Miasmic Theory interview

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

1. We have been working with our label and our cover artist,booking shows and other stuff to get all the pieces together ready for release.

2.You have a new album coming out in June, how would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how does it differ from the full length you had released in 2012?

2. The sound is heavy,more focused and more mature. Well our debut album from 2012 was first time for us recoding a full length together as a band so we were more prepared this time and more experienced.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new album and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the last 2 years?

3.The lyrics brings up the fear of dealing with everyday anxiety. We've become more patient with songwriting and take advantage of each other's ideas and does not stress through the songwriting process.

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

4. The inspiration came from the term miasma witch is the designation for pretty bad stuff back in the days. The miasma theory held that disease such as cholera or the black death was caused by the miasma.

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?

5. One of the greatest shows was a indoor festival in northern Sweden called House of Metal. We have done lot of great shows,like our release party show for our debut album. that was a pretty crazy night,crowded venue and everybody had a blast! On stage we give all we got,lot of energy and we just enjoy the moment and make sure the crowd gets a good time.

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

6.We have a pre-release party show 31st of may. We are busy with booking shows for the moment so not so many shows confirmed yet.

7.So far you have had Dead hand Label Label and Inverse Records release your albums, do you feel these 2 labels have helped you out a lot when it comes to getting your music out there heard?

7. This will be our first real release with Inverse records so we have to wait and see how things work out. But so far we are happy to cooperate with Inverse.

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

8. The feedback has been overwhelming. We have received great reviews world wide and thats honorable. Its awesome when people show  appreciation for your work.

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

9. Writing new songs,recording new album and play as many shows as possible.

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

10. We have a lot of different influences in the band. But if we have to choose i would say from the beginning when we started this band our idea was to put together fast two stroke songs like early The Haunted,Dimension Zero,The Crown,Darkane and so on. But during time pass by you find your own way to write and you find different ways to find inspiration and its not always the music you listen to. We have all kinds of taste of music in the band like,Misery index,Entombed,Gojira,Benighted,Decapitated,Dark Trangillity,Meshuggah,Pantera,Soilwork,Immolation, the list goes and and on :)

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

11. Our drummer is into running marathons,bicycling,swimming and other crazy long-distance stuff. Other interest we have are fishing,play football,BBQ and beer!

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

12. We hope you enjoy our upcoming album and we you soon on a Miasmic Theory show near you!

Tyrants Of Hell/Repulsive Worship/Whort Records/2014 Demo Review

  Tyrants  Of  Hell  are  a  band  from  Florida  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  grindcore  with  elements  of  death  metal,  crust  and  thrash  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  demo  "Repulsive  Worship"  which  was  released  by  Whort  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  raw  old  school  grindcore  sound  starts  off  the  demo  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  which  also  use  death  metal  screams  and  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  enhance  the  raw  and  mid  80's  elements  of  the  music  and  they  also b ring  in  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  with  the  longest  being  under  3  minutes  and  they  also  bring  in  the  early  death  metal  sound  that  was  heavily  influenced  by  thrash  and  it  adds  to  the  old  school  felling  the  band  brings  out  with  its  musical  sound  which  also  utilizes  the  energy  of  punk  rock  at  times.

  Tyrants  Of  Hell  go  back  to  the  mid  80's  with  their  sound  taking  the  elements  of  grindcore,  death  metal,  thrash  and  crust  genres  of  that  time  and  mixing  them  together  to  create  a  very  raw  and  old  school  sound  that  ignores  all  modern  trends,  the  production  is  very  raw  and  old  school  sounding while  the  lyrics  cover  horror,  blasphemous  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Tyrants  Of  Hell  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  old  school  mixture  of  grind,  crust,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Pitchfork  Sodomy"  "Hell's  Breath"  and  "Slaughter  In  The  Chapel".  8/5  out  of  10.
  

Miasmic Theory/Self Titled/Inverse Records/2014 CD Review

  Miasmic  Theory  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  death,,  thrash,  groove  metal  and  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2014  album  which  was  released  by  Inverse  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  grinding  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  before  adding  in  melodic  death  and  groove  metal  elements  along  with  some  aggressive  screams  and  hardcore  style  shouts  which  also  leads  up  to  some  deep  growls  and  the  band  combine  many  different  extreme  metal  and  punk genres  together.

