Firespawn – The Reprobate


Formed in 2015 after the well documented dissolution and formation of Entombed and Entombed A.D., Swedish supergoup Firespawn (known briefly as Fireborn) comprises guitarists Victor Brandt (Entombed AD) and Fredrik Folkare (Unleashed), bassist Alex “Impaler” Friberg (Necrophobic), former Dark Funeral drummer Matte Modin, and of course, legendary Entombed vocalist L-G Petrov.Continue reading


Entombed A.D. Releases Their New Dead Dawn Video And Announces New U.S. Tour Dates


entombed-ad-new-video

Entombed A.D. fans rejoice! The band has, not only released their zombie-filled video for the title track off their latest album, but they’ve also announced new U.S. tour dates too.Continue reading


Entombed A.D. – Dead Dawn


Entombed AD Dead Dawn album cover ghostcultmag

The seemingly timeless Swedish death metal outfit, Entombed A.D. (yeah we still have to use the A.D. suffix), has returned with Dead Dawn (Century Media). The album has a fair balance of the faster, thrashy kind of death metal but also dabbles in the slower, doomier side as well. While I enjoy both sides of the spectrum, it is almost a best practice to have a variety of tempos across the handful of tracks that make the cut for an album anyways. Obviously there have been exceptions to that rule, but when an album comes out where all tracks are enjoyable and do not follow a single formula, you have a solid release.

At just over forty minutes, Dead Dawn had some fun tracks that I could see myself coming back to. ‘As the World Fell’ is one of the slower, heavy tracks on the album that is one of the standouts. On each repeat of the album, this song became an anticipated track to get to. The slow head bang that ensues as second nature whilst playing is a tell tale sign that I found one of my favorites. ‘Silent Assassin’ is from the other side of Entombed A.D., the fast and technical side. Most of the song has a nice d-beat feel to it that is sure to get your legs moving in a two-step formation, specifically to piss off your elitist friends. The beat does change up a bit and even hits that memorable Slayer-type beat on the bell of the ride cymbal (you know exactly which one I am talking about).

 

Overall I have been fairly happy listening to Dead Dawn. Instrumentally, the album is tight as can be and is for the most part, memorable. There are just times when I expected either a nice growl or maybe even a blood-curling scream, but Lars-Goran Petrov just does not have those dimensions to his vocal capabilities. I just feel there are times where someone with such vocal abilities (even if just a backing track) could really give the sound a bit more backbone. Either way, chalk this one up as another solid metal release for 2016, but nothing revolutionary.

 

6.0/10

TIM LEDIN

 

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Svart Crown to Continue on Deicide Headlined Tour


decide tour poster

 

France’s Svart Crown announced today they will continue their U.S. trek with Deicide for the remaining show dates.

The tour, which was originally branded as the “Metal Alliance Tour,” featuring Deicide, Hate Eternal, Entombed A.D., Black Crown Initiate, Lorna Shore, and Svart Crown, quickly dissolved after myriad difficulties–both financial and logistical–with Entombed A.D. suddenly shipped back to Sweden post Spokane, WA gig, igniting rumors ranging from deportation to Deicide–related conspiracies.

But after an official statement from tour organizers, Continental Concerts and Metal Alliance, cited financial reasons for the rebranding, the remaining lineup, headliners Deicide and supporting acts Hate Eternal, Black Crown Initiate, and Lorna Shore, rages on, with tour openers Svart Crown still determined to conquer the States.

Svart Crown has issued a statement on the events leading to the tour:

Unfortunately, our fellow and best tour bus companions Entombed A.D. had to fly back to Sweden, [and] we had then to decide either to do the same and return to France from Seattle, or to find a solution for ourselves (rent a van, driving, sleeping places, etc.) to keep going with the rest of the bands.”

 

After resolving transportation issues, the band has “decided to CONTINUE ON,” while calling for further fan support.

