In case you missed it, yesterday I started a new feature here on Loucifer Speaks… it’s called Flying the flag for Blighty’s Metal Scene and now it’s time for the second lot of bands for you to check out and enjoy.
Once again, we’ve got three very different bands, but I’m hoping that you’ll find something to your tastes…
Khthon
I’ve only recently (‘recently’ as in today) found out about Khthon, but what I’ve heard on their Facebook is fantastic…
Info:
“Like the love-child of Candlemass and Mourning Beloveth”, Khthon was born in the autumn of 2007. Vocalist Adam Robinson had been toying with the idea of forming a doom band for some time and had placed adverts in several local music shops, hoping to attract like-minded musicians (a pretty tall order in Maidstone!). Fortune smiled and the advert was seen by guitarist Kevin Lawry, a local doom fa…natic and riffmaster extraordinaire. Kevin is best known for his solo doom project Silent Winter, self-releasing several EPs and albums over the last few years. Kev originally contacted Adam to offer support and make links with another doom fan, but in no time the idea to jam together was formulated. So, along with Benjamin Robinson, also on guitar, the core of Khthon took shape.
As a three-piece, the band focused on writing material while actively looking for a drummer and bassist. This period led to the recording of the ‘Songs on the Grave Side’ EP in July 2008. The EP, consisting of four tracks of Epic English Doom, was recorded and mixed at Kewsound Studios (My Silent Wake), and mastered by Greg Chandler. The band’s sound is a unique combination of its members’ individual tastes. Benjamin’s folk and classical influences blend seamlessly with Kevin’s unending ability to craft monstrously heavy riffs. Together, they create music which is both subtle and powerful. Around this, Adam’s vocals weave dark poetry inspired by folk ballads, Romantic literature and a lifelong passion for all things metal.
In October 2008, Khthon welcomed bassist Mark Barnes to the fold. Immediately, Mark added a new dimension to the Khthon sound, providing an expansive rhythmical foundation to the existing songs and contributing immeasurably to new, as yet unreleased, material. In August 2009 the band’s epic search for a drummer finally came to an end with the addition of Marcelo Teixeira.
So, the line up is complete. World doomination shall surely follow!
Line-Up:
Adam Robinson – vocals
Kevin Lawry – guitars
Jeff Barber – guitars
Mark Barnes – bass
Simon Jones – drums
Links:
khthon.co.uk
facebook.com/khthon
louciferspeaks.com/?s=khthon
Old Corpse Road
Listening to Old Corpse Road makes me all kinds of happy – I really can’t wait to hear their forthcoming album!
Info:
The Birth
The Old Corpse Road was conceived during the autumn season of 2007 during a brief excursion to the Lake District, more specifically Haweswater. This Autumnal break, in celebration of the wondrous and powerful music that we all know as Black Metal, awoke our desire to share our musical passions with other like minded people. The band name was taken from the road of the same name which ri…ses out of the Haweswater valley and leads to Mardale.
The Journey So Far
2008 – Throughout the period of 2008 the band diligently worked on their first musical output focusing on creating classic British black metal fused with the passion and atmospheres created by British folk tales. Crafting each song carefully the band prepared several songs of which five were recorded. Of these three were put forward for the demo. During this year the band also launched a very successful MySpace website along with its own dedicated website.
2009 – On Friday 13th March 2009 Old Corpse Road unleashed their first demo “The Echoes of Tales Once Told” in a limited 1st Edition of 1000 hand numbered copies. Reviews of the demo were outstanding (click here to view them) and we gained much support including a slot on the Zero Tolerance covermount cd. On the strength of the demo the band were offered the chance to record a split EP with the Worms of Sabnock due to be relesed late 2009 on Godreah records.The Old Corpse once again entered the studio to record three more songs for the split EP, namely Hob Headless Rises, The Witch of Wookey Hole and The Devils Footprints.
The Band
The band hail from the North East of England, an area rich with ancient tales and rife with folklore. The line up consists of five members who have played together in various other projects over the last decade, most notably the dark metal band Nemain. We consider our individual identities to be unimportant, although those who ask shall be told. The members of the band are long time friends who form a part of the Nemain Collective. On a personal level the band follow the entire metal scene passionately and regularly attend gigs and rock nights whilst indulging in fine ales and beverages.
The Inspirations
Old Corpse Road are not aiming to break any musical barriers, nor do we seek fame or infamy ; we only seek to give back to the scene that has given so much to us. Musically we are inspired by many diverse bands ; within black metal Bal-Sagoth, Primordial, Cradle of Filth, Burzum, Emperor, Abigor and Immortal. Old Corpse Road also enjoy classic early doom bands such as My Dying Bride, Celestial Season and Paradise Lost. The band find much pleasure in various other musical styles from Cold Meat Industries (Arcana, Raison D’etre) to traditional folk music, classical pieces and film scores.
