit Produktionen and of course Wacken Metal Battle seeing bands like Zombies Ate My Girlfriend (South Africa) win and play Wacken. Not that Germany is the only European county to support Sub-Saharan metal, Kishi from Angola released their EP "Khaos" via Portuguese label Nightfear Records. 

     Hoping to fly the Angolan flag higher is Silk N'Roots who released 3 singles last year and are already causing a buzz in the metal scene, the quartet introduced themselves to us and spoke about the band history, the documentary "Death Metal Angola", plans for the year ahead and the future for African Metal. Answers are from the band and bandmembers (where mentioned).

     First of all let me (Animal) introduce the members of the band and provide some background on each one:

Busa - 
  
     Our mentor and guitar hero was born in Angola in the early 80s and was member of the band The Crystals by the late 90s; already playing hard and heavy rock at the time in Luanda. He spent 18 years in Europe (Portugal and France), away from his love for guitar playing and music. After his return home to Angola he was a founding member of another heavy band largely active in Angola (Dikamba) and about a year later started the idea of Silk N'Roots in 2018.


Vamp - 

     The smooth bassist that lays the groove was born in Portugal in the late 80s, and through his teens was already into hard and heavy music, he was part of a couple of bands during those years but with nothing much to show for. He moved to Angola to join his parents in 2012, and has been an active member of the rock movement in Luanda ever since, having been a founding member of Silk N'Roots as well. Although he left the band in 2020, he returned to the fold at the start of 2024.


Mag Oga - 

     The vocalist and frontman with a large fanbase, born in Angola the early 90s, he became interested in rock and heavy music with the advent of MTV back in the 90s, and was for several years the vocalist of the band Ovelha Negra. His vocal and charismatic stage presence earned him several invitations to participate in other projects, most noticeably at the festival Orley back in 2019 in which he was on stage with almost every band on the flyer singing at least one song with each one. He joined Silk N'Roots in the end of 2023.


Animal - 

     The guy that bangs the drums, born in Portugal in the late 70s, only discovered his love for rock in 1990 with the enormous amount of huge records bands released that year. He spent the whole decade participating in several garage projects with friends, while curating his own project (Faceless Story Tellers) and was the bassist of a covers band that played every other weekend in small venues. He came to Angola in 2009 to work, and was invited to join Silk N'Roots in 2020 after more than 20 years without playing the drums. Currently he is physically away from the band due to professional reasons.


Sy -

     The stand in drummer that bangs the drums harder than Animal, he was born in the same year as Mag, and as soon as he learnt to play some grooves he started being invited to be a part of several projects. He played with Surviving in Hell and Crazy Feeling amongst others, before eventually joining Ovelha Negra as well. After the latter's break up he spent 2 years away from the drum kits having been invited to step in for Animal in the first half of 2025.



Talk to us about how Silk N' Roots came about, is it true that you initially wanted to play melodic metal?

     Silk N'Roots was formed in 2018. And yes the initial idea was melodic metal, the original vocalist was a young lady called Kira, if you search our YouTube channel there's a first recording of our song "Zungueira" with her. 

     What happened in 2020 was a series of events - the former drummer decided to leave which led to Animal being invited and the subsequent time needed for him to fit in the group and re-learn how to play drums. A few months later both the bassist (Vamp) and the vocalist (Vamp's sister Kira) decided to leave as well, leaving Busa as the only original member, forcing him to rethink the goals for the band and so he invited 2 mates from his "sister band" Dikamba (which halted at the time due to COVID), Carlos (bass) and Tiago (vocals) to join and work as long as they wanted to.


     The original idea of melodic metal made sense with the original line-up and with a female vocalist (Kira was also the major lyricist at the time) but with the new line-up the idea kind of became a little off, especially with the new male vocalist (which can be heard on all 3 singles released since) being deeper and raspier, which prompted new compositions to pivot away from the melodic style and more into the more traditional heavy metal style. The old material was kept with just slight alterations and we still play those songs, whilst we started working on creating new music with this new vision. 

     Again, if you have the time you can dig deeper in our YouTube channel and you will notice the difference between old compositions with the initial idea (ex: Battle, Zungueira, Wolf, Sick Reality, Inesperado, Parasitas da Sociedade) and the newer compositions (ex: No Escape, Ego, Utopia Social). Although we only have 3 studio recorded songs, we have several videos of live shows that we published on our YouTube channel.


You released 3 singles in 2025 - 'Battle', 'Caso Mixa' and 'Zungueira' - can you talk through each single, what they mean, how you came up with them? Will this lead onto a debut EP or album in 2026?

     We need to clarify something, those 3 singles were not released in 2025, that was the year that we managed to gather the conditions to release them on to the streaming platforms. We are a self made band with zero support from sponsors, producers and / or labels, all we have done so far has been paid out of our own pockets which makes any progress harder and slower. We spend several hours weekly practicing, rehearsing and creating in our own rehearsal studio, but translating that into studio recordings is a whole different ball game. We have more than 17 original songs that we already played live, between older and newer material, plus 5 or 6 lyrics with composition ideas to work in the future, but it's very expensive to get into the studio to record and mix more songs.

• "Zungueira" was first recorded in 2019 and recorded again in 2020, this time with Animal behind the drums, and the song was nominated at the Angola Music Awards 2020 in the best rock song category. This song talks about the difficult lives that most Angolan women have. The term Zungueira means something like street vendor, and these women try to make a living by selling goods on the streets and / or informal markets, several times persecuted by police officers or robbed by street thugs. This song was later recorded once again in 2022 with the male singer, and that's the version you find on the streaming platforms.