“[We] thank you for any way you can support us–blast the gigs, check out our merch at our stand […] we will be eternally thankful for any help you can afford, [such as] helping us with tips and PayPal, or even with a place to stay so we keep up!”

 

Deicide tour dates with Hate Eternal, Black Crown Initiate , Lorna Shore, Svart Crown

Jun 11: LVCS – Las Vegas, NV
Jun 12: Club Red – Mesa, AZ – CANCELED
Jun 13: Mesa Music Hall – El Paso, TX
Jun 14: Depot “O” Bar Live – Lubbock, TX
Jun 15: Empire Garage – Austin, TX
Jun 16: Gas Monkey Live! – Dallas, TX
Jun 18: Gramercy Theater – New York, NY
Jun 19: Ottobar – Baltimore, MD
Jun 20: Tremont Music Hall – Charlotte, NC

 

 

 

Svart Crown’s 2008 début album, Ages of Decay, was a tour de force full-length, which introduced the band’s inspired blackened Death Metal infused with bleak melodies and harrowing intensity. Their 2010, Witnessing the Fall, and 2013 Profane albums saw the band evolving their already crushing anthems with inventive songwriting and mature focus. Live excursions supporting the likes of Deicide, Cattle Decapitation, and Cephalic Carnage, in the States and Europe, earned the band both fans and well-deserved praise.

 

Svart Crown on Facebook

Svart Crown on Bandcamp

Listenable Records online

LINDSAY O’CONNOR

 


Entombed A.D. “Pulled” From The Metal Alliance Tour


metal alliance tour 2015 deicide entombed ad hate eternal black crown initiate lorna shore svart crown

In a post to their Facebook page Entombed A.D., featuring death metal legend Entombed’s front man LG Petrov, has been pulled from The Metal Alliance Tour, and are headed back to Sweden.

Entombed A.D.’s post to Facebook

 

entombed screen grab

Attention US headbangers! We got pulled of the U.S. Tour for reasons we don’t yet know. On our way to Sweden now. Never…

Posted by Entombed A.D. on Sunday, June 7, 2015

 

The Metal Alliance tour is headlined by Deicide and also includes Hate Eternal, Black Crown Initiate, Lorna Shore, and Svart Crown. No statement has yet to be released by the tour or the bands remaining on the bill.

 

Remaining Metal Alliance Tour Dates:

Jun 08: Metro Opera House – Oakland, CA
Jun 09: The Regent Theater – Los Angeles, CA
Jun 11: LVCS – Las Vegas, NV
Jun 12: Club Red – Mesa, AZ
Jun 13: Mesa Music Hall – El Paso, TX
Jun 14: Depot “O” Bar Live – Lubbock, TX (w/Deicide, Hate Eternal, Black Crown Initiate, Lorna Shore)
Jun 14: TBC – Houston, TX (w/Entombed A.D., Svart Crown)
Jun 15: Empire Garage – Austin, TX
Jun 16: Gas Monkey Live! – Dallas, TX


Neurotic Deathfest 12 Part II: Live at 013, Tilburg NL


eflyer-NDF2015

 

Sunday also started out very slowly, people were slow, I was slow, my friends were slow. This was hangover day and we were finding remedies for them. After trying milk, coffee and a good breakfast we were feeling more OK. And then we went up to see Internal Suffering. But once again we notice, this band was a victim of the bad sound. I hope this gets better when the 013 had its renovation. We left soon and spent more time waking up. It was hard to get on track this day and you noticed that the news that this was the last neurotic deathfest slightly put some sadness over some people. Imagine the old-school rockers that have been there all 12 editions. That must be a big loss for them. I have only been there four, and I even felt like I lost something.

All good things come to an end and we are going to listen to the last sounds of battering drums, shreiking guitars and grunts that almost make you sick in your stomach. The last few breaths of utter pain.

We went up to the smallest stage which is going to disappear after the renovation for the last time for Neuroma. These happy British guys know how to add in a good dose of humor. I still need to meet the singer’s grandma, he promised that from the stage. There we stood for a nice piece of brutal death, and we got a little bit of a comedy show too. This made this show even more enjoyable. The music was good! I think without the cunningness of their singer I wouldn’t have enjoyed them this much. It does count if you ask me.

