 "[to tour] you need to get a tour permission, which is issued by a commission (none of its members have any relation to music). And they can refuse to issue it because of “low artistic level”, even if your music is literally a masterpiece" Whilst most of Europe's metal listeners are so transfixed on what's happening in the metal scenes within Western, Northern and Southern Europe, on the other side of Europe a handful of countries often get forgotten. OK so The Ukraine has Jinjer and Moldova has Infected Rain leading their respective scenes charge, but how long did it take for those metal scenes to receive widespread acknowledgement from the metal masses? Exactly. Well now it's the turn of the Belarusian metal scene to stake it's claim on European soil, the band leading the charge and flying the flag for Belarus is Belle Morte. The symphonic metal quartet are set to unleash their mastery through their debut album "Crime Of Passion", which will be released through Italian label Wormholedeath sometime in 2021. GMA spoke to 4 of the 6 members about the debut album, how Belarus has dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, what it was like growing up as metalheads and why people should check them out... discussing their unique take on the symphonic gothic metal sound. Key:
The two guitarists who did not answer questions are
 What does it feel like signing with Wormholedeath? You must be excited seeing your debut album being released internationally? BM: "It feels like we are starting a new chapter: very thrilling and we can hardly wait till the album is out :). Signing with Wormholedeath is a huge step forward and it gives us more confidence in what we are doing." SB: "This is definitely really cool and we have high hopes for this collaboration!" Your debut album "Crime Of Passion" is based on the John Fowles novel "The Collector", how did you get into his writings and what aspects of the novel inspired the album? BM: "It happened literally by chance. My mum’s best friend lent her this book, I was hooked by the cover and annotations, and read the whole book in one night. If I say this book became my fav, that would definitely be an exaggeration, but it was really exciting to read the same story told by both sides, to know how they both felt towards the same events. Besides, to me it was interesting to try to get into the main character’s shoes and think the way he did. To feel this boundless desire, this need in possessing someone, which goes beyond any logic, ethics, or human law. That’s how the song 'To Get Her' appeared, consequently other tracks followed. By the way, I was surprised and happy to find out Sergey read this book too, because it made our work easier - I didn’t have to explain the feeling each song should trigger." SB: "That’s true :) besides, it made things easier for me as well: I had no troubles telling Belle what I wanted her to sound like when we recorded vocals. Something like “this verse should sound like you are an arrogant moron, whose one and only skill is butterfly collecting”. Speaking about the novel, I read it in 2005 and it left quite an impression on me. This struggle between sophisticated and straight-forward personalities, sharp minds and blindness, inner freedom and narrowness. My main criterion of whether the book is good or not, is whether I have thought “it would be nice to compose a rock-opera or at least a song based on this” during reading. I had this thought :) so I was really enthusiastic towards the idea of having the whole album inspired by "The Collector"." Would you say your album is more of a story than simply just a collection of songs? Which aspects of the album are your favourite? BM: "It’s definitely a coherent story, chapter by chapter. From the very beginning we had this theme, and all we did was setting about filling the gaps and finding the correct means to tell this story. One of my favourite aspects is definitely leitmotif usage. For example, the instrumental part in 'Lace' has a battle of the 'To Get Her' theme (which is obviously the main theme of the murderer) and the 'My Legacy' theme (which is the girls’ response) - and we have lots of such Easter eggs here and there." SB: "I really like the fact this album is close to a mono rock-opera. We used the leitmotif component, which Belle already mentioned, starting from 'Overture' and till the very end; the plot can easily be grasped without any synopsis; we have a fully-fledged duet between the abductor and his victim, besides, it’s not just some abstract exchange of characters’ emotions turn by turn (how it often happens). It’s a dialogue, turning into an argument in the end. Besides, we gave a lot of thought in how to craft the choral parts and backing vocals (for instance, in 'Beauty and the Beast') and orchestral parts, where they fitted. Given the glut of Symphonic Gothic metal bands worldwide, how does your music distinguish itself from the rest? Where do your music inspirations come from? BM: "I think our most distinctive feature is balancing between genres, augmenting symphonic metal with different elements, such as progressive, industrial, black, rock opera, Celtic music, Argentinian tango - whatever we feel is appropriate for a particular track. We are not really bonded by any genre strict rules, we focus on “music first” and see where inspiration takes us. Besides, we combine catchy and easy to remember melodies and complex multi-layered orchestral arrangements."  