 

• "Battle" is a song that talks about inner self struggles that most humans have these days, the amount of hurdles one has to overcome to achieve anything in life. This song was the first recorded after the initial members left, and it was released and played on national radio in December 2020.

 

• "Caso Mixa" is a pretty accurate description of all the corruption and related problems that occur in several areas of this country: Government, services, banking, even in street commerce. "Se continuarmos com a Mixa o Caso não vai acabar" is one of the strongest sentences in the song's pre-chorus, and it roughly translates as "if we keep paying our way to everything, the problem will never end". This song was recorded late 2020, released in January 2021 and was also nominated at the Angola Music Awards 2021 in the best rock music category.

Talk to us about the Angolan metal scene - it seems there has been some progress since the dark days of the civil war, that rock and metal was born as a result?


Busa -

     In my opinion rock and metal in Angola, specifically Luanda was not the result of the civil war. But yes there were some progress since those dark days, but also with some ups and downs.


Animal - 

     From what I have heard, there is history of rock n roll in Angola way back in the 60s, during the colonial times. Civil war is always tragic to mostly all civilian activities, and culture usually becomes a luxury in dark times, but as Busa said, back in the 90s whilst civil war was still raging, there were rock and heavy bands in Luanda paving the way for future generations. In the years I have been in the country, I noticed that COVID and it's limitations brought the rock movement to a halt... at least two big yearly festivals (Orley and Rock in Rio Catumbela) that were taking place regularly, after COVID never happened again... 


In a broader sense, African metal has come a long way over the past 2 decades, do you feel that African metal is getting the recognition it has been long for?

Busa:

     I agree that African metal has come a long way, but I still think that we don't receive the proper recognition worldwide. There are a lot of talented musicians on the whole continent, most struggle and leave their families to go abroad and seek recognition.


Vamp:

     Most African metal bands aren't even getting recognition in their own countries. I think they get heard more outside of Africa than inside.

     The Danish metal scene needs no introduction, after all it's been spewing out bands for decades - from the likes of Mercyful Fate and Mnemic, to Raunchy, Baest and  Artillery. The new wave is even greater and with bands like Trold spearheading it, the future looks bright. The quintet delivered their 2nd album "I Skovens Rige" in March last year and have just come off the back from their first ever tour in the UK, things are surely to rocket for the lads from Randers. Guitarist Jesper Myrup 'Charmetrold' spoke to us about the latest album, Trold's experiences in touring across the UK and the idea of a mini-movie focusing on Danish folklore with metal influences.

Trold released their 2nd album "I Skovens Rige" last year, could you tell us what the album is about and how the lyrical topics distinguish from your debut album "Der Var Engang​.​.​."

     'I Skovens Rige' is theme-based and revolves its stories, around the forest. Every song is written to fit into this theme. Being that we tell stories and adventures with our music, we wrote the songs in a manner that would lead the listener into the vibe and feeling of a forest. There are songs of an old tree that has seen a lot of stuff in the forest, another song about the wizard that turns a group of trolls into stone, a springtime-feeling in an instrumental track and so on.

     So that is different from the first record 'Der Var Engang...' which was more a collection of different type of stories, if you will.


It's not usual to hear Folk Metal sung in the native tongue, so does singing in Danish help to convey the lyric meanings better than in English?

     Singing in Danish was the most natural thing for us to start with. Being a Danish folk metal act, telling stories and fairy-tale, it just seemed fit to do so. I wouldn't say it is easier than in English, but we're having a lot of fun with making rhymes that only rhyme in certain Danish dialects. However, our foreign fans can expect a little treat on the next record, on this subject.


Do you feel that your music can not only bring Danish/Norse mythology to the fore, but also offer a way to help those learning the language?

     Well, we definitely taught some foreign fans to yell out SKÅL! at our concerts, but I'd say teaching more of the Danish language is not on the to-do list for us.


If you could submit a Trold song for a feature film, what one would you choose? Has Trold thought about making a mini-movie rooted on Danish mythology? 

     That would be awesome for us to try, and the choosing of a song for such a project, would rely on what kind of film. First thoughts are "Mod Den Endeløse Skov", because its a very epic and emotional song about saying goodbye to lost loved ones. A mini-movie rooted in Danish mythology sounds like a great idea, but it hasn't come up until just now :)
​

You playing in the UK for the first time, how was it and did it meet or exceed your expectations?

     Yeah we returned back home on the 8th February from the UK and it has been awesome! Both England and Scotland were very good to us. Very nice people indeed and everybody was into partying with us during the show. A lot of interaction between the band and the crowd, which is always very important to get the atmosphere to peak levels. So all in all it exceeded all our expectations


You've got a string of festival appearances in Denmark and Germany across 2026, will fans see new material being played?

     Yes we do, a lot actually which is very good! New songs are in the making, so that is definitely an option. Lets see!


Aside from festival appearances, what are your plans ahead for 2026? Any final comments?

     We have a lot on the table for 2026. It is already the year with the most concerts, so far for us, and more is still coming in. So the live shows are in focus this year.  But simultaneously, the song writing is brewing in the studio cave. New songs are on the way, and album #3 will see the light of day, as soon as were ready...

https://www.facebook.com/troldband

     Myanmar has over the past few decades seen a rise of really good metal bands, with the likes of The Book of Death (although sadly short-lived) releasing their sole EP via South Korean label BVT Records) and Last Days of Beethoven leading the metalcore front, but with the new wave emerging and a veteran of the scene in Freddy Asura keeping the Burmese flag flying for metal music, the attention turns towards the latest export - Naga Wave, who dropped their debut EP "Token of Peace" 19th October 2025. We spoke to the trio about their emergence, their debut EP, the challenges of touring and touched upon the topic of spirituality.