  All  of  the  songs  seem  to  have  a  great  balance  between  groove,  melody  and  heaviness  and  they  also  add  in  elements  of  djent  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  but  done  in  a  more  heavy  and  less  mainstream  sounding  manner  and  you  can  also  hear  traces  of  post  hardcore  in  the  tracks  at  times.

  You  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  throughout  the  album  as  well  as  mixture  of  both  old  school  and  modern  extreme  metal  influences  throughout  the  tracks  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  they  avoid  using  guitar  solos  and  leads  which  also  adds  more  heaviness  and  raw  energy  into  their  musical  sound  and  they  add  in  small  amounts  of  clean  playing  on  the  last  track.

  Miasmic  Theory  take  the  melody  and  heaviness  of  death  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  catchy  structures  of  thrash  and  groove  metal  as  well  as  the  energy  of  punk  rock  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  and  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Miasmic  Theory  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  melodic  death,  thrash,  groove  metal  and  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Time  Will  Spent"  "Watch  Your  Step"  and  "Lost  Time".  8  out  of  10.

Temperance Interview

Hi,

 

Here’s the interview:

 

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Hello to everyone! We're Temperance and despite of the young age of this band we come from previous musical experience together so this is the most obvious continuation of a path. We started this band during the late summer of 2013 and we immediately started to work on our own stuff. So in a few months the album was recorded, mixed and mastered before Christmas and at the beginning of April 2014 it was released worldwide. Everything went so quickly and so clearly in our minds and we feel so excited about the results, both of audience and critics.
We come from the north west part of Italy and we're working so hard to bring our show around Europe and outside of it too. Temperance's line up features Chiara Tricarico as lead female singer, Marco Pastorino as guitarist and male singer, Sandro Capone as guitarist, Luca Negro at the bass guitar and me, Giulio Capone at the drums and keyboards.

2.Recently you have released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is present on the recording?
Well, it's not so easy to describe our sound in few words, but I could tell you that it's a very wide mixtures of genres where you can find of course metal guitar riffs and huge double kick drums but where the vocals tracks are performed by different singers with very different styles. You will find also electronic elements like synths and modern arrangements both with some asian folk music instruments like Erhu and Koto. Someone could think we're trying to mix too many antithetical elements in our music but the truth is that we chosed a limitless approach to our sound. We simply write music, mixing all the elements we like and all the "colours" we need to paint our vision.
I know it's a dangeruos path sometimes but I admit with Temperance we achieved a good result ;)

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Our lyrics are mainly about personal experience and mostly about love. In different ways you know. It could be something quite romantic but also something dominated by anger and jealousy. There're many sides of this feeling to explore and usually in our composition process we build both music and lyrics like a inseparable mixtures. As we like playing with "lights and shades" in our music style, we love to use heavy contrasts in our lyrics.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Temperence'?
We thought about the name for this band we were not sure about it for a long time. It could sound weird but we spent less time to compose, arrange and record the album than to choose our name ahah:D We found with Temperance a good name, I think, it's easy to remember, quite musical in its sound and overall it has a strong meaning since temperance is the virtue of moderation and we think it's suitable to describe our will to mix different elements into a music equilibrium.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
At the moment I could tell you that probably our best -on stage- moment was at our release party gig. We didn't expect so many people and such a warm welcome. We really were all so hopeful but at the same time we were a little bit worried about what would be the reaction to our music in the live version. Well, it was simply amazing and the show was unforgettable. You know what? It was the typical gig where the audience enjoy the show, you do the same and at the end of it you feel like an empty space in your heart. You would like to go with it forevermore.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
We have some gigs and festivals already booked for this year and some interesting news coming soon about touring...but I can't tell you more at the moment! Surely after this bunch of gigs we will go to our studio to star working seriously on the new material we're gathering.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of metal?
Oh, it was really positive! We've got so many great reviews and amazing comments! :) We could not be more thankful to ALL who supported Temperance and who spent their time listening to our first album. It's an incredible strenght for us, an endless boost to do our best and a confirm that it's possible to break the limits and labels to create something different but always melodic and metal.