Crowdsurfer at Neurotic Deathfest, by Susanne A. Maathuis

Crowdsurfer at Neurotic Deathfest, by Susanne A. Maathuis

 

So been there, done that, got a t-shirt. We were really looking forward to seeing Immolation. But that still took a while and because it was such good weather we decided to go away from the festival and search out a nice little terrace. Just 30 meters from the 013 there is a long street with only bars and clubs. People who have been to NDF or Roadburn before must know about this street. In the south of The Netherlands we are used to quite a burgondic life and with that nice food and nice beers and wines go along with it. We don’t deal with shit. That is why you seldom see Heineken in this area. We are keen to Belgian beers and definitely Belgian special beers. Speaking about special beers, on the end of the street where you almost enter the city center you have a café called the “buitenbeentje”, which simply means “outsider”. This is a café with the cheapest beer in whole of Tilburg, and they also have a great variety of special beers and whiskeys. And you can go cheap, or even expensive if you feel like it.

Immolation, by Susanne A. Maathuis

Immolation, by Susanne A. Maathuis


We went back and head for Immolation, this time they were only with 3 members. One guitarist had a family emergency back home and stayed home. It was a little bit empty when Robert Vigna started playing his virtuous solo’s. He is always so much fun to watch, it always looks like he is having a party on his own on the stage with his happy face: “look mom! I make death metal”. I love it. Immolation did show that even when a member short, they can still put up some good old death metal! It was tight, but it sounded different. But that is more than logical if you ask me.

And then we got Obituary. This actually was the first time I’ve seen this band, so I was pretty excited about what to come. These guys are legendary and one of the founders of this genre. I somehow needed to see this band and I don’t get why I haven’t done that before.

Obituary, by Susanne. A. Maathuis

Obituary, by Susanne. A. Maathuis


Obituary started to play and it immediately turned into a big pit of epileptic people in the front. It was notable that there were a lot of die-hard fans in the audience. They came with a sound that was unbreakable and the best sound I have heard on Neurotic up untill now! I enjoyed this. One song also got dedicated to the recently passed local “Fozz Bear” which gave me and a lot more Tilburgians quite some goosebumps. Obituary performed a great show with a lot of passion. And for that we thank them.

But now the unthinkable, Neurotic Deathfest was to an end, forever. The screens showed a huge “Thank you for 12 years of Death Metal” and all the posters of past editions. From the editions in the Baroeg in Rotterdam, to the Dynamo in Eindhoven, and the last years in the 013 in Tilburg.

Thank you Neurotic Deathfest for 4 years of death metal.

 

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WORDS BY KAAT VAN DOREMALEN

PHOTOS BY SUSANNE A. MAATHUIS


Neurotic Deathfest 12 Part I: Live at 013, Tilburg NL


eflyer-NDF2015

It was that time of the year! It was time for the annual festival full of Death, Grind and Slam metal. It was time for Neurotic Deathfest again. We were blessed with another year with extremely good weather and after drinking some beers at a local bar we strutted to the 013 venue. We are going to talk about the atmosphere, why do I always want to go to Neurotic Deathfest so bad, and I will highlight some bands.


The reason I love to go to Neurotic Deathfest is at first my love of death metal off course, but what also counts is that the 013 is comfortable. I live in the city of Tilburg, which means that I can sleep in my own bed and my whole group of buddys is headbanging or somewhere else in the city.

But this year was different. This year it was clear the atmosphere was different, ther was a cloud of astonishment hanging in the air. There was something going on, we were soon to find out. We hadn’t gone up to get a festival program, but when we did, we knew what was going on. This will be the last Neurotic Deathfest ever!

Farewell message from the Neurotic Deathfest Program

Farewell message from the Neurotic Deathfest Program


After hearing this news it kind of hit me like a bomb, Neurotic Deathfest was a statement for the city of Tilburg. Even Non-metalheads knew what was going on when this festival was in town again.

