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!

Apostate/Trap In A Sleep/Black Art Records/2010 CD Review


Apostate are a band from Ukraine that plans an epic form of doom/death metal and this is a review of their 2010 album "Trap In A Sleep" which was released by Black Art Records.

Drums range fom slow to midpaced playing with not much in the way of fast drumming or blast beats, while the keyboards have a very dark and tragic sound to them in addition to the last song having a symphonic edge, with a violin being used on a couple of songs, as for the bass playing it has a very strong and very powerful tone to it and it is very easy to hear.

Rhythm guitars range from slow to midpaced doom/death guitar riffs that also take influences from traditional epic doom with some ocassional slow soft playing which is only used breifly, while the lead guitars are very slow sounding doom metal guitar solos that also have influences from classic metal/rock.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls with some ocassional clean singing being thrown in at times, while  the lyrics cover sorrow, darkness and loneliness, as for the production it has a very strong powerful and professional sound to it with all of the musical instruments having a good and heavy sound.

In my opinion Apostate are a very good doom/death metal band, and if you are a fan of this style, you should  check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Earth Escape Plan" "Trapped In A Sleep" and "Eternal Return". RECEMMONDED BUY

Cathedral/Forest Of Equilibrum/Earache Records/1991 CD Review


Cathedral are a band from England that later evolved into a doom rock band but where pure doom/death in the beginning and this is a review of their classic debut "Forest Of Equilibrum" which was released by Earache Records during the year of 1991.

Drums are mostly slow with no fast playing or blast beats, and at times there is are flute's and keyboards being used that gives the music a dark and medeivel feel, as for the bass playing it follows the riffs coming out of the guitars and at times there are some very powerful bass lines that have a 70's metal feel.

Rhythm guitars are very deep sounding slow doom metal riffs that have a good amount of melody and some midpaced riffing that has a thrash feel, while the lead guitars have alot of 70's rock influences in the solos that give this band a stoner rock feel which was not a huge trend when this album came out, and there is a small amount of accoustic guitars that give the music a dark atmospheric feel.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls that are very easy to understand with some clean singing, while the lyrics are very dark with a gnostic feel and some depressing themes, as for the production on this recording which was recorded and mixed at Workshop Studios during the months of July and August of 1991 has a very heavy sound that captures all of the instruments that are present on this album.

In my opinion Cathedral where a great band and this was their heaviest album and if you are a fan of doom/death metal you probably already have this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Ebony Tears" "Serpent Eve" and "Reaching Hapiness Touching Pain". RECOMMENDED BUY

Saturnus/Paradise Belongs To You/Euphonious Records/1997 CD Review


Saturnus are an atmospheric doom/death metal band from Denmark and this is a review of their 1997 album "Paradise Belongs To You" which was released by Euponious Records.

Drums are mostly slow beats with no fast playing or blast beats, while the keyboars are very atmospheric sounding with some flutes and cellos being used on certain songs which gives a new age feel, as for the bass playing has a very dark and powerful tone that is easy to hear on this album.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow melodic doom/death riffs that utilize alot of harmonics, while the guitar leads are very melodic with no fast playing, as for the accoustic guitars when they are utilized include alot of open chords and fingerpicking classical licks that gives the music a very dark atmosphere.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal grwls that are very easy to understand with some clean singing and spoken word passages, while the lyrics are very poetic mixed with some anti christian and depressing themes in addition to being influenced by the writings of William Blake,
as for the production on this recording which was recorded at Soundscape Studio during August of 1996 sounds ver professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this album.

In my opinion Saturnus are a very good atmospheric doom/death metal band and if you area fan of this style you should check this band out.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Christ Goodbye" "Pilgramage Of Sorrow" "I Love Thee" and "The Underworld". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Amorphis/Elegy/Relapse Records/1996 CD Review


Amorphis are a band from Finland that plays atmospheric doom/death metal with a progressive rock and folk music feel and this is a review of their classic 1996 album "Elegy" which was released by Relapse Records.

Drums are a mixture between slow and midpaced drumming with no fast parts or blast beats being utilized, while the keyboards are very atmospheric sounding with alot of progressive rock influences and an ocassional industrial sounding part, also there are a variety of instruments being used such as tambourine, Electric Sitar, chordian, and kantelle which gives the music a folk music feel which is good mixed with the pagan lyrics.

