Ormarr/Demo 2013 Review

  Ormarr  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  mixture  of  d  beat,  crust  and  hardcore  with  a  touch  of  grind  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  demo.

  The  demo  starts  out  with  a  very  slow,  heavy  and  dark  sound  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  which  also  leads  up  to  growls  and  then  the  music  goes  into  a  more  fast  direction  while  also  slowing  down  at  times  and  adding  in  melody  and  screams.

  As  the  ep  continues  the  band  continue  their  mixture  of  hardcore,  grind  and  crust  as  well  as  adding  blast  beats  in  certain  sections  of  the  demo  and  the  band  has  a  sound  that  goes  back  to  the  early  90's.

  With  this  demo  Ormarr  bring  back  the  old  school  crust/hardcore  sound  of  the  early  90's  while  also  bringing  in  modern  day   elements  and  grindcore  influences  to  create  a  very  interesting  sounding  demo.

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

  In  my  opinion  Ormarr  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  crust,  hardcore  and  grind  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band  and  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Hive  For  The  Restless".  8  out  of  10. 

Overviolence/Self Titled/2013 EP Review

  Overviolence  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  mixture  of  crust,  grind,  power  violence  and  d  beat  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  and  self  released  2013  ep.

  The  ep  starts  out  with  distorted  noises  before  going  into  a  fast  crust/grind  direction  along  with  blast  beats,  high  pitched  screams  and  deep  growls  and  the  band  continue  this  assault  from  beginning  to  end  with  all  of  the  songs  being  under  a  minute  but  do  slow  down  for  a  few  seconds  before  speeding  up  again.

    With  this  ep  Overviolence  play  a  very  fast  and  brutal  form  of  crust  and  grindcore  and  the  blast  beats  dominate  the  recording  and  there  is  never  a  soft  moment  present  on  this  recording  and  the  sound  goes  back  to  the  early  90's.

  Song  lyrics  cover  violent  and  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  raw,  brutal,  heavy  and  powerful  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Overviolence  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy  and  brutal  mixture  of  crust  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Born  Of  Scum"  and  "Blind  Eyes  See  No  Evil".  8  out  of  10.

  

Tellusian Interview

1. Can you give us an introduction to the band for those that will be hearing of you for the first time?

The band got together in 2010 after the demise of Crowpath where me (Erik) and Henrik had been making noise since -97. I had been jamming with this guy, John, just for fun for a while and when Crowpath was no more we decided to turn the Project into a proper band and got Henrik in on vicals and Another guy, Robert, to play the bass. We just decided to play whatever we felt like playing, no guidelines, and after a while we found our sound, so well stick with that till it bores us to death. Tellusian is kind of melodic, a big chunk of metal sprinkled with progrock and som faster parts.

2.Recently you have put out a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction it has taken and also how does it differ from previous releases?

Well, prior to the fullength, Collision, wich will be out soon we have only released a 7" and a split 7" with The Swan King. Id say that the Foundations are the same, of course we have refined our sound a little, tried some new things and all that but its not very diffrent from the other stuff. Since its ten songs on the album we have a few songs that differ a little from the rest, we had to throw something in there to make the 25 minutes enjoyable, some small surprises maybe.

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics the band covers with the Music?

Henrik is the main lyricist in the band and i know that he enjoys turning the lyrics into mininovels. The are basically about strange, abnormal things in our surroundings or things we read about. We had a friend who is a writer, Andreas Karlsson, to write some lyrics for the new album as well. He wrote the lyrics for the song Rivalry, wich is about his neverending rivalry with his twin brother. Of course exaggerated and fictional, but there is always some amount of substance in the fiction. 

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Tellusian? 

Its not really a word, is it? We had some ideas for band names but they were either silly or just boring so we had to come up with something. So we stuck with Tellusian, the inhabitants of this planet, all living things on Earth.

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

Ha, we have only played two shows so far, and i have to say that the last one was the best so we are moving on up. Hopfully there will be some more shows later on but we all got familys, jobs, other things that take a lot of our time so well have to see what happens. If we get an offer to play and everybody got the time to do it we will, but we are not really looking for shows to play, there will not be any extensive touring or anything like that.

DO you have any touring or show plans for 2014?

No, maybe we can do some weekends here and there but i dont think touring is realistic in our situation.

7.A couple of your backs you did a split with The Swan King, what are your thoughts on the other band that participated?