8.What is going on with the other musical projects these days that some of the band members are involved with?
Marco and Chiara have different projects too and their working real hard on them. Marco has both Secret Sphere and Hatetyler while Chiara sings in Ravenword band. Also if it seems strange, we had no problem to go on with Temperance also with all these external duties. I think it's useful to tie different bands together and make the metal scene stronger!

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I hope to see this band growing everyday, step by step to reach the best stages and to have the chance to go on recording its music. It's hard to make plans in the far future but I'm quite confident Temperance are at their early days and a lot of nice things are to come!;)
Probably the musical direction will be the same since we can do a better album, with more details or more direct but we can't change our way to compose music. So you could expect more albums from Temperance with maybe more different elements and different styles but our approach to music will be the same.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Honestly we all listen to many many different things! As I told you, we don't like boudaries and labels so we try to listen to as many different styles as we can. Of course we love heavy metal and rock stuff but we also like pop, jazz and classical music. It's like to cook: you need to know many different tastes to know which you could use to create the dish you have in mind.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Non musical? Well, we spend so much time into music that's quite hard to find non musical activities ehehe:D Personally I love videogames and movies and they're such a big influence and inspiration for me during the composing process. We're not into sports...soccer...you know...also if we're italian eheheh:D We love also to travel abroad to search for different influences for our music and lyrics!

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Yes! Thanks a lot for this interview and for your time! Thanks a lot to all the readers and to all who is going to support Temperance! Please check our Facebook official page and our Reverbnation page too to be updated about our activities.  See you on tour!!!

Dredge/The Shadow Current/2013 CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Dredge  which  continues  their  atmospheric,  progressive  and  technical  mixture  of   hardcore,  noise,  grind  and  metal  which  was  self  released  in  2013  and  called  "The  Shadow  Current".

  A  very  dark,  melodic  and  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  powerful  sounding  bass  lines  and  a  minute  later  the  music  starts  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  some melodic  clean  singing  vocals  which  evolve  into  some  aggressive  sounding  hardcore  style  screams  and  deep  growls.

  When  the album  goes  into  other t racks  the  music  gets  a  bit  more  heavier  and  brutal  along  with  some  blast  beats  as  well  as  maintaining  the  progressive  sound s of  the  first  album  along  with  a  mixture  of  both  acoustic  and  heavy  parts  and  a  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  they  also  keep  the  melodic  vocals  in  certain sections  of  the  recording.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  getting  a  lot  more  original  and  diverse  in  sound  as  well  as  adding  in  an  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  the  regular  tracks  and  they  also  start  to  get  more  experimental  as  time  goes  on  by  with  the  title  track  being  over  16  minutes  in  length  and  mixing  a  variety  of  many  different  musical  genres  in  the  song.

  Dredge  remain  true  to  their  extreme  technical  and  progressive  hardcore/ metal  sound  on  this  album  as  well  as  being  a  bit  more  heavier  and  experimental  this  time  around,  the  production  is  very  professional  sounding  and  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Dredge  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric,  progressive,  technical,  grind,  hardcore  and  extreme  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sister  Sphere"  "Whiskey  And  Kisses"  and  "The  Shadow  Current".  8  out  of  10.    

Dredge/Sediment/2010 CD Review

  Dredge  are  a  band  from  Iowa  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric,  progressive  and  technical  mixture  of  hardcore,  noise,  grind  and  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2010  album  "Sediment".

  Water,  nature  and  train  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  a  spoken  word  part  before  going  into  a  very  heavy  and  progressive  direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  which  also  leads  to  some  growls  that  combine  hardcore  and  death  metal  together.  

  When  fast  parts  and  high  pitched  screams  are  added  onto  the  album  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  traces  of  noisecore  and  grind  and  the  band  also  adds  a  great  amount  of  technical  sounding  melodies  into  their  musical  sound  along  with  a  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  there  are  also  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  being  displayed  in  the  songs  along  with  a  small  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

   In certain  sections  of  the  recording  you  can  hear  small  amounts  of  clean  singing  being  utilized  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  a  good  portion  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  diverse  yet  heavy  and  brutal  all  at  the  same  time..