Dutch bands always represent on this festival and Koprse was one of them, the first pit is a fact and this venue was filled up. This was blasting to the max! We still had to warm up but we were ready for a party and Korpse made you feel like you wanted to party. So you got back from the venue with five extra beers in your stomach to go on to the next show.

Morgoth, by Susanne A. Maathuis

Morgoth, by Susanne A. Maathuis

Morgoth was a band that had high expectations for us. The big venue was still a bit quiet. It was not crowded enough to get the party going and get the feeling of a crowded place. Morgoth started to play and we noticed that this is a band that means serious shit. Nice piece of death metal with a tight hard and a sound that filled up the whole place with a nagging feeling. This band made me think of Asphyx for a bit, not for all of the music but more about the kick this band gives in your nuts.

 

Entombed A.D., by Susanne A. Maathuis

Entombed A.D., by Susanne A. Maathuis

Strutting around the venues there was a swirling mass of people, it got more crowded The more we got to the headliner Entombed A.D. the more people got excited.


Entombed A.D. for me the least interesting headliner. So I might have drifted away sometimes in the show. Though this band was dominant over the rest of the bands, they never stood on Neurotic Deathfest before but they rip this place apart. Front man LG Petrov shows that he enjoys doing this and isn’t afraid to show this to the audience. A golden shine rises from the stage and gets thrown upon the audience, they get wild. Entombed is a band from the first hour and the A.D. does add something to the name, but the music still stands tall. Good job guys, they definitely got me more interested into Entombed.

The Afterparty was headlined by the also Swedish band Tribulation. Tribulation and Entombed don’t have much in common though, but both bands do know how to show the audience some enthusiasm about their music.

 

Saturday

 

Day 2 started way more crowded than the Friday. We all had the idea that Friday was very low on visitors. We were still having fun but it did something with the overall atmosphere, the 013 is more built for crowded concerts but not that much for a calm party. Maybe it was time for the last edition, the line up was interesting though even I have seen most of these bands before. If you wanted to explore new bands, you had some chances but most of the bands everybody has seen multiple times. It were good bands, you wont hear me complain about that.

Talking about good bands, let’s start about Disavowed, there is no better wake up call than Disavowed. This dutch band is a band we have to keep in mind, it was amazing and this front man Robbe Kok really shows what enthusiasm is. You could see he was happy to open the Saturday of Neurotic Deathfest for bands as Benighted and Bloodbath. With a swing he drops himself in the audience and climbs in the barriers. This is energetic and a bulk of energy a lot of bands could learn from. This band does not fly on autopilot.

Disavowed almost had a full venue and they opened on the main stage, this was in great contrast with the Friday where the main stage wasn’t filled up until Entombed. This was good for the overall atmosphere and coziness amongst all metalheads. There was enough beer to give a 3rd world country and food your bowels got mad about. Today you knew you were at a festival.

Friday I spoke about looking for new bands, and this was one of the perfect examples of one of these bands that I didn’t know and got completely siked about! PerfeCitizen is the loudest, hardest most brutal stuff I heard in years! This got in my ears that it was pure sweet ear-rapement. Already after hitting the first chord, if it even was one this band shows its hardness, but also their tightness and know how to play. This is one of the bands where the drummer will make it or break it, but he definitely made it. You don’t hear it often that you hear a drummer go this fast and tight like him. Jarda Haž shows what drumming is all about and it gets clear why this is called “Blastcore”. Missed this band? To bad, for me they were one of the best bands of Neurotic Deathfest.

Dead Congregation, by Susanne A. Maathuis

Dead Congregation, by Susanne A. Maathuis

 

One of my favorite genres is Deathdoom. Imagine a candle dripping slowly and oozing all over your table and drips on your toe to sometimes break open the gloomy feeling that came over you. One of these bands that perfectly know how to do this is Dead Congregation, it was time to throw some good old darkness into the audience. If it wasn’t for the soundguy, this band normally knows how to bring this feeling and make you feel naggy. This was just a shame, they became a victim of their own sound and this is why it didn’t really got to me this time.