National Library of Belarus, Minsk / Source: Lonely Planet Tell us what it is like growing up as metalheads in Belarus? What challenges do you face within the Belarusian Metal Scene? BM: "I have nothing to compare with, but from my personal perspective Belarusian metalheads are the nicest people, they are super friendly and helpful. I wouldn’t say I faced any significant challenges with the local scene. Unless we count the fact that it’s almost impossible to make a living doing music here, most musicians have to combine their “hobby” with a job where they get paid. It does lead to certain limitations." RG: "It’s complicated :) there are a lot of metalheads here, but in general society perceives them as somewhat marginals. Government doesn't embrace the fact that metal music has the same rights to exist as music of the other genres. Soviet legacy is still very prominent here. On the other hand, it’s getting better and during past years we have had a lot of great bands come here. But organizing a gig is still a very stressful and complex thing to do. For example, you need to get a tour permission, which is issued by a commission (none of its members have any relation to music). And they can refuse to issue it because of “low artistic level”, even if your music is literally a masterpiece :). Local gigs are like swings. We used to have pretty wild underground gigs; then everything died out for a while. Then there was a period when we had great concert organizers, who put in a lot of effort and their own resources in holding top-level concerts. And then the pandemic happened. The bands also suffered from missing quality booking agencies, labels etc. The majority have to work somewhere else to make a living, and take care of organizing concerts, printing merch, releasing albums etc. on their own. We have many talented musicians, but not all of them are ready to deal with all of that, and it’s sad." How has Belarus coped with the COVID pandemic; what restrictions / lockdown protocols were put into place? BM: "There is a huge difference in answer depending on whether we talk about the Government or people living here. The Government shamefully failed to take any measures at all. We didn’t have any restrictions, all the borders were open, the severity of the pandemic was denied and laughed at in official media. Medical workers were not provided by appropriate protection means. And real numbers of those who got infected and those who died, were concealed. Medical workers, who had courage to tell publicly how bad the situation was, got fired and repressed. On the other hand, Belarusian people have shown the level of solidarity we didn't see here before. They created special funds to help medical workers and provide them with protection means, food and other supplies. They distributed printed instructions telling older people how to protect themselves, and again - helped with delivering foods and medicines. Although officially there were no protocols whatsoever, people started following WHO recommendations by their own initiative." For metalheads visiting Minsk, what sights or attractions would you recommend (in a normal world)? What bars, venues, festivals are there? RG: "TNT club (which might appear very ordinary if you don’t live here) :). The biggest festivals are Kupalskaje Kola, Our Grunwald, UMF (United Metal Festival)." MS: "In good old times when we went to bars and clubs, if I wanted to hang out in a friendly atmosphere, I went to TNT club. You could always meet someone from your mates there!" SB: "In addition to what Rostislav already mentioned, Brugge club. But it looks like it didn’t survive the pandemic…" Aside from the album launch, what plans do you have for the year ahead and do you have any greetings or thanks you wish to send out? BM: "We try to stay positive regarding the COVID situation and prepare ourselves for a productive year. For sure we’d like to have the album presentation (hopefully not just online, and hopefully more than one gig). Besides, we are doing a lyric video for 'Broken Things'. In the parallel we still have a lot of work in the studio, as we want to record our second EP this year. We have a very clear concept for it, and expect it to have a lot of unusual collaborations and musical instruments we haven’t used before. Last but not least: we are thinking about shooting our third music video." SB: "I am very grateful to Kirill and Arthur, who helped us with guitars’ recordings at the times when we didn’t have a permanent line-up, long before Ilya joined us. And we are thankful to our families and friends for their support during the whole time!" https://www.facebook.com/bellemortemusic