Yeah, we did a split 7" with them for the Hell Comes Home split 7" series. I havnt really heard anything other from them than the song on that 7" and i liked that tune. Kind of stonerrockish i think and well executed, seems like a band that a lot of people would like, kind of catchy i think. As i said i have to check them out further, but i think that tune they provided was great.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your Music?

Ha, well. The world has been silent. No, not really, but Mike, The guy at Pillowscars who releases our stuff, just started sending out copies for review and those i have read has been good, some really unexpected positive. Seems like we are doing something right at least.

9.Are any of the band members involved with any other musical project besides this band?

Yes, I got this Grindcore band along with Henrik called Overviolence ,overviolence.bandcamp.com, and i got my long time running punkband The Kuksugers. Henrik is also in a hardcore band called Ormarr ,ormarr.bandcamp.com. John is a sound engineer so he records some bands from time to time and Robert is a semi professional musician and plays with some jazzbands, he´s the only one making some money from it.

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

Wow, no clue. Anything might happen, we got some new material that we are working on and its quite in the same shape as the earlier stuff, maybe a bit more grindcoreish. Thats exciting when you write new stuff, you never know what the result might be. It might suck, or it might be brilliant.

11.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Well, i started out with Bon Jovi in the late 80s but i abandoned that as soon as i heard Maiden. Then it was the natural evolution of a metalhead, moving on to Slayer, Sepultura, Entombed and then further on into obscurity where i have been ever since. Bands like Deadguy and Today is the day was and is a big influence, early Cryptopsy, Breach, and all the cool band we have toured with through out the years like Cephalic carnage, Gadget, Sayyadina, Abandon. When you watch some great music live night after night it really sinks deep into your mind, and i´m sure all those expirences has influenced me,  These days i mostly listen to grindcore and some death metal. That new P.L.F. record has been spinning a lot, and the new Gorguts album is also a great piece of noise.

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

Since i got kids there isnt much spare time. I like to hang out with my family, I enjoy fishing in the summer, its a nice way to pass some time and i enjoy to drive my old crappy moped. Other than that music consumes quite some time.

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

Thanks for your support! Check out www.pillowscars.com for more details about or upcoming album.

Shin To Shin/Self Titled/A389 Recordings/2014 CD Review

  Shin  To  Shin  are  a  band  from  Cleveland,  Ohio  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal,  thrash  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2014  album  which  was  released  by  A389  Recordings.

  The album  starts  out   with  an  intro  which  has  a  very  heavy  and  dark  sound  to  it  along  with  solos  and  when  it  goes  into  the  first song  it  keeps  around  a  heavy  sound  while  also  adding  in  elements  of  hardcore  along  with  death  metal  influenced  vocals.

  As  the  album  moves  on  the  music  gets  more  up  beat  while  also  adding  in  melody  as  well  as  some  thrash  metal  influenced  guitar  solos  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  punk  elements  and  d  beats  and  on  one  of  the  songs  there  is  a  brief  use  of  melodic  vocals  and  the  last  song  is  an  acoustic  instrumental.

  On  this  album  Shin  To  Shin  combine   early  90's  death  metal  and  hardcore  with  80s  thrash  to  create  an  album  that  is  very  powerful  and  heavy  sounding  while  also  having  an  old  school  sound  to  them.

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

  In  my  opinion  Shin  To  Shin  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  metal,  thrash  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Extinction"  "Costumes  And  Masks"  and  "Stand  Up  And  Shout".  8  out  of  10. 

Spewtilator/Goatthrower/Boris Records/2014 EP Review

  Spewtilator  are  a  band  from  Atlanta,  Georgia  that  plays  death/thrash  metal  with  elements  of  grindcore  and  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "Goatthrower"  which  will  be  released  by Boris  Records.

  The  ep  starts  out  with  raw  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  before  going  into  a  faster  direction  and  adding  in  d  and  blast  beats  and  melody  which  leads  up  to  death  metal  and  thrash  style  vocals  and  after  awhile  old  school  metal  solos  are  added  into  the  music.

  As  the  ep  continues  the  band  continue  there  raw  and  old  school  metal  sound  as  well  as  adding  in  punk  style  shouting  with  the  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  King  Diamond  influenced  vocals  being  utilized  briefly  and  after  awhile  the  bass  guitars  get  more  powerful  and  you  can  hear  elements  of  crustcore  being  utilized.