 

Origin, by Susanne A. Maathuis

Origin, by Susanne A. Maathuis

 

As we already discussed there is a big amount of old friends we have seen on Neurotic already. Origin is one of these bands. And I understand why they ask them back all the time. This is just an awesome tight Techdeath band brought with a great bunch of humor from the singer. Straight from Origin we started waiting for Bloodbath, we wanted a good spot we were siked for this show. There were a lot of chatter going on: is this a new singer for Bloodbath? Is this going to work? Doesn’t it affect the sound? How will this affect the audience because this Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost) is a completely different kind of person than Mikael Akerfeldt.

Bloodbath, by Susanne A. Maathuis

Bloodbath, by Susanne A. Maathuis


We were waiting for what was going to come at us. The venue filled up. We had our beers already paid in front of our nose. You could hear the tension in the air. Bloodbath, not on an open-air festival and in such a setting. Then the venue went dark and we knew Bloodbath was gong to enter the stage and we would soon hear the first chords. This band is theatrical and sometimes maybe a bit plastic. It started as a tribute to old school Death Metal. The vocals were good. Actually very good! They went back to a more old-school sound. Though I am a big fan of Opeth and Mikael, and it is hard to admit for me, but I think I like Nick Holmes more in Bloodbath.

 

WORDS BY KAAT VAN DOREMALEN

PHOTOS BY SUSANNE A. MAATHUIS

 


FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Neurotic Deathfest


eflyer-NDF2015

The biggest and certainly best indoor death metal extravaganza of the festival season kicks off today as Neurotic Deathfest gets underway at 013 Club in Tilburg, NL. Now in its 12th year and still going strong, the 2015 NDF will feature 42 bands on three stages in total from all manner of death metal, grindcore and black metal greatness. Ghost Cult’s Dutch team will once again be on hand to bring our fans the review.

Friday has the benefit of a top band of the moment and a legendary name as the main headliners. Tribulation and Entombed A.D. will surely have the heads banging and drinks flowing. Tech death grind champs Devourment, the avant-garde minded Nader Sadek, and the back from the dead Morgoth are other can’t miss acts on Day 1. Soulburn and Sinister are two other choice names among others too.

Saturday reigns over nearly every fest in 2015 for the sheer murderers row of death metal royalty in a row with Obituary, Immolation, Broken Hope and Pyrexia. Whoa! Other good choices to get your brutal fix on for Day 2 include Internal Bleeding, Incinerate, Mass Infection and Bleeding Utopia. Stay hydrated my friends, this day will be a bumpy ride for the moshers!

To close the fest on Day 3 we are presented with a bit of old and a bit of new in the form of Bloodbath, Origin, Benighted, Dead Congregation and Gorod. Other worthy acts on this day also included Ingested, Jig-Al, Kronos, Acranius, and Slaughter to Prevail.


Origin, Morgoth, etc Added To Neurotic Deathfest 2015


neurotic deathfest march 2015

Neurotic Deathfest 2015 has added Origin, Morgoth, Centurian and Korpse to this year’s lineup. Europe’s premier indoor extreme metal festival sets place on April 17-19 at 013 venue in Tilburg, the Netherlands.

All confirmed bands for Neurotic Deathfest 2015:

Bloodbath, Obituary, Entombed A.D., Immolation, Origin, Devourment, Nader Sadek, Broken Hope, Pyrexia, Tribulation, Internal Suffering, Benighted, Internal Bleeding, Morgoth, Dead Congregation, Sinister, Disavowed, Soulburn, Liquid Graveyard, Mass Infection, Gorod, Kronos, Centurian, Ingested, Holocausto Canibal, Jig-Ai, Nominon, Unfathomable Ruination, Acranius, Cardiac Arrest, Incinerate, Regurgitate Life, Hideous Divinity, Contrastic, Perfecitizen, The Walking Dead Orchestra, Near Death Condition, Korpse, Bleeding Utopia, Abhorrent Decimation, Neuroma and Slaughter To Prevail.

