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Sunday, April 8, 2012

A Little Doom, Anyone?


Today I welcome Malcolm Burger to my world to chat about his latest event, Symphonaire Infernus. For those of you who move around in the South African metal scene he'll be no stranger. He runs a blog--The Monster from the Blog--but he's played in a few bands and he's also known for arranging charity events.

Tell us a bit more about your event. Why doom metal? And to the uninitiated, what sets doom apart from regular metal?

Symphonaire Infernus is a little bit of a sinful indulgence on our part. The League of Doom is a small group of like minded Doom Metal aficionados that formed in order to preserve and grow interest in a very marginalised sub genre. As most of the members are musicians we decided it would be fun to pay homage in the form of a live show to those bands we hold dear, and to share it with anyone else who is interested. Doom Metal is a slower, more ornate form of regular metal that grew our of the early 90s death metal when bands like My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost started adding instruments like violins, pianos and other more classical instruments. The use of pseudo-operatic female vocals also lent an extra air of beauty to the style. The genre is typified by the use of a more poetic lyric as well.

You used to play in a band called Grämlich and had quite a following. Are there any projects you're currently involved in?

Yes, along with some of the musicians involved in Symphonaire Infernus, an original Doom Metal band is pretty much up and running. Called Ashes At My Grave, we have written approximately 16 songs and are currently working on lyrics and production. Similarly, other bands I’m involved in include Goth/Rock/Metal outfit, SubVerS and an Industrial band known as Axxon. Members of The League Of Doom are involved in all of these.

Which bands are you paying tribute to? Any particular favourite songs?

It’s kind of a secret for now, but it’s not the most difficult thing in the world to work out... We’re posting a cryptic clue per title on the event’s Facebook page. See if you’re up to the challenge!

Type O Negative fans will be remembering the late Peter Steele on April 14. Did you pick this date on purpose?

Yes, very much so. We may even have a nice little surprise for you all...

What's the outlook for the metal scene in SA? Are things looking up? Are there local bands you recommend?

Rosy! There are a lot of quality bands working hard and doing well. Institutions like Metal4Africa are doing wonders for the local metal scene. Personal favourites of mine would include A Walk With The Wicked, Warinsane, Bulletscript, Cold Hand Chemistry and, of course, the ever popular Mind Assault. And many more.

Linkage:
Details: 14th April 14, @ ROAR – Free entry (Cape Town)

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