I Miss My Death/In Memories/Metal Scrap Records/2014 CD Review

  I  Miss  My  Death  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  a  mixture  of  gothic,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "In  Memories"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  tragic  sounding  keyboards  and  a  few  seconds  alter  operatic  female  vocals  start  to  kick  in  and  after  the  intro  doom  metal  sounds  and  death  metal  growls  start  mixing  in  with  the  keys  and  melodic  vocals  along  with  some  solos  and  leads  becoming  a  part  of  the  recording  as  well  as  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  keyboards  bring  in  a  gothic  horror  sound  and  there  are  also  some  spoken  word  parts  and  Gregorian  chants  being utilized  at  times.

  When  the  album  finds  its  sound  it  is  more  in  the  early  90's  gothic  doom/death  genre  along  with  some  powerful  bass  lines  and  at  times clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  is  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  male  vocals  while  the  album  focuses  more  on  the  heavier  parts  as  well  as keeping  around  the  female  vocals.

   When  we  get  more  into  the  album  the  keyboards  start  bringing  in  a  more  orchestra  type  symphonic  sound  as  well  as  more  long  and  epic  songs  being  added  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  violins  and  they  all  mix  in  with  the  heavy  doom/death  metal  sound  of  the  record  and  towards  the  end  a  ballad  is  added  onto  the  recording  before  doing  a  Mozart  cover  on  the  last  track  as  well  as  adding  a  more  operatic  doom/death  metal  feeling  to  it.

  With  this  album  I  Miss  My  Death  go  back  to  the  early  90's  style  of  gothic  doom/death  metal  sound  while  also  having  some  elements  that  remind  me  of  Dead  Can  Dance  along  with  a  very  professional  sounding  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  dark,  vampyric  and  poetic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  I  Miss  My  Death  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  gothic,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "In  The  Dark  Garden  Of  The  Vampire"  "Thirteen  Autumns  of  My  Solitude"  "Flower  That  Fades"  and  "Lacrimosa".  8/5  out  of  10.  

Psycho/Chainsaw Priest/Selfmadegod Records/2014 CD Review

  Psycho  are  a  band  from  Boston,  Massachusetts that  has  been  around for  more  than  30  years  and  plays  a  mixture  of  thrash,  grind,  noise  and  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Chainsaw  Priest"  which  will  be  released  by  Selfmadegod  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  very  raw grind/punk  sound  along  with  some  blast  beats  along  with  some  hardcore  elements  and  melody  and  after  awhile  aggressive  shouts  and  screams  make  their  way  onto  the  recording  along  with  small  amounts  of  melody  and  guitar  leads  and  you  can  also  hear  some  bass  in  the  background.

  The  band  starts  adding  more  crust  elements  in  the  other  songs  and  bring  in  a  sound  that  is  more  closer  to  the  80's  and  pre-dates  grindcore  which  the  sound  being  closer  to  thrash  and  punk  while  you  can  still  hear  a  great  amount  of  grind  on  the  album  and  at  time s they  also  bring  in  some  slower  sections  and  early  death  metal  influences,  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  bringing  in  a  more  raw  and  hateful  atmosphere  which  would  give  the  politically  correct  nightmares  and  the  average  song  length  ranges  from  1  to  2  minutes  and  the  last  track  is  a  cover  of  Plasmatics  Won't  You.

  With  this  album  Psycho  show  where  grindcore  originally  came  from  as  well  as  still  kicking  ass  after  30  years  and  still  showing  the  young  bands  how  it  was  meant  to  be  done  along  with  a  professional  sounding  production  which  sounds  even  more  powerful  with  their  raw  grindpunk  sound  and  some  lyrics  that  cover  drinking,  anti  religion,  violent  and  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  comeback  album  from  Psycho  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  thrash,  grind  and  punk,  you  should  check  out  this  legendary  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Antichrist  Hammer"  "Chainsaw  Priest"  "Vodka  Influenced  Nightmare"  and  "Whisky  Bitch".  8  out  of  10.   

Zoldier Noiz Interview

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

Hi to you and your readers! The band is working on newer songs and prepares a new live set. The drummer who played on our upcoming album "Regression Process" was just a session guy. We already had two years of line up variations and we couldn't wait more to record these songs. Thrash Metal is not so popular around our home place, it's a real problem to find serious drummers who got this kind of balls. We finally found somebody who looks really dedicated to Zoldier Noiz, for he is participating actively to the composition process. He deserved his picture on the album even if he 's not playing physically. 