  On  this  ep  Spewtilator  play  a  very  raw  and  old  school  form  of  death/thrash  and  they  update  the  sound  and  make  it  a  lot  heavier  with  influences  from  grind,  punk  and  grindcore  and  the  last  song  is  a  Zeke  cover.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark  and  hateful  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  heavy  and r aw  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Spewtilator  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death,  thrash  metal,  grind  and  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cherokee  Curse"  and  "Let's  Get  Drugs".  9  out  of  10.          

Loath/Total Peace/Inverse Records/2014 CD Review

  Loath  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  crust,  grind  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Total  Peace"  which  was  released  by  Inverse  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  sound  effects  and  distortion  which  also  leads  to  heavy  and  dark  sounding  guitar  riffs  along  with  drums  and  a  few  seconds  later  bass  and  growls  start  to  kick  in  along  with  spoken  word  samples.

  When  the  album  goes  into  the  second  song  the  music  gets  a  bit  more  faster  along  with  crust  and grind  influences  while  also  keeping  around  the  slow  and  dark  parts  as  well  as  adding  in  screams  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  drums  start  bringing  in  d  beats  and  you  can  hear  melodies  coming  out  of  the  guitars  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos.

  On  this  album  Loath  bring  in  a  very  heavy,  dark  and  modern  sound  which  combines  crust,  grindcore  and  death  metal  and  unlike  a  lot  of  bands  doing  that  mixture  these  days,  this  band  seems  to  a  very  original  approach  to  the  genre.

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

  In  my  opinion  Loath  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  crust,  grind  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Humanity"  "Psychic  Leech"  "The  Common  God"  and  "Live  Through  Me".  8  out  of  10.    

Yautja Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album? Since we finished tracking the record we've done 2 tours of the midwest/east coast and gone through the treacherous post-tracking process of putting out an album: mixing, mastering for digital/vinyl, and other logistical shit with artwork, release dates, etc.

2.You recently released a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction it has taken and also how does it differ from your past recordings?  As of this interview, isn't technically out yet but it will be very soon.  The new record is definitely the best quality recording we've done; everything else has been home-recorded by our guitarist Shibby, which doesn't sound bad but just not fucking PRO like Mikey Allred at Dark Arts Audio.

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with the new album?  The subject/lyrical content of the songs on the new album ranges from personal themes like our relationships with our friends/family and community to socio-political themes that affect all of us.  A theme that seems to resonate throughout the record is the observance of the basic human fear of change.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Yautja'? The name Yautja comes from the Predator (the movie) universe, but it’s really just a name to us.

5.What are some of the best show that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance? Over the past few years we've played some awesome shows with some awesome bands; lately Florida (Miami, Tallahassee, Orlando) has been really good to us with other recent highlights being Richmond, Boston, and Baltimore.  As far as stage performance: we like to play our songs and Tyler and Kayhan sweat a lot.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new release and 2014?  We're doing a two week tour at the beginning of February and then touring out to Austin for SXSW with some shows on either side of that.  We will be touring sporadically throughout this year to support the new record.

7.The new album came out on Forcefield Records, do you feel that they have done a lot to get your music heard out there? Forcefield is a great label and we're really glad to have Tim as our new stepdad.  We're very stoked to be a part of the Forcefield family.

8.On a worldwide level, how has the feedback been to the newer music by fans of grindcore?  Not many people have actually heard the new record yet but we hope people from all over are in to it.

9.What is going on with the other musical projects these days that the band members are involved with? We're all fairly active with other projects besides Yautja: Tyler plays drums in Gnarwhal and Alraune, who are both releasing new music and touring this year.  Kayhan plays in Coliseum, Choking on Ash, and Legion who all release music and tour when time permits.  Shibby plays in Nameless Cults and Quietly and is constantly recording/engineering Nashville bands.

10.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases? Weirder, Faster, Heavier, Slower, Harder, Softer.  More fog at future shows.

11.What are some bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer material and also what are you listening to nowadays?  Currently listening to: PJ Harvey, Pile, Inter Arma, Ulcerate, R. Kelly, Ex-Breathers, Pissed Jeans, Castevet, Portal, Grass is Green, Glasser, Mammoth Grinder, The Austerity Program.

12.Do you have any non musical interests?  We love to go movie.

13.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview? Thanks for the questions, keep your eye on the Nashville diy/punk/heavy music scene in 2014 - lots of good bands/people doing awesome stuff this year.  See you in your hometown.

