Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Exhumed/Maryland DeathFest/2011 Live Review


  Exhumed  are  a  band  from  San  Jose,  California  that  has  their  previous  material  reviewed  by  this  zine  that  plays  a  mixture  of  noise,  grindcore  and  death  metal  to  create  their  own  form  of gore  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  live  performance  at  Maryland  DeathFest  in  2011.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  being  thrown  in,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  grindcore,  noise,  death  metal  and  thrash  to  create  some  brutal  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  distorted  and  chaotic  sounding  death/gore  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep  death  metal  grows  and  high  pitched  death/thrash  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  is  recorded  live  and  has  a  very  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

 In  my  opinion  this  is  a  great  live  performance  from  Exhumed  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  have  probably  already  seen  them  live.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "All   Guts  No  Glory"  "Waxwork"  "As  Hammer  To  Anvil"  and  "Open  The  Abscess".  RECEMMONDED.

Friday, November 4, 2011

My Black Light Interview

  1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never
    heard of you before?
    1.We were born in 2008 when Rudy and Monica met. They were already playing in different cover bands and they decided to try and write their own songs and bring them to light through a new project.

    So once we completed the band lineup we decided to start with some cover songs to improve band harmony and our personal approach to music. After six months spent composing and playing on stage, we attended to several music contests getting success and good results. Once we finished the album we started looking for a label and at the end of March 2011 the band signed with MASSACRE RECORDS.

    2. How would you describe your musical sound?

    2. Our songs structure has changed a lot compared to the initial idea. Every members had their personal music tastes and preferences so we brought  different techniques in our music that make some of the songs complex in terms of metrics and performance and some others more catchy and easy to remember.
    In the end the album sounds heterogeneous but with a leading gothic soul represented by Monica�s voice.



    3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores
    with the music?
    3. Our topics are in general very introspective and explore human emotions, fears and hopes, the way everybody feels inside as a consequence of what happens outside, of course based on our personal experience but always on a very human level. Being human for example is about euthanasia, what would you feel if you should take such a decision? Deadline is about time always ticking away endlessly and you always trying to keep up with it.



    4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
    4. When we met we realized how different we were, we came from different music genres and our tastes were in contrast in some cases. So we wanted something that could express this contrast and we thought that BLACK and LIGHT were perfect. We added MY to make it more personal considering also our lyrics topics.



    5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and
    how would you describe your stage performance?
    5. Surely when we opened Leaves' Eyes and Midnattsol at the end of april 2011. It was great and we had a lot of fun. We were a bit worried and nervous because we had to play on the same stage of such great bands and we were afraid of the comparison with them but the audience was perfect and they welcomed and supported us and enjoyed our music, so we gave our best on stage.



    6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?

6. we are working on it. We have some dates already in Italy but we would really love playing abroad and in Germany of course.


    7. On a worldwide level how has your music been recieved by gothic metal
    fans?
    7. good in general, some people think we are innovative in the genre, some other that we are similar to other gothic bands, but our music has been appreciated by metal fans not only gothic metal fans and this is very good for us.



    8. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full time
    line-up?
    8. This is a full time line-up. We believe in what we are doing and we like to fully dedicate our time to this project. So no other bands for now.


    9. What musical direction do you see the band heading into on future
    releases?
    9. Rudy has already started writing new songs for a new album that we will arrange together
    very soon. They're still symphonic and a little progressive in the structure like in Human Maze, but we want them with a more aggressive sound. They�re just drafts
    for now and Rudy wants MY BLACK LIGHT to work on them first anyway.



    10. What are some band or musical styles that have influenced your music
    and also what are you listening to nowadays?
    10. Concerning the structure of our songs, we were of course influenced by Dream Theater, SymphonyX and Evergrey for example, Poison Black and Black Label Society for guitar, Nightwish, After Forever for the voice, Lacuna Coil and Evanescence for the catchiest songs, but there are so many we could say, even 80s dance music for arrangment. We listen to all kind of music and everyone has their favorite songs and bands, and it would be a very very long list!



    11.Outside of music, what are some of your interests?
    11. Well, Monica loves reading books and doing sport for example, Emanuele's passion is cooking and eating...and he's very good at them both!! For Rudy only music, music, music!! No room for anything else! And we all love spending time with our friends and family.