Expanding on the last question, are your lyrics based on spirituality - especially with 'Karma Loka' which is to do with the six paths of Buddhism.

     Yes, our lyrics are strongly influenced by spirituality and inner reflection. We grew up in a deeply spiritual society and family environment, and those values naturally find their way into our music. “Karma Loka” is a clear example, drawing inspiration from Buddhist and Hindu teachings that are deeply rooted in our region.


Reflecting on the Burmese culture, what guidance could you offer metalheads for the year ahead? 

     Our message to metal heads is simple: be honest and authentic. We believe it is more meaningful to express who we truly are than to imitate the bands we admire.


What plans do you have for the year ahead in 2026, any final comments?

     Thank you very much for the interview and for taking an interest in our band. We are currently working on our first full-length album and hope to complete it soon.There will be new songs and live performances coming in 2026, and we hope everyone will enjoy what’s ahead. Stay tuned, and thank you for all the support.


https://www.facebook.com/people/NAGA-WAVE/61562776424267/

     Hungary has a rich history of metal music and this has been seen through Folk Metal veterans Dalriada and Eurovision participants AWS. Zoning in on the underground and you can see there are plenty of metal bands plying their trade in their own unique way, fresh off the streets of Budapest is the Modern Metalcore outfit Lumen, whose debut album "Merülés" dropped last year. GMA caught up with the quintet to discover their roots, talk about their debut album and the future of the band within the Hungarian metal scene.

Talk to us about the history of the band and the inspirations you take in creating your music?

     The band started as a project in October 2022, when we held our first rehearsals. It quickly became clear that this would be a band built on modern metal / metalcore elements. Over the following year, we worked on the material for our debut album, and by the summer of 2023, the final line-up was established.

     Fortunately, we know each other (except Tamás) from previous bands we played in within the Hungarian underground scene. For musical influences, Anita and Viktor more or less have the same modern metal / metalcore influences such as Spiritbox, Asking Alexandria and Lorna Shore. Gyula brought some nu metal, and death metal kind of vibes, while Father black's main influence is from symphonic metal bands like Nightwish and Epica. The biggest influence for Tamás is Mike Portnoy's work with Dream Theater.


You play modern metalcore - did you grow up listening to metalcore?

Viktor:

     It's probably my fault! 😃. I started this vibe with 2000's nu metal, then I found metalcore, somewhere in 2005 and always wanted to be in a metalcore / modern metal band. I thought that, here in Hungary, this genre was not popular enough to build a bigger audience, until I heard AWS second album called Égésföld. That was a big change for me, I realised It's possible to write good modern metal songs in our language, to achieve bigger success.


Your songs are exclusively sung in Hungarian - could you talk to us about the lyric topics and if there will be English translations available in the future?

Anita: 

     I came up with the themes for most of the lyrics; however, there are two songs where Viktor also contributed through inspiration and helped with existing lyrics. These are our songs 'Határok Között' ('Between Borders') and 'Hamis Bálványok' ('False Idols'). The theme of Határok Között was inspired by accounts of people who returned from clinical death, while Hamis Bálványok was a reworking of already existing lyrics.

​
     I am drawn to deep, mystical, and hidden worlds, to content that invites interpretation and  themes that cannot be explained through rationality alone. Most of the lyrics were inspired by the intangible: phenomena and questions that are still being researched to this today.


     The only exception is 'Visszhang' ('Echo'), which deals entirely with the experience of disappointment and the process of coming to terms with it. This song represents a kind of inner healing process, a form of spiritual healing. In the future, I do not rule out the creation of English-language songs either, as I would like to reach an international audience.


You released your debut album "Merülés" in 2025 - what was the reception like, how well did your album release show go?

     We started working on "Merülés" at the end of 2022, with the goal of having at least half of the songs ready by the time the band officially launched - and we managed to achieve that. Song-writing continued in the background, and by last summer the album was finished. It’s a short but intense dark journey, with a razor-sharp sound and musical elements that resonate with the modern metal / metalcore scene. The eight tracks pound relentlessly on the listener, refusing to let go until the very end.

     We were really proud that we could manage the album release show. We played previously in bands for years, but never had any album release shows. So we were a bit stressed in it, but it was absolutely awesome! We set the show up at the Turbina, an event centre in Budapest that has multiple sized venues. We booked a small club room, and invited 2 other heavy bands, Faithless God, and Breakpoint. There was a great audience in a great place, with a great vibe and staff! We really couldn’t asked for a better club show! Our debut full-length album was released at midnight.
​

In June 2025 you were featured on the Hungarian metal underground compilation - no doubt an exciting moment for the band, talk to us about the Hungarian metal scene - most people would know AWS (of Eurovision fame) and Dalriada, but what about the underground, is the scene strong?

     Unfortunately, the domestic club scene operates mainly in Budapest. However, there is an oversupply here, and the audience is shrinking, as heavier music genres have by now been pushed out of the mainstream media. Clubs in the countryside are in an increasingly desperate situation, because people living outside the capital are in a more difficult financial position. As a result, many live music venues in rural areas have closed, and by now the underground scene operates mostly in Budapest, with varying degrees of success.

     Of course, despite this, we try to bring our production to the countryside as well, and in March we will kick off the year with a rural show right away.


What are some phrases / expressions you would expect to hear at a Lumen show? Anything the fans tend to shout out?