Cripple Bastards/Nero In Metastasi/Relapse Records/2014 CD Review

  Cripple  Bastards  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  has  a  very  long  history  with  a  musical  style  I  would  describe  as  being  fast  and  brutal  noise/grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Nero  In  Metastasi"  which  will  be  released  by  Relapse  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  melody  and  a  minute  later  the  music  goes  into  a  faster  direction  and  adds  in  crust  influences,  blast  beats,  growls  and  screams  and  at  times  the  music  slows  down  to  add  in  more  heaviness.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  band  continues  to  their  approach  to  fast  and  heavy  grindcore  as  well  as  getting  more  brutal  and  adding  in  technical  elements  along  with  some  thrash  influences  and  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  spoken  word  samples  being  utilized  on  this  record  along  with  some  crustcore  style  shouting  and  after  awhile  guitar  solos  are  added  into  the  mix  and  on  one  song  they  also  start  getting  more  experimental..

  With  this  recording  Cripple  Bastards  show  that  even  after  25 years  they  can  still  create  some  heavy  and  brutal  grindcore  and  unlike  the  newer  bands  which  mix  in  more  melodic  elements  this  band  still  remains  true  to  their  signature  sound.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  Italian  and  cover  violent  and  hateful  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  brutal  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  along  with  one  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Cripple  Bastards  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Malato  Terminale"  "Lapide  Rimossa"  "Passi  Falsi"  and  "Splendore  E  Tenbra".  8  out  of  10.   

Miserable Failure/Hope/Kaotoxin/2014 EP Review

  Miserable  Failure  are  a  band  from  France  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  i  would  describe  as  being  a  fast  and  brutal  form  of  grindcore  with  elements  of  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "Hope"  which  was  released  by  kaotoxin.

  The  ep  starts  out  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  spoken  word  parts  before  going  into  a  fast  direction  and  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  growls  and  crust  style  shouts  as  well  as  some  blast  beats  and  the  music  also  slows  down  at  times  so  you  can  hear  the  bass  and  they  remain  in  the  same  direction  throughout  the  ep  and  all  of  the  songs  are  brutal  examples  of  grindcore.

  Miserable  Failure  on  this  recording  while  not  being  completely  original  still  do  a  great  job  with  their  ability  to  create  some  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  and  the  only  set  back  is  the  ep  is  way  too  short.

  Song  lyrics  cover  hateful  and  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  brutal  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  from  Miserable  Failure  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  grindcore,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Blueprints  Of  Self  Disgust"  and  "This  World  Ain't  Mine".  8  out  of  10.

Ass To Mouth/Degenerate/Selfmadegod Records/2014 CD Review

  Ass  To  Mouth  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  fast,  heavy  and  brutal  form  of  grindcore  with  elements  of  thrash  and  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Degenerate"  which will  be  released  by  Selfmadegod  Records.

  the  album  starts  off  with  a  sample  and  then  goes  into  a  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  a  mixture  of  screams  and  growls  and  you  can  hear  some  more  modern  influences  being  added  in  and  when  the  music  slows  down  it  is  only  for  a  few  seconds.

  As  the  album  progresses  it  remains  in  a  fast  and  brutal  direction  while  also  going  back  to  the  old  school  days  of  grindcore  as  well  as  mixing  in  trash  and  punk  influences  as  well  as  some  modern  deathcore  being  added  to  the  vocals  without  having  to  resort  to  the  more  mainstream  side  of  that  sub  genre  as  well  as  some  samples  being  brought  in  as  intros  on  some  of  the  songs.

  The  music  also  brings  in  a  good  amount  of  d  beat  and  crust  influences  as  well  as  slowing  down  and  bring  in  elements  of  groove  and  melody  and  they  also  bring  in  some  very  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  at  times.

  Ass  to  Mouth  created  some  great  quality  grindcore  with  this  record  and  the y  reamin  fast  and  brutal  throughout  this  recording  as  well  as  not  having  a  standard  sound  and  this  is  some  of  the  most  brutal  grindcore  I  have  heard  in  years.

  Song  lyrics  cover  hateful,  everyday,  drinking  and  pot  smoking  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  Ass  To  Mouth  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy  and  brutal  grindcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Under  The  Razor's  Edge"  "Drunk  And  Stoned"  "Brainless  Retards"  and  "Scumbags".  8/5  out  of  10.  

