5to1: Five Q&A with graphic designer Ozan YILDIRIM

This time 5to1 has a quite different victim.
Well, he is a musician and a very well-known one in his own country's territories but he's also a graphic designer working with bands like Lividity, Nafrat, Carnophage, Embrace Damnation, Decimation and Kasatura not to mention he's also doing the artworks etc. for his own musical projects.
so here we go:

1Let’s start with what you are up to these days Ozan.. Any new projects in progress?

Well.. i’m pretty busy nowadays.. We are working on the new songs for the upcoming RAVENWOODS album, the recording process will probably be over by the end of the first half of 2009. Also, as Sarcophagus (my side-project), we have completed our work for the LP named "HATE CULT", which features Niklas Kvarforth of Shining on vocals will be sold by OSMOSE PRODUCTIONS. Furthermore, "Towards the Eternal Chaos", again by Sacrophagus, will be out on the market on 2009. That’s how my musical career is going on. Other than that, as you know, I’m designing graphic stuff to make a living. The latest update about that is; my new t shirt illustration for Lividity is currently available on relapse merch store. I am currently working on artworks for many local and international bands . That includes a new illustration I have done for Suffocation, which I hope that will be used with their new album. You can always follow the newest updates on myspace.

2Apart from being a designer and a fellow metalhead, you’re also quite well-known with your musicianship as you've mentioned above… Especially with one of the Turkey’s leading extreme acts RavenWoods. Can you tell us more about your career in “metal world”?

I have been trying to create something in this “metal world” since the day I got into it. I have been playing in RAVENWOODS for 12 years, participating in many gigs, fests and records. We have always kept our standards high. I’m trying to do my best for either my bands or Turkish metal scene. Turkey is a tough country for that stuff but we have always believed in the spirit of these acts and that’s how I survived. I think we have affected the Turkish metal scene with what we have done as RAVENWOODS, forcing people to try harder and harder to make a progression.

3Tell us more about the way you design artwork, myspace profiles or band logos? An artist or band comes up with an idea or you tell them about what you have in mind according to the concept of the work?

The bands get in touch with me via myspace or my website and inform me about what they want. I work on projects by the ordering time. I start working on the project as soon as we come to agreement with the band. I prepare some sketches and send them to the band. If they like it, I finish working upon that sketch and send them the final documents as soon as I recieve my payment. You can also check out the "how to request artwork" section on myspace or my website. As far as my principles goes, I just try to do my best for any band, regardless of their genre or fame. If they don’t like what I have done for them, I don’t demand more payment, I just come up with new ideas and work on them until they are satisfied. I used to work for commercial agencies and work on boring designs all day. I gave up on that and just concentrated on creating extreme stuff for extreme people, and that’s how I kept on going for 2 years in my own art studio.

4It's kind of a must to ask about your influences and about people whose work you admire. So yes i want names :)

My main influence, the one that made me who i am now, is Jon Andreas Nödtveidt of Dissection. His music and lyrics are my main influence. I felt like I was shot in the head when I heard that he was gone, and a part of me died with him. Jon is a huge loss for music. Hail to his spirit and all his fans!
Other than that, there are lots of illustrators and designers that i admire their work.. The first one is Dan Seagrave, commonly known with his work for Suffocation. I think I had learned a lot from him.We are in contact with him through myspace and I sometimes get his opinions about my work. I use his comments to improve myself and my work. He is just an awesome artist.. Also, Mark Riddick is one of my favourites, his work and style impresses and influences me.. And of course, Chris Moyen, the spirit and darkness in his work has always amazed me. I hope I can be as good as them one day. I am doing my best with my amateur spirit for extreme music in Turkey and I hope it satisfies people.

5You think an artist/designer always has to reflect a unique style which will be his trademark or you think sometimes its only important to do whats to be done and get the job finished on time? Do you think every single work you did up to now has a speacial unique “Ozan YILDIRIM” style?

Back in the days when I worked for commercial agencies, I was doing graphic designs fort he market, I just used to do what they want from me without adding any extra effort or soul, because none of that works had an artistic value. They didn’t need artistic value at all either. Then I realized that those stuff would never carry me forward. I hated business people with no taste whatsoever who thought they knew it all, and I quit. I started doing stuff about the subject that my soul belongs to, so now I care about artistic values. I am trying to do my best for any job, huge or small, doesn’t matter, trying to reflect my style too. As far as the deadlines go, of course getting the job done by the given time is crucial for me. A proffessional job must be delivered whenever promised earlier, or your reliability burns to the ground and nobody offers you anything.
Thanks for the great interview. HAIL CHAOS !


for more info and visual samples here are the links:
www.myspace.com/ozanyildirim
www.ozanyildirimart.com

-- Cult thrashers Sacrifice's album teaser!

here's a one minute sample from Canadian legendary thrash band Sacrifice's upcoming new album recorded by the original 1991 line-up.
The Ones I Condemn teaser 2