    12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

12. Thank you and stay tuned for the next news!! Bye bye.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Benumb/Soul Of The Martyr/Relapse Records/1998 CD Review



  Benumb  where  a  band  from  California  that  played  a  very  brutal  form  of  power  violence/crust  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1998  album  "Soul  Of  The  Martyr"  which  was  released  by  Relapse  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  alot  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  power  violence,  crust  and  grindcore  together  mixed  in  with  alot  of  noisy  distortion  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  grindcore  style  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  mixed  in  with  some  spoken  word  parts  and  samples,  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  heavy  and  powerful  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Benumb  where  a  very  great  sounding  power  violence/crust/grindcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "No  Regret"  "Stood  Up  And  Sold  Out"  "No  Hope"  and  "Lost  Perception".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

The Berzerker/Self Titled/Earache Records/2000 CD Review



  The  Berzerker  where  a  band  from  Australia  that  combined  gabber  and  inductrial  with  noisecore,  grindcore  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2000  album  which  was  released  by  Earache  Records.

  Drum  programming  ranges  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  beats,  while  the  bass  guitar  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars,  as  for  the  sampls  they  bring  a  very  heavy  industrial/gabber  feeling  to  the  music  .

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffing  that  combines  noisecore  and  grind  with  death  metal  mixed  in  with  some  melodic  riffing  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  and  there  are  little  to  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep  death   metal growls  mixed  in  with  some  high  pitched  grindcore  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  mianthropy,  anger,  and  medical/pathological  errors,  as  for  the  production  it  has  very  powerful,  professional  and  heavy  sound.

  In  my  opinion  The  Berzerker  where  a  very  great  sounding  industrial, noise,  grind,  and  death  metal  hybrid  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  probably  already  own  this  album.  RECEMMONDED TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Forever"  "Cannical Rights"  "February"    and  "Ignorance".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

  

Celestial Season/Solar Lovers/Metal Blade Records/Displeased Records/1996 CD Review



  Celestial  Season  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  played  a  vey  melodic  and  atmospheric  form  of  doom/death  metal  with  this  album  but  later  evolved  into  stoner  rock,  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Solar Lovers"  which  was  released  By  Displeased  in  Europe  in   1995  and  then  by  Metal  Blade  Records  in  the  U.S  in  1996.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  drumming  with  not  much  in  the  way  of  fast  playing  or  blast  beats,  while  the  violins  bring  a  very  dark  and  atmospheric  feeling  to  the  music  with  a  brief  use  of  pianos  and  synths  being  utilized  on  one  song,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  melodic  doom/death  metal  riffing  that  also  has  a  stoner  rock  feeling  at  times,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  dark,  depressive,  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  bring  a  more  tragic  feeling  to  the  music.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  death/doom  metal  growls  mixed  in  with  some  c,ean  singing  and  spoken  word  parts,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  heavy  and  powerful  sound.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  great  album  from  Celestial  Season  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  atmospheric/doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Solar  Child"  "The  Holy  Snake"  "Vienna"  and  "The  Scent  Of  Eve".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

Filthy Christians/Mean/Earache Records/1990 CD Review



  Filthy  Christians  where  a  band  from  Sweden  that  mixed  grindcore  with  crust  and  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1990  album  "Mean"  which  was  released  by  Earache  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  being  thrown  in,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  grindcore,  crust,  thrash  and  hardcore  punk  together,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  primitive  sounding  hardcore  punk  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  grindcore  and  crust  style  growls,  while  the  lyrics  cover  hardcore,  drunk  driving,  and  hateful  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Filthy  Christians  where  a  good  sounding  grindcore/crustcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Scene"  "Drunk  Driver'  ""The  Disease"  and  "if  You're  Hardcore...  I'm  Not!".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Excruciating Terror/Expression Of Pain/Pessimiser-Theologan Records/1996 CD Review



  Excruciating  Terror  where  a  band  from  Los  Angeles  that  mixed  death  metal  and  grindcore  with  crustcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1996  album  "Expression  Of  Pain"  which  was  released  by  Pessimiser-Theologian  Records.

  Drums  range  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  alot  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown in,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong,  heavy  and  powerful  tone  with  riffs  that  dominate  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mi  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  death  metal,  grind  and  crustcore and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep  death  metal  vocals  and  high  pitched  crust/grindcore  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  society,  politics,  war  and  death,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  heavy,  brutal,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Excruciating  Terror  where  a  very  gteat  sounding  death  metal/grind/crustcore  hybrid  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECEMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Expression  Of  Pain"  "Extortion"  "Stupid  War"  and  "Under  The  Burning  Sky".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

Visceral Evisceration/Incessant Desire For Palatable Flesh/Napalm Records/1884 CD Review