     There aren’t many bands, like this in Hungary, so Anita always got the attention, because of her stage presence / screams. :D


What plans do you have for the year ahead in 2026? Any final comments?

     We would like to play as much as possible, meet and build a strong audience and social media presence. We work hard for this, and hope that this attitude will pay off. We started the pre-productions for the second full-length album already, so next year we will release some new songs probably.

We would like to thank you for the possibility for this interview, cheers from Hungary.


Lumen are:

Anita Tóth - vocals
Viktor Kis- guitars/vocals
Gyula István-Tóth - bass
Tamás Deme - drums
Father Black - synth
​
https://www.facebook.com/lumenzenekarhu/

     Like many metal scenes across Asia, the Bangladeshi metal scene has experienced many ups and downs in establishing itself despite it's history extended back to bands like Warfaze in the mid 80's. Fast forward into the mid 2000's and bands like Trainwreck arise (formed in 2007); who in 2019 played at Wacken Open Air, now enter the 2020's and the next wave of Bangladeshi metal is upon us, one such band is Naad - whose visionary form of Death Metal has caught the attention of many metalheads across South Asia and beyond.

The trio dropped their debut album "Observable Continuum" last year and are gearing up for another blazing year full of activity as guitarist / vocalist Aryan tells GMA...

     The Bangladeshi metal scene appears to have grown more with bands like Trainwreck playing Wacken Open Air back in 2019, is the future looking brighter for the scene? 

     The scale might not be big but since early 2000 our bands have been performing and playing beyond borders. In the past many of our bands have frequently toured India and Nepal. The band Orator has toured in most countries, they have toured Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore multiple occasions. There are emerging and promising bands who have the potential yet the ongoing geopolitical unrest has affected touring in the neighbouring areas. The communities are still connected beyond borders, hopefully the touring resumes as the situation gets better.


You did a live concert for the release of your debut album - how did it go? What was the reception like from those attending? 

     The gig was rushed without much planning, and couldn't do much PR for the event, yet the response was solid and impactful.


What plans does Naad have for 2026 and do you have any final comments?

     We had a long shelved EP overdue, we’re working on it, we wish to release it this year.
And finally our regards and gratitude to Global Metal Apocalypse for reaching out and supporting us.

https://www.facebook.com/naad.deathmetal

     Folk Metal, like many metal genres, has taken on various forms across the plethora of metal scenes worldwide, and so when we zone in on Scotland the unmistakable sound of bagpipes tends to come to mind, but it's not all Highland dancing and caber tossing. Beyond the Scottish mainland are the wild islands, almost equidistant to that of Norway and Scotland itself lies the archipelago of the Shetland Islands. 

Hailing from the far flung island group is Folk Metal maestros Trowsholm who dropped their second album "Return of the Trow King" last year, vocalist / guitarist Callum Anderson filled GMA in as to what makes this band unique, their participation in the annual fire festival 'Up Helly Aa', their latest album and the adventures the Shetlander quartet have planned for 2026. 

Talk to us about the Shetland fire festival Up Helly Aa, have you as bandmembers partaken in it?

     "Up-helly-Aa is on the surface a celebration of our Norse culture and heritage. Yes, there is a bit of that with the Vikings and the burning of the longship but in reality for most local folk it is a great party in the depths of winter, a proper piss up! Yes all of us have taken part in it, me and Arthur (our keyboard player) have been in the same squad for years as musicians. It consists of driving around Shetlands capital town Lerwick all night in the back of a lorry, singing and drinking plenty, stopping off at halls and venues to perform our act, have a dance and some tattie soup! The night runs on until about 7 or 8 in the morning. The truck we drive about in all night long is usually used to transport fish so it's always got a distinct smell.. however being skunk drunk with your mates driving about all night in the back of a lorry is about the most fun it's possible to have."


​You also have your solo project Jarlshof - how does the folk elements differ from this and Trowsholm? 

     The folk elements from Jarlshof are different in that I try to get a more atmospheric-epic vibe with Jarlshof and a party vibe with Trowsholm. Trowsholm is high-energy and made for live shows where Jarlshof is more for my own personal joy in writing melodic black metal. I think it's an awesome genre and you have freedom to do anything you want basically!


​What plans do you have for the coming year, 2026? Any final comments?

     T​he coming year for us consists of a gig in February called the 'Siege of Jorvik' in Yorkshire, we are very excited for that. We are touring Ireland and Scotland in the middle of the summer and I like to think we will have some more gigs lined up soon. If not we will keep pushing forward with writing new material and creating another album.

     Final comment - Thanks for the interview and great questions! We appreciate the opportunity to be shared on Global Metal Apocalypse. I hope you and any readers have a great 2026 filled with gigs and great experiences. Cheers!


Catch Trowsholm live at the Siege of Jorvik festival on 21st February - tickets here:
https://jorvikvikingfestival.co.uk/events/the-siege-of-jorvik-vi/

https://www.facebook.com/trowsholmband

     Nestled within the Benelux region is Luxembourg, to those of the business and economic worlds, this is a country that is known for it's favourable tax rates and economic freedom. But for those of the metal music world, it is one of Europe's overlooked scenes despite producing top-notch metal bands that have played worldwide. One of the newest bands on the block is Morrigan's Echoes, who are hoping to put Luxembourg at the front of the pack, vocalist Géraldine gave us the low down on how the quartet came to existence in 2025 and in heralding a new year, what 2026 will mean for the Symphonic Metal outfit.


How did Morrigan's Echoes form? Did you know each other before forming, and do you have shared music interests?

