Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 184 features an interview with Aort of CODE.

Over the course of 5 albums, the UK-based CODE have refused to settle in to predictability. Their music encapsulates the adventurous spirit of Seventies progressive rock whilst retaining the coldness of black metal.

I spoke with founder/guitarist Aort about how CODE emerged from from his solo project Seasonal Code, and how the two projects relate to each other. We also talked about how their latest release Flyblown Prince was created with the band members living in different parts of the world, and the challenges in playing CODE's music live.

My thanks to Aort for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"Possession Is The Medicine"

taken from the album Resplendent Grotesque

"The Rattle Of Black Teeth"

taken from the EP Lost Signal

"Rat King"

"Flyblown Prince"

taken from the album Flyblown Prince

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 183 features an interview with Dennis Muñoz of Solstice.

Solstice were an early part of the Florida scene who recorded their debut Pray at Morrisound, and shared members with Cannibal Corpse and Cynic. Their thrashy style may have caused them to be overlooked during death metal's Nineties heyday, but it allowed them to find acclaim with later heshers as the old school revival took hold.

I spoke with guitarist/co-founder Dennis Muñoz about the early years of Solstice, and their relationship to the rest of the Florida scene. We also discussed the creation of their latest album Casting the Die, and how they found an audience late in their career.

My thanks to Dennis for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE:

"Pray"

taken from the album Pray

"Plasticized"

taken from the album Solstice

"Outlast"

"Cast the Die"

taken from the album Casting the Die

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 182 features an interview with Jarle Hváll Kvåle of Vreid.

Emerging from the dissolution of Windir, Vreid has continued the eclecticism of their previous band by fusing mid-paced tempos, classic metal melodies, and a progressive rock mentality into more traditional Norwegian black metal. Their music is often referred to as "Sognametal" - a reference to the band's home in Sogndal.

I spoke with founder/bassist Jarle Hváll Kvåle about the band's history, and the musical links that connect Windir to Vreid. We also talked about the concept behind their latest release, Wild North West, and the 8 part video/film created in conjunction with the album.

My thanks to Jarle for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"Way of the Serpent"

taken from the album Welcome, Farewell

"Storm Frå Vest"

taken from the album Sólverv

"Wild North West"

"Into the Mountains"

taken from the album Wild North West

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 181 features an interview with Pia Isaksen and Ole Teigen of Superlynx.

Oslo-based three-piece Superlynx have no affinity for genre descriptors, choosing to refer to their music as "floaty" and "dreamy". Picture a mix of Black Sabbath and Mazzy Star, and you're close to understanding their mix of dark psychedelia, shoegaze, and doom metal.

I spoke with Superlynx bassist/vocalist Pia Isaksen and drummer Ole Teigen about the band's history, and the spiritual aspects of their music. We also talked about the writing of their latest release, Electric Temple, and how the album is thematically linked to its two predecessors.

My thanks to Pia and Ole for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"Funeral Dress"

taken from the album LVX

"These Children that come at us with Knives"

taken from the album New Moon

"Electric Temple"

"Returning Light"

taken from the album Electric Temple

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 180 features an interview with Eric Daniels and Twan van Geel of Soulburn.

Formed over two decades ago by members of Asphyx, Soulburn eschew the speed-for-speed's sake dictum of death and back metal. Instead, the band employs a sinister mid-paced stomp that hearkens back to the genre's earliest recordings, whilst maintaining the level of professionalism you'd expect from scene veterans.

I spoke with Soulburn founder/guitarist Eric Daniels and vocalist/bassist Twan van Geel about the band's history, and the ways Bathory influenced their approach. We also discussed the themes behind their latest album Noa's Dark, and how the production reflects their belief that extreme art has to hurt.

My thanks to Eric and Twan for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"Withering Nights"

taken from the album Earthless Pagan Spirit

"From Archaeon Into Oblivion"

"Noah's Dark"

taken from the album Noa's Dark

"Behold The Funeral Candle/The Flames Of Soulburn"

taken from the album Feeding On Angels

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 179 features an interview with Abbey and Tommy Davis of Oryx.

If sludge and doom metal seem simplistic and repetitive, Denver's Oryx provide a compelling counterpoint. The band make texture and ambience a big component of their sound, giving their bleak, crushing songs an additional dimension beyond "slow" and "heavy".

I spoke with Oryx drummer Abbey Davis and vocalist/guitarist Tommy Davis about the origins of the project, and what led them to relocate from New Mexico to Colorado. We also went into the creation of their latest album Lamenting a Dead World, and how expanding to a three-piece has impacted their songwriting.

My thanks to Abbey and Tommy for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"The Singularity"

taken from the split LP with LANGUISH

"Born For Death"

taken from the album Stolen Absolution

"Last Breath"

"Contempt"

taken from the album Lamenting a Dead World

"Withered"

taken from the album Widowmaker

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 178 features an interview with Johnny Urnripper of Ghastly.

As I discussed with the authors of Rotting Ways To Misery: The History of Finnish Death Metal, there has been a resurgence in the Finnish death metal scene, with a plethora of new bands taking up the mantle once held by Demigod and the like. To whit: the three-piece Ghastly, who combine the characteristic Finnish death metal sound with dark psychedelia.

I spoke with guitarist/vocalist Johnny Urnripper about Ghastly's history, their writing process, and his feelings about the band being described as "psychedelic". We also discussed their third album Mercurial Passages, which will be coming out on 20 Buck Spin at the end of May.

My thanks to Johnny for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE:

"Violence For The Hell Of It "

taken from the album Death Velour

"Parasites"

"Out Of The Psychic Blue"

taken from the album Mercurial Passages

"Serpentine Union"

taken from the album Carrion Of Time Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

This is Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 177, featuring an interview with Mike "Muleboy" Makela of Bongzilla.

When Bongzilla were releasing albums in the Nineties, there weren't many that shared their love of Sabbath-inspired riffs, piercing feedback, and tongue-in-cheek drug references. Now that the stoner/sludge metal pioneers are back from (as they describe it) their "HIGH-atus", they're playing to a world that's more amenable to both weed and extremely slow, heavy music.

I spoke with vocalist/bassist Mike "Muleboy" Makela about the circumstances that led to Bongzilla's return, and their new album Weedsconsin. We also talked about the late John Hopkins (who recorded the album), and Bongzilla's upcoming splits with Boris, Fister, and more.

My thanks to Mike for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"Greenthumb"

taken from the album Gateway

"Budgun/THC"

taken from the album Stash

"Free The Weed"

"Sundae Driver"

taken from the album Weedsconsin

"Cupcake"

taken from the split EP Doom Sessions Vol 4.

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

This is Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 176, featuring an interview with Martin van Drunen of Asphyx.

It was 30 years ago that Asphyx released their first album The Rack; though the band were a respected product of the Dutch death metal scene, their doomy, unvarnished sound fell out of favor as the decade wore on and tastes veered towards more blastbeat-oriented styles. But everything goes in cycles, and as old school death metal came back into fashion, Asphyx found a new audience and a new relevance.

I spoke with vocalist Martin van Drunen about the band's long history, and how he feels about being cited as an influence by a new generation of death metal bands. We also spoke about how the pandemic affected their latest album Necroceros, and whether Asphyx will ever become a studio-only band. (Answer: "No fucking way.")

My thanks to Martin for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"Crush The Cenotaph"

taken from the EP Crush The Cenotaph

"Molten Black Earth"

"In Blazing Oceans"

taken from the album Necroceros

"Death...The Brutal Way"

taken from the album Death...The Brutal Way

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com