Agoraphobic Nosebleed/A Joyful Noise/Handshake Inc/2011 EP Review

  Agoraphobic  Nosebleed  are  a  band  from  Boston,  Massachusetts  that  has  been  around  for  a  long  time  and  plays  a  noise/grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  ep  "A  Joyful  Noise"  which  was  released  by  Handshake  Inc. .

  The  ep   starts  off  with  some  fast  grindcore  and  noisy  distortion  along  with  a  mixture  of  crustcore  style  shouting  and  high pitched  noisecore  screams  and  the music  sticks  to  a  fast  direction  for  the  most  along  with  some  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  as  well  as  all  of  the  songs  being  short  in  length while  also  mixing  in  some  slow  and  heavy  parts  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  harsh  noise  being  utilized  on  this  recording  as  well  as  some  samples.

  Song  lyrics  cover  the  violent  and  hateful  side  of  Xmas,  while  the production  has  a  very  heavy,  raw,  brutal  and  harsh  sound  along  with  all  of  the  songs  being  very  short  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  from  Agoraphobic  Nosebleed  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Santa's  Got  A  Brand  New  Bag"  "No  Presents  This  Year"  "Ghost  of  Christmas  Past"  and  "Little  Town  Of  Bethlehem".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.        

Idylls/Indian Circle/2013 EP Review

  This  is  the  final  review  of  a  recording  from  Idylls  which  continues  their  mixture  of  grind,  post  hardcore,  punk  and  progressive  music  with  the  ep  being  self  released  in  2013  and  called  "Indian  Circle".

  The  ep  starts  off  with  some  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  then  the  music  starts  adding  in  high  pitched  screams  and  post  hardcore  elements  while  also  combining  them  with  progressive  music  and  grindcore  and  the  music  also  incorporates  a  lot  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats.

  As  the  ep  moves  on  the  music  starts  getting  more  diverse  while  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  fast  and  brutal  parts  and  the  continues  the  tradition  of  mixing  many  different  musical  genres  to  create  a  sound  only  they  can  call  their  own  and  the  also  mix  in  some  death  metal  growls,  guitar  leads,  and  melodic  vocals  on  certain  songs.

   Song  lyrics  cover  dark,  hateful  and  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  ep.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Idylls  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  that  is  heavy  and  original  sounding,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Concord  Poison"  and  "Beyond  the  Grave".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

Idylls/Palisades/2012 Split Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between Australia's  Idylls  and  New  Jersey's  Palisades  which was  self  released  in  2012  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Idylls  a  band  that  has recently  had  some  of  their  music  reviewed  in  this  zine  and  play  a  progressive  mixture  of  noise,  punk,  post  hardcore  and  grind.

  The  music  on  their  side  of  the  recording  starts  out  for  fast,  heavy  and  progressive  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams,  brutal  guitar  riffs,  blast  beats  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  then  the  music  starts  to  slow  down  and  go  into  a  more  progressive  direction.

  When  we  get  into  song  2  harsh  noise  elements  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  guitar  leads  and  the  recording  starts  going  for  more  of  an  improv  direction  and  a  few  minutes  later  spoken  word  parts  are  added  into  the  music  and  the  music  remains  in  a  heavy  and  noisy  direction   and  once  their  last  song  comes  on  they  return  back  to  their  fast  riffs.

  Song  lyrics  cover  hateful  and  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful, heavy  and  professional  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording  as  well  as  one  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Idylls  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  noise,  grind  and  hardcore,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  "Born  Anxious"  and  "A  Wonderful  Summer".

  Next  up  is  Palisades  a  band  that  plays  a  heavy  form  of  post  hardcore.

  Their  side of  the  split  starts  off  with  some aggressive  screams  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  and  after  awhile  they  go  into  a  cleaner  direction  with  a  mixture  of  acoustic  and  heavy  guitars  before  adding  in  some  annoying  emo  vocals.

  And  as  their  side  of  the  split  continues  it  stays  in  the  same  direction  and  it  remains  boring

 I  would  have  to  say  this  band  doe s not  play  a  musical  style  that  I  am  into  and  I  am  not  the  right  person  to  judge  this  musical  genre.

  Song  lyrics  cover  depressive  and everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound,  it  is  very  well  produced  but  I  just  cant  get  into  their  music  it  is  just  not  my  cup  of  tea.

  In  my  opinion  Idylls  are  a  very  boring  sounding  hardcore  band  and  I  cannot  recommend  them  to  anyone,  since  this  is  not  a  musical  style  that  I  enjoy.

  In  my  opinion  this  ep  is  only  worth  buying  for  Idylls  music,  and  I  would  only  buy  it  for  their  songs,  so overall  I  would  give  this  ep  only  a  half  recommendation.
     