  Visceral  Evisceration  where  a  band  Austria  that  played  a  very  melodic  and  atmospheric  form  of  doom/death  metal  with  more  of  a  focus  and  gore  thems  instead  of  the  dark  and  depressive  themes  which  usually  goes  with  this  sub  genre  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1994  album  "Incessant  Desire  For Palatable  Flesh"  which  was  released  by  Napalm  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  drumming  with  not  much  in  the  way  of  fast  playing  or  blast  beats,  while  the  bas  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording,  as  for  the  synths  when  they  are  utilized  they  bring  a  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  music.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  melodic  doom/death  metal  riffs  that  have  a  very  traditional  metal  feeling  at  times,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  dark,  depressive  and   melodic  sounding.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep  death/doom  metal  growls  mixed  in  with  clean  singing  male  and  female  vocals,  while  the  lyrics  cover  gory  and  perverted  themes  and  I  can  see  a  goregrind  fan  buying  this  recording  beacause  the  bands  name,  song  titles  and  back  cover  but  probably  being  dissapointed  if  he  is  not  open  to  this  style,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark  and  powerful  sound  in  which  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Visceral  Eviscreation  where  a  very  great  melodic  doom/death  band  that  where  way  ahead  of  their  time  with  the  song  lyrics  and if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECEMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "At  The  Epicurean  Gynecologist"  "Chewing  Female  Genital  Parts"  and  "Gangling  Menstrual  Blood-Broth  For  Supper".  RECEMMENDED  BUY.

Ojorojo/Can You Keep Your Sanity/East Bay Menace/1997 CD Review



  Ojorojo  where  a  band  from  Oakland  that  played  a  mixture  of  power  violence/crust/  and  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their1997  album  "Can  You  Keep  Your  Sanity"  which  was  released  by  East  bay  Menace.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  in  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  riffs  that  dominate  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combie  power  violence/grindcore/crust  and  hardcore  punk  together  to  create  their  own  sound  mixed  in  with  a  good  amount  of  noisy  distortion  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  crustcore  style  screams  and  growls  mixed  in  with  some  back  up  vocals  and  samples  being  used  in  songs,  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has a  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Ojorojo  where  a  very  great  sounding  power  violence/crust  punk  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECEMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Trapped  Inside"  "Caged"  "Gunshot  Echo"  and  "A  Show  Of  Force".  RECEMMENDED  BUY.

Avernus/Of The Fallen/MIA Records/1997 CD Review



  Avernus  where  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  played  a  mixture  of  doom  and  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "Of  The  Fallen"  which  was  released  by  MIA  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  drumming  with  not  much  in  the  way  of  fast  playing  or  blast  beats  with  some  percussion  being  thrown  in  at  times,  while  the  keyboards  bring  a  very  dark,  gothic and  atmospheric  feeling  to  the  music,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound to  it  that  dominates  throughout  the  album.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  gothic /doom  metal  riffs  that  are  very  and  melodic  sounding  with  some  guitar  synths  being  thrown  in  at  times,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  or  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  enhance  the  darkness  of  the  music.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep  death/doom  metal  growls  mixed  in  with  clean  singing  male  and  female  vocals,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  gothic  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  powerful  and  professional  sound  and  you  can  hear  every  musical  instrument  that  is  presented  on  the recording.

 In  my  opinion  Avernus  was  a  vey  great  sounding  gothic/doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "'IF I  Could  Exist"  "Ghost"  and  "Beutful  Black  Heart".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

Gore Beyond Necropsy/Noise-A-Go Go !!!/Relapse Records/1998 CD Review



  Gore  Beyond  Necropsy  where  a  band  from  Japan  that  played  a  mixture  of  noise/grind  and  harsh  noise  and  this  is  a  release  of  their  1998  album  "Noise-A-Go Go!!!"  which  was  released  by  Relapse  Records.

  Drums  range  from  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  in,  while  the  noise  effects  sound  very  harsh  and  brutal  sounding,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  sound  very  powerful.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  mid  paced  to  fast  noise/grind  riffs  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  noise/grind  screams  with  some  samples  being  thrown  in  at  times,  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  gore,  feaces,  sick  humor,  and  anti-cock rock,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Gore  Beyond  Necropsy  where  a  great  sounding  noise/grind  hybrid  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECCEMONDED    TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Chain  Of  Torture"  "Kill  The  Cock  Rock  Greedy  Hog!"  "Pain  To  The  Slain"  and  "Chaos,  Disorder  and  Confusion".  RECCEMONDED  BUY  

Paralysis/Patrons Of The Dark/Grind Core International/1993 CD Review



 Paralysis  where  a  band  from  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  that  played  a  mixture  of  death  metal  with  a  blackened  edge  and  grindcore  and  this  is  areview  of  their  1993  album  "Patrons  Of  The  Dark"  which  was  released  by  Grind  Core  International.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  goood  amount  of  blast  beats  being  thrown in  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  riffs  that  dominate  throughout  the  recording,  as  for  the  synths  which  are  only  utilized  on  the  last  song  they  have  a  very  dark  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  death  metal  riffs  that  also  utilize  influences  from  black  metal  and  grindcore,  and  there  are  little  to  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  which are  only  used  on  the  last  song  they  use  finger  picking  to  add  another  dimension  of  darkness  to  the  music.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  growls  mixed  in  with  some  ocassional  high  pitched  black  metal  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  Gore,  Death,  Occultism,  Sumerian  Mythology  and  H.P  Lovecraft  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Paralysis  where  a  very  good  raw  and  primitive  sounding  death/grind/black  metal  band  band  and  if you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  ""Scorched By Demons"  "Patrons  Of  The  Dark"  "Mausoleum"  and  "Gates  Reflected".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