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 As far as the Horror Metal style goes, lyrically it's self-explanatory, musically it's a lethal concoction of pure darkness, ghoulish atmospherics and sounds so spooky that they leave even those in the stiffest form of rigor mortis weak at the knees (OK that's perhaps a tiny bit too dark). Scream Baby Scream don't hold anything back and use their imagery, theatrics and lyrics to seep bleakness into the listener, making them feel cold and at best frozen-to-the-band. GMA gave this quartet a paranormal investigation, we had to make the ghostbusters redundant for these are no match for said group, they needed a proper exorcism... they survived suffice to say. Well we say 'they' survived, only Becky and Damien awoke from the coffins... perhaps garlic doesn't work after all.  Would it be right in saying your band name came from the 1969 horror film "Scream, Baby, Scream"? If not where did it come from? Who came up with it? Becky:- "You are 99% right, in the beginning the idea was started by me with the acronym S.B.S., till now it has been a secret between us - the real meaning being "not everything should be said", and I think it will be for another 10 years at least, then we decided to give a name for our creature, as Charles Butler we have our spooky bloody ideal beauty so this matched perfectly." For those who do not know of Scream Baby Scream, could you tell us how you formed? Were you in bands previously? Becky:- "Oh same old situation, as you know death does not look directly at anyone, so we've been buried in the same cemetery. In the beginning I've asked Damien to help us with first EP, but after 10 years, exhumations and a change of line up he's still there, we try and try to get rid of him, but it's hard... haha. All of us come from different bands and different influences, black metal, 80's glam, punk, power metal and industrial, as I previously told you they really have buried anyone; even the least recommendable." This year Scream Baby Scream has been going 10 years, what challenges have you had to overcome along the way? Becky:- "10 years already...wow, like every band we faced too many challenges, some rookie mistakes, or some changes in our private lives... but the most important lesson we've learnt in these 10 years is that we don't need to play the blame game, and for sure sometimes our worst enemy is ourself, so the most important thing is to never give up!" You play 'Horror Metal' - could you please explain to us what this comprises of? What is your sound musically? Becky:- "Actually the horror component wasn't decided in the beginning, but it came out. There are no rules in our lyrics, sometimes we are inspired by movies, books, nightmares or metaphors, in these days there is much more horror in real life, just look out of the window and there it is. "Too Much Heaven On Their Minds" will especially be an album which is also related to current events."  Milan Cathedral, Italy / Source: Full Suitcase What plans did you have this year that have either been cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19? Damien:- "Like all the artists, due to the coronavirus pandemic we had to postpone some gigs until 2021 and the recording of the new album until the end of 2020, but we tried not to stop. During the lockdown we have worked on the new songs and now we are ready to start rehearsing." Speaking of which what plans do you have for late 2020 / early 2021? Damien:- "As you already know, the 10th of April we celebrated the tenth anniversary of the band and we released the video of our single “Mouth Of Madness”, taken from the upcoming album “Too Much Heaven On Their Minds”. As soon as this coronavirus pandemic ends, we’ll record and release the new album, some new videos and plan a 2021 European tour to promote “Too Much Heaven On Their Minds”... For metalheads visiting Milan, what sights / attractions and bars / venues could you recommend? Damien:- "Our basement, if they are brave enough (laughs evilly)! It can be an amazing experience like meeting the Sawyers or Dr Satan! Just kidding... I guess the best place to visit in town, beside the city centre obviously, is the Rock’N’Roll club near the central station." Do you have any thanks or greetings you wish to send out to friends, family, fans, etc? Damien:- "First of all thank you for giving us this opportunity. I’d also like to thank all the witches and ghouls out there for their great and constant support!" Becky: "We hope all of you are safe because the coronavirus isn't a funny thing, a zombie apocalypse is much better so stay tuned for that!" https://www.facebook.com/screambabyscreamrock/  In a series of posts, GMA will be speaking to bands worldwide about film soundtracks they feel that could have been written using metal music. Up first is Gothic Metallers Winter Storm who hail from the West Midlands, England.  1. Silence of the Lambs - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Mm8Sbe__o "I don't think this soundtrack gets the credit it deserves. It's some of Howard Shore's best work by far; it's not all about Lord Of The Rings. I would love to have his insight when putting together a piece of music to set the tone for a scene / movie." 