Idylls/Farewell All Joy/2012 Full Length Review

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Idylls  which  continues  their  mixture  of  punk,  post  hardcore  and  grind  along  with  some  progressive  elements  with  the  album  being  self  released  in  2012  and  called  "Farewell  All  Joy".

  The  album  starts  out  with  some drums  and  post  hardcore  guitar  riffs  before  adding  in  screams,  blast  beats  and  grindcore  elements  and  the  music  also  starts  getting  more  diverse  along  with  some  prog  elements.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  bass  guitars  get  louder  and  melody  starts  mixing  in  with  some  of  the  more  chaotic  parts  and  the  music  start  developing  an  original  sound  that  only  this  band  can  call  their  own  and  the  variety  of  many  different  influences  really  make  this  band  and  album  stand  out  from  the  rest  and  as  time  goes  on  by  there  are  some  elements  of  harsh  noise  being  added  into  the  album  as  well  as  some  death  metal  influences.

  Song  lyrics  cover  hateful  and  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  album  along  with  most  of  the  songs  being  very  short.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  from  Idylls  and  if  you  are  looking  for  some  original  sounding  noise,  grind  or  hardcore,  you  should  check  this  album  out.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Paradise  of  Blood"  "Bombs  Reign  Useless"  "Violent  Caves"  and  "Teenage  noose".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.    

Idylls/Amps For God/Plague Hell/2011 7 Inch Review

  Idylls  are  a  band from  Australia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  post  punk,  hardcore  and  grind  and this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2011  7  inch  "Amps  For  God/Plague  hell".

  The  music  starts  out  with  some  drums,  powerful  bass  guitars  and  noisy  guitar  riffs  before  adding  in  high  pitched  screams  which  leads  to  a  mixture  of  post  hardcore  and  punk  and  the  7  inch  starts  utilizing  a  mixture  of  slow  and  fast  parts.

  As  the  ep  progresses  melody  is  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  noisy  sounding  guitar  leads  and  blast  beats  from  the  drums  and  there  is  a  lot  of  variety  being  utilized  in  all  these  songs   which  are  very  short  and  the  ep  is  under  10  minutes  and  on  the  last  song  psychedelic  elements  are  added  into  the  music.

  Song  lyrics  cover  hateful  and  everyday  themes,  while t he  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  7  inch.

  In  my  opinion  Idylls  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  post  hardcore,  punk  and  grind  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  7  inch.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Cultured  Disrupt".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

Osawatomie/Coffee Breath Records/Demo 2012 Demo Review

  Osawatomie  are  a  band  from  the  Czech  Republic  that  plays  a  mixture of  screamo  and  power  violence  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  demo  which  was  released  by  Coffee  Breath  Records.

  The  demo  starts  off  with  jazz  samples  and  spoken  word  parts  along  with  some  distorted  noises  and  then  the  heavy  guitars  and  drums  start  to  kick  in  along  with  some  emo  and  post  hardcore  influences  until  going  into  a  fast  and  brutal  direction  along  with  blast  beats,  screams  and  growls.

  As  the  demo  progresses  the  music  starts  getting  more  heavy  and  melodic  and  well  as  mixing  in  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  the  music  gets  more  diverse  with  each  song  and  every  tune  stands  out  on  its  own  and  all  of  them  have  a  very  different  sound  to  it.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  their  native  tongue  and  cover  hateful  and  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  dark,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Osawatomie  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  screamo,  post  hardcore  and  power  violence  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Burzum"  and  "Feuersturm".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Afterlife Kids/Morgengrauen/Vendetta/Adagio 30/2013 CD Review

  TThis  is  the  final  review  of  a  recording  from  Afterlife  Kids  which  continues  their  mixture  of  screamo  and  power violence  with  the  album  being  called  "Morgengrauen"  and  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Vendetta  and  Adagio  30.

  The  album  starts  out  with  some  dark  sounding  synths  as  well  as  some  harsh  noise  sounds  as  well  as  a  small  use  of  spoken  words  and  then  the  heavy  guiars  kick  in  and  the  music  starts  mixing  emo,  post  hardcore  and  power  violence  together.

  The  music  music  also  starts  using  some  melodic  riffing  along  with  a  combination  of  screams  and  shouts  before  adding  in  brutal  bass  guitars  and  blast  beats  to  create  a  sound  that  is  a  little  more  diverse  and  as  songs  go  on  by  there  are  some  noise  elements  being  brought  back  into  the  music  along  with  some  drones,  and  then  the  music  starts  adding  in  clean  guitars  before  going  back  to  a  heavy  assault.