2.You have a new album coming out this year, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from your previous releases?

It's always frustrating to answer that question because of the delay between composition and  release time of the album. I have to talk about our 3 years old new musical direction haha! Happily for your readers Zoldier Noiz is not a schizophrenic band. 
I would say "Regression Process" is a pushed to max version of "Schizoid Reject". We recorded in 3 days songs that we were fed up to rehearse with different people since three years. More violence, faster tempos, sinister parts, bulldozer bass, improved solos, more raging vocals. Some mistakes in the production due to to the fact we were in a hurry, but noise and chaos both come this way right? It's less a party album as the previous one i think. I was a bit fed up with being considered as some kind of Motorhead rip off! We were younger and without care for future issues during our first LP times, just hanging out, getting drunk and high. This new one sounds less fun i think. 

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

Topics are mass manipulation, freaking out in a bunch of people, history lies, paranoia, betrayal, deception, mankind collapse, loss of riot instinct, anger toward manichean hypocrisy, the will to reach new dimensions...

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

I think it comes from the movie Full Metal Jacket with that huge stupid dude freaking out at the beginning. In the french translation the instructor calls him "soldier whale". I am some kind of noisy person, i suppose i would have been the "soldier noise"... I couldn't choose a band name like Witch violator or whatever... i knew there would be only one this way. The "Z" looks cool visually, i mean for our logo. Making war with noise, nothing mysterious behind it...

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?

We had a lot of fun playing and partying with bands like Children of Technology, Nunslaughter, Korgull the Exterminator, Mercyless, Affliction Gate... throughout all these years... We couldn't play as much as i wished because of the line up shit all the time. Don't expect live perfection with Zoldier Noiz. We play exclusively for sincere people who come to shows to feel the vibe,having fun, get crazy and forget all daily shit. We can't satisfy people  complaining about everything, having seen every band thousand times, coming just to criticize and spit on your music without any respect for all the dedication and involvement it costs to play thrash metal in 2014. We play fast, loud, dirty with full energy.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

We have a couple of shows here with E Force, Temple of Baal, Manzer and a small tour in Spain during May.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme metal and crust punk?

I am not going so much on forums, blogs... i hate these playground talks about who's more underground or true...so i don't know exactly what is the feed back. I suppose it's not so bad cause i don't have so much copies left from our first album, demos are sold out... Guys from different countries ask for trade, some even pay haha! People like our gigs generaly. Fenriz made us some promo with his band of the week stuff. Dark descent and Unspeakable Axe are supporting us now so it looks like we are still in the race.

8.According to the metal archive page some of the band members are involved with other musical projects, can you tell us a little bit more about them?

Exept myself none of them are classical metal heads. Gaz Max (bass) comes from french underground Crust HxC scene with bands like Destroy Buster or Human No. He's got a  straight, sincere and strong personnality. Anton Obitz (drums) also plays with the Sonic Angels (excellent punk rock 69 style with psychedelic parts) and From The Basement (some kind of depressive independant rock). He lives on another dimension but he's a real savage animal behind the drums. Both of them need to express rage feelings and like my songs i think. I play also in Alien Deviant Circus also (some kind of industrial Black Metal), we gonna release an album through Necrocosm Productions...soon i think.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We gonna keep the same way but working to create more and more our proper world, sound and concept, that's my wish.

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

My influences are the same since i am playing that music. I got tons of favourite bands... Bolt Thrower, Entombed, Repulsion, Deathstrike,Discharge, Autopsy, Voivod, Order From Chaos, Hawkwind, Motorhead, Nuclear Assault, GG Allin, The Stooges... Do you need more?!!!  These last years there are more and more good bands comparing to the end of the 90's with the sympho black metal goth crap... Obliteration, Morbus Chron, Repugnant, Incarceration....even with this doom sludge trend there are fucking great bands. I spend my time and money going to shows, we even organize gigs there with my girlfriend... Therefore i always paid attention to keep distance being a fan and a band leader. I never wanted  Zoldier Noiz to become a melting pot of every style in my records collection. We play thrash metal.