Bas playing is all rhythm bass that follows the riffs coming out of the guitars and at times there are bass leads, while the Rhythm guitars mix slow and fast riffs that are influenced by death and doom metal with a melodic edge, as for the lead guitars they bring out alot of melodic guitar leads that are influenced by 70's progressive rock with alot of wah wah pedal being used, acoustic guitars when they are utilized use alot of open chords and give the music a folk rock feel with some finger picking parts being added.

Vocals are a mixture between deep death metal growls that are very easy to understand mixed in with some clean singer, while the lyrics are based on The Kanteler which was the companion to the Kalevala and there are alot of poetic songs that have alot of Finish mythology in them, as for the production on this album which was recorded at Sunlight Studio in Stockholm, Sweden, MD Studio in Helesinki, Finland and Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments.

In my opinion Amorphis are a very talented band and this is one of their best albums. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Better Unborn" "Of Rich And Poor" "My Kantelle" and "Song Of The Troubled One". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Decomposed/Hope finally died/Candlelight Records/1993 CD Review


Decomposed where a doom/death metal from the U.K and this is a review of their 1993 album "Hope finally died..." which was released by Candlelight Records.

Drums are mostly slow beats with some midpaced to fast playing that contains some blast beats while the bass playing is all rhythm bass that sounds very powerful at times and follow the riffs coming out of the guitars, as for the e-bow bass when it is used gives the music an avant garde feel.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow doom/death riffs with some faster death metal riffing that has a Swedish feel at times while the lead guitar has some very depressing and melodic guitar solos as for the acoustic guitars when they used utilize alot od open chords to give the music a darker feel with some classical guitar being used at times.

Vocals are all deep death metal growls that are very easy to understand with some spoken word passages while the lyrics dying and depression, as for the production on this recording which was recorded at Rhythm Studios during April of 1993 sounds very professional for it's time and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this album.

In my opinion Decomposed where a very good and underrated doom/death metal band and if you are a fan of classic doom/death you should check this band out. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Taste The Dying" "At Rest" and "Procession (of the Undertakers". RECOMMENDED BUY

Anathema/Pentacost III/Fierce Records/1995 CD Review


Anathema are a band from England that I would describe as atmospheric doom/death metal and this is a review of their 1995 album "Pentacost III" which was released by Fierce Records.

Drums are mostly slow beats with no fast parts or blast beats while the bass playing sounds very dark and powerful with the slow riffs that have some influences from 70's metal, s for the keyboards when they utilized they have a very dark and evil feeling to them.

Rhythm guitars on this album are very melodic and only use slow doomy riffs with some midpaced parts and some soft playing is utilized at times while the lead guitars have a very melodic sound that is depressing with some wah wah pedal effects that have a 70's rock sound and some NWOBHM influences.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls that are very easy to understand with some ocassional clean singing as well as some spoken word parts, while the lyrics seem to be heavily influenced by m mythology, Goetic demonalogy, and are very poetic in a gnostic way, as for the production on this albumwhich was recorded at the Academy in Yorkshire, England sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments.

In my opinion Anathema where one of the best doom/death metal bands of the 90's and this album is a classic and if you are a fan of classic doom/death you should already have this album in your collection. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "We, The Gods" and "Memento Mori". RECOMMENDED BUY

Wolverine/Communication Lost/Candlelight Records/2010 CD Review


 Wolverine  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  started  out  as  a  melodic  doom/death  metal  act  but  evolved  into  a  more  melodic  gothic/metal  band  over  the  years  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "Communication  Lost"  which  was  released  by  Candlelight  Records.

  Drums  are  mostly  slow  drumming  with  not  much  in  the  way  of  fast  playing  or  blast  beats,  while  the  keyboars  are  very  atmospheric  and  symphonic  sounding  with  some  psychedelic  sounds  being  used  at  times  as  well  as  violin,  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  sound  very  powerful.

  Rhythm  guitars  are  very  slow  riffs  that  utilize  influences  from  both  doom  and  traditional  metal,  while  he  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos,  as  for  the  classical  guitars  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  add  a  dark  and  tragic  sound  to  the  music.

  Vocals  are  all  clean  singing  vocals  with  some  ocassional  spoken  word  passages  and  the  death  metal  growls  that  are  present  on  previous  releases  do  not  make  an  appearence  here,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  sounds  very  powerful  and  professional sounding.