  As  the  album  progresses  metal  influences  are  added  into  the  music   as  well  as  the  music  adding  in  progressive  touches  which  also  calm  down  the  chaos  this  recording  possesses,  and  the  music  also  starts  adding  in  more  blast  beats  and  mixing  in  more  drone  and  noise  elements  to  create  a  sound  only  they  can  call  their  own.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  hateful  and  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Afterlife  kids  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  screamo,  noise  and  power  violence,  you  should  check  this  album  out.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "In  Wolflgefallen  Aufgelost"  "Ethos"  "Bismut"  and  "Inkompatibilist".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Afterlife Kids/Geisterhand/2012 EP Review

  This  is  another  review  of  a  self  released  recording  from  Afterlife  Kids  with  the  musical  style  being  being  a  mixture  of  screamo and  power  violence  and  the  ep  was  released  in  2012  and  called  "Geisterhand".

  The  music  starts  out  with  some drum  beats  and  slow  guitars  before  going  into  a  fast  crust/grind  direction  as  well  as  mixing  in  screams  and  then  emo  and  screamo  elements  get  mixed  in  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls  and  the  music  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  as  time  goes  on  by  hardcore  elements  are  added  into  the  music  as  well  as  some  emo  type  of  vocals  but  not  having  a  melodic  edge  to  them.

  Once  the  ep  gets  into  the  4th  song  clean  guitars  and  spoken  word  parts  are  added  in  and  then  going  into  a  slow  yet  heavy  direction  and  it  leads  to  a  return  of  the  fast  crust/grind  this  ep  has  a  lot  of  and  it  mixes  in  the  grind  with  slower  hardcore  breakdowns  and  halfway  through  the  recording  melodic  vocals  are  finally  added  in  briefly.

  Once  the  ep  goes  into  the  last  song  it  starts  adding  in  more  drone  and  experimental  elements  and  as  time  goes  on  by  it  starts  adding  in  harsh  noise  and  power  electronics  to  bring  a  very  dark  sounding  end  to  the  ep.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  hateful  and  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  raw  and  heavy  sound  with  the  bass  guitars  being  mixed  down  low  in  the  mix  as  well  as  the  last  song  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding   recording  from  Afterlife  Kids  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  screamo  mixed  with  power  violence  and  harsh  noise,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Geisterhand"  and  "Sorgenkind".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Afterlife Kids/Elemator./2012 EP Review

  Afterlife  Kids  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  harsh  form  of  noise/noisecore  with  this  release  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  ep  "Elemator.

  The  ep  starts  out  with  some  loops,  drone  and  power  electronics  and  the  music  adds  in  dark  ambient  elements  and  the  noise  sounds  start  getting  more  harsh  as  time  goes  on  by  as  well  as  being  more  diverse  in  sound  and  mixing  ambient  and  harsh  noises  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.

  Once  we  get  into  the  second  song  the  music  gets  darker  along  with  some  avant  garde  drones  and  you  can  hear  a  lot  of  dark  atmosphere  being  evoked  with  the  music  and  both  of  the  songs  are  very  experimental.

  Song  themes  cover  darkness,  while  the  production  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it  with  both  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Afterlife  Kids  created  some  very  interesting  drone/noise  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK "Auftrieb".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

  

Morse Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

-Rehearsals, rehearsals and more rehearsals for a new album really soon because some of the songs in this record are really olds now, we want fresh blood!! and a tour for this spring in France and Europe with our friends from the band Verdun. 

2.How would you describe the musical sound of the new album?

-We did'nt want a modern sound like others productions in the same kind of music and one of our expectation was a really loud bass's sound and i think we did it.

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

-I have a facination for the destroying side of the human being, so many of the album's songs talk about war and self destruction, why we spend so much money to kill each other, it's hilarious.

   

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

-"Morse" means "Walrus", the band was named like this before i come in and i think it's just because it's a fat and disgusting animal just 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?

-It's a difficult question, we have played many good shows with awesome crowd but for me the best was our performance in the YELL FEST #1 a little festival in the middle of fucking nowhere it was so intense and chaotic, it was a really particular night for me but  the best is yet to come ;).

Our stage performance is, i think, really intense, every show is like the last.

   

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

-Yep, some shows in France for january, march and a tour in april-may in France and Europe. 

7.The new album came out on heads Records, how did you get in contact with this label and how would you describe the support they have given you so far?

-Head-records is our bassist's label and it's our first album so we did'nt want to lose time in a label research so Abel (bassist) says : "Fuck! We do that on head-records" and this motherfucker is a fucking pro so it was really cool to see all the stages creation of a record with him.     

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

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

-We have on "Beliefs destroyer" three songs pretty heavy of the rest of the album  : "Made by monsters, Last resort and Kadahar" and i think these three songs should be the new orientation of their future songs.