 11.What are some of your non musical interests?

We like art in general, movies, paintings, astronomy, nature, travels, history, economy...i like to keep an eye on the world we live in, therefore i despise it. I don't want to die poor an idiot.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thank you all to help us keeping  Zoldier Noiz alive! We work free a full time job haha! 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zoldier-noiz/174709189294827

https://www.facebook.com/UnspeakableAxeRecords

Prune Belly/Saturnine/2014 EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Prune  Belly  which  continues  their  mixture  of  hardcore,  crust,  grind  and  power  violence  with  the  ep  being  self  released  in  2014  and  called  "Saturnine".

  The  ep  starts  out  with  noisy  reverb  before  adding  in  a  heavier  sound  along  with  some  aggressive  screams  and  after  the  first  song  the  music  gets  a  bit  more  faster  along  with  blast  beats  while  also  keeping  around  the  slower  parts.

  After  awhile  the  music  starts  getting  a  bit  more  brutal  almost  closes to  noisecore  while  also  sticking  to  a  true  crust/hardcore  direction  and  the  band  also  stay  away  from  guitar  solos  and  leads  and  concentrates  on  being  more  raw,  fast  and  heavy  sounding.

  With  this  ep  Prune  Belly  get  a  lot  more  fast  and  brutal  with  this  recording  adding  in  more  grindcore  elements  with  their  crust/hardcore  sound  along  with  a  raw  and  heavy production  as  well  as  some  dark  lyrics.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Prune  Belly  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  crust  and  power  violence,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bless  the  Harvest"  "Hammer  And  Fold"  "Sloth"  and  "The  Gate  of  Horn".  8  out  of  10.  

Prune Belly/Liminal/2012 Demo Review

  Prune  Belly  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  crust,  grind,  hardcore  and power  violence  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  demo  "Liminal".

  The  demo  starts  out  with  a  slow,  dark  and  heavy  sound  along  with  some  aggressive  screams  and  after  a  minute  the  music  starts  to  speed  up  and  add  in  blast  beats  while  also  keeping  around  some  of  the  slower  sections  which  bring  in  the  hardcore  elements  to  the  demo.

  After  awhile  you  can  hear  some  reverb  and  more  old  school  punk  influences  being  thrown  into  the  music  and  all  of  the  songs  are  very  short  in  length  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  being  utilized.

  Prune  belly  stick  to  mostly  an  old  school  hardcore  sound  while  also  having  elements  of  power  violence,  crust  and  a  small  dose  of  grind,  the production  sounds  very  powerful  sounding  for  a  demo  and  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Prune  belly  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  hardcore,  crust,  grind  and  power  violence  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tracing  Circles"  and  "Erosion".  8  out  of  10.        

Violation Wound/Self Titled/Vic Records/2014 CD Review

  Violation  Wound  are  a  band  from  California  that  are  a  side  project  of  the  legendary  Chris  Reifert  of  Autopsy  and  Abscess  with  a  musical  style  that  mixes  old  school  raw  and  primitive  punk  with  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of   their self  titled  album  which  will  be  released  by  Vic  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  very  fast,  raw  and  old  school  punk  rock  sound  along  with  some  aggressive  vocals  and  a  minute  later  solos  and  leads  become  a  part  of  the  recording  and  the music  has  an  early  80's  hardcore  punk  feeling  while  the  vocals  are  more  closer  to  crust  with  their aggression.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  to  mix  the  heaviness  of  death  metal  with  the  raw  energy  of  punk  rock  and  on  one  of  the  tracks  a  small  amount  of  harmonica's  are  added  into  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  With  this  album  Violation  Wound  takes  the  punk  rock  sounds  of  the  70's  and  80's  with  the  alter  generation  being  more  on  the  hardcore  side  and  mixes  it  in  wit h the  heaviness  of  crust  and  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  that  is  very  aggressive  and  retro  along  with  a  raw  production  and  lyrics  that  are  more  in  the  vein  of  Reifery's  previous  band  Abscess  but  more  punk  orientated.

    In  my  opinion  Violation  Wound  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  old  school  punk  rock  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Eyes  Red  And  Wide"  "Brain  In  A  Slong"  "Disposable  Swill"  and  "Nothing  to  Say".  8  out  of  10.    