Left In Ruins/Ghost/Ruins Records/2013 Full Length Review

  Left  In  Ruins  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  hardcore  punk,  crust  and  power  violence  and this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Ghost"  which  was  released  by  Ruins  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  some  bass  guitars  and  distorted  parts  before  going  into  a  fast  and  heavy  direction  along  with  some  screams  as  well  as  mixing  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  together  as  well  as  some  blast  beats.

  As  the  album  progresses  guitar  leads  are  added  to  their  fastcore  assault  along  with  some  old  school  hardcore  elements  along  with  some  grindcore  elements  and  the  music  goes  for  more  of  a  mid  90's  hardcore  direction  while  also  adding  in  a  good  amount  of  80's  influences

  Song  lyrics  cover  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  raw,  heavy  and  old  school  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  all  of  the  songs  are  very  short  and  fast.

  In  my  opinion  Left  in  Ruins  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  hardcore  punk,  crust  and  power  violence  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band  and  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ghost"  "I'm  Bored"  "The  Heretic  Son"  and  "Vicious  Cycle". 7/5  out  of  10.

Orbweaver Interview

Answers by Randy Piro:

1. Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the release of the ep?

We kicked off the EP release with a small tour around Florida with our good friends Hollow Leg and Shroud Eater, to a great response. Since coming home we've been working on new material for the next LP, and a few more esoteric recording projects that are on the horizon. 

2.For those that have not heard the new recording, how would you describe the musical sound you have brought out with the new release?

 I guess the short answer to that would be a combination of abstract metal and harsh noise. I will admit that we are a hard pill to swallow musically....so I generally let other people describe us.

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

The lyrics represent an ongoing story I am creating. The lyrics have been omitted from the album however. I wanted to be a little ambiguous about it for the time being. The only insights a listener will get is from the limited edition cassette available from Primitive Violence Records. I worked with Jean Saiz (Shroud Eater, Primitive Violence head honcho) to create comic style trading cards that were included in some of these packs. Those cards, the cover, and the layout all have expansive artwork which corollate directly with the lyrical themes. 

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

I named the band after a spider that appears in my garden after heavy rainstorms. I was walking through mango trees lost in thought when I ran face first into a massive Golden Orb Weaver web....you might say the name hit me in the face. Spiders have always fascinated me. From an evolutionary standpoint they are almost perfect creatures. 

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

We have been fortunate to play a lot of killer shows. One that sticks out in my mind is Cinema Sounds. For this show, we were tasked with creating a soundtrack to one of my favorite movies: Tron. We locked our selves in our jam room for several weeks just watching the segment of the film we were scoring. It all culminated with us playing a show in a movie theatre with the film playing on the screen behind us. It was very surreal for me. 

Our live set flows much like our recording. As far as the performance aspect goes, we just light a few candles and jam. 

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

We are slowing down our live actions for the rest of the year. We have a few shows booked, but after November we are taking a little time off to write for a few upcoming projects we have coming out next year. A west coast tour is in the works for February. 

1. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the ep by fans of underground metal?

Very positive indeed! The overall theme i'm getting back is that we sound like drugs. I'm okay with that. 

8.The ep came out on Primitive Violence, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Primitive Violence started as a cassette only label founded by Jean Saiz from Shroud Eater. She does small runs that include very thought out packaging, killer art, and other limited goodies. It also has become a form of sorts for her to showcase her artistic talents as well. Jean's art is the proverbial rug that ties together Orbweaver's room.

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

Most of the songs on the EP were written by myself, before we had a full line up. Now that we've all been jamming together for a few years (with the exception of Scott, who recently joined us on drums) the way we write has turned into a very democratic process, and a lot of our riffs and arrangements come from purely jamming with each other. We're really just letting things flow and now with four people writing, the sound is definitely going to start falling a lot further down the rabbit hole.

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

I listen to tons of music. As far as influences that made me want to make music in general: Frank Zappa, Morbid Angel, Black Sabbath, Primus and Metallica were my big favorites when I was just starting out. I grew up in a house of musicians, so I was exposed to lots of different types of music and instruments at a young age.......so once I had the basics down, there was always something new to discover from one of my parents, or uncles, etc. These days I'm really enjoying the new stuff from Glorior Belli, Portal, Shroud Eater, and Hollow Leg as far as heavy music goes. Diamanda Galas, Iannis Xenakis, Amon Tobin, and Secret Chiefs Three are always in heavy rotation.

11.How would you describe your views on occultism?

Occultism is the science of our ancestors. I believe these sciences were used to communicate and interact with the overseers of our race. 