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

-Our guitarist (Mathieu) is a huge fan of doom, sludge, stoner music it's one of our influence, the drummer (Kevin) like jazz music and some hardcore bands too and Abel(bass) and i (Jean-Marc, singer) listen a lot of grind, hardcore, noise... take a fucking grinder and here it is... MORSE.

During the interview i'm listening "The Commodores-machine gun" HA HA one of the most funky album on earth! I see you smilling ! Stop it please.     

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

-Abel (Bass) and Kevin (Drums) choose music as way of life, Label and shows organisation for Abel and drums drums drums for Kevin, in different bands and he's also in a music school as student. Mathieu is infographist or something like that (haha) And... i hate talking about me.     

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

-Yeah thanks for your interest in Morse man, We hope one day play in USA. Take care 

JM 

Stuntman Interview Questions

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

We are playing music together since 2002. When we formed the band we wanted to make violent and tortured hardcore, play gigs and record songs. That’s what we’ve done.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?

Today our sound is powerful, noisy and aggressive.

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

Subjects explored are feelings of hate and rage. Human relationships and death.

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

Risk of death and rumors of fall. We liked the metaphor and how the word sounds.

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

The best shows that we have played together were and will always be when the audience and our friends share and enjoy what we're providing on stage. What we love is this communion. We can’t do a hierarchy.

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

We will play in Montpellier (France) for the release party (18th January 2014). We will tour from the 1st to 15th of March in Europe and play some gigs on weekends until end of May.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of hardcore and grind?

We have a lot of satisfaction with the band. On tour we met a lot of people who became friends. Nevertheless thanks to the Web we're having very good feedbacks worldwide on our latest material. However we’re still very confidential.

8.Are there any other musical projects besides this band?

A lot, we're involved in other bands (Pal, Plebeian Grandstand, Feral, Reverend Knockers), owning a label Prototype Records and promoting a festival called the Yell Fest.

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

It’s difficult to answer but we will continue to do our best in the same direction!! No compromise.

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

A lot of bands influenced our music but we can say that metal hardcore bands from the 90’s are the most important spring of inspiration. Nowadays we still listen to these bands but also more modern ones like Nails, Ulcerate or Deathspell Omega for example. We listen to almost everything but our tastes remain kind of elitist.

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

Each one of us is interested in different things. Family, friends, food, politics, philosophy, art, technology…life!

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

Incorporate The Excess is the first record that makes us entirely happy in terms of production and sound but STUNTMAN is still a band you must experiment on stage.

THANK YOU very much.

Cannabis Corpse/Ghoul/Splatterhash/Tankcrimes/2014 Split EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  Virginia's  Cannabis  Corpse  and  California's  Ghoul  called  "Splatterhash"  which  was  released  by  Tankcrimes in  the  year  of  2014  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Cannabis  Corpse  a  band  that  plays  a  marijuana  themes  form  of  death  metal  and  grindcore.

  "The  Inhalation  Plague"  which  is  also  the  first  song  on  their  side  of  the  ep  opens  up  with  heavy  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  deep  death  metal  growls  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  after  awhile  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  melody  being  thrown  into  the  guitar  riffing  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  the  bass  guitars  in  certain  sections  of  the  song  along  with  some  technical  elements.

  "Shatter  Their  Bongs"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  a  few  seconds  later  growls  make  their  way  into  the  song  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  melody  which  also  leads  up  to  some  high  pitched  screams  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  guitar  leads.

  Song  lyrics  cover  Marijuana  themes, while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Cannabis  Corpse  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  old  school  death  metal  and grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Inhalation  Plague".  RECOMMENDED.

  Next  up  is  Ghoul  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  the  musical  style  being  splatter  thrash  death/grind.

  "Inner  Sanctum"  which  is  also  the  first  song  on  their  side  of  the  split  opens  up  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  before  adding  in  a  mixture  of  high  pitched  screams  and  deep  death  metal  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  some  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  after  awhile  there  are  some  guitar  solos  and  leads  that  come  in  and  out  of  the  song  along  with  some  thrash  influences  and  back  up  shouts.  

  "Spill  Your  Guts"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  before  adding  in  some  screams  and  growls  as  well  as  some  thrash  influences  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  you  can  also  hear  bass  guitars  and  melody  in  certain  parts  of  the  song.

  Song  lyrics  cover  splatter  and  gore  theme,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ghoul  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  their side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Inner  Sanctum".  RECOMMENDED.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  death  metal,  thrash  and  grindcore.  RECOMMENDED  BUY.
 
  

Morse/Beliefs Destroyer/Head Records/2013 CD Review

  Morse  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a mixture  off  noise,  power  violence  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Beliefs  Destroyer"  which  was  released  by  Heads  Records.