2. A Clockwork Orange - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN-1Mup0UI0 "I adore this soundtrack and the approach Walter (now Wendy) Carlos brought to it. I'm a huge fan of neo-classical music, so to have a soundtrack that so heavily relies on reworked Purcell and Beethoven pieces is fine by me! To bookend a film of that nature with Queen Mary's funeral march and then Singing in the Rain is a touch of genius." 3. The Lion King - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY7xBISLBIA "I'll be 34 in February, but listening to this soundtrack takes me back to being a fascinated 8-year old kid watching the film at a local cinema for the first time. It is, in my opinion, quite possibly the best soundtrack ever written." 4. The Never-ending Story - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeFni9dOv7c "Who doesn't love a classic cheesy, 80s film? This is another film that fascinated me when I was a kid and that was largely down to the soundtrack. It's the first time I remembered paying specific attention to character themes/leitmotifs, and how certain instruments used in certain ways can evoke particular emotions: the joy of riding Valkor, the sadness of losing Artax, the fear being stalked by Gmork..." 5. Saturday Night Fever - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyJDYTG5leQ "The Bee Gees are literally some of the best songwriters of all time. Sadly, they're mostly lost on my generation, but some of the material they wrote - especially before their disco phase - is incredible. It's not surprising to me that they went on to write, what was then, the most successful soundtrack of all time." Winter Storm have also released the first single 'Astral World' today, here is a link to the video. https://youtu.be/Jc0PIm4VAA4 One of the UK's finest melodic metal bands, Winter Storm, are back after a short break with their third full length album. Their latest offering, 'Relapse in Time', follows on from the story that began with their second album, a concept album, 'Within The Frozen Design'. The story begins with the protagonist believing he is designing his own universe, but, as events unfold, it turns out it was all a coincidence and he spirals into madness. The story continues in "Relapse in Time', where the protagonist awakens with no idea of where he is, in a strange land of deserted plains, and a Mars-like terrain. After forming in 2008 Winter Storm have moulded and changed their sound to make their own unique form of Melodic Metal, which is displayed in the new album. They wished to fuse metal (including 7 string guitars) with melodic keyboards and vocals. Winter Storm have been seen supporting the likes of Delain and Leaves' Eyes as well as performing at Bloodstock Open Air, Hammerfest, HRH Metal and Wizzfest Belgium. Quote from Hannah, the vocalist of Winter Storm: “I am very pleased to announce Winter Storm will be bringing out our long anticipated third album Relapse In Time on the 11th October. First of all I would like to thank all of our friends and fans for waiting so long to hear this album. With this record we are planning to bring a new sound forward; fusing our melodic metal sound with a symphonic and more technical edge.” ‘Relapse In Time’ will be released at The Slade Rooms in Wolverhampton on Friday 11th October and will be available on all digital platforms. Winter Storm on the run up to the release of ‘Relapse In Time’ will be releasing a teaser trailer every Friday until the release date, you can check out the first teaser here: https://youtu.be/XbM4f3iGhSM https://www.facebook.com/winterstormuk Twitter: @winterstormuk1 https://www.facebook.com/fatangelpr/ Twitter: @fatangel_family  Mentioning the Eurovision Song Contest usually brings to the fore the flamboyant outfits, lovey-dovey pop songs and the evident 'block-voting' syndrome. However occasionally the event delivers some rather outstanding and unique entries, from Heavy Metallers Lordi (delivered Finland's first ever win in 2006) to Hungary's Post-Hardcore group AWS (post-Eurovision performed at Wacken Open Air)... then came Iceland's turn to abandon the safe-zone, free itself from the shackles of formulaic Eurovision pop music and embrace a darker, more aesthetically-pleasing and original tone in the form of Hatari, who are a 'Award-winning, anti-capitalist, BDSM, techno-dystopian, performance art collective'. Of course they are not a metal band, however arguably through their performance which befits that of a Rammstein show; through pyrotechnics, elaborate outfits and singing in a language that demands your utmost attention, they might as well be. The unfurling of the Palestinian flags will be seen as a political statement and perhaps the most controversial thing to happen at Eurovision (although the counter-argument is Ukraine's winning song '1944' by Jamela; centres around the deportation of the Crimean Tatars), could the Eurovision be political in that