  In  my  opinion  while  this  album  fromm Wolverine  might  be  a  turn  off  to  some  of  their  more  hardcore  fans  I  still  feel  this  a  very  good  melodic  metal  album,  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Poison  Ivy"  "Your  Favorite  War"  "Embrace"  and  "Communication".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

Heartless Interview


1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have
never heard you before? Adam: We’re a 4 piece hardcore/punk band
called Heartless from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The band started in
2009 and since then we have released the Blank Pages and Broken Glass
demo tape, a split 7” with The Blind from Ireland, a self titled 7”
and we have an LP entitled “Hell Is Other People” coming out soon via
Southern Lord Records.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?
Adam: I would say that we play abrasive hardcore punk. Some songs go
and some songs are slow. There’s lots of blasting and D-beat’s thrown
into the mix. I think you could find elements of almost any style of
extreme music in Heartless.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores
with the music?
Cory: Without really getting into specifics, most lyrics are depressed
and reactionary. Most of it is written in light of something that had
probably happened recently, or that still weighs on me. I like it that
way, because I think that clumsy, passionate overreaction fits well
with the music these guys write.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
Tom: The band name actually came from the His Hero Is Gone song
HEADLESS/HEARTLESS off of Monuments. HHIG is probably one of the most
influential bands for us as far as where we take our cues from
especially in the early stuff. We actually used to cover Anthem of the
Undesirables and that band is in constant rotation in the van.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and
how would you describe your stage performance?
Tom: Man, we've played a lot of amazing shows in a lot of awesome
spaces with some of the most dedicated people in hardcore. It's hard
to think of specifics. I remember a show on our first tour in
Birmingham, Alabama that we hopped on last minute. Wes from Steel City
Booking let us jump on and has hooked us up with a show every time
we've been back since. I just remember when Legion played being
completely entranced in how intense they were. I don’t know why but
that show just sticks out.
Adam: Our live approach has always been to keep things short (our set
ranges from 15-20 minutes tops) while maintaining energy from the
first note to the last.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the new release?
Adam: We just finished booking a 25 day tour covering most of the US
with our buds Full of Hell. We’re going to tour as much as possible.

7. Are there any side projects besides this band or is this a full
time line-up?
Adam plays bass in Masakari and Tom has some more experimental more
folk projects that he’s been working on.

8. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by hardcore/grind fans?
Adam: To be honest, I’m not quite sure how well we are received on a
worldwide level, at least not yet. So far the reviews of our LP have
been great and Southern Lord putting out our LP has already done
wonders for us (hence this interview). We’ve just recently been
getting a great deal of feedback from people in Europe and some other
places around the world. Working with Greg and the rest of SL dudes
has been an awesome experience and has really helped get our name out
there.

9. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your
music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Tom: I think we take influence from a lot of different styles of heavy
music. I am particularly really stoked on what Texas has going on
right now with bands like Hatred Surge/Mammoth Grinder/Mindless.
Deconstruct from HS is probably one of the heavier records I own in
every way. The songs are super aggressive and the actual production is
unbelievable.
Adam: I feel that all of us have pretty eclectic tastes in music, but
punk, metal, and hardcore is what motivates us. This music and serves
as a great outlet for us.

10. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
Rick: I don’t think we’re one of those bands that change drastically
with each release, but we try to take it up a notch each time. We
don’t really have a specific sound in mind when we write. We know when
we write something that isn’t “us” though.

11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Tom: We're all pretty into cycling/bikes. We go on Heartless night
rides as often as possible. 3/4 of us work with bikes for a living.
Music ends up taking most of our time/thoughts though. When were
sitting around hanging out the conversation usually ends up being
about how awesome some record is or what bands are coming through
Pittsburgh. Adam is a part of the Root of Evil Booking Collective so
he always has someone coming through and most of our friends we've
made through the Pittsburgh music scene. It's kind of hard to focus on
other things.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Hummingbird Of Death + Titanarum/Give Praise Records/2011 Split CD Review



  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  between  Boise, Idaho's  Hummingbird  Of  Death  and  Titanarum  from  California  which  was  released  by  Give  Praise  Records  in  2011  and  we  will  start  the  review  with  Hummingbird  Of  Death  that  plays  a  style  that  mixes  Powergrind/Crust core  and  punk  rock  together.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  midpaced  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.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  power  violence/grindcore  and  punk  rocjk  together,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  primitive  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  hardcore  style  shouting  and  deep  growls,  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound.

