Session XXV: [Subterranea Cypria - (3rd edition), something wicked this way comes...]

Almost two years since my last post and more than three since our last excavation into the Cyprian marshes. Yet, we must return once more to these lands seeing that there is a qualitative shift now in the island's relationship with the extreme end of metal. 

It's no longer the case of having the odd diamond in the rough here and there. Now things are getting more focused, more coherent, more scene-like one might say. Even Godblood, the oldest unit of the

bunch, have risen from a seemingly permanent slumber to grace the stage more than a couple of times since 2016. This in turn signalled a concurrent, yet purely coincidental, wave of releases from other more recently established bands (Nekhrah, Frozen Winds, Tome of the Unreplenished, Temple of Evil). A common development underlying most of these releases, compared to the first generation which emerged sometime in the early-mid 00s, is a sudden turn towards professionalism and proper practices. No longer is black metal the province of undirected youth, desperately banging on their instruments in raucous rebellion. Those days are gone. Now there's serious intent and for once a decent sound at both live settings and on wax. What's more there's an eager search for identity, Nekhrah are carving their own with their ugly-yet-appealing, repellent-yet-

engaging brand of groovy death metal onslaught, Frozen Winds take cues from Mesopotamian mysticism and skillfully marry them with ritualistic black metal atmosphetics while Tome of the Unreplenished, always the restless ones, take off into the vertiginous, entropic heights of horrifying experimentalism and sound abuse. Thank the Devil, for we are done with the clones and the tragicomic bedroom operations of the past; there's direction, intent and zeal now at least amongst the few who have wilfully taken the baton and dared to look beyond their Obituary albums..

And of course, lest we forget, there are a couple of off-map outliers sprouting here and there, namely Accurst's latest ambient work 'Messenger of Shadows' (on plastic by Aesthetic Death), Kaenum's and Holocaust Machine's joint venture into power electronics (on tape by Confessions of an Orifice) and last but not least Dirt is Destiny's self-titled debut EP which I'll be focusing here on.

 

Debut releases can be a dodgy affair. Oftentimes you find the inadvertent, almost sycophantic worshipping of the band's adolescent influences and if you're lucky enough there is that glint of originality, of personal pathos. This particular EP goes a few degrees beyond the expected average. It's a weird little amalgam of different styles threaded with a bellowing black metal backbone. They show a distinct maturity, bringing to bear musical and personal inspirations into their craft with unusual insight and depth. So without further ado let's see what our man, monsieur Danny Krrio had to say regarding his recent musical spawn.

Greetings and welcome to the Hypogeum. 
First things first, give us the history of the "when's", "how's" and "why's" of the bands creation.

Hello! The band/project has only recently settled on the name 'Dirt Is Destiny' in 2017, but I have been working on material and ideas since about 2011 towards this end. Ultimately the purpose of the project is to create songs which are storylike, powerful, and dramatic, which carry with them a serious and sincere approach, while at the same time being musically engaging.

What's your relationship to Cyprus, its people, its nature and what sort of inspiration do you draw from them despite its apparent limitations when it comes to scene exposure and other opportunities?

Cyprus is home to me and I love and appreciate the many good qualities of the place and its people. You might find specific things to pick at which you dislike but overall I have had a positive experience living here.

It is really the natural beauty of Cyprus that I feel most close to as far as inspiration and also the rich History and Culture of Cyprus.

To comment on scene exposure.. to be honest there hasn't been too much local interest as of yet, but I suppose that is expected being that DiD is not a live band, and the music has only been released digitally for the time being.

You've been around the local Cyprus black / death metal "scene" for quite a few years now. How would you describe its evolution as an insider? Anything of interest going on? Do you feel connected to it in any way?

Something interesting I have observed is how extreme metal has become more popular, 'normalized' and accepted in the general metal community. In earlier years it was far more tribal among the genres and Black/Death metal was considered somewhat of an outcast. Musically you can see that the bands are really at the top of their game and are hungry to always progress and outdo previous efforts.. to mention a few names... Nekhrah, Vomitile, Frozen Winds, Temple Of Evil..

DiD is somewhat of a solitary experiment, but I do feel connected to the scene and am always enthusiastic to attend the local gigs and support the bands.

Ok let's start digging in to the EP. What's immediately apparent is that you actually get four separate and distinct songs here. And I say this because many a time I come across releases where compositions are merely variations of the same underlying theme.

But here each song bears its own identity, a hallmark of a process which took time and deliberation. Tell me a little bit about the creative process. How long did it take and what sort of factors played into it, psychological, personal, musical or otherwise?