  Dredge  have  a  very  atmospheric,  progressive  and  technical  metal  sound to t hem  which  also  mixes  in  noisecore,  hardcore  and  grind  along  with  a  great  amount  of  diversity  and  melody  to  create  a  sound  only  they  can  call  their  own,  the  production  sound s very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  and  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dredge  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric,  progressive  and  technical  mixture  of   hardcore,  noise,  grind  and  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Stench  Of  May"  "Trauma  Bucket"  "Shiver"  and  "Everlasting  Now".  8  out  of  10.    

Temperance/Self titled/Scarlet Records/2014 CD Review

   Temperance  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  melodic,  symphonic,  and  gothic  form  of  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2014  album  which  was  released  by  Scarlet  Records.

  A  very  melodic  and  symphonic  sounding  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  female  vocals  and  deep  death  metal  growls  and  the  music  has  a  very  modern  and  mainstream  metal  feeling  at  time s while  also  having  a  great  amount  of  heaviness  in  their  musical  sound.

  Prog  and  psychedelic  elements  are  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads  and  they  also  mix  melodic  male  and  female  vocals  and  death  metal  growls  to  add  a  good  amount  of  variety  into their  musical  sound  and  a  few  of  the  tracks  also  utilizes  acoustic  guitars  which  bring  a  very  dark  and  middle  eastern  feeling  to  the  album  as  well  as  having  a  more  classic  rock  style  direction  on  the  later  tracks.

  As  the  album  progresses  electronic  musical  sounds  become  a  huge  part  of  the  bands  musical  sound  along  with  the  symphonic  parts  evoking  a  more  classical  music  feeling  to  them  and  they  also  have  a  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  in  a  great  amount  of  their  songs  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  and  towards  the  end  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  are  added into  the  music  along  with  some  gothic/doom  metal  elements  and  a  few  of  the t racks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Temperance  have  a  very  different  sounding  approach  to  melodic  and  symphonic  gothic  metal  with  their  musical  sound  almost  having  a  mainstream  feeling  but  with  the  growls  and  the  heaviness  of  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  and  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  everyday  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Temperance  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic,  symphonic  gothic  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hero"  "To  Be  With  You"  "The  Fourth  Season"  and  "Lotus".  8  out  of  10.

The Drip Interview

 

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

Writing new material for a full length. Gearing up for our west coast tour in August. 

2.You have a new album coming out in April, 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?

Faster and heavier. More focused on groove and riffs. Songs are better and the recording is much more crisp.

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

Anger, and expressing lyrical violence. 

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

The terms has dual definitions. Both are equally gnarly. We just went with 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?

The best shows we've played was prob either opening for Black Breath in Spokane, Wa (our 2nd home) or in our hometown at our album release people went absolutely bonkers. A live video will be surfacing soon 

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

West Coast this late summer, more in the fall and winter. Next year we want to do full US tour. 

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

It's been excellent. Nothing but praise and overall good reviews. 

8.What is going on with the other musical project these days that 3/4th of the band members are involved with?

Some of us are in a power violence band called Noise Offender, others haven't started anything new...yet. 

9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

I'd say later next year. We already have started writing and hopefully will be hitting the studio in the fall. It will be grindcore. That's what we 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?

Nasum, Rotten Sound, Insect Warfare, Black Breath, the list goes on. Been currently spinning lots of all pigs must die, the new doom riders, and fuck the facts. 

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Beer, pizza, bicycles. Art. I have been getting into some of these from time to time 

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

Keep on grinding as watch out for new announcements. 
Bobby Mansfield. 
The Drip

Aghor Interview

Hi,

 

Here’s the interview:

 

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

Aghor is a rather fresh blood - our first rehearsal together was in March 2013. Although the band itself is young, one can not tell the same about the musicians. It is perhaps not that usual, that three guys in their 40s create a new band and start making music that was in the early 1990s played by 17-18 year old guys :) But what can you do if the old love just won’t fade away. And we are not THAT old that we should automatically switch to safe old school heavy or rock music :)

2.So far you have released a demo and a full length album, can you tell us a little bit more about your musical sound?