it allows Australia and Israel to participate, but not Kosovo nor Gibraltar or the Faroe Islands due to the latter two not being independent nations. With that in mind it does beg the question whether the ESC is contradictory in it's own rulings or whether there needs a massive shake-up... let's face it will Punk Rock ever get a look in? Maybe the UK should send the Sex Pistols... let's see how far that goes, but for now GMA caught up with Matthías Haraldsson, harsh vocalist of Hatari and discussed about post-Eurovision events, their first EP 'Neysluvara' and of course if everything is going according to plan. For your listening pleasure we have included the single / music video for 'Klefi / Samed', curated by Hatari and Palestinian musician Bashar Murad. Next to this is 'Hatrið Mun Sigra', Hatari's Eurovision song, whilst the jurors did not really appreciate the song, the public vote was very high - they finished 10th... we like to think Europe understand the message Hatari are conveying.  Credit: Brynjar Snær Having performed at Eurovision, this surely was the biggest moment of the band's career thus far? "Yes. Our participation went according to plan and part of that plan was reaching the masses of Europe." Regarding the music video for 'Hatrið Mun Sigra', where was it filmed and how long did it take to shoot? "The video was filmed in Reykjavik, Iceland. It took a few days to shoot under the careful direction of Hatari vocalist Klemens Hannigan and film-maker Baldvin Vernharðsson, who has proven to be an indispensable part of the Svikamylla Ehf crew." Arguably 'Hatrið Mun Sigra' can be contextualised in many ways with the way the world is right now, would you say the song is more relatable now more than ever? (reflecting on the rise of populism in the recent European elections). "We feel (that) 'Hatrið Mun Sigra' is a dystopia relevant to our current political climate, consumer culture, the context in which the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest took place, and the rise of populism in the recent European elections. This is the case with many of our songs." You released the EP 'Neysluvara' back in 2017, would you say your sound has changed a lot since then? Would you agree that Hatari has it's own unique sound? "All aspects of our performances undergo constant development, including our sound, although we work with many of the same elements and themes, including the impending doom of mankind."
With the release of 'Hatrið Mun Sigra' and 'Klefi / Samed (صامد)' ft. Bashar Murad, will Hatari deliver an album for the fans in the foreseeable future? "Yes. Relentless Scam Incorporated, or Svikamylla Ehf, will announce the album's release when the time comes." What was the reception like for Hatari when arriving back in Reykjavik? Are you concerned that RUV could be banned from Eurovision next year?* "The reception was encouraging and our tour around the country with Bashar Murad went according to plan. We are no longer concerned with the dealings of the Eurovision Song Contest. It would, however, be hypocritical to enforce a rule that every contestant broke on day one, as participation was in itself a political action." What is the fetish scene like in Iceland? "The fetish scene in Iceland is vibrant and has much to teach us about many kinds of safe, sane, and consensual activities." What plans does Hatari have for the year ahead? Will we see you performing in the UK in the foreseeable future? "We will play shows in many places where there is currently no illegal military occupation taking place. One of these places is London, where we aim to perform late this August."  Hallgrímskirkja in winter, Reykjavik, Iceland Hatari are currently doing shows in Iceland and abroad, check out their Facebook page for dates coming up and ones to be announced. London show has sold out. https://www.facebook.com/hatridmunsigra/ https://hatari.is/  Most people would associate Taiwan as one of those countries you could find labelled on the inside of some of the garments you own, but for metalheads it's known as a vibrant metal scene with ChthoniC as their leading export... following in the Oriental Black Metallers footsteps are a legion of metal bands who are ready to take the Taiwanese scene forward onto newer and greater heights. One such band is Frost Tears (冰霜之淚), whose blend of Symphonic Gothic Metal and Oriental Metal is so amazing that you would lost in trying to find a band who can be compared to this majestic group. GMA spoke to the group to find out what life as a Taiwanese Metal musician is like, plans for the year ahead among other things. Answers are gratefully and surprisingly received in both Taiwanese and English.  "'Joyous shout' is a song which returns to the pure combination of power metal and symphony metal" How long has Frost Tears been going and has any of the members been in previous bands? "冰霜之淚迄今已經㒟立八年，到目前為止，歷經三任鼓手᧤現任鼓手 Ibara 第ℛ任᧥；三任貝㠾手᧤現任貝㠾手 Mone 是第ℛ任᧥；吉他手 Dio 是第ℛ任᧤鍵 盤手 Yu 則在 2016 年離團，主唱 Len 與吉他手 Taku 一直是原始團員。目前並不 積極尋找㠿任鍵盤手，因為㒠們覺得改變樂器編制也許是個有趣的ℚ情。