Atentado Interview

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

Quite busy right now! We have just released our second album “Antagonist”, been playing live and we are focused now on composing music for a new release later this year.

2.Recently you have put out a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction you have taken with your new recording and also how does it differ from the release you had put out 3 years ago?

Well the musical direction is more or less the same as the previous record “Paradox”, but we changed two members, drummer and one of the guitarists, between records. The two new guys obviously brought their identity in terms of composing and performance. Also, half of “Paradox” was made of new versions of old Atentado tracks. “Antagonist” took a bit more time to write and I belive it to be a more intense/interesting record. Also, I am happier with the production, we recorded in the same place “Pentagon” with our friend Fernando Matias, but we got it mastered at “Audiosiege” by Brad Boatright and it made a difference!

3.The band was originally formed in 1991 then broke up for 20 years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?

At the time, the band broke up in the studio when they were going to record for a split Lp with Finish friends “Selfish”, fight between two members over a girl!
Punk Rock love ahahahahahah
20 years after, our bass player Pedro “Pitchi” decided he wanted to reform the band, just to do that recording that never happened, initially he talked with the original singer (Xico) to do it and got two other guys to play, but Xico just wasn´t into it anymore and after a couple of rehearsals left, that´s when Pedro asked me to join in.
We ended up not sticking to the original plan, just to record those old tracks and play one or two shows, and became a “real” band.

4.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release?

My main intention when writing lyrics, no matter what is the subject i am writing about, is to transcend the dualistic mind. We are schizophrenic and infested with dogmas and preconceptions; this is the way of the system to keep us in line. People with low judgment and fragmented minds are good consumers and easy to control. 
We need to relearn to use our instinct, to develop a unifying vision of reality, learning to relate apparently paradoxical information and behavior.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Atentado'?

There isn’t an exact translation to English, but the closest I belive to be “Attack”
It can be used like an “Attack on morals” or “Terrorist attack”. I guess it´s easy to see where inspiration comes from!

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

Well not sure what were the best shows…but recently we played two shows with great bands we love for many years, Doom and Hellshock.
Our stage performance is not planned or anything, but we love what we do and I guess the best word to describe it would be “intense”.

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

Yes, we have planned to play quite some shows this year but mainly in Portugal, touring will be impossible, we are five guys between 34 and 41 years old, most of us are married with kids and we all have jobs. On top of this we are from Portugal, so to get to anywhere in Europe there´s a lot of road to make…. Not an easy task to tour for us…but probably we will do a small Spanish tour and maybe play some fest in central Europe.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of punk and crust?

Until now, it has been small feedback, most punks outside Portugal never heard of us, but really good.
“Paradox” was only released on Cd by a Portuguese label from our friend Daniel (Raging Planet) and, for several reasons, was hardly promoted at all…. but, the new record “Antagonist” was released on Cd and vinyl by a cooperation of labels (Raging Planet/ Ruins / Monolith/ Grita o Muere/ Agipunk) Grita o Muere being from Spain and Agipunk from Italy being a “bigger” DIY label will, obviously, help on people around the world to hear our noise!

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Well we intend to keep on doing the same we do now, playing Punk/Crust with some Black/Death Metal influences, with a meaningful message, which is what we love to do.

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

Well there´s quite a mix here, but to keep things simple I would say Punk/Crust  is our home with some Black/ Death/ Thrash decoration! You know you can´t beat the 80´s classics Discharge/ Motorhead/ Anti-cimex/ Doom/ Bathory/ Celtic Frost/ Kuro/ Venom/ E.N.T.and a shitload of other names in the same league can be cited as influences.
Lately I have been on a Poison Idea overdose, years go by and I just can´t get enough!!! 
But well, good records weren´t just made over 20 years ago and  Martyrdöd “Paranoia” as been spinning quite a lot around here!

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I give counselling on macrobiotics and run a vegan food company with my wife. I also been practicing Kung-Fu for 17 years and will restart to give classes soon.
I am also in the process of opening a bar/ vegan café/ gig place with some friends, we are remodeling the place now.