The Concept
As you will be aware the spectrum of Black Metal is as vast as the cosmos that inspires it; selecting the correct course for our creativity was a decision we did not take lightly. With the utmost contempt for religion, a total disregard for humanity, and pity for politicians and our ailing society we concluded that we would only become more bitter and spiteful following these paths. So after much discussion and introspective travel, we narrowed our focus to the single aim of playing Black Metal inspired by our true passions; Nature and British Folklore. Combining the dark beauty of British Folk Tales and the power and majesty of Nature, we hope to steal away your soul…
The Mythology Behind The Name
Corpse roads provided a practical means of allowing the transport of corpses to cemeteries that had burial rights. In Britain, such routes can also be known by a number of other names: bier road, burial road, coffin road, coffin line, lyke or lych way, funeral road, procession way, etc. Such “church-ways” have developed a great deal of associated folklore regarding wraiths, spirits, ghosts, and such-like. Many of the corpse roads have long disappeared, while the original purposes of those that still survive as footpaths have been largely forgotten, especially if features such as coffin stones or crosses no longer exist.
Line-Up:
The Bearer : Guitars and Vocals
The Revenant : Guitars and Vocals
The Wanderer : Bass and Spoken Word
The Dreamer : Percussion and Ambience
The Watcher : Keyboards and Vocals
Links:
oldcorpseroad.co.uk
facebook.com/OldCorpseRoad
louciferspeaks.com/?s=old+corpse+road
De Profundis
If De Profundis new album doesn’t blow you away, I will presume there’s something not quite right with your noggin…
Info:
De Profundis was formed in November 2005 by vocalist Craig Land and guitarist Roman Subbotin. As the band’s sound evolved over the course of the next 18 months, Christophe Szpajdel (Emperor, Enthoned) was approached to design a suitable logo reflecting the band’s music visually. The band underwent several personnel changes until a stable and committed line-up was completed with the recruitment of Aleksej Obradovic (bass) and Shoi Sen (guitar), with David Andrews stepping in to play the drums on the recording. In April 2007, De Profundis recorded its first album, entitled ‘Beyond Redemption’, which was mixed by Steve Watkins at Warehouse Studios, Oxford and mastered by Tim Turan at Turan Audio (Dimmu Borgir, Opeth, Emperor). Achilleas Gatsopoulos (Dark Tranquillity, Arcturus) created the artwork for the album. ‘Beyond Redemption’ self-released in August 2007.
Delivering unique-sounding progressive extreme metal, De Profundis has many genre-bridging elements to their sound spanning across death, black and doom metal right through to jazz and progressive rock. These draw on a wide range of influences and the diverse nationalities of the band members. Having played their first show in September 2007 with drummer Sterghios Moschos, De Profundis has been delivering high impact live performances to rave reviews and enthusiastic crowds, being voted the 6th Best Unsigned Band in the 2007 Terrorizer Readers’ Poll.
Following further glowing reviews, De Profundis was invited to perform at the MMD Festival in Athens (Greece) in March 2008. Upon returning from Greece, the band supported the French band Misanthrope on both of their exclusive UK shows. In July 2008, Nick Tingle replaced Sterghios Moschos, making his live debut with De Profundis at Bloodstock Open Air 2008 Festival. In December 2008, De Profundis was handpicked by Zero Tolerance magazine to take part in their showcase “Day of Unrest” gig.
In February 2009, De Profundis supported Iron Maiden at the Rock in India Festival in Bangalore, India in front of 20,000 people. On the back of this performance, Sony BMG gave the band a record deal to release their debut album “Beyond Redemption” in India.
With De Profundis now putting all their effort on completing their sophomore album, growing musical differences resulted in Aleksej Obradovic departing from the band and being replaced by Arran McSporran in May 2009.
In the months of June and July 2009, De Profundis recorded their second album “A Bleak Reflection” with producer Fernando Pereira Lopes (Misanthrope, Orakle). The album was once again mastered by none-other-than Tim Turan at Turan Audio. Darryll Jones created the album’s artwork.
August 2009 saw the band resuming its intensive live schedule with a show in Bucharest (Romania) and an appearance at Portugal’s Festival Ilha do Ermal 2009. In Autumn 2009, De Profundis performed in Paris (France) and toured across Northern England and Scotland.
Following the European release of album “A Bleak Reflection” on Kolony Records in February 2010, De Profundis officially launched the new album with a show at the Underworld, London. The band returned to play at the Underworld several weeks later for the “Infernal Damnation VI” festival. In May 2010, De Profundis undertook a two-week European tour with Ragnarok (Norway) and Noctem (Spain), performing in Germany, Austria, Poland, Holland and Belgium.
Following the European release of “A Bleak Reflection” several months earlier, De Profundis signed with Relapse Records for exclusive distribution in USA and Canada. Following the success of the band’s first album, Sony BMG released “A Bleak Reflection” in India in June 2010. With the support of the British Council, De Profundis returned to India on a headlining tour in October 2010, which included co-headlining Kingfisher’s Octoberfest 2010 in Bangalore in front of 30,000 alongside Lacuna Coil.
In April / May 2011, De Profundis went on a 14-date European tour with Rotting Christ and Omnium Gatherum, performing in 11 countries across Central and Eastern Europe.
The third De Profundis album ‘The Emptiness Within’ will be released in May 2012.
Line-Up:
Craig Land – Vocals
Roman Subbotin – Guitars
Shoi Sen – Guitars
Arran McSporran – Fretless Bass
Nick Tingle – Drums
Links:
deprofundistheband.com
facebook.com/deprofundistheband
louciferspeaks.com/?s=de+profundis
That should keep you going for a little while 
Make a note of the following link to make sure that you keep up to date with all of our Flying the flag for Blighty’s Metal Scene posts:
louciferspeaks.com/tag/flying-the-flag-for-blightys-metal-scene
If you’d like your band to be featured, please get in touch.