在 2017 年在演出的配置加入了一位大提琴手 Tetsu. It's been 8 years since Frost Tears was formed by Len (Vocal), Taku (Lead Guitar) and Ibara (Drums). The other present members include Mone (Bass) and Dio (Rhythm Guitar), who are the second members at bass and rhythm guitar. Tetsu, our current cellist, joined us in 2017, which may be an interesting idea or choice to change our band formation due to former keyboardists leave in 2016." What is it like being a metal musician / fan in Taiwan? What is the scene like and is metal supported well? "ྎ灣的金屬樂一直都᭷許多人在默默耕耘，但ᡃ想除了北歐以外，每個國家 都沒᭷幾個金屬樂團ྍ以ᡂ為主流，也因Ṉᡃ們在這八年來所學到的心態，便是 做ᡃ們想做的音樂即ྍ，要跟隨閃靈的 腳 ṉ並不是件容易的事，而即使像閃靈身 為ྎ灣最紅的金屬團，卸下樂手光環ᚋ， 還是要᭷另一份工作才能᭷穩定的收入ࠋᡃ們也不例外 ChthoniC as Taiwan's most known metal band has their own way of standing in Taiwan and so do we. In fact, few of Taiwan's (or maybe countries / religions besides Northern Europe) metal bands became famous. So even if we still try to fulfil our destiny in our own way, our conclusion for Metal in Taiwan is simply make perfect music, and THAT IS ENOUGH. " You're about to release your fourth EP 'Conscious Being' in a few weeks time, will there be a tour in support of the release? "目前還在企劃中，ྍ能在六᭶，因為ᡃ們沒᭷足 夠 的經費同時做 夠 多的ⓐ行 和ᐉ傳活動，所以也不急，一件一件的完ᡂ就好ࠋ Actually, we are planning for a tour in Taiwan to begin maybe in June, so things like funds searching or promotion activity is now in process." Have you played outside of Taiwan, if so where? What challenges as a Taiwanese band do you face when booking overseas gigs? "ᡃ們曾經在 2015 年到過日本，2016 年到馬來西亞演出ࠋ對ᡃ們而言，演出內 容與器材ࠊ場地並不是問題，觀眾也都 夠 多ࠋ其實對ᡃ們而言，最困難的是籌ࠋ措旅費 We've been to Japan in 2015 and Malaysia in 2016. Shows were perfect for their own when the most difficult part is still the operation funds."  Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall What did you differently for the new EP in comparison to your previous releases? "因為團員變動，創作方式自然也會改變ࠋ新的 EP 除了首支單曲 Joyous shout 回到像 power 或 symphony metal 那種比較直ⓑ的音樂型態之外，另外三首則是以 現在的編制去重新改寫第一張 EP 中的三首歌，᭷的偏重音色和層次感的提升，ࠋᡃ們或許只是想挑戰自ᕫ而ᕬ吧ࠋ的甚至連主旋ᚊ和歌詞都重寫了 The new single 'Joyous shout' from 'Conscious Being' is a song which returns to the pure combination of power metal and symphony metal. Others are remade versions of 3 songs from our first EP which has improved tones, path of mixing and in some parts a change of lyrics and melody. It's a way for us to face and challenge our past." For those visiting Taiwan, what sights / attractions could you recommend? What bars could you recommend? "對於訪問ྎ灣的遊ᐈ，你ྍ以推薦哪些景點 / 景點？你ྍ以推薦什麼酒吧 九份是個一日遊的好選擇，酒吧的部分ྍ以選則市區的͟ "Revolver" 'Jiufen' for 1 day touring and 'Revolver'͛ for alcohol." What plans do you have for the year ahead? "你對未來一年᭷什麼計劃？因為ᡃ們寫歌很慢，一年或許很難完ᡂ一張全新專輯，ᡃ們會盡力ࠋ The first priority is to complete our next new album despite our slow working progress, but we'll still make a try." Do you have any greetings you wish to send out? "你᭷沒᭷想要ⓐ送的問候？你們好ᡃ們是來自ྎ灣的冰霜之淚！歡迎至ᡃ們的官方臉書追蹤ᡃ們並隨 時得知最新的演出以及作品訊息！ Hey guys we are Frost Tears from Taiwan! We welcome you to subscribe to us on our official Facebook page 'Frost Tears 冰霜之淚' to get the latest information of us! We wish to see you, Thank you! https://www.facebook.com/frosttears/  It is an undeniable fact that Africa, along with Australasia / Oceania, are the last frontiers of metal music, with the exception to a handful of countries e.g. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, etc. Of course in Sub-Sahara Africa and North Africa there are far more metal scenes than in West Africa. However with Gabon's Iron Sliver, Nigeria's Threadstone and Ghana's Dark Suburb making noise, it was only fair for Cameroon to join the metal music movement. Roar Of Heroes are a Symphonic / Gothic Metal unit who are comprised of two musicians - Azra-Freyja and Anarchist 1st), formed from the ashes of a previous moniker - 'Silent Echoes', a six-piece band whose activities did not last long and thus gave birth to this new entity. GMA caught up with the duo and asked them what it is like to be metal music fans in Cameroon, what challenges there are and where do they see the African Metal movement in the future.  "Our society has never stopped judging this amazing philosophy, they still think metal is one of the devil's creations."Could you give us a history of Roar Of Heroes, how it started and what challenges you face as a band? "Roar Of Heroes' story is so long that a message won't be able to tell you the entire story in detail, so we summarize: in the beginning, the band was called Silent Echoes and had 6 members; a complete line-up with 2 female vocalists. The band performed together twice in February and June 2016, but after the June show, the band split-up and 6 months later was reborn as Roar of Heroes, with only two members of Silent Echoes, and this has been the same since then. The Cameroonian Metal scene doesn't seem to have been around for a long while, when did it roughly start and what is the scene currently like? "Cameroon doesn't have a real metal scene. We had here, the "Festirock" which we believe started in 2014 and today it's at its 3rd edition. But the last one was more of a "simple live show" than "metal show", including all types of music. So we don't