12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Develop critical thinking, especially on yourself. The system and all outside influences have their weight but the main thing is always you. Reality isn’t black and white.
Assume more responsibility over your life, be more independent on all aspects of it.
Thanks a lot for this interview and your interest and support!!!
Cheers!!!!!!!!

http://atentado666.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/atentado666

The Drip/A Presentation Of Gruesome Politics/Relapse Records/2014 EP Review

  The  Drip  are  a  band  from  Washington  that  plays  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  form  of  crust/grind  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "A  Presentation  Of  Gruesome  Politics"  which  will  be  released  by  Relapse  Records.

  The  ep  starts  out  with  a  very  fast,  brutal  and  heavy  sound  along  with  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  after  awhile  crust  style  shouts  and  growls  are  added  into  the  music  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  a  mixture  of  slow  and  fast  parts.

  When t he  ep  goes into  other  songs  the  music  really  starts  going  for  a  more  brutal  grindcore  direction  that  is  more  closer  to  the  earlier  sound  of  the  genre  while  also  having  a  more  modern  day  production  to  it.

  The  Drip  bring  a  very  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  approach  to  brutal  grindcore  with  this  recording  with  all  of  the  songs  being  short  as  well  as  lacking  melody  or  guitar  leads  and  the  music  is  non  stop  brutality  from  beginning  to  end.

  Song  lyrics  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  ep.

  In  my  opinion  the  Drip  are  a  very  great  sounding  fast,  heavy  and  brutal  crust/grind  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Rise  To  Failure"  and  "Siren".  8  out  of  10.

Zoldier Noiz/Regression Process/Unspeakable Axe Records/2014 CD Review

  Zoldier  Noiz  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal,  thrash  and  crust  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2014  album  "Regression  Process"  which  was  released  by  Unspeakable  Axe  Records.

   The  album  starts  up  with  a  very  heavy  and  fast  sound  along  with  aggressive  vocals  and  the  music  goes  for  more  of  a  crust/thrash  metal  sound  and  the  bass  guitars  sound  very  powerful  sounding  and  after  awhile  blast  beats  and  solos  are  added  into  the  music.

  When t he  album  goes  into  other  songs  the  music  starts  combining  80's  thrash  and  punk  together  along  with  the  heaviness  of  death  metal  and  the  music  sticks  to  mostly  a  fast  and  old  school  direction  from beginning  to  end  while  slowing  down  in  certain  parts  of  the  recording as  well  as  adding  growls  into  the  vocals.

  With  this  album  Zoldier  Noiz  takes  a  great  amount  of  influences  from  Voivod  and  Motorhead  and  mixes  it  up  with  crust  punk  and  heaviness  to  create  a  sound  of  their  that  is  also  very  heavy,  retro  and  old  school  sounding  all  at  the  same  time.

  Song  lyrics  cover  social  commentary,  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  Zoldier  Noiz  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  metal,  thrash  and  crust  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Grave  Crawler"  "Regression  Process"  "Ebola  Syndrome"  and  "Life  Under  Will".  8  out  of  10.

 

    

Coldwar Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?

Trevor - Organizing the artwork for the album, press, booking gigs.

2. You have a new album coming out this year, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from your past releases?

Trevor - As with previous releases Pantheist progresses further into darkness and heaviness. It differs from its predecessors in its melodic and hypnotic qualities.

3. Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release?

Trevor - The lyrical content of Pantheist touches various areas. Some of which being the potential darkness of the soul, horrific consciousness spawning from colonization of territories, and the breaking of the human spirit. All of these could be classified as negative aspects of the destructive forces we have come to know as organised religions. On the flip side of ‘Pantheist’ as an album we celebrate the concept of spiritual liberty, which we view as being a polar opposite to the moral bondage which comes hand in hand with any of the Abrahamic faiths.

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

Trevor - Skinny came up with the name ‘cause he liked the abstraction behind the concept. It has nothing to do with the East v West paradigm.

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?

Trevor - Playing support to Suffocation in Dublin and Islington in the UK, the place erupted into chaos. They are just two that spring to mind. Stage performance? Is that not a question for the audience?

6. Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is out?

Trevor - First off, our release gig in Dublin on the 26th of April, short tour in the UK in June, a small festival in Northern Ireland Called Monsters Of Rot, a one off gig in Malta in August. We are in the middle of booking a tour in late November eastern Europe and a few other things still to be finalized.