     By the end of 2024, around October, I had serious issues with my vocal cords. Because of that, I made the difficult decision to leave my previous band, a Prog Rock band that I had been singing in for about five to six years. I needed to step back and focus on my health. Sometime later, I wrote my first song completely on my own on the piano. To be honest, for me it felt quite boring with just the piano — even if others might not agree. But that song was a kind of therapy for me with everything going on that moment. It eventually became 'Family Tides'.


     At that time, my boyfriend Greg and I already had a small classical piano project together called “Poésie à quatre clés”. It was a very relaxed and fun project for both of us, something we did purely for enjoyment. I’ve always been a huge metal lover, but honestly, I had no idea how to push my own music into metal. Greg suggested to me to try adding some orchestration to the song as he liked it. Greg already plays keyboards in another metal band and does a fantastic job when it comes to orchestration. He put the track into his software and added violins, drums, and some guitars — and suddenly the song came alive.


That was a real turning point for me. Since I was a child, I’ve always loved Symphonic Metal. I grew up with bands like Nightwish, and it had always been my dream to be part of a metal band. Because I have no talent to scream, Symphonic Metal felt like the perfect direction. Greg and I talked a lot about music, and we decided to start something together — a Symphonic Metal band, but with a more modern and aggressive edge.


     Our biggest inspiration for that modern touch are bands like Ice Nine Kills, Falling in Reverse and TX2. That’s why we focus on heavier guitars, punchy and aggressive drums, and a more contemporary sound overall. For the orchestral side, we’re strongly inspired by Epica, especially in how the symphonic elements interact with the metal foundation. That’s how Morrigan’s Echoes was born. We describe ourselves as Modern Symphonic Metal because it’s not strictly classical Symphonic Metal — it’s darker, heavier, and more intense, especially in newer songs like 'Final Cry'.


     Later, I asked Paulo to join us. I already knew him from the Prog Rock band I had played in, and I knew he had wanted to play metal for a long time. When I asked him, he immediately said yes. At the time, he was in the middle of moving and renovating his house, so he told us he couldn’t work on songs right away, which was completely fine. As we liked him a lot as a drummer and person, we wanted to wait for him to be ready. Through another guitarist we briefly worked with, a great musician but not the right stylistic fit, we met Eduardo, our bassist. We’re incredibly happy to have him. He’s not only a solid bassist, but also a genuinely kind and easy-going person. Eduardo joined us around April 2025.


     At the moment, we’re still officially looking for a permanent guitarist. For now, Kevin is playing with us as a session guitarist, and he’s doing a great job. However, since he’s involved in several other projects, his availability is limited. Ideally, we’d love to find someone who can fully commit as Morrigan’s Echoes guitarist. That said, we’re very happy with how things are progressing, and the songs are coming together well. That’s essentially how Morrigan’s Echoes came together.



You released 2 singles since your inception last year - 'Family Tides' and 'Final Cry', please talk through the creative process and the meaning behind each single

     '​Family Tides' was the very first song we worked on. As I mentioned before, towards the end of 2024 I was dealing with a lot of personal issues as well as health problems. Writing 'Family Tides' and putting all those emotions into words was a kind of therapy for me, it was about letting things out and processing what I was going through. Musically, the song started very simply on the piano, and on its own it felt quite plain to me. The orchestration really transformed it and gave it life. That process has more or less become the way we work on all our songs.


     Usually, I start by writing piano chords and melodies and finding vocal lines. Then Greg takes over the orchestration, puts in his ideas and builds the symphonic elements around it. Once the orchestration, song structure, and basic drum ideas are in place, we present the song to the other guys. Paulo then develops the drum parts — he always comes up with strong and creative ideas. Eduardo works closely with Paulo to shape bass lines that fit perfectly with the drums and puts in very creative notes. After that, we send everything to Kevin, who comes back incredibly fast with the guitar parts we need. I’m a very impatient person, so I really appreciate how quickly Kevin works, it helps us move forward and grow much faster as a band.


     The process for 'Final Cry' was quite similar. Again, it started with piano and vocal melodies. I tried experimenting a bit with orchestration myself, but I have to admit that I’m not very talented in that area. I don’t really know how to work with music software, which is why I’m so grateful that Greg handles all of that. We sit together, I explain to him what I hear or imagine, sometimes very abstract things — and he immediately knows which instruments or sounds will work and turns those ideas into music.


     Lyrically, 'Final Cry' is about Mother Earth’s last cry. It reflects how badly we are treating our planet, a subject that is very close to my heart. It’s about reminding people to be more careful, respectful, and grateful toward the planet that gives us everything. I know there are many songs written about this theme, but for me it was important to express it in our own way and to say: this is the only planet we have. We need to take care of it before it’s too late.


You're releasing your new single 'The Good Die Young' on 21st January in tribute to your late friend Quan Thai. Géraldine, without a doubt this must have been tough to write given it's personal nature, could you talk to us through this journey - this space is yours


     ​As the title already says, the good die young — far too often. Last year, on the 21st of January, one of my oldest and dearest friends passed away. I met Quan when I was 16 years old; he was a friend of my first boyfriend. Even after that relationship ended, Quan and I stayed close friends. We saw each other regularly — we met for lunch, played board games (which he absolutely loved), and he even helped me with my insurance and financial things, as that was his profession.

     Quan was one of the kindest people I have ever known. He was incredibly generous, helpful, and warm-hearted — the kind of person who would always be there for others. Losing him was devastating. Of course, I didn’t sit down on the day he passed and decided to write a song. At first, we were all in shock and needed time to process what had happened. I’ve always written stories, poems, texts, especially when I’m emotionally overwhelmed. Writing has always been a way for me to let things out and survive difficult moments.