On the more technical side, Usually the first step involves improvising on the guitar, feeling out the notes and experimenting with different techniques. It is a kind of 'ghost writing' process. When I feel there is something that sparks inspiration I work further to shape it and mould it to fit a more lyrical idea. Afterwards I record the guitars 'with an added drum track playing along' and write additional music for a second guitar, bass and to a lesser degree, synthesizer. The lyrics and vocal arrangements are usually fleshed out last.

For the songs on the EP I have been working and re-working them for about 3 years. Never feeling fully satisfied with the final results of a song, and improving as a player, I kept picking at them probably longer than I should have...I initially planned on recording the EP solely on my own, but I struggled with poor equipment and technical issues. To put it simply, the results did not sound good to my ears. I finally decided to get the songs recorded with George Erecleous at Oneirism Studios.

The songs like you mentioned each have their own identity purposefully, but they are meant to work together and unfold as a story.. There were certain personal experiences and abstract concepts that I had been carrying with me for far too long that needed to be expressed.

 

The compositional style is quite reminiscent of bands like Absu, Primordial even Ved Buens Ende at times. I.e. bands which don't adhere to the same protocol every time but use their creativity to map the fabric of their musical inspirations unto a personal and varied landscape. So even though you could per force slap the black metal label on your band there's a decent amount of interesting guitar-driven themes, tempo variations and mood fluctuations flowing through the songs to keep the listener guessing. Were you influenced by artists or others of their ilk at all and how would you describe the particular mark they left on you?

I think to a certain degree you cannot help but be influenced by the bands you listen to, I don’t see it as a negative.

I used to be more concerned with trying to find a unique sound to my music but a lot of the stuff I wrote came out sounding somewhat forced, and sounding 'strange/weird' with no real direction to it.

Now I am more interested in trying to write good songs first, and if the song benefit from a more unusual approach I will go down that road, but always to compliment the composition.

I think the most obvious influence is Primordial, being a huge fan of the band. The galloping rhythms, the epic and tragic melodies, poetic lyrics and dramatic vocals...They have it all as far as I am concerned. Other favourites of mine are Destroyer 666, Akercocke, Emperor, My Dying Bride, Code, Arkhon Infaustus, Morbid Angel..in some way or another you could find some impression that these groups have left.

Incidentally, Primordial have remained one of my most cherished bands for many years now so it's almost inevitable for me not to detect even subtle hints of their melancholic-cum-soaring melodicism. This is especially apropos on the last song of the EP, "You Will Hang by the Noose". Is it just me or is there something truly Primordial-esque lingering somewhere in there?

Haha I like the way you put it. There absolutely is, perhaps it is a little more technical with more notes thrown in the mix.. but the Primordial element is in there.

There are elements which some might describe as "avant-garde" or "progressive" but they're not there purposefully. They are just incidental patterns of the band's exploration into various musical regions. What’s your take on this? Would you agree?

I do agree to an extent and I alluded to this very thing in a previous question. Maybe I wouldn't call those elements completely incidental, there are some more experimental moments that were deliberate but not in the sense that I was trying hard to sound 'avant-garde'.. Those parts simply fit well into the greater scheme of things.

You've given a lot of attention to the vocal arrangements. Again they take many colours reflecting the different tones and moods of the compositions. There's anger, despair coming through them drawing you in further into the music. Playing and recording instruments can be done in a sober, controlled approach but vocals are something decidedly more organic and require a high degree of both physical and psychological engagement from the man behind the mic to really deliver the intended emotions. So what exactly went through your head during the recording sessions?

At the beginning when getting ready for the recording sessions I was a little nervous. I had prepared a lot mentally beforehand but it had been 12 years since I was behind the mic, but thankfully I was able to slip into form again after a short while with some help from George.

It was a good and trusting environment, so I was able to sink into character and perform without much difficulty.

"Dirt is Destiny" is a rather pessimistic assertion yet one can perceive that your worldview goes beyond the monochromatic viewpoint of armchair cynicism. I get the impression that the way you dissect your nightmares is a lot more nuanced and cerebral than the resigned misanthropy you see in other acts. There's ugly stuff in there but there is also a certain delight in the darkness...

Dirt is Destiny could be seen as a pessimistic assertion yes.. symbolic of the inevitability of death.. but the purpose of this band is to intently explore the darker and murkier waters of existence and to me this is a necessary exploration. We need to reflect upon death, and by doing so we gain a more legitimate understanding of our being.