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme metal?

Trevor - Over all positive.

8. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Trevor - That’s hard to say as the band is always progressing, the music dictates the mood and direction.

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

Trevor - Were not about emulating our heroes we would be more about the immolation of them. What I listen too things from Killing Joke to Neurosis.

10. How would you describe your views on Occultism?

Trevor - Crowley got it right when it came to the sex and drugs, as for the cult, we don’t need the excuse.

11. What are some of your non-musical interests?

Trevor - To experience life it’s self.

12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Trevor - Check out ‘Pantheist’ on its release date 28th of April via Candlelight Records. Check us out on facebook.com/thisiscoldwar for info and tour dates.

Krang/The Bog Of Eternal Stenchcore/2010 EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Krang  which  continues  their  stenchcore  sound  with  the  ep  being  self  released  in  2010  and  called  "The  bog  Of  Eternal  Stenchcore".

  The  ep  starts  out  with  a  mixture  of  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  after  awhile  the  music  goes  into  a  faster  direction  along  with  d  beats  and  aggressive  hardcore  style  vocals  which  also  utilize  some  crust/grind  screams  which  also  leads  up  to  solos  becoming  a  part  of  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  As  the  ep  progresses  the  music  becomes  a  mixture  of  thrash,  grind,  crust  and  hardcore  in  the  mid  80's  to  early  90's  era  along  with  a  mixture  of  slow  and  fast  parts  and  at  times  you  can  also  hear  small  amounts  of  melody  in  the  music  and  on  the  last  track  clean  guitars  make  their  return  to  the  music.

  With  this  recording  Krang  remain  true  to  their  stenchcore  sound  and  the  music  is  very  heavy,  brutal  and  old  school  sounding  from  beginning  to  end  along  with  all  of  the  songs  being  very  short  in  length.

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

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Krang  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  stenchcore,  you  should  enjoy  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Bog"  and  "Losing  the  Big  Picture".  8  out  of  10.

  

Krang/Onward, Desolation/2009 EP Review

  Krang  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  plays  a  mixture  of  crust,  grind  and  stenchcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2009  ep  "Onward,  Desolation".

  The  ep  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy  and  old  school  thrash/punk  sound  along  with  some  growls  a  few  seconds  later  and  then  the  music  speeds  up  along  with  a  mixture  of  d  and  blast  beats  as  well  as  high  pitched  screams  and  melody.

  As  the  ep  continues  the  music  brings  crust,  grind  and  stenchcore  together  while  also  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  and  you  can  also h ear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  on  one  of  the  tracks  there  is  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  being  utilized.

  Krang  bring  in  a  very  heavy  and  old  school  sound  to  this  recording  with  the  way  they  mix  thrash,  punk,  crust,  grind  and  stenchcore  together  to  create  their  own  sound  that  is  firmly  rooted  in  the  mid  80's  tradition.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark  and  hateful  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.

  In  my  opinion  Krang  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  crust,  grind  and  stenchcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sweating  Bullets"  and  "The  Hate  You  Advocate".  8  out  of  10.  

Weakness/Demo 2013 Review

  Weakness  are  a  band  from  Texas  that  plays  a  mixture  of  screamo,  punk,  crust  and  grind  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  demo.

  The  demo  starts  out  with  distorted  sounds  before  going  into  a  more  raw  and  lo-fi  punk/crust  direction  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  as  well  as  mixing  in  slow,  clean  sections  and  spoken  word  parts.

  On  the  following  tracks  more  old  school  punk  elements  and  melody  is  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  shout  style  vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  With  this  ep  Weakness  bring  in  a  very  melodic  sound  with  the  heaviness  of  crust,  grind  and  screamo  as  well  as  the  speed  of  old  school  punk  and  they  have  a  very  original  sound  to  them  with  the  songs  being  very  short.

  Song  lyrics  cover  sad  and  depressive  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  raw  and  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  Weakness  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  screamo,  punk,  crust  and  grind  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Find  What  You  Love  And  Let  It  Kill  You"  and  "Stay  Chill".  7/5  out  of  10.  

Flesh Born/All The Pain I Built Up/2013 EP Review

  Flesh  Born  are  a  band  from  Texas  that  plays  a  mixture  of  punk,  crust  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  ep  "All  The  Pain  I  Built  Up".