  

Monday, October 31, 2011

Paradise Lost/Gothic/Peaceville Records/1991 CD Review



  Paradise  Lost  are  a  band  from  England  that  played  a  more  atmospheric  form  of  doom/death  metal  on  this  recording  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  classic  1991  album  "Gothic"  which  was  released  by  Peaceville  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  drumming  with  not  much  in  the  way  of  fast  playing  or  blast  beats,  while  the  orchestra  brings  a  very  dark,  symphonic  and  atmospheric  feeling  to  the  music,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  are  very  powerful  sounding  bringing  a  gothic  rock  feeling  to  the  music.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  midpaced  doom/death  metal  riffs  that  utilize  alot  of  dark  sounding  melodies,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  dark,  depressive  and  atmospheric  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  death/doom  metal  growls  that  are  very  easy  to  understand  mixed  in  with  a  good  amount  of  clean  singing  male  and  female  vocals,  as  for  the  production  it  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  recorded  in  1991  but  not  up  to  date  with  the  modern  production  these  days.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  the  best  album  Paradise  Lost  put  out  and  they  went  into  a  different  direction  after  this  recording,  if  you  are  a  fan  of  the  band  you  probably  already  own  this.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Shattered"  "Eternal"  "Falling  Forever"  and  "The  Painless".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

  

Desalmado Interview


 1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

Caio Augusttus: The band was formed in 2004 with the intent of making pure Grindcore music. Bruno, Ana Paula (former bass player) and I started with the idea of mixing that sound with lyrics about social criticism in a general context.
We had some line-up changes and we stabilized when the Estevam (Romera) joined the band. He brought more metal influences to our sound. Before that our songs were, for lack of a better word, confused. We were more influenced by punk music than by metal.
As time went on, our music and our ideological stance became more extreme, but never forgetting our roots in Grindcore.
2. How would you describe your musical sound?
Caio Augusttus:  Grindcore:  the union of punk/hardcore to extreme death metal.  What’s important for us is that our music remains dirty, aggressive and consistent to the ears of those who like the band.
3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Caio Augusttus:  Our songs mostly deal with the notion of certain human groups imposing their dogmas and culture upon other human groups. That behavior is a part of the human instinct of oppressing and conquering for an ideological greed in exchange for money and power. We refuse that posture and any action under that ideology. Perhaps humanity’s most objective means to satisfy this addiction is religion. We can specifically cite Christianity in the West. I think that for every 3 people “saved” by religion, another 5 will be sacrificed in a socio-economic context. That is just plain wrong.
4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band’s name?
Caio Augusttus: Perhaps the main thing is that we do not believe in the existence of a mentor above, the name is an affront to religion, this is the best definition. The word “Desalmado” in Portuguese actually has a few different meanings. It can mean heartless, or cruel. It can also relate to disembodiment: Your soul leaving your lifeless body.
Bruno Teixeira:  Besides that, we have a song on our first demo called "Desalmado." The lyric of that song questions the attitude of religious leaders who use lies to achieve their goals. Again, touching on the lack of a conscience in the face of acts that will cause damage to tens of thousands of people. We see this happening everyday here in Brazil.
5. Has the band had any opportunities to do any live shows yet, if so what are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
Bruno Teixeira: Yes, we have done numerous shows in Brazil during the seven years of this band. We played songs from all our albums and I think that our show is very dynamic and aggressive.
About our best shows, I highlight the opening for Entombed, our first show and an amazing show in the city of Santo Anastácio. Recently we made two great shows, one with the bands DFC, Presto? and Blasthrash, and the other with Defy.
6. Does the band have any touring plans for the future?
Bruno Teixeira: Absolutely! This year we will do our first European tour. It will go through seven countries. After the launch of our new album we want to do shows in Latin America and in North America as well.
7. Recently Greyhaze re-issued your ep, how did you get in contact with the label and how
would you describe the support that they have given you so far?
Caio Augusttus: We're really happy with our deal with Greyhaze Records, it's a positive partnership for both and I believe that having our EP released again is a great support to our music.
In our musical style it's hard to have a support from a record label, a lot of other great bands should have this support. It is very important that the extreme music remains strong in the music scene.
 Bruno Teixeira: One important thing is that Greyhaze knows that we're an underground band, and they respect our music. There are no illusions; both sides have their feet on the ground. Greyhaze contacted us after seeing our video clip and listen to the songs on our MySpace.
8. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by grindcore fans?
Bruno Teixeira: So far the response has been very positive! Our music has pleased not only Grindcore fans, but also people who like Thrash Metal, Punk, Hardcore, Death Metal etc. I think it's pretty cool, because I always liked bands that were not attached to a musical style and incorporated influences from other musical styles.
9. Are there any projects besides this band or is this a full-time line -up?
Caio Augusttus:  Maria has another band called Fire Driven, Ricardo plays in a Thrash Metal band called Chemical Disease and Bruno just started a Grindcore project called Putrid Sense. There's also a D-beat project called Millagro, where Estevam, Bruno and I recorded some songs. But Desalmado is the main thing for all of us.
10. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?
Caio Augusttus:  You will see a pretty solid increase in the overall heaviness of our sound. The next album is still a bit in the first roots of the band, but there is a notable difference from Hereditas. It’s dirty and has the ideal mix between Hardcore Punk and Extreme Metal.
11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are
you listening to nowadays?
Caio Augusttus:  Napalm Death, Terrorizer, Extreme Noise Terror and Sepultura. We listen to a lot of stuff, but in the last 3 years I've been listening a lot to Neurosis and Crowbar. Napalm Death is a band that I listen to everyday.  I have been paying much attention to bands like All Pigs Must Die, Trap Them and Rotten Sound, I think they´re really extreme and insane.
Bruno Teixeira:  Lately I've been listening to Krisiun, Looking For An Answer, Toxic Holocaust and some underground Brazilian bands, like Test, Huey, Defy, Hutt, Facada, Apokalyptic Raids etc. There are a lot of great Brazilian bands, I could stay here talking for one hour and I would forget to mention a lot of bands. I really listen to a lot of musical styles.
12. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?
Caio Augusttus: I have a profound interest in politics, economy, and religion. I’m always involved philosophical socio-political debates. I’m always involved in some shit like that. I waste tons of time writing about these matters.
Bruno Teixeira: I have a general interest in politics. There’s a lot happening at this very moment that could change the destiny of a lot of people. For some inexplicable reason, nobody seems to pay attention to that. Events such as the Arabian Spring, the reaction of the Greek population in front of their economic crisis, and the protests in Chile for better education show that a lot is going in a positive direction, people have been showing their indignation. It’s still not enough. We need to press on.
13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Bruno Teixeira: Thanks to you guys from Bringer of Death! Attitude like yours should always be praised! It is this kind of support we all need. Hope to see you soon on the road!
Cheers!