  In  my  opinion  Hummingbird  Of  Death  are  a  very  good  sounding  powerviolence/grindcore/opunk  rock  hybrid  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECEMMONDED TRACK  "The  Wold  Needs  This".  RECEMMONDED.

  Next  up  is  Titanarum  that  plays  a  mixture  of  crust/grindcore  mixed  in  with  some  punk.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  being  thrown,  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  powerful  sound.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  crust/grind  with  punk  rock  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  crustcore  shouts  and  growls  mixed  in  with  some  deep  growls,  while  the  lyrics  cover  and  hateful  thmes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong  and  heavy  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Titanarum  are  a  very  good  crust/grindcore/punk  rock  hybrid  with  the  best  music  on this  split  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Jeckyll  And  Hyde"  and  "Why  Is  It".  RECEMMOND

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  good  split  album  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  crust,  grind  and  punk  rock,  you should  check  this  out.  RECEMMONDED  BUY.


The Afternoon Gentleman/Pissedography/Give Praise Records/2011 CD Compilation Review

  The  Afternoom  Gentlman  are  band  from  The  U.K  that  plays  a  very  brutal  combination  of  crust,  grindcore,  power  violence  and  thrashcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  Compilation  album  "Pissedography"  which  was  released  by  Give  Praise  Records.

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

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  crust,  power  violence,  grindcore  and  thrashcore  togethwer  to  create  their  own  sound  and  there  are no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  high  pitched  grindcore  screams  mixed  in  with  some  crustcore  style  yelling, deep  growls  and  a  good  amount  of  samples  are  thrown  in  between  alot  of  songs,  while  the  lyrics  cover  alcohul,  grind,  thrash  and  hateful  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  presented  on  the  recording.

  In  my  opinion  The  Afternoon  Gentleman  are  a  very  good  noisecore/crust/grinccore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Rusty  Axe  Through  Aaron  Turner's  Head"  "Mincegrind"  "Beer  For  Life"  and  "Booze  Has  Been  Spilt'.  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Pyogenesis/Waves Of Eurotasia/Relapse Records/1994 CD Review


Pyogenesis are a band that started out as an atmospheric death/doom metal and later evolved into an alternative pop direction and this is a review of their 1994 album "Waves Od Eurotasia" which was released by Relapse Records.

Drums are mostly midpaced beats with some fast playing while the violin gives the music a very dark sound, as for the bass playing it sounds very powerful and at times takes the role of a lead bass.

Rhythm guitars have a very low tuning with some fast riffs that have a Swedish death metal sound mixed in with some slow playing that brings the doomy side to the music with a good amount of melody, as for the lead guitars they are mostly melodic guitar solos, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they use alot of open chords with some fingerpicking and add alot of depression to the music.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls that are very easy to understand with some clean singing as well as some female vocals, while the lyrics touch on depressing themes, as for the production it sounds very professional and you can hear all of the musical instruments.

In my opinion Pyogenesis wher a great atmospheric doom/death metal band in the 90's and this was one of their best albums. If you are a fan of atmospheric doom/death metal you should add this album to your collection. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "In The End" and "Through The Flames. RECOMMENDED BUY.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Lake Of Tears/Illwill/AFM Records/2011 CD Review


 Lake  Of  Tears  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  has  been  around  since  1992  that  started  out  as  a  gothic/doom/death  metal  bands  but  has  added  styles  to  their  music  over  the  years  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "IllWill"  which  was  relased  by  AFM  Records.

  Drums  range  from  sow,  midpaced  to  fast  drumming  with  not  much  in  the  way  of  blast  beats,  while  the  bass  playing  sounds  very  powerful  with  some  dark  and  heavy  riffing.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  midpaced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  gothic/doom  metal  with  traditional  rock  music  and  some  thrash  influences,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  and  tragic  sounding  guitar  solos,  as  fr  the  accoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  briefly  they  use  full  chords  to  add  another  dimension  of  darkness  to  the music.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  clean  singing  and  raspy  vocals,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  hateful  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  powerful  and  professional  sound  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  good  sound.


  In  my  opinion  this  a  good  album  from  Lake  Of  Tears  and  while  some  of  their  fans  from  the  90's  would  be  dissapointed,  I  still  this  is  a  good  album  that  would  appeal  to  more  open  mined  fans  of  metal.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Floating  In  Darkness"  "The  Hating"  "Taste  Of  Hell"  and  "midnight  Madness".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.