  The  ep  starts  out  with  acoustic  guitar  playing  and  a  few  seconds  later  the  music  goes  into  a  more  heavy  direction  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  which  have  a  black  metal  feeling  to  them.

  On  the  following  tracks  more  screamo,  crust,  punk  and  grindcore  elements  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  melodic  riffing  and  clean  sections  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  the  music  getting  faster  and  adding  blast  beats  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  With  this  ep  Flesh  born  take  the  heaviness  and  punk  and  grind  and  mix  it  in  with  the  melody  of  post  punk  and  screamo  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  along  with  some  black  metal  elements  being  utilized  in  the  vocals.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  heavy  and  raw  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  Flesh  Born  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  punk,  grind,  crust  and  screamo  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Pathetic  Way  to  Say  I  Need  You"  adn  "Dead".  8  out of  10.

Monsters! (Six Of A Kind)/Kaotoxin Records/2014 COmpilation Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  6  band  compilation  called  Monsters!  (Six  of  A  Kind)"  which  was  released  in  2014  by  Kaotoxin  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Total  Fucking  Destruction    which  plays  grindcore  with  jazz  and  metal  influences.

  Their  music  starts  up  with  a  very  fast  crust/grind  sound  along  with  blast  shouts,  shouts  and  screams  before  adding  in  bass  guitars  and  traditional  metal  elements  in  the  solos  and  on  the  following  track  melodic  vocals  and  hard  rock  influences  are  brought  in.

  Next  up  is  Department  Of  Correction  a  band  that  plays  grindcore  mixed  with  mathcore.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  off  with  a  very  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  sound  along  with  blast  beats,  shouts,  screams  and  growls  and  you  can  hear  the  technical  math  rock  element s in  the  musical  instruments.

  Next  up  is  C.O.A.G  a  band  that  mixes  black  metal  with  crust  on  grindcore.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  up  with  an  intro  that  is  very  dark  and  heavy  sounding   before  adding  in  black  metal  sounds  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  more  fast  blackened  grindcore  direction  along  with  blast  beats,  growls  and  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  technical  elements  in  their  music  along  with  crust  style  vocals.

  Next  up  is  Miserable  Failure  a  band  that  plays  a  very  fast  and  brutal  form  of  grindcore.

 Their  side  of  the  split  starts up  with  nature  sounds  and  spoken  word  samples  before  going  into  a  fast  and  brutal  crust  grind  direction  along  with  blast  beats  as  well  as  a  mixture  of  screams  and  growls  and  at  time s the  music  slows  down  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  their  side  of  the  split  closes  with  80's  pop  music  samples.

  Next  up  is  Unsu  a  band  that  plays  grindcore  mixed  in  with  groove.

  Their  side  of  the  split  opens  up  with  an  aggressive  crust/grind  sound  along  with  a  mixture  of  growls  and  screams  and  at  time s their  music  slows  down  and  you  can  hear  elements  of  groove  metal.

  Closing  the  compilation  is  Infected  Society  a  band  that  mixes  grin  with  metal  and  hardcore.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  up  with  a  very  fast  and  brutal  death/grind  sound  along  with  blast  beats  and  growls  before  adding  in  more  metal  and  hardcore  along  with  aggressive  screams  while  still  having  fast  brutal  parts  as  well  as  bringing  in  melody  at  times.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  compilation  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  grindcore.  8  out  of  10.  

Veuve S.S/Visceres/Vendridi Recordings/2012 EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Veuve  S.S  which  continues  their  mixture  of  punk,  hardcore,  grind  and  crust  with  the  ep  being  released  by  Vendridi  Recordings  in  2012  and  called  "Visceres".

  The ep  starts  out  with  a  raw  old  school  hardcore  sound  before  adding  in growls  and  traces  of  crustcore  along  with  some  noise  rock  style  distortion  and  after  awhile  the  music  gets  a  little  bit  more  faster  with  blast  beats  and  black  metal  elements.

  As  the  ep  progresses  the  bass  guitars  get  more  powerful  in  sound  and  they  also  bring  in  a  mixture  of  slow  and  fast  parts  and  on  one  of  the  tracks  the  band  goes  into  a  more  mid  paced  direction   and  at  time s you  can  also  hear  some  melody  in  the  music  and  on  the  last  track t hey  bring  in  horror  movie  samples.