Desalmado/Hereditas/GeyHaze Records/10 Inch Review


Desalmado  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  brutal  form  of  grindcore  with  a  crust  edge  and  this is  a  review  of  their  2011  10  onch  "hereditas'  which  was  released  by  GreyHaze  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  midpaced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  midpaced  to  fast  riffs  grindcore  riffs  that  are  very  heavy  and  brutal  with  a  good  amount  of  death  metal  influences  being  thrown  in   and  there  are  little  to  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  deep  grindcore  growls  mixed  with  high  pitched  scrams,  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Portugueese  and  cover  political  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  powerful,  raw  and  heavy  sound.

  In  my  opinion  Desalmado  are  a  very  good  grindcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Em  Sua  Hondra"  and  "hereditas".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

Mordbrand Interview


ALL ANSWERS BY BJÖRN LARSSON.


1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have
never heard of you before?

About ten years ago, me and Johan (drums) had a death metal band called Horned, and I guess we missed doing that style of deadly music. Our ambition was not to make anything contemporary, meaning: all out speed and technicality. We wouldn't be able to do that even if we wanted to! But also, it was never a question of emulating our heroes. We just wanted that same passion and doing actual songs instead of finding "the right sound". That's why I adore flawed production - you can't hide behind a magician/producer.
We started out in 2004 - but had no intentions of doing anything further than the four songs we recorded. But, they ended up on a split 12" with english Evoke (suggested by Evoke vocalist John Redfern). That gave us a spark in a way, and we ended up doing more songs - not knowing where they'd eventually end up.


2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how
it differs from the previous split album?

It differs alot from the split record. The songs for the split was recorded on a fun day in the rehearsal place, just tossing letters on a paper and spew words into the mic. But, as I said, the ambition wasn't very high regarding those songs - but they turned out pretty cool anyway. Had we known that they'd be pressed to vinyl, perhaps we would have worked on them a bit more. "Necropsychotic" is the first recording with Per Boder (GOD MACABRE/MACABRE END) behind the mic, and he sure brings alot to the table. Not only does he have a very powerful voice - but he has a way of pronouncing and phrasing - which suits us in a great way. And that's the key to our sound, I think. We try to make cool songs - not complex riffs with growls on top. Our songs are fairly simple and to the point. I'm very pleased with how "Necropsychotic" came out.