  "Made  By  Monsters"  which  is  also  the  first  song  on  the  album  opens  up  with  distorted  noise  sounds  before  adding  in  heavy  guitar  and b ass  riffs  that  also  utilize  some  melody  along  with  some  drums  before  adding  in  a  mixture  of  hardcore  style  shouts  and  grindcore  screams.

  "False  Eyes"  begins  with  aggressive  vocals  along  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  and  bass  riffs  a  as  well  as  some  drums  and  the  song  is  very  short  and  under  a  minute  as  well  as  sticking  to  a  mid  paced  direction.

  "Guided  By  Evil"  opens  up with  distorted  sound  effects  which  also  leads  up  to  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  a  few  seconds  alter  melodic  vocals  kick  in  before  turning  into  aggressive  growls  and  screams  and  towards  the  end  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  along  with  some  technical  elements  and  you  can  also  hear  bass  guitars  in  certain  sections  of  the  song.

  "Odobenus  Rosmanus"  starts  up  with  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  and  drums  along  with  some  aggressive  growls  and  screams   and  the song  is  very  short  and  under  2  minutes  as  well  as  closing  with  loud  distortion  sounds.

"Polyestrous"  kicks  in  with  distorted  bass  guitar  sounds  before  adding  in  drums  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  aggressive  sounding  growls  and  scream s and  then  the  song  starts  getting  a  little  faster.

  "Last  Resort"  comes  in  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  growls  and  screams  as  well  as  some  drums  and  you  can  also  hear  the  bass  guitars  in  certain  sections  of  the  song  as  well  as  the  song  being  short  and  under  2  minutes.

  "Daycare  For  Bastards"  is  introduced  by  spoken  word  samples  being  add in  in  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  growls  and  the  song  sticks  to  a  mid  paced  direction.

  "Mugiform"  is  brought  in  with  heavy  and  melodic  sounding  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  drums  which  also  leads  to  to  hardcore  style  growls  and  the  song  stays  in  a  mid  paced  direction  and  is  under  2  minutes.

  "Kandahar"  which  is  also  the  last  song  on  the  album  opens  up  with  spoken  word  samples  and  noise  sounds  before  adding  in  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  along  with  some  aggressive  vocals  and  you  can  also  hear  the  bass  guitar s in  certain  sections  of  the  song.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  French  and  English  and  cover  hateful  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very   strong,  powerful,  heavy     and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instrumental  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Morse  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  noise,  hardcore  and  power  violence  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Made  By  Monsters"  "Guided  by  Evil"  and  "Daycare  For  bastards".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  



  

Exhumed/Iron Reagan/Tankcrimes/2014 Split LP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  between  California's  Exhumed  and  Virginia's  Iron  Reagan  which  will  be  released  by  Tankcrimes  in  early  2014  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Exhumed  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  brutal  form  of  gore  death/grind.

  "Gravewalker"  which  is  also  the  first  song  on  their  side  of  the  split  opens  up  with  heavy  bass  guitar  riffs  and  drums  before  adding  in  heavy  grindcore  riffs  and  a  few  seconds  later  high  pitched  screams  and  death  metal  growls  kick  in  along  with  some  punk  influences  which  also  leads  up  to  the  music  getting  faster  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  guitar  solos.  

  "Dead  To  The  World"  begins  with  heavy  grindcore  riffs  and  drums  which  also  leads  up  to  a  mixture  of  screams  and  growls  and  a  minute  later  guitar  leads  and  blast  beats  are  added  into  the  song.

  "Seeing  Red"  which  is  also  a  Minor  Threat  cover  opens  up  with  distorted  bass  guitars  before  adding  in  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  also  leads  to  a  mixture  of  punk  grind  style  vocals  and  deep  death  metal  growls.

  "Ready  to  Fight"  which  is  also  a  Negative  Approach  cover  starts  up  with  punk  rock  style  screams,  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  before  going  into  a  faster  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  some  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  and  the  song  closes  with  dog  barking.

  Song  lyrics  cover  gore  and  violence  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Exhumed  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  the  band,  you  should  enjoy  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Gravewalker"  and  "Ready  to  Fight".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

  Next  up  is  Iron  Reagan  a  band  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  thrash  and  crossover.

  "Life  Beater"  which  is  also  the  first  song  on  their  side  of  the  split  opens  up  with  heavy  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  thrash/punk  style  vocals  and  shouts  and  then  the  music  goes  into  a  faster  direction.

  "Gave  up  On  Giving  A  Fuck"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  shouting  style  vocals  and  then  the  song  goes  for  more  of  an  old  school  direction  along  with  some  punk  style  backup's.