There are other lighter and less intense ways to perceive the world, but as far this project, it is meant to be heavy and at times dripping with filth.

Struggle is inherent in our existence: despair vis-a-vis hope vis-a-vis agony vis-a-vis triumph vis-a-vis melancholy vis-a-vis ecstasy - the dipole of human experience. And I do feel something about this when listening to the EP. It’s not a jet-black, soul-crushing affair, there are hints of overcoming, even courage. Care to elaborate?

One of the central themes running throughout is struggle..against despair and madness..the struggle of becoming and seeking truth and meaning..against nature, and finally against your own self. Each song though has a more defined part of the story, reading the lyrics and paired with the sketches that will be displayed in the booklet of the upcoming CD, more detail can be gleamed about their meaning..

Sound is uncharacteristically resonant and dynamic eschewing lo-fi production values which would be the default choice for a budding black metal act. It befits both the wide range of styles you draw from but also endows the music with a more inviting overtone...

Mixing/mastering can be a very tricky enterprise so I was just wondering whether you had a clear intention before entering the studio or did it just come about while working with the producer?

In my opinion lower productions values would have diminished the release, and for a few exceptions I personally prefer to have a well produced and clear sound to Black metal. While there is a Black metal 'essence' at its core, I am sure you would find people who would not consider DiD to be a proper black metal band.

There was indeed a clear intention of what the production should sound like going into it, but I think to a larger extent it ended up being the way it is as the sound was being crafted. There was constant dialogue between George and I and quite a bit of tinkering went on until completion.

The cover: an inverted man suspended by his legs against the void by a spidery, indeterminate creature. A stark representation of life perhaps as suspended between the abyss and the unknowable, inner pit of our desires, fears? To severe the ties and be free equals the embrace of death and nothingness. Am I anywhere near the intended symbolism?

I think you have gathered the meaning very well from the image Certainly there is that instinct driving us towards oblivion, I would add though that in my perception I consider the image to be a transient state. One Reflecting upon the boundless to enrich One's self, the process to be undertaken like some type of meditation to which he should eventually return to engage with the more mundane and worldly..

Any forthcoming collaborations with individuals across the scene or perhaps even outside it on future releases?

Danny Georgiou from Winter's Verge and Mirror has expressed interest in working again with me on the next release, and there is a possibility that Alex Savva (Dictator) will be involved in the recording and mixing process.

You mentioned a CD release at some point. When should people expect it and who's releasing it?

I am hoping for the release sometime during this month. The whole production of the CDs and booklet layout has been undertaken by Alex Savva but I will be releasing it independently with a limited number of copies available.

As far as I can tell, DiD is a solo project but would you consider playing in the flesh on stage at some point? Maybe you already have some plans in mind?

Danny Georgiou didn't write any music for the release but he did add his own drumming approach and style of playing on the recordings, maybe he is not what you would consider a full member, but I see him as connected to the project. I would consider playing live at some point, perhaps to celebrate the release of the next CD. Most of the people I can see as fitting members are already in bands, so it is somewhat uncertain how exactly it could come together..Time will tell!

Before we wrap things up I'd like to do a few free association exercises with you. Just give an immediate response to each of the four words you see below. Responses can be from one to a few words long but not more than a sentence.

 

a.    Nature: Full of beauty but so ghastly

b.    Humanity: Too many of them

c.    Women: Saints and whores

d.    Music: Windows into the soul 

One final query: it is hard to deny by your chosen moniker that the Lord (of all which slither and crawl) has touched you with his presence... In what way do you bear the Mark of his primeval essence?

  
The K-Lord has provided much in the way of inspiration over the years...like most Gods he is distant and quite obscure in his ways,...His insights and knowledge may bring one closer to Truth...but like most Gods, He can also drive them towards Madness and Ruin...

Alright, that's it from me. Any parting words?

Thank you for the interview, I Enjoyed the Interesting and engaging questions!

Session XIX: [Subterranea Cypria - (2nd edition), the digging continues...]

