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/

     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
​
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570345889171

     It cannot be denied that metal music has transformed and shifted into many sounds since Black Sabbath recorded their first ever riff, as time has passed the genre has taken on many forms and styles, uniting and dividing fans in the process but above all keeping the industry on it's toes for the next wave of music innovations. 

   One avenue that does not seem to have been explored until now, is the thought of having a metal vocal group backed by musicians, enter Venus 5. Imagine the Spice Girls taking on a metal form, and delivering a sound that is darker and dirtier than their looks and outfits suggest, yes Venus 5 may straddle themselves between pop and symphonic metal, but the force they present is so captivating and original, you would find it hard to name another band as unique as Venus 5; not even Babymetal makes it close.

If Vanilla Ninja, Amaranthe and Within Temptation had a child together, then Venus 5 would be the offspring, spewing out modern symphonic anthems that would set any stadium alight.

GMA spoke with Karmen Klinc, one of the five vocalists fronting Venus 5. Check out their music video "Because Of You" down below.

Venus 5 has very humble beginnings, could you explain how the group came to be and where the name originated from?

     "The group was actually put together by Frontiers Music Srl.; Serafino Perugino (who is also the owner of the label) got the idea of doing something new and different, something that hasn’t been done yet in the European area. So him and Mr. Mario De Riso decided to find five girls, from five different countries and make a metal band in the form of a pop group. I’m not actually sure, how we got the name, but I think it’s quite obvious, they named us after Venus – the Roman goddess of beauty and love. There’s 5 of us, each one is different, so here comes the Venus 5."


How would you describe your personalities - who is the funniest, feistiest, etc? What was it like meeting for the first time?

     "Oh, we definitely have totally different personalities. Herma is our Italian power-girl, who cooks for us if necessary, and takes care of our videos. She’s a very capable girl. Tezzi is the kindest pure-hearted woman. Jelena is very honest and will never hesitate to speak her mind. Erina, who’s the youngest is also the funniest towards me. There’s always some funny story she has to tell, and she speaks in such an adorable way, you just have to laugh. And then there’s me, it’s hard for me to speak about myself, but I do know that I always try to stay positive and that I can act a little goofy from time to time 😊"


Arguably 'pop metal' has become increasingly popular over the past few years, how would you describe your sound if not pop metal?

     "It’s quite hard to describe, since there’s many different mixed genres on the album. But I could say it’s a mixture of melodic / symphonic / heavy metal. Sometimes a little bit of hard rock as well."


You released your single / music video "Tom And Ms. Amy Lee" back in February, does it have any relation to the vocalist of Evanescence?

     "Well, the Lyric was actually written by Per Aldeheim (Def Leppard, H.E.A.T, Stanfour, etc.) He was once watching 'The Voice' talent show, and there was a guy, who worked as a crane operator. He used to sing soul covers up in his crane, and he didn’t dare to show his talent to anyone. So his brother was actually the one who got him to the show without even telling him. And Ms Amy Lee isn’t the famous Amy from Evanescence, even though a lot of people think so. It’s a made up story about a girl, who was picking up cans from the street and making sculptures out of them. She was hiding those sculptures in the attic. If she dared to show her piece of art, she would become very rich and famous. So, the song’s about taking risks in life, because you never know what might happen if you don’t try. It might surprise you."

     You might not be forgiven if you happen to forget that beneath the leviathans of Slipknot, 5FDP, Trivium, Metallica and the other greats of the American metal scene, are underground hotbeds producing the newest and exciting bands to lead the country and bear the flag. One such band is Pathways, whose journey from the Sunshine State aka Florida to the Pacific coast of Washington State has culminated in not only new recruits, but newfound vigour.

     "Great Old Ones" is the quartet's newest single and is just one glimpse of what the lads have up their sleeves as they barrow towards their debut album seeing daylight. The lads managed to survive our interview interrogation and whilst they spilled their guts out about the challenges of playing live shows, why their sound is a cauldron of different sounds that make them extraordinarily hard to pigeonhole, how Washington state coped with the COVID-19 pandemic and what their plans are for the year ahead.

How tough is it for American metal bands to organise tours across the country? Do smaller bands tend to do state tours rather than national tours?

     "It's more common for smaller acts to tour state to state or regionally rather than a nationwide tour. Many Seattle artists will cover the west coast from Vancouver BC all the way down to LA. It can be difficult for smaller acts to book multiple venues in one city let alone an entire state. It can be difficult finding venues on the way to larger cities that will cater to your sound. Not every city has a venue that would welcome a metal act."


Florida has a rich history of metal bands from Morbid Angel to Trivium to Deadstar Assembly, what is it in your opinion that makes the Floridian metal scene so successful at delivering a constant stream of talent?

     "South Florida, being isolated from most of the rest of the US has a very tight knit scene. I'd say that's because not as many tour packages make it that far south if they have an option to book in north or even central Florida. Because of this, the local scene is constantly growing and engaging with itself to make up for the smaller tour packages that might not be willing to drive the extra 5 hours south just to have to drive back up the panhandle to tour in the rest of the country after one or two shows. So in essence Florida's scene is built to fill a void of live entertainment from the rest of the country. Add the fact that Florida is a cultural melting pot from native Floridians, snow birds of the east coast turned full time residents and people looking for a tropical change, you get all walks of life and plenty of scenery to inspire a creative song writing mental state."