Neurotic Deathfest on Facebook
Neurotic Deathfest on Twitter


Changing Paths – LG Petrov of Entombed A.D.


Entombed AD album cover

 

From humble beginning as Nihilist to the mega band of today, Entombed have forged a place in the metal elite to an extent that most bands can barely dream of. Little did we know when conducting this interview, that Entombed founding member, vocalist Lars (LG) Petrov was about to announce stepping out of the band and reforming in a new guise, Entombed A.D. Their latest album Back to the Front will be released under Entombed A.D, leaving original members Alex Hellid and Ulf Cederlund the old name and old material. Chatting with Ghost Cult magazine, Petrov talks about 23 years of death metal and everything Entombed had come to be known for over the years: hate, killing, Satan, and more hate.

 

It’s been 23 years since the release of left hand path, where do you find the inspiration from to keep writing after all this time?

Life. That’s what we were born to do. Every song is a step forwards so for me that’s what keeps us going. After 23 years still seems fresh. A newborn kid every day, every morning.

 

How do you keep your sound new with each album?

We don’t think that much about it, you do riffs and you put them together, your excited and you get goose bumps. That’s when you know it’s right; it sounds good. We just make it and record it. You can always do a song and then be picky and rearrange, you can do that for years without completing it so we just say ‘sounds fine, lets make it.’

 

 

Entombed is one of those bands that every death metal fan has heard of. How do you feel about your success over the years?

Yeah, it’s great. When we play shows there’s a lot of people turning up and they see that we have a good time on stage. We don’t see it as a routine. Every show and every album we do is because we love it. If it becomes routine it gets boring, but it hasn’t happened yet so that’s a good sign. We just do what we do, particularly now that it’s been 6 years between albums. I don’t know what we’ve been doing, we should have done one more album in between but we kept changing paths.

 

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Despite being Swedish, you sing in English. Have you ever thought about doing an album in your native tongue?

No. I think that would sound ridiculous. Swedish doesn’t go well with death metal vocals. I’m going red just thinking about it actually.

 

You’ve just finished your 10th studio album, Back to the Front, how do you feel it turned out?

I think it turned out fucking great actually. When we started doing the songs that was about 5 or 6 months before we entered the studio. We were not distracted; we were just working fast and efficient. I like the songs and the sound of the album. The producer, Roberto Laghi, he didn’t want to change our sound drastically; he knew what we were after. He took the time to mix it his way but combine with the old school sound. I think it’s the perfect album for where we are right now.

 

Back to the front has obvious military connotations. Could you tell the readers what kind of lyrical ideas are running through this album?

Basically it’s the usual song ideas; killing with a little bit of Satan. There’s a great feeling of hate, positive hate, and there’s the total war theme. It’s up to the reader really, we can mean something with a lyric but it can mean something different to someone else. It’s a very open-ended interpretation. It’s hard to say what the lyrics mean for the songs because there are so many other opinions, so we leave it up to the listener.

 

There’s been a 6-year gap since your last album. Why such a long gap?

Yeah as I said this album is long overdue. We should have done at least one in between, but we’re actually getting older and time goes faster. Some members of the band have had kids so that’s why we’ve waited so many years, but we’ve been touring. Eventually we sat down and made a plan and just said ‘lets do this.’

 

The artwork for the album is very interesting. Tell us a little about it.

We found this great guy from Poland, Bielak, he’s done some previous artwork for Watain and Ghost so we asked him to do the album and he was really excited. We just gave him free rein basically. He came up with a drawing and we were like ‘OK, we’ll take it’. It looks good and that’s the cool thing about art, we don’t think about it that much, if it gets the result and we like it, we take it.

 

Entombed A.D. on Facebook

 

CAITLIN SMITH