Well surprise, surprise - it's yet another edition of the SC with a couple more Mediterranean delicacies in store. You never thought the ol' island had it in her did ya?  The year is 1997. It's almost a decade since the second wave of black metal hits the globe and the reverberating tsunami is only just about to land on Cypriot shores. Godblood, the one and only Cypriot band to heed thy call, collaborate with fellow islanders Macabre Omen from Rhodes in a bid to escape the rehearsal room and pound forth with conviction into the dark ill-trodden paths of the black metal underground. The end result is a 7" split which although widely unknown to the vast majority of underground aficionados almost 20 years later still earns its place in history as the first sign of black metal activity on Cyprian territory. The releasing label itself (Demonion Productions) was a bedroom operation run by Macabre Omen's head honcho - Alexandros -  so the whole affair is unsurprisingly DIY and still retains a sense of nostalgic romanticism. Although distinctly black metal Macabre Omen exhibit clear signs that they were aiming for something that stood out of the mind-numbing mire of standard, meat-and-potatoes black metal. This was readily achieved by blending an evocative atmosphere (comprised of aptly used chantings and keyboards) with an unmistakably 'Hellenic' melodicism. Not bad, not bad at all I say. Godblood comparatively were quite under-developed in compositional maturity. Still tethered to a proto-heavy metal grounding their sound on this track was rather un-directed, running mostly on pure emotion and youthful fervor. The band would make some further connections within the underground through main-man Deceased, release an album a year later (entitled Those Funeral Times) on

their very own Throne Productions and eventually call it quits somewhere in the late 90s. And so with that said it's time now for our second and final feature of the day, hardcore punk ensemble Entos twn Teixwn (which loosely translates to being confined with four walls or a state of being under siege) with their one and only self-titled album from 2009. The guys were given an honorary mention back in the first edition when fellow country-mates En Psychro were featured and their debut is a personal favourite of mine from the Cyprus punk scene. 12 harsh'n'true compositions full of anger and spite, no-nonsense, discerning lyrics and above all a prevailing sense of authenticity and ethos. Pair all that with a neat A4 packaging (effectively a 32-page 'zine) and what more can you ask for? As is the case with most bands of their ilk there's really no new ground being broken here musically; it stands, rather, as a statement directed against what they perceive as an oppressive and decadent state of affairs, a piercing scream if you will intended to turn a few heads away from the numbness of the everyday. Check them out and be sure to drop a line at Rusted Lock just in case there are a few copies stashed somewhere.

--

Addendum: Fooling around with Kuzka's mother.

 

Hello Miguel how are ya? First could you tell us a bit about how the band came about? And who exactly is “Kuzka’s mother”?

Hello. I’m fine, thank you. The band came into existence because someone crashed a car. They were unable to play the gig they had to do, so the organisers called me asking if my band Winter's Verge could play in two days. After initially laughing at them, I called up a couple of friends (Andreas on the drums and Kotsios from Blynd on guitars) asking them if we wanted to do a gig. They said yes, and we learnt the easiest songs we could think of. I got wasted and don't remember much else but then we played another gig a couple of years later. The shows were fun, and it was a nice change from the studied and careful approach that we take with Winter’s Verge. This was about more raw expression than about trying to create something actually decent. Harry from Winter’s Verge replaced Kotsio because Kotsio actually has something worthwhile to do with his time. We received a very positive response from the crowd despite being drunk – I suppose it was because we could actually play music. I then had the bright idea of writing songs.  Regarding “Kuzka’s mother”, I was researching  for a good band name and then stumbled across the story of how the USSR carried out the largest nuclear explosion – indeed, the largest man-made explosion ever – in the 1950’s. It was ordered by Khrushchev and called the Tsar Bomba, which I thought was a brilliant band name. Upon reading up more on the device itself, I found out that Khrushchev hinted to the US that they were ‘going to be shown who Kuzka’s Mother is’, which is apparently a saying in Russian meaning  ‘I’ll show you

who’s boss’ or something. I could’ve verified it with a Russian speaker but I was too lazy to find any. Anyway I thought it was a great name and I grew up playing Red Alert II because I had no life as a teenager, and sort of decided to go with the whole nuclear post-apocalyptic theme.

There is an undeniably ostensible punk vibe in your songs both in terms of structure and overall aesthetic. What are your influences - both emotional and musical?