3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores
with the new release?

Life, death & (necro-)spirituality, basically. Per did all the lyrics.


4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

Finding a moniker for a death metal band anno 2009 (that's when we named the band) wasn't easy. Mordbrand means "arson" in english, and it has no real meaning. It's just a discomforting thing - like our music.


5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and
how would you describe your stage performance?


We haven't played any shows to this date. Perhaps we will one day, but it's not on our minds at the moment.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the new release?


No.

7. Are there any side projects besides this band or is this a full time line-up?


Me and Johan are active in a thrash metal band called THE LAW and I do some session guitars for punk artist PP7 Gaftzeb. I also have a black metal project with a friend and we'll try to finish up some sort of debut recording this fall. Per is currently not active in any other band or project. 

8. On a worldwide level how has your music been recieved by death metal fans?


Well, I think we've created a small buzz in the underground - but I'm not sure that many people know about us yet. Perhaps - and hopefully - "Necropsychotic" will change that.

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?


Musically it's gonna be crusty d-beat death metal. That's what we set out to do in the first place. Just like "Necropsychotic" showcases, we'll have other influences put in there as well, to make it interesting and varied. But I think the key progression will be audible in the production department.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your
music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Old crust punk, death-/thrash metal and to some degree even black metal. I listen to alot of new stuff as well, and too many bands to mention. But Disma, Craft, Livet Som Insats, Ages, Bastard Priest, Gravehill, Bombus, Burzum, Deathspell Omega, Enslaved, Omnizide, Toxik Holocaust & Deranged are bands with strong releases as of late.

11. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

I enjoy reading about politics, religion and other hazardous human concepts.

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thanks alot   for the interview! I'm very pleased that you find interest in our band and music. Readers can check out our stuff at http://www.reverbnation.com/mordbrand and get a hold of our new Mcd "Necropsychotic" at http://www.deathgasm.com
Bestregards
Björn

Mordbrand/Necropsycotic/DeathGasm Records/2011 CD Review


 Mordbrand  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  old  school   d  beat,  crusty death  metal  in  the  classic  Swedish  death  metal  vein  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "Necropsychotic"  which  was  released  by  DeathGasm.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  midpaced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  in  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  sound  very  powerful.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  midpaced  to  fast  Swedish  death  metal  riffs  that  are  very  raw  at  times  with  some  melodies  being  thrown  in,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  chaotic  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos.

  Vocals  are  all  deep  death  metal  growls,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  gory  themes  with  alot  of  death  related  topics  being  thrown  in  the  songwriting,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  sound  to  it.


  In  my  opinion  Mordbrand  are  a  very  good  Swedish  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Graveyard  revisted'  and  "The  Fall  Of  Flesh".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.



Abaddon Incarnate Interview


1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band, what your goals were when you first started, and what you are doing nowadays?

When we started out we wanted to play fast death metal, no body was doing it here in Ireland or the UK really. There was so much peaceville influenced stuff around. You the type of Death metal with doomy bits and mid paced drumming? we didn't understand why no one wanted to play blast beats so we set up the band in that vein. Also we were certain to sing about the occult etc because everyone is singing about either gore and porn or loosing their girlfriends to some goth suicide so we wanted to emulate greats like Immolation, Morbid Angel, Deicide except to be more brutal. Nowadays we still are focused on this aim but are using a Swedish sound we developed from recording our 2nd and 3rd album in Sweden. We love the crushing guitar tone and we are really taking in a lot of grind influence now, like nasum, rotten sound, napalm death but also bands who are not grind, guys like entombed are also influencing our sound. But we still have our hyper blasts and double pedal heavy metal edge you know? We definitely are a metal band first and foremost, a death grind metal band.

2. Were did you come up with the name for the band?

Well after we folded Bereaved in 1994 and reshuffled the line up we were getting drunk and smoking dope in Olans Apartment ( Old drummer ) And we had a list of about 50 names in a brainstorming session and Abaddon Incarnate was the only one everyone was comfortable with, Its taken form the christian bible, where "Abaddon" is the leader of Satan's Armies on earth when the apocolypse comes, "Incarnate" means he has taken human form, so we are, in a esoteric sense, a manifestation of anti human,anti social, anti life apocalyptic militarism, The abaddon incarnate. Sometimes people accuse us of taking the name from Warhammer games/ fiction, but we existed before the fictional Warhammer character,

3. How would you describe your musical style?

Death Grind

4. What releases have you put out so far?

1999 The last supper, 2001 nadir, 2004 dark crusade, 2009 cascade

5. What are some of the best gigs that you have played so far and how would you describe your shows?

My favourite in my memory and being the best gig was probably supporting Morbid angel in 1999 in Dublin, we opened the show and only played 3 songs but we were playing as the doors opened and 600 people filled the room and immediately started going crazy for us. Amazing show. Our shows are pretty straight up death metal shows we play tight and fast, lots of headbanging and some in between song banter with the audience.