  "Mini  Lights"  opens  with  heavy  thrash  metal  style  guitar  riffs  and  drums  before  adding  in  the  punk  style  shouting  vocals  and  then  the music  goes into  a  more  80's  crossover/thrashcore  direction  while  also  adding  a  little  melody  and  back  up  shouts.

    "Holy  Water  Makes  Me  Wet"  which  is  also  the  last  song  on  their  side  of  the  split  begins  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  also  utilize  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  before  adding  in  shouting  style  vocals.

  Song  lyrics  cover  hateful  themes,   while  the production  has  a  very  heavy  and  old  school  sound  along  with  the  bass  guitars  being  mixed  down  low  in  the  mix.

  In  my  opinion  Iron  Reagan  are  a  very  great  sounding  crossover  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Life  Beater"  and  "Gave  up  On  Giving  A  Fuck".  RECOMMENDED.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  if  I  would  recommend  to  all  fans  of  death  metal,  grind,  thrash  and  punk.  RECOMMENDED  BUY.       

Stuntman/Incorporate The Excess/Solar Flare Records/2014 CD Review

  Stuntman  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  hardcore,  noise  and  grind  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Incorporate  The  Excess"  which  was  released  by  Solar  Flare  Records.

  "Broken  Mirrors  Lacerate"  which  is  also  the  first  song  on  the  album  as  well  as  intro  opens  up  with  nature  sounds  along  with  some  spoken  word  samples.

  "The  Patriot,  The  Elite,  The  Icon"  begins  with  fast,  heavy  and  brutal  guitar  and  bass  riffs  which  also  utilize  some  melody  along  with  some  drums  before  slowing  and  adding  in  hardcore  style  vocals  along  with  some  growls  and  screams  as  well  as  some  technical  riffing  and  at  the  last  minute  the  music  gets  fast  again.

  "Bag  Of  Dicks"  opens  up  with  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  a  second  later  aggressive  screams  are  added  into  the  song  and  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  buts  focuses  more  on  mid  paced  parts  along  with  some  harsh  noise  elements  and  towards  the  end  of  the  song  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  leads.

  "Horn  Of  Misery"  kicks  in  with  heavy  and  fast  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  before  adding  in  crust  style  screams  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  and  after  awhile t he  music  slows  down  a  bit  and  goes  into  a  more  hardcore  direction  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  death  metal  growls  before  the  song  speeds  up  again.

  "Roll  The  Skull"  starts  up  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  before  adding  in  aggressive  vocals  and  then  the  music  starts  to  alternate  between  slow  and  mid  paced  parts  and  yo u  can  also  hear  bass  guitars  in  certain  sections  of  the  song  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats.

  "Chaos  Shepherd"  comes  in  with  fast  and  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  before  slowing  down  a  bit  and  adding  in  hardcore  screams  while  also  returning  back  to  the  faster  sections  at  times.

  'Scarecrow  Warfare"  which  is  also  the  last  song  on  the  album  begins  with  drums  along  with  some  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  that  also  utilize  melody  at  times  and  halfway  throw  the  song  elements  of  noise  are  added  into  the  music  until  returning  back  to  the  guitar  riffs  and  towards  tthe  end  you  can  hear  some  screams  in  the  background

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark  and  hateful  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  as  well  as  the  last  song  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Stuntman  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  noise,  hardcore  and  grind  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Patriot,  The  Elite,  The  Icon"  and  "Rot  The  Skull".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.           

The Governor's Ball/The Governor's Bash/2013 7 Inch Review

  this  is  a  review  of  a  7  inch  that  has  a  little  bit  of  comedy  as  well  as  songs  from  Fuck  The  Facts,  Godstomper  and  Slyde  and  the  7  inch  is  called  "The  Governor's  Ball"  and  was  released  in  2013  by  The  Governor's  Bash.

  "The  Governor  Vs.  Goatwhore"  opens  up  the  7  inch  with  a  comedy  sketch  involving  the  band  Goatwhore  and  politics.

  Next  up  is  Fuck  The  Facts  with  "L' Enclume  Et  Le  Marteau"  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  power  violence/grindcore  song  from t his  legendary  band  and  the  song  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Godstomper  brings  us  "Don't  Walk  Home"  a  very  heavy  song  that  mixes  sludge,  grindcore  and  power  violence  together  with  the  bass  guitars  being  the  lead  instrument  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  clean singing  and  melodic.

  Slyde"  is  introduced  with  "New  World  Sympathy"  a  song  that  is  more  in  a  mainstream  and  melodic  progressive  metal  and  pop  punk  direction  and  not  as  heavy  as  the  other  bands  that  are  present  on  this  7  inch.

  "The  Governor  Vs.  Glen  Benton"  as  another  comedy  sketch.