  On  this  recording  Veuve  S.S  speed  up  things  a  bit  as  well  as  getting  a  little  bit  heavier  time  time  around  along  with  a  small  amount  of  black  metal  elements  while  also  remaining  true  to  their  hardcore  punk  sound.

  Song  lyrics  cover  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  while  you  can  still  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Veuve  S.S  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  hardcore  punk,  crust  and  grind,  you  should  check  out  this  e.p.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cathedrales"  and  "Crevard".  8  out  of  10.
  

Veuve S.S/SHLASS/2011 Demo Cs Review

  Veuve  S.S  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  crust,  grind  and  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2011  demo.

  The  demo  starts  out  with  horror  movie  samples  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  the  music  goes  into  a  more  aggressive  hardcore  punk  direction  before  speeding  up  and  adding  in  blast  beats  and  growls.

  As  the  demo  progresses  the  band  start  bringing  in  more  grind  and  crust  elements  while  also  having  a  sound  that  is  more  closer  to  old  school  hardcore  punk  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  slow  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  bringing  in  distorted  guitar  effects  at  times  and  all  of t he  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  demo  closes  with  harsh  noise  sounds.

  With  this  demo  Veuve  S.S  go  back  to t he  hardcore  punk  sound  of  the  early  80's  and  mix  it  in  with  the  heaviness  of  crust  and  grindcore  along  with  some  elements  of  noise  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  French  and  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.

  In  my  opinion  Veuve  S.S  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  hardcore  punk,  grind  and  crust  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Merde"  "Vianide"  and  "Problemes".  8  out  of  10.  

Coldwar/Pantheist/Candlelight Records/2014 CD Review

  Coldwar  are  a  band  from  Ireland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  hardcore  punk  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Pantheist"  which  will  be  released  by  Candlelight  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  distorted  sounds  and  spoken  word  samples  before  going  into  a  heavier  and  faster  direction  as  well  as  bringing  in  crust  style  death  metal  growls  and  screams  along  with  a  mixture  of  slow  and  fast  parts  and  after  awhile  melody  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  mixing  hardcore  punk,  thrash  and  death  metal  together  as  well  as  bringing  in  solos  and  at  times  they  also  bring   in  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  and  on  a  couple  of  the  tracks  they  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  before  returning  to  a  heavier  direction.

  With  this  album  Coldwar  take  the  heaviest  element s of  death  metal,  thrash,  hardcore  punk  and  crust  and  mix  it  in  with  a  good  amount  of  melody  to  create  and  extreme  metal  sound  they  can  call  their  own.

  Song  lyrics  cover  occultism,  pantheism,  and  esotericism,  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  as  well  as  some  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Coldwar  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  metal,  thrash,  crust  and  hardcore  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Heart  Of  Darkness"  "13th  Moon"  "Ghost  Dance"  and  "Last  Days  of  the  4th  Sun".  8  out  of  10.  

Atentado/Antagonist/Ruins Records/2014 CD Review

  Atentado  are  a  band  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  mixture  of  crust  and  hardcore  with  black  and  death  metal  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Antagonist"  which  was  released  by  Ruins  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  very  old  school  crust  sound  along  with  aggressive  vocals  and  after  awhile  melody  is  added  into  the  music  along  with  solos  and  the  heaviness  of  death  metal  and  after  awhile  of  the  musical  instruments  start  sounding very  powerful.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  vocals  start  bringing  in  growls  and  screams  and  at  time s blast  beats  and  grindcore  elements  make  their  way  into  the  music  and  all  of  the  songs  are  very  short  and  old  school  crustcore songs  in  the  mid  80's  tradition.

   With  this  album  Atentado  go  back  to  1988  era  crustcore  while  also  having  a  small  amount  of  black,  death  metal  and  grindcore  element s and  while  there  is  not  much  in  the  way  of  originality  the  band  still  pulls  off  what  they  set  out  to  do  which  is  play  some  true  crust  that  has  none  of  the  modern  trendy  sounds.

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

  In  my  opinion  Atenteado  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  crustcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lost"  "Death  Blow"  "Inside  Out"  and  "Walls".  8  out  of  10.