The main thing that we are trying to maintain in our sound is simplicity and organics. We are definitely not interested in using modern sounds. Of course we are still living in 21st century and we’re not recording drums with one mike, and we’re not recording on analogue for purely practical reasons. Concerning the guitar sounds I personally believe that much has to do with the person, who’s playing the music. I, for instance, do not consider myself a guitarist, but several years of playing guitar tend to leave a mark and I have realized that individual playing style gives music its sound. I’m quite a pedant about my sound and over the years I have understood that a cheap pedal makes a cheap sound, therefore, if you care at least somewhat about your sound you should definitely invest into it, at least for the experience.

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

We do not have a main theme as such in our lyrics. All in all, it’s about a perception of a human’ dark side.

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

Aghor doesn’t actually mean anything. The name is inspired by Indian asceticgurus - the Aghori, who are practicing morbid rituals.

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

I think that we have not had a bad performance so far. Every gig is different in terms of its feeling. It doesn’t matter for us if the club has 10 or 1000 people  - we are not making any discounts. I believe that the word ‘organic’ best describes our shows. We do not have special effects or synchronized choreography - damn, how could anyone even image such things with old school music? :)

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

We are of course dreaming about it and we are willing to perform everywhere we are invited to (I hereby make a short commercial brake and invite gig organizers to invite us to play - we are cheap :) ).

In reality it would definitely be wise not to give concerts every week in your homeland and perhaps select more where and when to play, especially if you do not wish to bore your audience. But we would certainly be willing to play abroad!

7.The album was released on Offense Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Offense Records was created mainly to offer output to my own projects. I’m also involved in a UG death/black metal zine Offense zine (which second issue was recently released) and we decided that the record company would also be called Offense Records. Actually in the beginning our plans were bigger: we tried to concentrate on vinyl releases only, but due to lack of resources and scarce interest it was not possible. I myself prefer vinyl as an original and best format for that type of music. Digital distribution is suitable for a wider audience.

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

Feedback has been surprisingly positive! I know that old school death metal is “in”right now but I can assure that we are not trying to take advantage of this situation, although our timing sure was good. More and more old death metal bands are making comeback, which is very welcome! Somehow, old death metal band comebacks are much more successful than comebacks of thrash metal bands, who, with great expectations, managed to produce rather mediocre albums.

9.What is going on with the other musical projects or bands these days that some of the band members are involved with?

I and Mantas (bass) are playing in another joint project called Sorts, which is a mixture of black and death metal. Sorts has released a full-lenght album "Product Of Decadence" and several shorter releases. I also play in an international project Põhjast, which sounds like a viking-age Bathory and Memento Mori. It is an Estonia-Canadian-Finnish project that includes members from bands such as Metsatöll, Akitsa,Thesyre, Barren Earth and Rytmihäiriö. Mantas is also playing in a rock’n’roll group and our drummer, Rain, has another stoner rock project.

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

I don’t think that we would totally change our music in the future, although I do not like to give concrete promises about us not going to do this or that. Music is, after all, a way to express oneself and you should make music that makes you feel good. This, to my opinion, is the basis of everything.

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

I listen to all sorts of stuff. The only styles that do not impress me are rap, hip-hop and modern metal. Lets’ say that both The Smiths and Electro Hippies can inspire me to write music :) But I tend to listen to music much less than before. I think that I listen to music consciously - I like to listen to 1 record at a time, alone, accompanied by a few beers. The format should then be vinyl of course :)

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

As I told before one of my hobbies is Offense zine. This zine is also international and everyone interested in co-works are more than welcome to contact me! One of my greatest interests is hiking and spending time in nature. With my girlfriend we are trying to hike and discover new places in Estonian nature every weekend. Domestic tourism is somewhat undervalued - especially if you live in such a country as Estonia that has a very versatile and rich nature. Although Estonia does not have high mountains or wide rivers we have diverse landforms and lots of forests. Estonia also has a very well operating State Forest Management Centre, that has built lots of hiking trails and cabins in the wood for everyone to use. I recommend everyone interested in undisturbed nature and peace & quiet to visit Estonia.