How did Washington react to the COVID-19 outbreak? What restrictions and measures were put in place? What is the situation like now?

     "Washington state began shutting down in March 2020 once west coast states started seeing cases. Our favourite bars and venues have been shut down since, some shut down for good because of limits on gatherings. Some establishments have been able to keep afloat with reduced capacity, mostly restaurants. Washington just went into Phase 3 of reopening, parks are opening again and people are getting out more. It's refreshing to see people outside again after being pent up inside their homes for a year!"


For metalheads visiting Seattle under normal circumstances, what sights / attractions could you recommend? What about bars, venues and pubs?

     "A must for any metal inclined visitor would have to be down town at The Showbox Theater. The place has a great record of national/international touring metal bands stopping through. Some other great venues would be El Corazon and Chop Suey. Both have a great mix of local and national metal acts. While you're in the neighbourhood after a show you can waltz down Capitol Hill and hit up the many bars lining the streets. Then finish off your night at The 5 Point Cafe no matter how late/early in the day."


All things considered, what plans does Pathways have for the year ahead and do you have any greetings / thanks you wish to send out?

     "Pathways is going to be releasing a ton of content this year in forms of video, photo,and interactive material to keep our audience engaged until live shows become commonplace again. We've got more singles with music videos lined up for release to introduce our full length album. We've adapted to the shift from live in person to at home interactive and are excited to merge both together for an experience for our audience like never before. Huge thanks to our pal Karl at Hot Karl Productions for helping us out with not only the music video, but for getting us back on track. Also huge thank you to Kirill Konyaev at Zerodbproductions for mixing and mastering the new single."


Pathways' new single "Great Old Ones" is out now via all streaming platforms

https://www.facebook.com/Pathwaysband/

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:

• BM - Belle Morte - vocals, lyric / music author
• SB - Sergey Butovsky - bass guitar, arrangements, sound producing
• RG - Rostislav - drums
• MS - Maria - keyboards
  

The two guitarists who did not answer questions are

• Ilya Rogovoy
  
• Ilya Petrashkevich
  

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

Marax are a Symphonic Black Metal band from Slovenia whose lyrics revolve around Satanism... now to most metalheads the response will be 'not another Dimmu Borgir surely?' Well to answer this in the most cliche of responses, no they are not, they are their own sound and own style... probably what makes Slovenian Black Metal so unique, so much so Marax could not even explain why this is and thus just confirms that there clearly is something special about the said geographical variation of said genre. They have managed to deliver their debut album "The Witch" even in these dark times with the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc worldwide. Here they talk to GMA about the album, the Europe-wide reception, the Slovenian Metal scene and why (as said) it's hard to explain why Slovenian Black Metal is different to other geographical variations of Black Metal.

Symphonic Metal arguably has become lightly stagnated over the years, the overused cliche of female angelic vocals against flowing symphonies and crashing dramatic sounds is almost formulaic   if not too run of the mill, and so it needs fresh impetus to keep it churning. One such band to deviate from the formula is Germany's Beyond The Black who take a slightly darker approach and yet seem to bring in elements of pop or schlager to an extent in the vocal department, either way this quintet are a force that's ripping up the rule book and setting their own rules.

This will be evident on their forthcoming album "Hørizøns" which comes out on the 19th of June via Napalm Records on CD (standard and a limited edition box edition), vocalist Jennifer Haben spoke to GMA during her interrogation about how the band came to be, how she got into singing, where the band is heading given the current COVID-19 pandemic, the new album and of course why Beyond The Black are not your average Symphonic Metal band, they are in their own league.

This is the thing though, people will hear metal and think screaming, right? Would you say metal is more than just music, but an identity?

     "Yeah! It's like that, but what is funny is what I said before, Wacken Open Air, it seems to be everywhere and for everyone. I see so many cars with the W.O.A. sticker on or on bags and stuff, so I think that there are also a lot of people who are not actually listen to metal a lot, but maybe the softer bands. A lot of older people who maybe don't listen to metal even attend (some have broken out of retirement homes to go), so this is something like a tradition where everyone is accepted - you can also compare it to a carnival to be honest (hehe), because it's that one time of the year where people come together even if they don't listen to metal.

     Yeah for sure! That is the point and reason why people are acting the way they are, I think that also Wacken is getting more and more open each year or at least that's what I can see with the band's they are inviting - there's a lot more people that can go and be seen very easily."


You released your music video "Misery" this year, how long did it take to record and what is it about?

     "We had like 10 hours in a day, but with every single music video that we do we tend to record until midnight, leading into the morning (around 3 am). The main theme for me was the adventure of being in a bubble, wanting to break out of this bubble and become herself, to be herself."


In terms of your fan base, where there any instances where you were surprised at where fans contacted you from, country-wise?