In 2011 there was a massive explosion at a power plant in Cyprus, caused by the sheer stupidity and incompetence of the government in charge at the time. Anyone who claims otherwise is an idiot. Anyway this made me angry. Very angry. I was always quite apathetic when it came to politics in Cyprus because it’s more of a joke than anything, but this one was incompetence too far. I wrote a song about it, called ‘Fuck off and Die’. Yes I know Darkthrone released an album called that, I didn’t care and I still don’t. It expressed exactly what I wanted to say to the politicians who were in charge (although the phrase ‘in charge’ is a very questionable one to use – I’ve met headless chickens with more responsible and reasonable control of their faculties.) So after I wrote that one and people liked it, I figured I might as well write other songs about the things about life in Cyprus that bother me but I lack the language skills to express in any sort of coherent or indeed interesting manner. Things like pyramid schemes, the economic meltdown, the fucking Orthodox fucking Church, people’s stupidity and gullibility. I dearly love Cyprus, it’s my home, it’s a beautiful country and wonderful people but goddammit can these people be so fucking stupid at times. It’s infuriating. Throughout our history we have managed to spectacularly screw ourselves. I’m reminded of that video that went viral before ‘viral’ was used in that manner, of a man who voluntarily chose to engage in sexual intercourse with a horse. Of course, he was fucked to death by the horse. Internet savant Erich Schulte wrote that this video was the culmination of existence and reality and our own role in the demise that we master. Here, in the 21^st century, we have managed to create magnificent pieces of technology that can record and reproduce our sensory experiences, and this spectacular fool used it to film himself getting fucked in the ass by a horse until he died. Second place for technical achievement on Earth goes to the chimpanzees who use sticks to get bugs out of holes to eat. We have mastered nature, and we will use it to fuck ourselves in the ass until we die, either by a horse’s 3-foot-long cock or the atom. What I’m trying to say is that Cypriots have an unfortunate tendency to fuck themselves repeatedly in the ass and not in a good way. This is the reason for the post-apocalyptic theme of the artwork and stage show.

As for musical influences, I don’t really think of them. I wouldn’t call myself a punk, I don’t think anyone in the band does. We’re metalheads who take a punk approach. I mean we’ll bust out the odd punk cover when we can’t think of what else to play, but it’s not our main source of inspiration. I think it’s the punk attitude that fits very well with the lyrical concepts. I suppose bands like Amen, Sex Pistols and Anti-Nowhere League influence our sound, and I take a lot of lyrical inspiration from Anal Cunt – don’t bother writing decent lyrics with any sort of structure, the song will sort itself out. Just say what you gotta say, and that’s what Kuzka’s Mother is about for me. Winter’s Verge is all about the art and the music; there isn’t really any message other than telling a story. Kuzka’s Mother is all about the message. Music wise we just crank out the Iron Maiden/Metallica mashup of stuff that we’ve all been playing since we were like 13 because it’s fun.

We also want to make sure that we’re never background noise – Kuzka’s Mother is not the sort of band you’d want to play in polite company, and definitely not something you’d hear on any radio station because the amount of bleeping out would leave a song about a minute long. Our goal is to make sure we’re noticed and listened to. So far it seems to be working.

Your debut album is currently in the works. When will it be released? How will it be distributed to the masses? 

We’ve recorded it and will print off a bunch of CDs for collectors, and then it will end up on the internet to float around for all eternity. Ultimately the music business has ended up much like a sewage treatment facility – everyone dumps their shit in there and it slowly all fades into one, to be filtered and treated until you have nothing but pure water coming out at the end of it – the shit is what people create, the water is the inspiration that comes from it. So we’re sort of flushing our music down the toilet, is what I’m saying. We’re working on a music video as well but let’s not jinx it.

 

In a recent report by NASA, you have been named as the number one reason extraterrestrial intelligent life has not made contact with us yet. Would you like to comment on this?

A fair assessment. The aliens probably landed in Cyprus disguised as someone from Paphos, came to one of our gigs, said 'fuck that' and left, taking with them the Ayia Napa Sea Monster and whatever traces of a career Adam Sandler had left.

Having a look through your tracklist there is a song named 'Alan'. Who is this dubious individual and why does he merit a song?

Alan is a terrifying individual that I came to know, but never to understand. He is the horror in the darkest night. To paraphrase Herzog, he is the deep black depth of evil that one sees upon gazing into the eye of a chicken. Alan lives in the eye of the chicken. Alan may indeed BE the chicken. I’m not sure where to stop this metaphor but I should before it consumes me as a rational person. I mean, like, when you stare into an abyss, the abyss doesn’t really stare back into you does it? It’s just a saying, but with Alan he actually is staring back into you. A powerful agent of the forces of chaos, he is the type who wants to watch the world burn, even though he doesn’t seem to understand it. He believes he has a value and contributes to society and in certain ways I guess he does, but the chaos and destruction he spreads far outweigh his contributions. He then demands to know why people react with horror upon realising what he is. On the other hand, I don’t understand how a world without someone like Alan in it would work. Order cannot be allowed to run riot. One must have a little chaos. One must.

Your existence has been prophesied through the apocalyptic ramblings of both St John and Nostradamus. Are you a sign of the coming rapture and when should we expect it?