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

Well, Orbweaver really does dominate most of my life in some way or form. When I do make time for myself outside of Orbweaver I generally find myself jamming with other musicians who I want to work with. Mainly with  my improvisational black metal/noise project Death Talisman VII. This started as a solo thing, but now I have a revolving lineup that changes for each performance. I have a release coming out with Dying God Records in October. I am also working with a few friends on a grind band that will put an EP out here in the near future (really can't say too much about that yet though). When I do get a few free moments to myself I enjoy simply hanging out with my lady, reading, playing video games, etc. We also do like to spend a good amount of time at the beach, since we live in Florida and all.....

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

Thanks for the interview. Rosdower. 

 

Ribspreader/Meathymns/Vic Records/2014 CD Review

  Ribspreader  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  d  beat  melodic  Swedish  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Meathymns"  which  will  be  released  by  Vic  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  some  screams  before  adding  in  heavy  and  melodic  death  metal  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  solos  which  also  leads  to  some  deep  guttural  growls  along  with  a  mixture  of  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  some  crust  influences.

  As  the  album  progresses  it  remains  in  an  old  school  Swedish  death  metal  direction  along  with  the  vocals  being  very  easy  to  understand  and  they  also  mix  in  some  brutal  sounding  high  pitched  screams  and  there  is  only  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  drums  concentrate  more  on  d  beats  instead  and  when  the  music  slows  down  you  can  also  hear  the  bass  guitars  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  on  the  last  song  psychedelic  sounds  are  added  onto  the  record.

  Ribspreader  continue  the  tradition  of  of  Rogga  Johansson's  old  school  approach  to  d  beat  and  death  metal  with  this  being  another  one  of  his  musical  projects  and  while  it  does  not  sound  very  original  it  is  very  well  executed  sounding  old  school  Swedish  death  metal  with  a  touch  of  crust.

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

  In  my  opinion  Ribspreader  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  d  beat  Swedish  style  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cemetary  Dreams"  "The  Ones  Who  Hide  And  Wait"  "Asylum  Of  The  Rotting"  and  "Skeletonized".  8  out  of  10. 

Yautja/Songs of Descent/Forcefeild Recordings/2014 CD Review

  Yautja  are  a  band  from  Nashville,  Tennessee  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal,  grind  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Songs  Of  Descent"  which  was  released  by  Forcefeild  Recordings.

  The  album  starts  out  with  some  drums  and  a  few  seconds  alter  bass  guitars  kick  in  which  also  leads  up  to  some  heavy  guitars  and  once  the  album  gets  past  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  more  death  metal  direction  while  adding  in  elements  of  hardcore  to  the  vocals  and  by  the  time  the  third  song  comes  on  the  music  goes  into  a  more  grindcore  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats.


  This  album  shows  a  great  amount  of  diversity  with  the  way  they  mix  the  heaviness  of  death  metal,  the  speed  of  grindcore  and  the  hardcore  style  vocals  as  well  as  mixing  that  influence  in  the  slower  or  mid  paced  part  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  the  band  comes  out  with  a  very  creative  sound   and  by  the  time  the  7th  song  comes  around  guitar  leads  are  added  into  the  music  and  they  bring  a  darker  sound  to  the  recording  as  well  as  adding  in  elements  of  noise  rock  and  the  band  utilizes  a  mixture  of  both  slow  and  fast  songs.

  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  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Yautja  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  metal,  grind  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blinders"  "Faith  Resigned"  "Of  Descent"  and  "Chemical".  RECOMMENDED  BUY. 

Tellusion/Scania/2012 EP Review

  Tellusion  a  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  mixture  of  grindcore,  crust,  metal  and  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  ep  "Scania".

  The  ep  starts  out  with  some  dark  and  melodic  sounding  guitar  riffs  along  with  soem d rums  a  few  seconds  alter  which  leads  up  to  some  heavier  guitar  riffs  as  well  as  a  mixture  of  grindcore  screams  and  crustcore  style  growls  as  well  as  some  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  and  the  music  sticks  to  mostly  a  mid  paced  direction  and  the  music  also  incorporates  some  progressive  elements  at  times.

  These  2  songs  show  a  lot  of  talent  and  originality  and  the  band  is  not  afraid  to  mix  a  variety  of  musical  styles  together  and  it  adds  new  elements  to  grindcore  that  no  bands  have  attempted  before  and  there  are  also  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  being  utilized  on  the  last  song.

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

  In  my  opinion  Tellusion  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  grind,  metal  and  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Karnival".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.