     Initially, I wrote a very long text for Quan’s parents, simply to let them know how deeply
appreciated and loved their son was, and what a genuinely wonderful person he had been. The text became so long and emotional that I eventually shortened it, hoping the final version would still bring them some warmth and comfort. I don’t know if words can truly help in such a tragic moment, probably not, but I hope they felt how sincere it was. At some point, I realized that these words could also become a song. Quan was Chinese, and I wanted the piece to feel deeply personal, so I experimented with music software for the first time to give the song a subtle Asian touch. This made the song feel like it truly belonged to him.

     I know that many people lose loved ones far too young, and I hope others can relate to the song in their own way. But at its core, 'The Good Die Young' is for Quan. It’s my way of giving something back to Quan and to his family, something that reflects what a good son, friend, and family member he was. Even though the loss is tragic, I want people to remember him with warmth in their hearts.


     Of course, I truly hope that Quan’s family will like the song. And if Quan can hear it somehow, wherever he is, I really hope he would like it too. Musically, the song stands a bit apart from our other material. It’s less heavy and dark, and more emotional and reflective. Still, it felt important to release it under the name of Morrigan’s Echoes. The rest of the band supported this decision completely, and I’m very grateful for that, especially because they genuinely liked the song as well.

​     I’m very curious, and honestly a bit nervous, to see how people will react to it, because it is different. But above all, it’s a tribute and that’s what matters most.

You have your first show of the year coming up on 13/03 at the MK Bar in Belval, will this feature new songs from your upcoming debut album (title TBC)?

     ​Yes, we have our very first show of the year on 13th March at MK Bar in Belval, together with Lilith’s Demons and Parity. In Luxembourg, which is such a small country, there aren’t many venues where bands can regularly play original music. When it comes to discovering new bands or playing a first concert, MK Bar is usually the first place that comes to mind. It’s a small venue, but very cozy, with a great atmosphere. The owners are friendly, supportive, and always helpful, and it’s a place where musicians naturally meet other musicians and music lovers. It really is the perfect place to play a first show; you can always count on a good vibe and a welcoming crowd.

     During this show, we will of course play songs from our upcoming debut album, although not all of them yet. Our set will be around 30 minutes long, so we’ll present a selection of the material rather than the full album.


     We could have waited longer before playing our first concert, but we decided to go for it because we applied for the Metal Battle taking place in May. We don’t know if we’ll be selected, there are so many great metal bands in Luxembourg, but we wanted to get some live experience and see how our music works in front of an audience, just in case we do get the chance to play there. For us, this show is mainly about getting our music out there and letting people know that Morrigan’s Echoes exists.

     When organizing the evening, I had the idea of creating a kind of frontwoman-focused night. That’s why I invited bands with strong female front figures. We’ll be playing alongside Lilith’s Demons and Parity, both of which are cool and original metal bands. We’re very happy to share the stage with them.


Talk to us about the Luxembourgish metal scene, there are many bands but what are the challenges faced within the scene?

     Luxembourg may be a small country, but it has a surprisingly big and active metal scene, and a very strong music scene in general. There are many talented musicians here and a lot of bands with real potential. One of the main challenges, however, is simply the size of the country. When it comes to live shows, there are only a handful of venues and a few festivals where metal bands can play. That’s great, but festivals can’t book the same bands every year, they need to rotate their line-ups, so opportunities can become limited quite quickly.

     After you’ve played places like MK Bar and a few other smaller venues, there aren’t many new stages left to conquer locally. Luxembourg does have some well-known festivals, including metal festivals, but again, bands can’t rely on playing those regularly. This makes it challenging to build long-term momentum purely within the country.


     Going outside of Luxembourg is often the hardest part. Once you cross the border, you’re suddenly competing with countless bands from much bigger scenes, and it can be difficult for Luxembourgish bands to stand out internationally. Breaking out of the country takes a lot of effort, from applying to festivals abroad, to finding venues and building contacts outside Luxembourg. That said, there are also real advantages to being a band here. Because the scene is smaller, people tend to notice you more quickly once you start playing shows. It can be easier to reach the local press and to build a name for yourself compared to larger countries where scenes are much more saturated.

     Another very positive aspect is the support structure for musicians. Organisations like Rocklab and Sonotron for example, offer affordable rehearsal spaces, workshops, and guidance, which is incredibly valuable for developing bands. So yes, Luxembourg definitely has its limits — but it also has a strong community, great musicians, and solid support systems. The challenge is finding ways to grow beyond the borders while staying connected to the local scene.

You share the recording space with Baylie the dog (recording supervisor) and Bigodes the cat (boss and surveillance manager), will they become the bands mascots? What humours moments could you share with us regarding both fellow pets? Who is the most demanding for attention?

     Baylie is my dog, and Bigodes is our drummer Paulo’s cat. When we rehearse as a band, we do it in our rehearsal room at Paulo’s home. It’s very convenient because we have a great space and no time limits, which is a real luxury.

     One day, just as a joke, I said to Paulo that animals always get a lot of attention on social media, and that if Bigodes ever came into the rehearsal room, he should do a little photo shoot. And it was almost as if Bigodes heard me, the very same day, Paulo sent us a photo of him sitting right in front of the drums. It was the first time Bigodes had ever entered the rehearsal room, and of course Paulo immediately took a picture. I posted it on social media just for fun, simply to see how many likes a cat in front of a drum kit would get, and people absolutely loved it.