Dude, we are well into the apocalypse. It’s just happening a lot more slowly than anyone has prophesied.  The west Antarctic ice sheet is now confirmed to be irreversibly collapsing. It’s gonna be a slow, long, drawn out and painful death for the world and society, but at the end of it there will be something left, some vestige of what we currently call society and civilization. It won’t just be the cockroaches and Alan left over at the end, a few of us will be wandering around eating each other. There’s an old British movie called Threads that I recommend you watch. It’s pretty messed up and says what I feel about all this.

Are there any plans for upcoming live shows, tours?

Live shows yes, tours no. We’re gonna have a few release party shows in the summer and see where it goes from there. One thing about this band is that things just seem to happen on their own accord so we’ll let them happen this time as well. Touring is a whole other kettle of fish and will be dealt with at the right time.

Your lyrical themes waver between social commentary, satire and outright propaganda. Let's face it, is all this really a thinly-veiled call-to-arms urging for a violent communist revolution of the proletariat?

Well the funny thing here is that communism is a failed experiment. I’m sorry people, it’s dead in the water with bullet holes and McDonald’s logos in its back. There is a communist Soviet-era theme in the artwork because primarily I liked the colours and I thought it would be funny.  The song ‘Fuck off and Die’ however is a direct attack on the then-communist government of Cyprus (yes we had a communist government in 2011, it’s too long a story to go into). I suppose my own personal politics are extremely liberal and more left-leaning than anything, but there is nobody who is worth trusting as far as you can throw them in Cyprus who wants to be in a position of responsibility and I suppose in the political establishment of almost anywhere else either. The proletariat is too busy watching cat videos and porn on the internet in between Facebook status updates and playing minecraft. There will be no violent communist revolution, there will only be a revolution once you cut off people’s internet connection. So perhaps all this is an impotent expression of rage after all, and what we’re doing is utterly insignificant, which if you look at the big picture it is of course, because we’re living on a tiny little island on a small planet orbiting a medium sized star and we could be wiped out by a gamma ray burst before you even have a chance to finish reading this sentence. So, like, whatever.

Before we go please give us a one-line, automatic response to each of the following words:

Music: Oxygen

Politics: Shit

Life: Death

Solipsism: Hope

Apotemnophilia: What

You'll be relieved to know that we're done with the interview - a traumatic yet enlightening experience for you I'm sure. Any parting lines of wisdom?

I’m sorry for everything.

Session XIV: [Subterranea Cypria - a reportage from the Southern front]

The Hypogeum has been trawling through Cyprian soil lately in search of anything sufficiently nasty to suit our perverted tastes. Here are the spoils that made the grade.
 

Both the sheer remoteness of the country and artistic conservatism have been two of the main reasons that the growth rate of bands falling within the most extreme end of the musical spectrum has been well… slow. The usual pattern of initial adolescent excitement and subsequent decline was - and still is to a certain extent - what mostly characterised any creative endeavour into the nether-regions of the underground that dared to break the status quo. Be that as it may, that’s not going to prevent monsieur Dictator of Necrosadist from putting out a vicious piece of musicianship. Abstract Satan (co-released between Blood Harvest /Daemon Worship / Temple of Flesh, 2011) successfully fuses the intensity of revelation with a hideous atmosphere of gloom'n'doom which is sufficient to place it well above your standard kvlt fare. This alone most probably makes the band the island's sole blip on the European black metal radar. Antaeus’ own MkM even contributes his screams and sickly poetry on one of the tracks. Watch out for the mainman’s self-named side-project whose imposing monolith of a funeral doom album, Dysangelist, has just been put out on wax by Aesthetic Death recs. And from Satanic audial discourses onwards to mind-swirling explorations of the subconscious courtesy of Adon on Accurst’s debut album Fragments of a Nightmare released back in 2004 by Red Stream. One would think that the spectrum of emotion one could convey through the medium of ambient music (given its structural minimalism) is prohibitively limited. And yet Accurst set themselves (or himself rather) apart from the Lustmords and the Aphex Twins not by pure originality per se but by their sheer degree of introversion. There’s a harrowing sense of desolation and fear gnawing at you all the way through. It’s an offering whose penetrating discordance will push away most but a selected few. Quite befittingly two of their pieces even featured on horror flick Sinister. Next up, the self-released demo CDr from En Psychro (In Cold Blood). Politics and punk have always been inseparable bedfellows so it’s not surprising that the lyrical content revolves around the blatant corruption of politicians and religious authorities as well as the militaristic tensions along the Green line. The main ingredient of any good HC punk release worth its salt is anger - unadulterated paroxysmic release - and this humble little CDr has it in spades drawing influences from bands such as DRI, early Sepultura, Discharge as well as Greek legends, Olethrio Rigma. Good stuff. Musician cross-breeding is something to be expected so quite unsurprisingly we find a couple of their members making some noise with fellow punksters Downwards Spiral (ex-Entos Twn Teixwn) who’ve just released their debut album freely available for digital download (http://downwardspiralcy.bandcamp.com/).  Finally, it‘s Sabbah Navahthani with their tar-encrusted self-titled album released by Cyprus‘ very own Necroterror Recs. back in 2007. These heavily inked gents have pretty much nailed the foul marriage of doom/sludge and crusty grittiness to a T. If you need some name-dropping to get you off think of the cannabinoid viscosity of Electric Wizard conflating with the indignant abrasiveness of some ill-forgotten Amebix / Doom split B-side. Though largely eschewing the rabid politically motivated anti-establishment lyricism of the latter, signature song "Melting Lead  Inside Your Throat" is about as strong a statement against the mainstream as you can get this side of The Exploited. Unfortunately the band is now officially defunct with former member Tas having a stint playing bass for the sludgemeisters themselves, Electric Wizard, before moving on to forming his own band, Satan's Wrath. 