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

Thanks for the interview. I hope I was able to make at least some of the readers interested in our band. You can get more information from the links below. Feedback is always welcome!

http://aghor.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/aghorofficial

www.pohjast.com

www.offensezine.com

https://www.facebook.com/Pohjast

https://www.facebook.com/OffenseZine

https://www.facebook.com/sortsofficial

Brutal Blues/Self Titled/Selfmadegod Records/2014 EP Review

  Brutal  Blues  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  very  fast form  of  noise/grind  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2014  ep  which  was  released  by  Selfmadegod  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  chaotic  noise/grind  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  brutal  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  and  the  music  also  has  an  old  school  grindcore  feeling  to  it  along  with  a  great  amount  of  raw  aggression  and  you  can  also  hear  electronic  sounds  being  utilized  in  the  background  at  times.

  In  certain  sections  the  band  adds  in  slow  parts  while  the  main  focus  is  still  on  being  fast  and  raw  as  well  as  bringing  in  small  amounts  of  crust  style  growls  and  the  music  also  gets  more  diverse  on  some  of  the  alter  tracks  as  well  as  showing  they  can  play  their  musical  instruments  very  well.

  Brutal  Blues  have  a  very  creative  approach  to  grindcore  and  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  which  they  bring  in  their  sound  and  it  also  gives  the  recording  a  more  original  style  of  grind,  the  production  is  very  dark  and  professional  sounding  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Norwegian  and  cover  everyday  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Brutal  Blues  are  a  very  great  sounding  grindcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Rett"  and  "Tradsjon".  8  out  of  10.  

Torch Runner/Committed To The Ground/Southern lord Records/2014 CD Review

  Torch  Runner  are  a  band  from  North  Carolina  that  plays  a  mixture  of  punk,  hardcore  and  grind  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Committed  To  The  Ground"  which  was  released  by  Southern  Lord  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  aggressive  crust/grind  sound  starts  of  the  album  along  with  high  pitched  screams  and  a  mixture  of  blast  and  d  beats  and  the band  sticks  to  a  very  fast  and  brutal pace  on  the  other  tracks  as  well  with  a  good  portion  of  the  songs  being  under  a  minute  and  having  the  rawness  of  hardcore  punk.

  The  band  also  has  its  slower  moments  at  time s where  the  musical  instruments  start  sounding  very  powerful  and  they  also  find  the  perfect  balance  between  both  old  school  and  modern  day  gindcore  with  their  sound  and  they  avoid  the  weak  links  that  the  modern  side  of  the  genre  uses  and  brings  a  great  amount  of  aggression  back  into  the  music.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  songs  start  to  get  a  lot  longer,  the  band  slows  down  its  pace  as  well  as  adding  more  melody  into  their  musical  sound  as  well  as  adding  in  elements  of  harsh  noise  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  proving  they  can  be  very  diverse  as  musicians  and  they  never  lose  the  fast  and  raw  grindcore  aggression  and  they  also  add  in  a  few  seconds  of  guitar  leads  and  spoken  word  samples.

  Torch  Runner  bring  a  great  amount  of  originality  and  aggression  with  their  mixture  of  punk,  hardcore  and  grind  and  proving  you  can  add  new  element s to  the  genre  without  making  it  sound  watered  down,  the  production  is  very  dark  and  professional  sounding  and  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  pissed  off  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Torch  Runner  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  punk,  hardcore  and  grind  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Current"  "Canon  Cast"  "The  Holy  Are  the  Broken"  and  "Vestige".  8  out  of  10.

Aghor/Necrolivonica/Offense Records/2014 CD Review

  Aghor  are  a  band  from  Estonia  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  mixed  with  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Necrolivonica"  which  was  released  by  Offense  Records.

  Powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  start  off  the  album  before  mixing  in  heavy  guitars  and  aggressive  shouting  vocals  as  well  as  adding  in  the  heaviness  of  death  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  traces  of  hardcore  in  their  musical  sound  and  the  band  also  incorporates  a  good  amount  of  melody  into  their  musical  sound.