My Black Light/Human Maze/Massacre Records/2011 CD Review



  My  Black  Light  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "Human  Maze"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  drumming  with  only  a  small  amount  of  fast  playing  or  no  blast  beats,  while  the  keyboards  bring  a  very  dark,  symphonic  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  music  with  some  influences  from  electronic  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  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  gothic  metal  riffs  that  are  very  dark  and  meldoic  sounding  and  there  is  only  a  small  amount  of  fast  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  and  technical  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  they  are  only  utilized  briefly  and  use  exotic  sounding  scales.

  Vocals  are  mostly  clean  singing   female vocals  mixed  in  with  some  deep  sounding  death  metal  growls  and  there  is  some  clean  male  vocals  being  used  on  one  song,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  everyday  thems,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  powerful  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  My  Black  Light  are  a  very  good  sounding  gothic  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Abstainer"  "Noise  For  Sale"  "Deadline"  and  "Energy  Core".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

Bastard Priest/Ghouls Of The Endless Night/Pulverised Records/2011 CD Review



  Bastard  Priest  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  had  their  previous  album  reviewed  in  this zine  that  plays  a  very  primitive  form  of  death  metal  mixed  with  punk  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "Ghouls  Of  The  Endless  Night"  which  was  released  by  Pulverised  Records.

  Drums  range  from  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.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  midpaced  riffing  that  sounds  like  a  mixture  of  primitive  Swedish  and  Brazilian  death  metal  mixed  with  punk  rock  and  I  can  hear  some  thrash  influenced  riffing  being utilized  at  times,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  chaotic  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  all  deep  death  metal  growls  that  are  very  easy  to  understand,  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  horror,  gore,  pain  and  evil,  as  for  the  prodcution  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw,  heavy  and  primitive  sound  to   it.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  album  from  Bastard  Priest  and  if  you  where  a  fan  of  their  last  album,  you  should  enjoy  this  recording  as  well.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Pestilent Force"  "Poison"  "Fucking Slaughter"  and  "Enormous Thunder Of  The  End".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.  

Katanga Interview


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

We have been playing music together for quite some time now, it will be twelve years this year. During that time we had opportunity to share a stage with numerous national and international bands such as Umbra et Imago, Blind Passengers, Knorkator, Scream Silence, Clan of Xymox, and others.
We consider ourselves part of the Goth subculture, but we have a veritable multitude of musical styles between ourselves and make a point of crossing them all over. As a result, we are not easily pidgeonholed, which we do not try to be anyway.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album, and how does it differ from previous releases?

With “Moonchild“ we created a warm, 1980s-like sound, the keyboards gained some more prominence, and we added Doreen's female vocals to the mix.

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

The lyrics are influenced by movies, books, and our very personal experiences – Metropolis is influenced by Chaplin's “Modern Times” and Lang's “Metropolis”. The title track “Moonchild” deals with solitude. Thus we comment the darker and more unappealing aspects of society.

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

The name Katanga is derived from a movie called “Gattaca” which premiered shortly before we named ourselves, we changed the sound of it a little and, hey presto, Katanga was born. We feel that it is a name that is easy to remember and does not pre-label our music.

5. Have you 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?

As we have been in existence for some time now we can look back on quite a number of live shows. We have fond memories of our appearance at a festival in Świnoujście, Poland, as well as the Burgnächte in Rosslau, Germany.
Our stage performance is not too remarkable, three black-clad guys and a girl playing their music... we tend to kick ass, though!

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

Yes, we do. We managed to cooperate with Mainpoint to do two shows in April, more shows in Northern Germany will be announced soon.

7. On a worldwide level, how has your music been recieved by gothic metal fans?

Exceptionally well, we do have a lot of fans in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and even some in the United States. Most of our fan base is in Germany, though.
Generally Gothic Metal fans tend to like our music, especially if they have a previous inclination towards bands like Zeraphine or Dreadful Shadows. Gothic Metal is an umbrella term for quite different kinds of music, though – people who lean towards bands like Dimmu Borgir, for example, may not be too happy with our music.

8. Do any of the band members have any side projects or is this a full time line-up?

Our bass player Wilko has another project called Burning Alive, all the others are musically monogamous [smirks].

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

We are going to stay true to our course, not barring detours. Future material will be melodious and catchy, just like our current stuff.

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

A multitude of bands and styles: Metallica, Megadeth, The Doors, Danzig, Depeche Mode, Oomph, Rammstein, Dreadful Shadows, The Sisters of Mercy, The 69 Eyes, Nightwish, Loreena McKennitt, Eisbrecher, ASP, or Zeraphine to name just a few. We live for music!