  "Fuck  The  Facts   returns  with  "Loss  Upon  Loss"  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  power  violence/grindcore  song  that  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  diverse  and  original  elements  to  stand  out  on  its  own.

   Godstomer  returns  wit h  "Temples"  another  very  heavy  bass  orientated  song  from  these  power  violence  legends  and  the  song  continues  with  the  same  style  sound  that  was  utilized  on  their  previous  song.

  Slyde  returns  with  "Lies"  another  mainstream  orientated  song  from t he  band.

  In  conclusion  this  is  an  interesting  7  inch  and  it  is  worth  checking  out.  RECOMMENDED>    

Bent Sea Interview

interview questions

answers by Dirk Verbeuren (drums, guitar) 

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the musical project these days?

Sure thing! We have a new split release coming out in December with a Swedish death/crust band called Usurpress. Our side is called “Animalist” and has eight new tracks which were completed over the past two years or so. It’s our second release with the current line-up of Sven, Shane and myself. My good friend Sylvain Coudret of Scarve and Soilwork contributed a guitar lead to the song “Fashion Victims” which is also the first promo track of the split. Selfmadegod Records is releasing the CD version and a 10” vinyl is due out on Doomentia Records, I’m guessing early next year.
 

2.How would you describe the musical sound of the newer material and also how does it differ from past releases?

“Animalist” combines punk and death metal riffing with a lot of blastbeats, d-beats and some darker and groovier sections. The songs are spontaneous and mostly short with opinionated and sometimes humorous lyrics. I’d call it grindcore. When comparing it to our debut EP “Noistalgia”, one difference is that I produced this new one myself. I spent a lot more time working on it. I think it sounds heavier and punchier. Every instrument can be clearly heard without losing the rawness of the performances. If you enjoy bands like Napalm Death, Terrorizer, Rotten Sound and Brutal Truth, you should like “Animalist”. But it’s rather hard for me to analyze it. I just know I enjoy listening to it.
 

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the newer music explores?

“Double Standards” talks about injustice against women. In many countries, men get away with rape while their victims are accused of adultery and mutilated or stoned to death. “I Am Become Lust” addresses the sexual facet of man’s deep-rooted animalist nature. “Fashion Victims” is about the fur industry’s barbaric acts against innocent creatures. “At Any Cost” talks about eating meat. I tend to believe that a few hours spent at a factory farm would change most people’s food habits. The title track addresses how the human race is irreparably degrading the earth and, as a result, destroying itself. “Nature Of The Blast” and “Relentless” are more light-hearted, commenting on grindcore and credit card debt respectively. “See-Through” talks about how extremists, in this case religious ones, fail to make any kind of sense. 

4.The band members are all from different parts of the world, how did you get the recording process started?

I usually start with the drums, just playing and recording whatever I feel that day, usually with some sort of song structure or guitar idea in mind. Later, whenever I have some time, I write and record guitar tracks and rough bass tracks. It’s often a spontaneous process; I avoid over-thinking things when it comes to Bent Sea. Once I have a bunch of songs that sound decent to my ears, I send them to Sven and Shane. For “Animalist”, Shane actually came to my home studio to record. We also tracked bass for a couple of songs on the “Barge To Hell” cruise which Napalm Death, Brujeria, Lock Up and Soilwork were all playing. Sven recorded his vocals in The Netherlands while working on a new album with System Divide. 
 

5.Does the band ever plan on touring or is this strictly a studio project?

I’d love for Bent Sea to hit the road one day, but it’s not a priority as of right now. All I want is to record and release music whenever I feel inspired, without pressure. If and when things fall into place, and our busy schedules match up, I’ll be more than stoked to play some shows though. Hopefully by then we’ll have a few hundred songs to choose from! 
 

6.In the last few months you have put out splits with both Usurpress and Torture  Division, what are your thoughts on the other bands that have participated?

Usurpress kick major ass. I really enjoy their music and in my opinion, they contributed some of their best material yet to this split. I discovered them through their producer and ex-bass player Lawrence Mackrory, who also sings in my other band Scarve and who mastered “Animalist”. As for Torture Division, to me they’re the epitome of Swedish death metal. I love everything they’ve done and also the innovative way in which they release their music. They absolutely rule. If you don’t know these bands, you should definitely check them out! www.usurpress.comwww.torturedivision.net   
 

7.On a worldwide level, how has the feedback been to the newer music by fans of grindcore?

It’s a bit early to tell since the promos for “Animalist” have only just been sent out. But those who heard it really seemed to enjoy the split with Torture Division. Some grindcore purists might dislike the “all-star” nature of Bent Sea, but I don’t see the band that way. It’s my personal take on a style of music I grew up with and love. I just happen to play it with friends who are in estalished bands, which helps to spread the word, of course. But we don’t have any sort of master plan or intentions to get rich or anything like that. Bent Sea is 100% from the heart.
 