--

Addendum: The Hypogeum interrogates Xenios of Cyprus-based Rusted Lock productions.

Greetings Xenios, first of all tell us a bit about Rusted Lock and what’s it all about.

Rusted Lock is an Art & Design Studio, based in Nicosia, Cyprus. It was established back in 2000 after my return from my studies in the UK. Among other services, I produce works for record/CD covers and layout design for bands and labels mainly within the punk/hardcore scene. My personal artwork deals mainly with socio-political issues, personal fears and concerns. I attempt to send messages, raise awareness, thoughts and actions.

Other than an Art & Design Studio, Rusted Lock functions also as a record label/distro, established also in 2000. On an attempt to keep in touch with the broader international punk scene and individuals and due to my passion/involvement to music I felt the need to set up a DIY punk label (punk in it's broader meaning). The label has not been really active and that's mainly due to financial demands for a vinyl release, but also due to the lack of local punk scene and support. Up until now, I’ve only managed to co-release (with another Cypriot label) a 7" vinyl, by Japanese grinders Bathtub Shitter called "Angels Save Us". Coming soon, 10 years later, the second release will finally see the light of the day. This time it'll be a MLP by  Greek metallic death/crust band Nuclear Winter. Originally released in 1997 as a MCD, now for the first time it'll be released in vinyl. It'll feature a completely new artwork and layout, designed by Rusted Lock. It'll be a one-sided 12", with an etching on B side, an embossed cover and poster. That's the plan up until now. I have many ideas for it, but ideas=money, so we shall see... It'll again be a co-release with local label Necroterror.

You’ve been involved heavily in the Cypriot underground. Could you please give us a brief chronicle of the crust/HC/punk scene in Cyprus?

Yes, I guess I have been involved quite heavily in the music scene, considering I started listening to metal since I was 12 and now I'm 37! Before getting involved with the punk scene I was a metalhead. Thrash, death, doom, a bit of black. That was my passion in the early years and I must say I still love those genres, even newer bands that bring back that old spirit. The first contact I had and triggered my interest into punk, was after listening to a record introduced by a friend, by Antidrasi, a Greek hardcore punk band. That record was also the reason of the creation of the very first punk band formed in Cyprus, Aposynthesis, of which I was the vocalist. Aposynthesis was active from 1992-1996. There wasn't such a thing as a Punk/Hardcore scene in Cyprus, back in the 90's. Just a few individuals, some just in it for the music. After Aposynthesis' split up, another short-lived band was formed by Aposynthesis' bassist, the ‘Nuclear Mutants’. They released a demo called "Welcome To Reality". After that, silence, for many years. With my return from England I managed to get Aposynthesis back in action, but that didn't last for too long. Aposynthesis’ guitarist formed hardcore punk band ‘Entos Ton Tichon’ (Within The Walls). The band released a full album CD in 2009. After the release of the CD, they changed their name into ‘Downward Spiral’, and they moved into more crust territories. They have recently recorded a full album that is available online for free. ‘En Psychro’ (In cold blood) was formed in the summer of 2011, again by Aposynthesis’ guitarist. Their influences vary from Hardcore Punk and D-beat, to Crust and Thrash. They have released a demo CD in February and are planning to release a full album in 2013. They also set to release a split 7" with Kyffpack from Germany (featuring a Cypriot member). The last few years and with the forming of the pre mentioned bands, there is some sort of a scene being created, consisted of a few oldies and more youngsters. Things seems more promising than the 90's.