6. Are there any plans for a U.S tour?

We would love to hit the US, we just need a promoter to handle the tour, we have been offered some shit before in the past but unfortunately the guys offering to organise it would be too inexperienced. But we are definitely always looking into making it happen

7. How would you describe your muscal progress over the years?

We started as a pretty bestial death metal band, got some grind parts and basically transformed into a death grind band, we kinda sound like mid nineties napalm death with a Swedish guitar sound and some slayer solos. People also mention Deranged when describing us, I cant hear it though.

8. What direction do you see the music heading into during the future/

Well we have some songs written and they are pretty much at the moment straight up grindcore, so I have some plans for slower parts, maybe some dark melody and maybe some nastier production. I think the production is too clean at the moment so the next stuff will be dirtier.

9. What are some of your influences as a musician and what influences do you have that are not music related?

Ive been influenced by terrorizor, morbid angel, entombed, brutal truth, napalm death, then some mainstream shit like Led Zep, hawkwind, Iron maiden.But I doubt you will ever hear the mainstream shit in our sound. I read a shit load of books and anything occult related I eat up and regurgitate into the music, especially anything Satanic. Also I read, ahem, a lot of warhammer fantasy ( but Ive never read the abaddon stuff haha ) Its pretty dark and grim stuff, magick related. Moorcock, Lovecraft anything dark and trippy. Ive taken alot of acid when I was a teenager so it kinds of colours any creativity I have too. I also write alot about nature, I do a shit load of hillwalking and mountain climbing and see alot of dark natural forces in the landscapes I visit so I try and put that in lyrics too.

10. What are you listening to nowadays new or old?

I got Macabre -Murder metal and dahmer on my MP3 player and Im ALLWAYS listening to Luciferion, great swedish death metal band. Ive also been listening to Nephridium - The great wave, Morphosis - rise of bastard deities and Putrefy - One nation under gore ( all Irish Bands ) Chilling out I listen to old Clannad ( Irish traditional ) and also Ive been wimping out on some Viking metal Enslaved and Bathory. Napalm deaths Diatribes is getting a lot of time too. Early the other Morning I had on Hellbastard to piss Steve F off, doubt he noticed though.

11. Does Paganism, Satanism or Occultism play a role in the music?

Yes it does, All songs I write are from a satanic viewpoint, So traditional European Satanism is a big factor in the music also I dabbled in the Seven Fold Sinister way and failed ( look it up ) so alot is to with the Initiation and failure of that particular quest. A couple of years ago I shared a Apartment with a phycotic Hindu ( Hi Dev ! ) who taught me all there is to know as a westerner about Vamachara and also about the Goddess Kali. So I wrote some songs about that. Also we are singing about the medieval witches, the remnants of paganism which survived through the dark age of christianity, we sing about the ancient solar cults, the original sun gods who are still shining away in the sky and one day will nova and swallow us all. And Luciferionism, the worship of pride - ambition - ego. Abaddon Incarnates Lyrics is heavily embroiled in the sinister and the occult.

12. What are some good films or literature that you would recommend?

I'm reading lots of non fiction war books at the moment which people are either into or not, some mountaineering shit too and also the epic "shogun"
But I guess as a influence on Abaddon Incarnates Atmosphere or personality, I would ask people to watch "Excalibur" "Dog Soldiers" the "Evil Dead 1 and 2" read a book called "Red Thirst" by pringle, " Nine Billion names of god" by Arthur C Clarke, Might is right by red beard, "Naos" by Thorald West.

13. How would you describe the extreme metal scene in Ireland?

Rich and varied, Primordial are the biggest, playing a kind of romantic pagan metal, also we have some real awesome death metal here too, for example, Putrefy, Morphosis, Warpath, nephridium. Also Check out Altar of plagues, as our Drummer johnny is playing with them at the moment on a European tour. They paly a kind of Post Black metal thing, like nuerosis mixed with primordial.

14. Any final words?

yes guys, you can get our new album directly from us abaddonincarnate@gmail.com or from red stream USA. Buy it, it wont disappoint.

15. Thanks for the interview?

Thanks for the interview. Much appreciated and good to hear from the USA.