     When it comes to recording bass lines, vocals, and keyboards, we usually do that at my place, in my home music room. And that’s where Baylie comes in. She’s basically my shadow; she’s always by my side and never wants to miss anything. During recording sessions, she’s often right in the middle of everything, making sure she’s involved. Sometimes she gives us very judging looks, as if she’s thinking, “What are they doing?”. And other times she seems completely relaxed and comfortable, just enjoying being there. We joke that she’s our recording supervisor because she never misses a session and sometimes it really feels like she’s silently judging us if something goes wrong.

     As for whether they’ll officially become band mascots… who knows? Maybe one day we’ll even make plushies of Baylie and Bigodes, wearing miniature Morrigan’s Echoes T-shirts. That would be pretty funny, and now that I’m saying it out loud, it sounds like a really cool idea.


Alongside your debut album, what plans does the band have for 2026? Any final comments (the space is yours)

     Our biggest plan moving forward is to finish mixing our debut album this year together with Billy Kaufmann from BK Metal Productions. That’s currently our main focus. Alongside that, we’ve applied for several festivals and are hoping to play more concerts to get our music out there. Live shows are very important to us, and we’re really looking forward to connecting with audiences and introducing Morrigan’s Echoes to more people.

     Towards the end of the year, in autumn, we’re planning an EP or album release party. Over the summer months, we’re also thinking about filming a music video, with the goal of releasing it shortly after summer. Visually expressing our music feels like a natural next step for us. Another big goal is to gradually take our music beyond Luxembourg. First, of course, we want to continue building our name here at home and then see where the future takes us.


     We’ve already received a lot of positive feedback through Instagram and other platforms, with people from all over the world telling us how much they enjoy our music and that they’re excited to hear more from us. That kind of response means so much to us. All of us have been making music since we were very young, and after all these years, receiving such kind and encouraging feedback really touches us. Hearing people say, “This is so cool,” or “Keep going,” is incredibly motivating and reminds us why we do this. So we truly hope that this positive energy continues and that we can keep sharing our music with the world.

    And of course, very important plans now for 2026 now include officially creating plushie mascots of Bigodes and Baylie. Finally, thank you so much for giving us the opportunity for this interview, and thank you for your kind words and support.


'The Good Die Young' is out 21st January
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https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570345889171

    Zambia is not necessarily a country you would associate with metal music, despite existing in it's infancy, like other scenes across Africa it faces challenges daily that those in say Europe could not fathom. Despite Zambia having rich heritage in the Zamrock movement, the attitude towards metal music has been lukewarm, and so GMA decided to speak to one of the flagbearers of Zambian metal to find out why this is, we present to you the Melodic Doom / Death Metal band Poisoned Blood, who released their debut album "Artificially Alive" in 2025.

    From humble beginnings to working with Batswana metal legends, and from taking the debut album title from a Breaking Bad quote to prospective 2026 material, Poisoned Blood is going places. 


     ‎Please give us the history of how Poisoned Blood came to be, the current line-up (both studio and live).  ‎How did you discover metal music, what were the first bands you heard and what pushed you towards creating Melodic Doom / Death Metal?
‎

‎     First off would like to thank you Rhys for having us on your interview and giving us a chance to talk about the band. Poisoned Blood's line up started off as a two-man band, with Mwango Lunda on guitars and vocals, and Costa on guitars; all songs having composed and recorded by Mwango Lunda. After issues with relocating from the copperbelt to the capital Lusaka, currently its a one man band: Mwango Lunda.

     The history is mainly rooted in my experience of growing up in a neighbouring country where the metal scene is more alive and bigger! Botswana. As a kid I had always been drawn to music made with live instruments. My late father had a huge collection of the old rock legends: Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams etc. From these I forged a connection with the rock sound. Of course MTV and VH1 also had a huge role to play. Coming of age I was drawn to my tastes in Nu-Metal.

  
   Years of junior high were filled with listening to bands such as Linking Park, Limp Bizkit and alternative rock bands like Nickelback and Puddle of Mudd. High school opened a whole new door to different genres. There in the 11th grade I met a young lad who probably shaped what I am right now in the music sense. His name was "Maiden", a nickname given to him because of he's love for Iron Maiden! Needless to say, he introduced me to Iron Maiden and I immediately fell in love with the 'Brave New World' album.

     Tracks like "Blood Brothers" and "Brave New World" hit hard. Maiden listened to something else that I wasn't a fan of at that time, DEATH METAL!!!! I couldn't comprehend the screaming, shouting and louder instruments. Plus the images and images of one of his favourite bands Cannibal Corpse disturbed me.


     After high school I decided to pick up the guitar in 2005 at the age of 18. I was mostly interested in writing alternative rock. I managed to get with some garage bands here and there (with some ex members of Skinflint, Purity Of Sebek). In 2006 / 07, Maiden introduced me to other metal heads in the local scene. It was through him that I met the likes of Starks Deamon and Lawd Master of Wrust. Through these new connections I was introduced to bands like In Flames, Amon Amarth etc.

    Some bands I discovered on my own. Killswitch Engage in particular I discovered at the end of a Resident Evil 2 movie. In Flames, who are the greatest influence on my style of play, were introduced to me by another long-time friend of mine, Purity Of Sebek (whom I taught a few guitar-playing skills hahaha). Now, finally I found something that blended my love for ballads, melodic and heavy guitars. I finally found a reason to listen to the screaming hahhahahahhaha!