11. What role does Occultism play in the music, and how would you describe your views on those topics?

We are of the opinion that Man cannot be defined by materialistic considerations. People who are, tend to be hollow on the inside and savage on the outside. Man has a deep longing for the intangible and transcendent, for everything that is bigger than visible reality. Arts and music cater to that desire, and our music does so as well. None of us considers him- or herself a member of Wicca or Asatru, though, and we are opposed to Satanism and Neo-facism.

12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Mario likes to research the Nibelungs and Germanic heroic sagas, Wilko is fond of reading, especially English literature, Doreen and Michael are devotees of fitness and athletics. Still we all like to go out in the evenings to meet friends in cafés and bars.

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

Thank you very much for the interview – we look forward to meeting you or any of your esteemed readers on tour.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The Rotted/Ad NauseamCandlelight Records/2011 CD Review


  The  Rotted  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal  and  crust/punk and  this  is  a  review of  their  2011  album  "Ad  Nauseam"  which  was  released  by  Candlelight  Records.

  Drums  range  from  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  alot  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  in,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  riffing  that  combines  death  metal  and  punk  rock.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  thaat  combine  death  metal,, thrash,  crust  and  punk  rock ,  while  the  lead  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  bring  a  Motorhead/punk  rock feeling  to  the  music.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls,  high  pitched  screams,  crust  punk  style  growling  and  shouted  gang  style  vocals  in  addition  the  last  song  utilizes  some  black  metal  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful,  occult  and  anti  christian  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  The  Rotted  are  a  very  good  sounding  death  metal/punk  rock  sounding  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  hybrid,  you  should  check out  this  band.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Anarchogram  Sun"  "Non  Serviam"  "The  Hammer  Of  Witches"  and  "Put  Me  Out  Of  Your  Misery". RECEMMONDED  BUY.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Crematory/Black Pearls Greatest Hits/Massacre Records/2011 CD Review


Crematory are a band from Germany that has been around for over 20 years and has also had their previous album reviewed and has been interviewed by this zine as well, that plays a style that mixes doom, death and gothic metal together and this is a review of their 2010 compilation album "Black Pearls Greatest Hits" which was released by Massacre Records.

Drums are mostly slow to midpaced playing with not alot of fast drumming or blast beats mixed in with some drum programming, while the keyboards have a very psychedelic, etherial and atmospheric feel to them that also at times have an industrial edge and some ocasional piano parts, as for the bass playing it has a very dark  and heavy feel which seems to follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and on some songs they sound very powerful.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow to midpaced riffs that combine death, doom and gothic metal together, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding guitar solos that sound very doomy at times, as for the classical guitars when they are utilized they bring a very tragic sound to the music.

Vocals are a mixture of deep death metal growls with some clean singing male and female vocals, while the lyrics are written in a mixture of German and English and cover poetic and depressing thems, as for the production it has a very heavy and professional sound.

In my opinion this is a great compilation album from Crematory which covers their long history, and if you are  a fan of this band, you should get this album. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Tears Of Time" "Shadow Of Mine" "I Never Die" and "In My Hands". RECEMMONDED BUY

Friday, October 21, 2011

Katanga/Moonchild/Massacre Records/2011 CD Review

Katanga are a band from germany that plays a very melodic and symphonic form of gothic metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "Moonchild" which was released by Massacre Records.

Drums are a mixture of slow to midpaced drumming with some fast playing and not much in the way of blast beats, while the keyboards have a very, dark, symphonic, and atmospheric sound with gothic and industrial inflences, 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 there are very powerful gothic rock riffs.

Rhythm guitars slow to midpaced riffs together that utilize influences from both gothic rock and thrash metal, as for the lead uitars when they are brought into the music they use alot of melody in the guitar solos, as for the accoustic guitars when they are utilized they use full chords to give the music a folk music feel.

Vocals are mostly clean singing vocals with only the ocassional deep death metal growl along with some female vocals, while the lyrics are written in a mixture of English and German and cover dark and occult themes, as for the production it has a very professional and heavy feel to it.

In my opinion Katanga are a very good gothic metal band, and if you are a an of this genre, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "When Darkness Falls" "Moonchild" "Lemuria" and "Death Of The Fun Generation". RECEMMONDED BUY.