Apostate Interview


1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never
heard of you before?
1. (Alexander - bass) Apostate is a death/doom metal band, formed in 1993 in Lviv, Ukraine. The nineties were a hard time for a musician here in Ukraine, so by 1997 we had only one demo and one EP released, then we split up in 1998. In 2007 I decided to release a compilation "Apostate Story" which contained our stuff from the 90s. That CD had a surprisingly good feedback and that was the main reason why I decided to gather a new line-up and reanimate Apostate in 2009. So, however strange it may sound, our debut LP was released only in 2010.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album?
2. (Bohdan - vocals) Musically "Trapped in a Sleep" is a cross between traditional doom and death/doom metal genres. The songs are based on trad doom guitar riffs, backgrounded by subtle keys, vocals are mainly harsh. The sound is dark, atmospheric, but at the same time songs are pretty "rocking". We would like to think we've managed to do a modern album that carries that old-school spirit of honesty, sincerity and straightforwardness which was inherent to death/doom metal music of the 90s.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics the new release explores?
3. (Bohdan) Lyrically part of the songs focuses on outer aspects of life - "what eyes can see" - and explores such topics as the rotting world, hopeless mankind, multiplication of emptiness and other life-affirming stuff :) While other part of the lyrics is more personal, introspective reflections (the title track for example), and deals with psychological, existential issues. What unites both parts is they are all appropriately pessimistic.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
4. (Alexander) When we came up with this name in 1993, we didn't put some specific meaning in it, we liked it might be interpreted in many ways. The main thing about the word "apostate" is it has some kind of protest, disagreement, it's rebellious, which, by the way, should be natural for a metal or rock band! I think it would be not far from the truth to say that such dark, heavy music we play cannot be very popular and understood by large number of people, so in this sense we might be called apostates :)

5. Have you had any oppurtunities to do any live shows yet, if so what are
some of the best shows that he band has played so far and how would you
describe your stage performance?
5. (Alexander) We try to play gigs as often as possible. Until now we had only Ukrainian booking agent, so our performances did not go beyond Ukraine, apart from our mini-tour with Therion in the Baltic States, these shows can be described as the most successful.
At present, we have added another guitarist to the band, also we're trying to work with another singer, and we want to slightly change the band's image, and change a bit the concept of a live performance, to introduce new elements of the show, and perhaps a little theatrics.
We are now working with the booking agency Craneo Metal (Germany/Costa Rica), in this year we're planning to do some tours, maybe in Europe and Central America, hope it goes well, so that we have the opportunity to bring our music to listeners in those countries.

6. Currently you are signed to Black Art Records, how did you get in contact
with this label and how would you describe the support that they have given
you so far
6. (Alexander) To tell the truth, Black Art is my own label, and we decided to release the album on it, because we could not find a suitable contract on other label. Black Art helps at its best, as much as possible, but in fact it is very small, and its possibilities are very limited. Anyway, the label is trying to spread the word about our release all around the world, and the album is already available to buy in the United States and some European countries.

7. You guys split up for a while, what caused the breakup and what made you decide t reform the band?
7. (Alexander) Yes, in the late 90s we broke up, the reason was disagreement in the vision of the band's future, but to restore Apostate was the idea which haunted me for a few years and which I was able to carry out with help of present members in 2009.

8. Do any of the band members have side projects or is this a ful time band?
8. (Alexander) I have a death/black metal project called Goliard (black/death), Vova (guitar) and Ihor (drums) play also in a thrash metal band called Disarm.

9. On a worldwide level, how has your music been recieved by doom/death metal fans?
9. (Alexander) On a worldwide level our album has been perceived very warmly and we got a lot of cheerful feedback from the fans of this style all over the world, as well as enough positive reviews from magazines.

10. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what
direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?
10. (Alexander) Stuff on the latest album has been more dynamic than ever before, we have focused more on guitar riffs base in our music. In a future release, of course, the genre will remain the same, but with getting on board two new members, we hope they will bring into our music something new, well, so I think we will carry out experimentation with the sound, with instruments, and with vocals.

11. What are some band or musical styles that have influenced your music and
also what are you listening to nowadays?
11. (Alexander) Bands that have influenced us are plenty, but basically we are influenced by Black Sabbath, Candlemass, My Dying Bride, etc. As for musical style, every style that has a word "doom" in its description :) And we listen to the entire world metal, and not only, scene, ranging from old hard rock bands to modern genres, but except for nu metal, emo, etc.

12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
12. (Alexander) Outside of music we have quite a lot of interests, we are engaged in sports, love fishing, hiking, reading, and so on. The problem is we have a little time for all of this, because we all have full-time jobs.

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
13. (Alexander) Thank you for your interest in us, we wish you best of luck and a lot readers for your magazine. To everyone, thanks for your time and reading this interview. Buy our new album, if you like our music, follow our news on our pages:

myspace.com/apostateua
facebook.com/pages/Apostate/151640094883406
apostate.com.ua/?artid=1238711909&lang=eng

See you at the gigs! Stay doom!