  Spoken  word  parts  and  horror  movie  samples  are  added  into  the  music  at  times  and  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  you  can  hear  traces  of  crust  and  d  beat  in  the  rawer  sections  of  the  music  and  the  band  also brings  in  a  mixture  of  slow,   mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  a  small  amount  of  thrash  metal  influences.

  Aghor  take  the  early  90's  death  metal  sound  and  mixes  it  with  80's  hardcore  punk  and  stays  away  from  any  types  of  growls  or  screams  most  death  metal  bands  use  and  have  a  more  punk/thrash  style  of  vocals,  the  production  is  very  dark  and  professional  sounding  and  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Aghor  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  old  school  death  metal  and  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should c heck  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sculpting  Sanctum"  "Torch  All  Idols"  "Tyrant  Obsession"  and  "Kingdom  Of  Flesh".  8  out  of  10.

Mordbrand/Imago/Deathgasm Records/2014 CD Review

  Mordbrand  are  a  band  from  Sweden t hat  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  crust  and  d  beat  orientated  style  of  Swedish  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Imago"  which  will  be  released  by  Deathgasm  Records.

  Ritualistic  sounds  and  chanting  start  off  the  album   before  going  into  a  fast  and  raw  old  school  Swedish  death  metal  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  growls  while  also  adding  crust  and  d  beat  elements  into  their  sound  and  the  band  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of melody  and  darkness  as  well  as  having  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  The  guitar  solos  and  leads  come  across  as  a  cross  between  Dismember  and  Discharge  and  you  can  also  hear  some  atmospheric  sounds  being  utilized  in  the  background  along  with  some  demonic  noises  being  used  briefly  but  the  main  focus  is  on  raw  and  old  school  sounding  Swedish  death  metal.

  On  one  of  the  alter  tracks  the  band  adds  in  high  pitched screams  that  give  the  music  a  grim  black  metal  feeling  as  well  as  adding  in  a  few  melodic  chants  before  returning  back  to  the  melodic  Swedish  death  metal  style  and  adding  a  more  dark atmosphere  to  their  old  school  sound  that  most  bands ignore  as  well  as  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Mordbrand  remain  true  to  their  raw  and  crusty  approach  to  Swedish  death  metal  while  also  having  a  very  ritualistic  and  melodic  atmosphere  to  them,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  and  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  horror  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Mordbrand  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Join  Them  in  Thralldom"  "Bastian  of  blood"  and  "Sever  The  Lambs  That  Grace".  8  out  of  10.    

Run With The Hunted/The Sieve And The Sand/Panic Records/2014 CD Review

  Run  With  The  Hunted  are  a  band  from  Arizona  that  plays  melodic  hardcore  with  elements  of  metal,  crust  and  power  violence  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "The  Sieve  And  The  Sand"  which  will  be  released  by  Panic  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  aggressive  power  violence  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some screaming  vocals  before  the  band  starts  adding  in  more  melody,  screamo  and  hardcore  elements  into their  music  along with  some  old  school  punk  rock  style  bass  guitars,  melodic  guitar  leads  and  spoken  vocals.

  On  the  other t racks  the  band  finds  its  sound  which  has  a  perfect  balance  between  melody  and  heaviness  as  well  as  mixing  in  some  power  violence  heaviness  into  their  melodic  hardcore  sound  and  the  songs  have  a  great  amount  of  diversity  and  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  is  added  into  the  music  as  well  as  the  guitar  playing  having  its  clean  moments  at  times.

  Run  With  the  Hunted  have  a  very  aggressive  and  melodic  hardcore  sound  which  also  has  elements  of  post,  d  beat  and  power  violence  and  the  songs  are  very  well  executed  and  put  together  for  this  musical  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  powerful  and  the lyrics  cover  existential  dilemmas  and   exorcising  personal  demons.

  In  my  opinion  Run  With  the  Hunted  are  a  very  great  sounding  aggressive  and  melodic  post  hardcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album>  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Silent  Spring"  "Red  Queen"  and  "The  Sieve  And  the  Sand".  8  out  of  10.