really know nowadays if we can still consider it as a metal scene. But, another scene is about to be born, "Silent Night", organized by A Black Card, the label which is producing our forthcoming album. We all hope this one will be great." Are you aware of any other metal scenes near you? Would you agree that Africa is fairly young in terms of metal music being produced? "Personally, we think Africa will have it's place in the future of Metal music (even though 90% of bands we know only do Death or Heavy Metal, excluding South Africa and the Arabic countries!! according to us). Of course, people do not really know about metal bands in Africa, but we are sure, when the occidental communication will give attention to this continent, things will quickly improve. People really have a metal soul here." How did you become interested in metal music and what do your parents, friends, etc think of it? How does society perceive it? Have you played any local gigs? "We used to say, "we didn't adopt metal, metal adopted us", meaning that we always had it in our soul. When you are young, and you have the "chance" to see Michael Jackson or Metallica on your parents TV, you definitely know that you won't do country or pop music in your life. Parents and friends encourage us just because they know that we play music, we prefer things to be this way, than them judging us too. Because effectively, our society has never stopped judging this amazing philosophy, they still think metal is one of the devil's creations." What are your main influences for your music and have you released any EP's, albums? "Influences? Revolution is for the moment our only influence. We think everyday that things should improve around us, not changing, but improving. We recently recorded an EP, and started recording our first studio album, but unfortunately, we had a "bad wind" in April 2017, which carried with him all our files, and we were obliged to restart everything... from nothing. We finally returned to the studio back in September, and we think all will be okay very soon." Would you agree that countries steeped in devout Christianity would perceive metal music as a threat? "Yes we do. According to us, we think that they are focused on past metal images, which was unfortunately dominated by Death Metal and other s (with the satanic side of the genre). But that's not our philosophy, we have one different from that. In our songs, we encourage people to build themselves, to go further, to be free, to exist and so on. We have a simple philosophy: The impossible is unthinkable." Given the location of your band, have you had any fans emerge from overseas on Facebook? If so where? "We sometimes receive greetings from Nigeria, South Africa, France, Italy, Belgium and USA. People telling us that they like what we do. So encouraging to read mails and sometimes messages on our Facebook fan-page. We will never thank them enough." Where do you see the Cameroonian Metal scene in 5 years time? What changes need to happen to support the growth of the scene? "We are convinced that, in less than five years, Roar Of Heroes will make the Cameroonian metal scene to be known in Africa and all over the world. First of all, people have to assume with a firm conviction their love for metal. Secondly, they have to eradicate every judgement, so according to us, the problem starts from metal lovers, only them can extend the philosophy. But, this is about to happen, our revolution started this way." Finally do you have any hello's, greetings, etc you wish to send out? "We would like to send a message to everyone reading this article:- "Firstly thanks for reading, secondly never forget guys that every second in your life is a chance to change your story!!! Never stop believing in what you feel! Revolutionary yours!" https://www.facebook.com/RoarOfHeroes/  Spain has a very vibrant metal scene that sometimes gets overlooked when it comes to what bands emerge from the sun-soaked nation, so when the Symphonic Metal 'forajido' group Diabulus In Musica joined up with Finnish Neo-Classical Metal exports Amberian Dawn, it was only right for GMA to grill this five-piece ensemble and interrogate them as if they were our amigos (of course they are!). Having been around for a decade and only two founding members remaining in keyboardist / growler Gorka Elso and vocalist Zuberoa Aznárez, it was the latter who stepped up to the plate to share their thoughts on their tour, the critique of their latest album "Dirge For The Archons", music, politics and the much 'beloved' Eurovision...  