Incidentally, is there any Aposynthesis material available anywhere? The only thing I can find is a single-song appearance on Doom tribute release where they covered Thanatophobia!

As I have already mentioned above, Aposynthesis existed from 1992-1996. Due to the young age and not having previous experience or access to recording studios, we haven't managed to record any of our songs. Feeling the need to "reform" Aposynthesis, in order to record those songs and release them on a CD/LP, we started practicing again in 2006. Things seemed rather promising. We’ve also grabbed the opportunity to cover a song by DOOM, that’s included in a compilation CD/LP entitled «V/A- Slave to Convention, A Tribute to Doom» , released on Helvetet Records from Peru. For a number of reasons, at some point we stopped practicing. Two of the members called it quits and since then the band is in a state of idleness. I wish that at some point we’ll manage to close that unfinished chapter of Cypriot punk history. "Thanatophobia" is the only decent recorded (could have been better) song that exists. There are a few live and rehearsal songs, but nothing great. There are a few songs on YouTube if you want to check them out.

Greece has produced a long array of quality bands such as Antidrasi, Nautia, Xehasmeni Profiteia et al. Given the common language and similar frustration with the political landscape is there a bond between the two scenes? Are there any noteworthy collaborations, be it split 7“ EPs, gigs etc? 

Yes, Greece has produced and still does some great bands. Language definitely has a great influence in the perception of the song and played a major role in our decision of the creation of Aposynthesis back in the days. There is a relation between people/bands from the two countries for years now. I can't really say that there is a bond between the two scenes, quite simply because there's no Cypriot scene. The only band that managed to play in Greece twice is En Psychro. A few Greek bands made it to Cyprus for gigs. Noteworthy are Hasma, Kill the Cat and recently Antidrasi. Those gigs were rather successful and more bands from Greece showed interest in playing over here. Thats good, I suppose. So I guess, maybe there is some sort of bond being created, after all!

On that note are there any live events on the island that were quite memorable over the ages including both local and foreign bands?

I guess I have partly answered to this question, on your previous question. Antidrasi was the band that made me enter the punk territories and always wanted to see them live. The truth is the new Antidrasi is much different from the original roster, but nevertheless their appearance has woken up many memories. Another memorable gig (not exclusively a punk one) worth mentioning was a rock/metal charity festival against leukemia, in 1993, which was also video recorded. Maybe it's more of a personal thing, since Aposynthesis played, but it was a huge event, for Cyprus's standards. For the record the bands that appeared were, Armageddon, Zenith, Accidentals, Aposynthesis and Regicide.

Cyprus is very much a conservative country fervently adhering to age-old traditions. In this inherently stringent environment what role do you think reactionary music like punk or metal has to play?

Hmm... You open a big chapter over here that needs hours of endless discussions to be covered. Back in the days when I got involved with metal, listening to heavy metal, having long hair and wearing tight jeans and metal patch jacket, considered extreme, unholy, satanic. The metalhead was an outcast in a way. I had friends that despite listening to metal, didn't hang out to 'metal' places, afraid of parents', or people's in general, reactions. In that sort of approach I guess being a metalhead was some sort of a revolution. But metal as a whole never had a certain political direction. I'm not saying there are no metal bands that have something to say, but I hate the macho, sexist, sometimes fascist attitude that many times is accompanied with metal music. That's were punk has filled the gap for me.  I'm not saying that punk as a whole is 'pure'. Assholes can be found everywhere. Music can't change things by it's own. But it can trigger people's minds, raise awareness and actions. Metal is, or better was, reactionary, punk was and is (in most cases) revolutionary.

What does the future hold for Rusted Lock? Any planned releases? Any gigs happening soon on Cypriot soil?

For the art part, I'm currently finishing the design for the upcoming release of Japanese thrash/hardcore crossover long running band Beyond Description's 4th full length album. For the label part, as I have already mentioned I'm excited for the Nuclear Winter MLP coming out soon, maybe in a month, or so!
 

That about wraps it up Xenios, cheers for the intie!

Thanks a lot as well for getting in touch for this interview. Take care!

w: http://rusted-lock.blogspot.co.uk/
e: rusted.lock@gmail.com

--

'till next time folks