     "I wouldn't say right now because I know our fans are everywhere, but I think the first time I said 'wow we have fans there?' was when a lot of people were writing to us from Mexico and the USA, places very far away and places we have never released any album there, it's on Spotify but we never released it internationally and so I didn't expect something like that; especially when releasing in German-speaking areas. That was a really 'wow' moment and there are other countries like Japan that we could play in, a festival there, I think the far away countries are always the most unexpected."


Addressing the sexism and misogyny issue that grapples not only the society in general, but musicians also, is this something you have personally received?

     "I think I'm lucky with this because I have to say that I'm always thinking about how I present myself on stage, or on social media and I'm really looking over not to show too much sexiness or too much... my outfits are not 'not' sexy you know, but they are not showing a lot of skin or stuff and I don't want to be reduced to just how I look; it's always a combination of how somebody looks and if you like to look at skin and also if you like to listen to them, this is a combination that I don't really exactly want to combine - this is maybe the reason why there are not many people out there that wouldn't do that."


Putting that into context with the 'female-fronted' style, do you think it's an out-dated tag that should be gotten rid of?

     "This is a question that is still not easy for me to answer, because I think I can understand why people could take that term as one thing that they could think about whether they like it or not, because maybe they like female voices more than male voices; I can understand that because I'm listening to everyone, but I think in some ways I enjoy female voices a bit more than male voices.

     This could be something that people can decide whether they listen to it or not, of course there are people who listen to every female fronted bands because it's 'female-fronted'; if they like it, they like it. Of course you should say 'male-fronted' bands as well, I'm not sure about it and thinking about this question (a lot of people are asking me this) I still don't have this one way of looking at it."


Have you got any hello's or greetings you wish to send out to friends, family, fans, etc?

     "I want to say thank you so much for the interest in this interview, for the album, thanks to Napalm and the fans. Hopefully we will be doing the tour with Amaranthe towards the end of the year, we will not cancel any shows but only postpone if we have to."


https://www.facebook.com/beyondtheblackofficial/

Metal has to evolve naturally and in doing so has to embrace what some might see as unorthodox sounds. One such band who is devoid of being restrained and willingly exploring the music avenues in pop music and disco, is Finland's Memoremains of whom released their latest single and music video "Pounding Heart" to critical acclaim. If you were to strip Amaranthe of it's Death Metal influences and inject it with ABBA or the BeeGees, then you get Memoremains. Given their sound, it almost seems inevitable that they will go far and become another Finnish Metal success story.

Filling in the details of their history, their sound, plans and what metalheads can do in their city of Seinäjoki, the band clearly have a roadmap of where they're aiming to go and showed no weakness in their interrogation... determination radiating from this quintet.

Arguably Cinematic Metal is the biggest and freshest metal genre to emerge in the past few years, although it's closely related to the Symphonic Metal style, it's theatrical nature is what adds to it's uniqueness. Heeding the call and bringing the style to the Swedish metal frontier is Nocean, a quartet from Stockholm with big plans. Having started off in the Hard Rock style and progressively got heavier and more symphonic, Nocean are set to cause a buzz in the underground as they went to explain. They told GMA during their interrogation that they plan on bringing out an animated movie to complement their third album, how art, music and production all filter into their hobbies and job histories and why Nocean are not like any other metal band Sweden has seen before... this is no pantomime, they is the star of the show.

For those who have not heard of Nocean, could you give us a brief history of the band? What does the band name mean?

Hanna:-

     "Nocean is a Swedish Cinematic Rock / Metal band who are currently writing our third album, combining music with a gothic, animated short film and a theatrical live show! Kind of like a musical. The band name plays on the words - “Notion” - and “Ocean”. An ocean of ideas!"


Tell us about this venture you're undertaking in 'Who Is The Creature?' and the subsequent saga you have laid out before you?
   
Hanna:

     "‘Who Is The Creature?’ is the first chapter in our saga, our concept album, and with the music video we want to let people dive into the world for a bit. The saga is a gothic tale about a young girl, trapped inside a castle garden..."


How would you differentiate yourself from the plethora of Symphonic / Cinematic Metal bands out there? What enticed you to play this style of metal?

Hanna:

     "From my side, I think this is our way to differentiate from Rock and Metal in general. Here in Sweden, there are lots of AC/DC-sounds but not so much Symphonic or Cinematic Metal. We have our own unique sound, attitude and image. We are creating more than just an album, we are creating a world, a saga and a live show that we haven’t seen from any other band at all before. Concept albums are common, but not metal musicals with animated movies made and written by the band members themselves. We are also truly independent, therefore it’s harder but I also see that it’s nice to be doing exactly what we want. It all started when we were discussing our third album, how we should proceed and develop even more. We were a Hard Rock band from the start, going into Alternative Rock / Metal and now this. We always want to think outside the box and when it came to genre, it felt natural as we began to write powerful, film-inspired Metal and all of us like this kind of music very much."


You're writing your 3rd album, what can you tell us about it so far? When will it be out?

Hanna:

     "We are about half way through the writing process right now, with lots of ideas. The next single will be out this summer! The whole album is planned to be released during spring 2021, but that is depending on a lot of stuff like when we can finish the movie; COVID-19 depending, etc."