Zuberoa Aznárez with her band of merry men Hi guys, firstly how was your UK / EU tour? What were the highlights? "We had a blast! We really enjoyed every show, but we keep special memories of London, Pratteln and Haarlem. In general they were very enthusiastic about us playing there. We had lots of fun with our label mates Amberian Dawn and our great crew." You released your latest album 'Dirge for the Archons' last year, what was the reaction like? "The reviews were really great! And the fans wrote us several messages telling us 'DFTA' is their favourite album so far. We are also very happy with it. We also have had the chance to play some of the new songs live and the reactions of the audience have also been great." How did you gain inspiration for your band name Diabulus In Musica? Who came up with it? "I founded the band and chose the name. “Diabulus (or Diabolus) In Musica” is a Latin medieval word which means ‘The Devil In Music’. It was like that as they called the triton or the interval of the augmented fourth. The medieval ear was used to hearing perfect fourths and perfect fifths, (early music instruments are tuned different, in mean-tone tuning). The augmented fourth, being half-way between these two most common intervals, was about the worst discord imaginable. That’s why they thought that the devil was inside the triton. The reason I chose this name was because of my music studies and my passion for early music. I studied classical singing but I’ve been above all focused in historical singing. The name was perfect for us not only because of the meaning it has to me, but also because it sounds a bit dark, as our music sometimes. We like this ‘dark romantic aesthetic’ as well as early music (actually we have included these elements in our music more than once), so we thought Diabulus In Musica was the name that fit us the best." With Eurovision coming, as a band would you ever put yourself forward to represent Spain? "I don’t think any of us would dream about going to Eurovision, but if we were proposed to go we would probably accept because it is a good way of promoting ourselves. However we all know Spain always ends up in the low-scoring positions hahah so it probably would not be a good idea. We all know all the results are manipulated, so it’s not a very “fair” contest. Anyway, I admit I usually see it, it’s a good moment to gather for a dinner with friends and have a good time and some laughs."
With Brexit impending, as a band are you concerned about touring the UK or fairly calm about it? "For the moment we are calm and we hope it will not be a problem in the future because the UK is one of our favourite places to tour. We have only played twice, but the reactions have always been so great. The best part of our European tour last year was the one in the UK. It was a pity that last year our guitar player couldn’t come because he is from Russia and he couldn’t get his visa to enter UK. This year he finally got a visa and could come with us. It’s weird and a backwardness that nowadays it is still so important to get papers and papers, bureaucracy is really annoying, above all when you go just to play a couple of shows. I’m not going to give any opinions about politics, but I only hope things are easier and faster in the future." What is the Spanish Metal scene like right now? Any bands you would suggest to your fans to check out? "Well, I honestly don’t follow the Spanish scene, so I don’t really know very much about it. What I can say is that the metal scene like in every country is a small one and here, people prefers to listen to the typical “Spanish Metal”, which is generally heavy music from the 80’s sung in Spanish. That’s what you get in every metal festival in Spain. There is also a new scene, but it is not supported enough to grow, at least for the moment." You hail from Pamplona, home of the famous 'running of the bulls', what are your thoughts on the tradition? Have you ever participated? "No and I will never do so. I’m personally totally against the bullfights and I hope they are forbidden one day. I simply cannot understand that any human being can call that tremendous brutality “culture”. Regarding the running of the bulls, well, that’s different because bulls and people are on the same conditions and bulls don’t get harmed. It’s a very settled tradition in our city and in that case the bull doesn’t suffer, so I don’t have problems with that, but of course I have strong feelings against bullfights." Finally what are your plans for the year ahead? Any greetings, thank you's that you wish to send out? "We are headlining three festivals here in Spain in spring and we hope to play more until the end of the year. We will also start writing new material. Thanks a lot for the interest and your questions and thanks to the readers also for taking the time to read. We hope to meet you all on the road!" https://www.facebook.com/diabulusinmusicaofficial/  Halloween is once a year, or is it? Not according to American quintet Eternal Halloween whose demonic stature is sure to garner attention from overseas as arguably the States answer to the UK's Evil Scarecrow. Moreover this Los Angeles (or as they might call Los Hellos), California-based horde have only been around a year and are already causing a buzz across the American Metal underground, let's just hope their name is not a reference to the Aiden song otherwise things could get quite confusing. Eternal Halloween were happy to spare some time to answer some questions GMA had in store for them... 
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