-- Subway to Sally - Kreuzfeuer

After two sold-out tours and a commercially successful full-length back in 2008, German subway enthusiasts releasing a brand new collection of songs via Nuclear Blast Records.
The label's infosheet says:
"Kreuzfeuer itself combines everything the long running carreer of this hard working band stands for. It shows their feeling for stunning arrangements, beautiful melodies, excellent hooklines and of course that beloved medieval folk vibe combined with the dark romantic and intelligent lyrics by Bodenski."
the tracklist will be as follows:
Tracklist:
01.Aufstieg
02.Judaskuss
03.Besser, Du rennst
04.So fern, so nah
05.Die Jagd
06.Einsam
07.Komm in meinen Schlaf
08.Angelus
09.Krähenkönig
10.Niemals
11.Versteckt
12.Vater

Subway to Sally @ myspace

-- the brand new Sepultura video

taken from A-Lex

-- Casketgarden plays next gig without their bass player

Hungary's well known death/thrash band has parted ways with four stringer recently. Gabor Ori left the band in a friendly way though it seems it was a quite sudden decision 'cos Casketgarden will play their upcoming show on March 13th without a replacement.
for further info and samples
click here to take a look at their myspace profile

-- Tears Of Autumn Rain

It's the brand new track by Finnish scene veterans Eternal Tears Of Sorrow from their upcoming new full-length.
click here to have a listen

-- brand new track now online from Blut Aus Nord

It's currently online at Blut Aus Nord's record label Candlelight's myspace page.
The track comes from band's upcoming release Memoria Vetusta II - Dialogue With The Stars which is due to be out on February 23 and titled The Formless Sphere (Beyond The Reason).
So here is the link to check it out now.
http://www.myspace.com/candlelightrecords

-- Manic Ritual to release Executioner in March

Manic Ritual formerly known as Meltdown is announced to release their debut album via Nuclear Blast in March. Band's debut Executioner was recorded at Stage One Studios by infamous producing legend Andy Classen.
"We had a killer time in Germany recording with Andy Classen. His studio has seen some awesome bands make killer records, and we feel ours definitely holds its own. It's heavy, fast, aggressive, and completely true to the institution of heavy metal. With few distractions in the German countryside, we focused in on getting the album to sound exactly how we wanted." told Dan Wetmore the guitar/vocal of German band to blabbermouth.net. On the right you can see the cover artwork for the upcoming release.

view band's video for One By One by clicking here now!

-- Sanctification's new album preview

Swedish death metallers consisting of former and current members of bands like God Among Insects and In Battle are looking for a drummer right now. Though it's not the reason a history [of violence] entering this news item to the page. They also have just made the title track (aptly titled Black Reign) from their new album available at their myspace profile. With this addition you can listen to 3 brand new tracks from the upcoming full-length. Sanctification also have video series of their recording sessions online. Black Reign was produced by Peter and Tommy Tägtgren at infamous Abyss studios and also features guest appearence on various tracks from Peter. Dan Swano was the man behind the mastering process. With all these references it's hard not to lookk forward to hear the album which will be out via Pulverised Records.

Sanctification @ myspace

-- Ashent: Italians now more Deconstructive!

Metallers hailing from Italian shores, Ashent, have announced that their upcoming album will be released by Lion Music and be out on March '09.
here is the Lion Music's definition of what Ashent's music is all about:
"Deconstructive is a potent progressive experience with many techno-thrash elements, some melodic death references and gothic atmospheres. Each song has its own distinct style with a mix of huge riffs, great variety of tempo, persuasive harmonies, great melodies and shredding arrangements. Essentially Ashent represents the darkest and heaviest side of progressive metal, sharing dramatic and intense emotions with the intimacy of an inner journey, all wrapped in a modern musical and lyrical language."
click here to check Ashent if Lion Music's statement hasn't convinced you :]

-- E-FORCE announces the new line up

With two critically acclaimed full-lengths under their belts ex-Voivod man Eric Forrest's E-Force has just announced a new line up. Forrest stated: "I would like to thank all the ex-members for their participation and good luck! Looking forward to some festival appearances later this year and some new E-FORCE creations". The new line up consists of Forrest on bass & vocals (as predicted), Vincent Agar on lead guitar duties, with addition of ex-Enthroned drummer Alsvid and Julian on rhythm guitar.
click here to check out up to date news about the band.

SYMPHORCE - Godspeed [2005]

Symphorce
Godspeed
Metal Blade Records
2005

Symphorce can be considered as one of the most underrated bands of European scene. Although they release albums since 1999, they are never mentioned amongst the leading acts of european power metal genre. Godspeed is the band’s fifth full-length and as usual, they deliver a solid effort of modern power metal. They are injecting small doses of modern sounds and approaches to their music for years. And this latest effort is again in some ways sound very traditional and in some ways very modern (and quite American sometimes). Andy B. Franck is a great singer, there’s no doubt about it. But he has a quite busy schedule with his two bands(Brainstorm and Symphorce)and i think, this makes him a little bit exhausted in terms of creativity. You can hear the signs quite obviously through out the album, Godspeed. The vocal lines he wrote, will sound really familiar if you have listened to the older releases of his two bands. Cedric C. Dupond and Markus Pohl, the two axemen, are in top form. They play very tight and ..... click here to read the rest of the review