     Since I was already playing guitar I was intrigued by the way Death Metal guitarists played their riffs, and wanted to learn that. As a result I expanded my scope to other genres such as Old School Death Metal, Thrash Metal etc. Oh by the way, I was already a huge Metallica fan by this time! The band Death is one band that I got very fond of. And that is how my love for and composing Melodic Death Metal came to be.
‎

‎     Zambia is not the first country people would think of when it comes to metal from Africa, so could you discuss more about the fledgling scene, it's challenges, was it built from the foundation of the Zamrock music genre? How many metal / rock bands exist in Zambia - are Stasis Prey active?
‎
‎    "Yes you are definitely right! The Zambian metal scene is what I would define as being "DEAD"! It's a very very unpopular and uncommon culture here. The early scene of the Zamrock era just faded away. Most metalheads keep to themselves or just in some circles. Once there was some efforts to make the scene grow by putting up some gigs and social media groups but these eventually died off.

     Zambia is a very barren ground to grow a Metal project. To be honest with you at this point I don't even know how many metal / rock bands exist in Zed! You asked about Stasis Prey. Funny thing is I recently just received a new song by them sent to me by a radio presenter asking for my opinion on it. Truth be told, THE SONG HITS HARD!!!!! It is such songs that can get people liking the scene more, cos unlike Poisoned Blood, their music appeals to a more wider audience. I am hoping something gives.

‎
‎     Back in August 2025 you released your debut album "Artificially Alive", please talk us through the creative process - from start to the finished release, who designed the artwork?
‎
‎     After relocating back to my home country in 2012, I had tried putting up some projects but to no avail. At some point between 2012 and 2016 I completely disappeared from the Metal scene. In 2017 I began working on a project called Ductone with Lawd Master (ex Wrust) and Vulture (Overthrust). It was a long distance collaboration. We managed to put up some demos and even performed two live shows. But due to the COVID era we went into a hiatus. In the years that followed I composed music on my own.

     So in 2025 I decided to work on a solo project which I involved Costa as a supporting artist. "Artificially Alive" is an album that is largely based on myself, my beliefs and life experiences. It was recorded in a bedroom studio setup and mixed and mastered by myself, and thus the poor quality production (something I had never done before, It was my first attempt at production). But despite that, it managed to have 3 tracks in the African Metal Top 10, and I was proud of that!

     Dark Funeral need no introduction, veterans of the second wave of Swedish Black Metal summarises them at the very best. Despite the comings and goings of many musicians through the grand halls of Dark Funeral, only one sole member from the start remains - Lord Ahriman. Taking a place in this majestic and grandeur embodiment of extreme metal is vocalist Heljarmadr, we spoke with the band's 4th vocalist at Bloodstock Open Air.

     Bloodstock Open Air always loves to support unsigned talent across the UK and overseas, the 2022 edition saw Viction trample the scorching fields of Catton Park (having won the Norwegian Metal 2 The Masses final) and unleash their wizardry upon the masses during their New Blood Stage set, sparking off their first ever circle pit - a hallmark of appreciation for great music.

Viction spoke to GMA that very evening before their eventual trip home to Oslo via Derby and London.

​As Norway geographically is a huge country, how would you organise a Norwegian tour? Surely you'd have to fly to Tromso?

     "Haha, we have the most expensive plan tickets in the world, like you could fly to the USA for the same price as flying to Tromso and this is the problem with the Norwegian metal scene, everything north of Trondheim is often left behind. When bands tour Norway, they usually always head to Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim or Stavanger, and even then it's difficult. Another thing is that, most of these Norwegian tours, most shows are on the weekends, like Friday's and Saturday's etc., not like one day or every other day, so it kind of makes it more convenient to drive to shows – saving money by not flying, but at the same time it's not one of the best countries to tour in.

     Unless you're a big band, you can't do shows on weekdays. After COVID, the metal scene was struggling a lot, especially in Oslo where there not many people going out unless there was a huge band playing. So we've been very lucky and feel blessed to come and play in the UK.


     We heard the scene in the UK is way better now, of course it's cheaper for us to come play in the UK rather than the other way round. We bought some ham from Tesco the night before our show, you could buy a steak for £5 but in Norway at least £12 for that... and that's the cheap kind!


From the songs you have released, which ones are your favourites and why?

• 'Dance Inside The Sun' – it is fast, it's extremely fun to play and the crowd goes wild for it, we had our first circle pit and that was amazing.

 

• Same for me 'Dance Inside The Sun', it's a song I can get loose to, on some of the others I can go a bit crazy here and there, but here I can go extremely crazy.

 

• For me it's 'The Enemy' – it was the first Viction song I heard and was written before I joined so I was like 'ah, that song is cool', love the intro.

 

• It's like picking your favourite child, pick your children.... (pick one and abandon the others)… to save my voice I would not say 'Dance Inside The Sun', but in terms of how fun it is, it's got to be 'Dance...'.

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

     "Finishing our album is our main priority and we will be supporting Indian thrashers Kryptos in November, they are awesome and I've been a fan of them for years, so when we were booked to be their support I was over the moon.

     After the build-up to our visit to the UK and playing Bloodstock, we would love to come back to the UK, we're already in talks with some people for shows in 2023. We will be back."


Summarise Bloodstock with only one word.

• Incredible.
• Professional.
• Hot.
• Amazing.

Any hello's or greetings you wish to send out?

     "Thank you to everyone who came and saw us, thank you to anyone who has been listening to our songs, thank you to everyone who has been following us over the past couple of years. We cannot wait to show ad bring everyone more music.

     What he said (laughs all around).

     Thanks to everyone involved in this, it's amazing and I could not have imagined this 2 years ago, so the fact that we are here now and played the New Blood Stage, it's insane."


https://www.facebook.com/VictionBand/