8.What is going on with the other bands these days that the band members are involved with?

I’ve been touring since March with Soilwork in support of our latest double album “The Living Infinite”. When I’m not on the road, I’m doing session work for various bands, teaching drums, recording for the Swedish music software company Toontrack and writing for a Dutch drum magazine called Slagwerkkrant. Sven has been touring with Aborted and will be opening for Soilwork in 2014 with System Divide, together with Darkane, Lawrence Mackrory’s other band. As for Shane, he’s been touring with Napalm Death and working on various other releases, like the Mutation album and new Brujeria and Venomous Concept records. And that’s probably just the tip of the iceberg. He beats us all when it comes to being in several bands, haha! As a matter of fact, Shane and I also play in a new project called Tronos with producer Russ Russell and contributions by Billy Gould (Faith No More), Troy Sanders (Mastodon) and Silke of The Gathering.
 

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

I recently started working on a full-length and if I succeed, the result will have to be diverse. It will definitely still be grindcore but not the monotonous kind. My attention tends to wane very quickly when an album repeats the same tempos and riffs over and over. My goal for the first proper Bent Sea LP is to create something extremely intense and heavy, yet with enough different ideas for people to enjoy listening all the way through. I’ve been super busy but the ideas keep popping up in my head and I’ll continue writing and recording as soon as I can. 

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

Recently I’ve been listening to Portal, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, F.K.Ü., Autechre, Scorn, Brutal Truth, Public Enemy, Devin Townsend. It fluctuates between times when my head feels too saturated for music and others where I can’t stop devouring it. As for the music that influences Bent Sea, I’d say it’s the sum of all the stuff I listened to as a teenager: grindcore, death metal, thrash, black metal and bands like Godflesh, Cathedral and Endvra.
 

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

I love being around my wife, dog and cats. There’s no place like home. Besides music, I’ve been very interested in animals ever since I was a little kid. They’re absolutely fascinating to me. I can spend hours sitting in my yard watching birds and insects doing their thing while my dog is running around and hanging out. I also like good food, movies, video games, traveling and hanging out with friends. 
 

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

Thanks for supporting Bent Sea! Check us out at www.bentsea.com and follow me on Facebook for frequent updates: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dirk-Verbeuren/130681981708 Cheers!

 

Chestburster/The Ultimate Experience In Grueling Terror/Nailjar Records/2013 CD Review

  Chestburster  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  grind,  thrash  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "The  ultimate Experience  In  Grueling  Terror"  which  was  released  by  Nailjar  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,   mid  paced  to  fast  playing  with  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  that dominate  throughout  the  recording,  while  the  bass  guitars  have  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to fast  riffs  that  combine  grindcore,  punk,  crust,  thrash  and  hardcore  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  grindcore  screams  and  punk  rock  style  yelling  along  with  some  spoken  word  and  horror  movie  samples,  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  and  science  fiction  themes,  as  for  the  production  it h as  a  very  strong,  powerful  and  heavy  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Chestburster  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  grindcore,  punk,  thrash  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check out  this   band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Prowler"  "Fuel  Infected  Suicide  Machine"  "See  The  Dancing  Freeak"  and  "Horror  Hag".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Usurpress/Bent Sea/Selfmadegod Records/2013 Split Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Sweden's  Usurpress  and  international  band  Bent  Sea  which  was  released  by  Selfmadegod  Records  in  the  year  of  2013  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Usurpress  a  band  that h as  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  musical  style  I  would  describe  as  being  death  crust.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast drumming  along  with  some  blast  beats,  while  the  bass  guitars  have  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  that  dominates  throughout  their  side  of  the  split.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  Swedish  style  death  metal  with  crust  and  grindcore  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  riffing  as  well  as   a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  while  the  lead  guitars  which  are  only  utilized  briefly  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  death  metal  growls  to  high  pitched  screams  along  with  a  brief  use  of  dark  melodic  clean  singing,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has   a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Usurpress  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "City  Of  The  Nomads".  RECOMMENDED.

  Next  up  is  Bent  Sea  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  grindcore  and  noise.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  along  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  their  side  of  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  brutal  grindcore,  crust  and  noise  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  along  with  a  small  amount  of  melodic  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  which  are  only  used  briefly  are  very  chaotic  sounding  grindcore  guitar  solos  and  leads

  Vocals  range  from  crust  style  shouts,  deep  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  grind/noise  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Bent  Sea  are  a  very  great  sounding  grindcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "At  Any  Cost"  and  "Nature  Of  The  Beast".  RECOMMENDED.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  death  metal,  grindcore  and  crust,  you  should  add  this  album  to  your  collection>  RECOMMENDED  BUY.