  

Icon Of Evil Interview

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

Hey. Currently we are preparing to concerts, to which we return after a few months break due tocrossovers and later drummer’s thumb injury. We have also started working on new songs, whichwe hope will be published next year. Preparations for the tour of the Balkans in late July and early August, aiming to promote our new album "Syfilis Mentalis" are underway. We'll see what comes out as several festivals have not been yet confirmed. The organization of the tour is being watched by our current publisher Goldi from NEANDERTHAL STENCH RECORDS (Belgium).

2. Recently you have put out a new album, 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?

We believe that after recording two songs: Split LP with THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL and "Syfilis Mentalis" our musical direction which we will follow has been clarified. You will be able to check it out at the upcoming split LP with THE DEAD GOATS. The fact is that the team memberscome from different scenes: crust, punk, death metal, grind core, hard core and what seems to usto be heard in our music. Common point, however, was old school death metal. Our trademark is dominant, medium pace with plenty of double alloys combined with sharp guitars and melodicriffs. Added to this is a hard-sounding bass guitar and growling mixed with screams. It's hard totell what the differences between musical materials are. Undoubtedly, we are richer with the experience gained with each new work in the studio. For the third time we are working with the same executor, Jaroslaw Wysocki of SOUND SCOPE STUDIO in Wroclaw what we believe gives excellent effect.

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

The author of all texts is Mokry. Topics include, among others, population pressure in a megaCatholic country like Poland. We are fed by the media with patriotic - catholic pulp, which is making us sick. Another important theme is our resistance against nationalism, which is growing in Europe on the wave of populist propaganda. The third very important problem is the exploitationof workers by corporations, legitimate with economic crisis that affects only the lowest society groups.

4. The band started out as 'Evil', but then changed its name to 'Icon Of Evil' what was the decision behind the name change?

After several years of existing of EVIL and playing with almost no change in composition of a teamthere has been some personal frictions. The result was a split in the band EVIL. Three peoplehaving a dominant influence on the music and lyrics in the previous formation now play in ICONOF EVIL.

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?

Our best concerts include: SCUM FEST (London), DIY (Gdynia), PLAY FAST OR DON’T (Hradec Kralove), KOPI (Berlin). In fact, we believe that each of our concerts is good, unless we are defeated by alcohol … (joking). Best if you check it out for yourself.

6. DO you have any touring a show plans for the new releases?

Partially we gave answers in question No. 2 Shortly after the release of the LP "Syfilis Mentalis" we played in 2013. a very successful tour in Germany, Belgium, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Poland.

7. A few years back the band was a part of a split album with The Bold And the Beautiful, what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the album?

They are our friends from the east Polish, related personally with ANTICHRIST. They are heavily involved in anti-fascist and anti-authoritarian DIY scene in Poland. It's a good and interesting band. Events with them are really great.

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

We are a relatively new band on the scene. I think it is too soon to talk about the global reception. We hope that the promotion and release executed by the PRC MUSIC Remi will allow us to win a wider audience. The official release date of CD "Syfilis Mentalis" in Canada is 27.05.2014r. inEurope, the album sold very well and the reception at the concerts is really good

9.What is going on with the other musical projects these days that some of the band members are involved with?

The only team that plays up to this day is INFEKCJA (crust / core), in which the vocal is done by Mokry. . Previous projects in which the members of ICON OF EVIL played are: CREEPINGCORRUPT (death metal / grind), COHORTIS (death metal), WOJTYLA (crust / grind),POLTERGEIST (crust / grind), and the EVIL which I have previously mentioned

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

We are optimistic. We are doing our job and the time will show if everything will be all right. In addition to "Syfilis Mentalis" we have already completed another song. The wording and arrangement are more thoughtful and refined. The effect will be soon available to check on Split LPwith THE DEAD GOATS.

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

Because each of us listens to different music and come from different scenes the inspired list is very long. Together, we can say that mainly we are inspired by death metal, crust and grind core…

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

We are not a monolith, each of us has his private life and totally different interests ...

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

Thank you for your interest and an interview. You are welcome to our concerts and bandcamp and facebook profile.

Questions were answered by: Mokry and Grzelo.

NO GODS, NO MASTERS !