Ommatida/Let's Face It/Dooweet Records/2015 CD Review

 

   Ommatida  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  very  dark  and  melodic  form  of  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Let's  Face  it"  which  was  released  by  Dooweet  Records.

  A  very  dark,  hard,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  elements  of  goth  rock  and  guitar  leads  that  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  dominate  throughout  the  recording  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  into  the  music  they  are  all  in  a  clean  singing  gothic  metal  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  You  can  hear  a  lot  of  modern metal  elements  in  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  a  touch  of  thrash  as  well  as  a  slight  alternative  feeling  being  used  at  times  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  clean  playing  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  few  power  ballads  and  when  acoustic  guitars  are  utilized  they  give  the  album  more  of  a  70's  rock  feeling  and  when  growls  are utilized  they  bring  in  a  touch  of  early  90's  doom/death  metal.and  some  of  the  later  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  whispers  and  the  last  3  tracks  have  a  concept  to  them.

  Ommatida  plays  a  style  of  gothic  metal  that  also  brings  in elements  of  melodic,  modern  and  alternative  metal  along  with  a  touch  of  death/doom  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death  and  existence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ommatida  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  and  melodic  gothic  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Immaculate"  "Soiled"  "A  Lack  Of  Contrast  In  Life"  and  "Coming  Full  Circle  Pt.3".  8  out  of  10.

Subjugation Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Hey! We are a 3-piece grindcore outfit from Ankara, Turkey. We started in 2013, released a demo tape in 2014 and recently had a split 7" out with Italian death/grind maniacs HAEMOPHAGUS and have just recorded one new track for an upcoming compilation.

2.So far you have released a demo and have also been a part of a split, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
All 6 songs we released are from the same recording session. We tried to capture the spirit of early 90's death metal infused and brutal grindcore, while still retaining the chainsaw guitar sound and d-beats.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Modern forms of slavery and how people are turning into lifeless shells of themselves, just like a dystopian Philip Dick story, but for real.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Subjugation'?
Just like the lexical meaning, the shit people have to endure in our "modern" societies. It was quite fitting to our lyrical content and also was the last free word with the suffix -ation, haha!

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We played with Dutch crust/grinders KRU$H at the end of last year and it was a hell lot of fun, and just a few weeks ago we played at a mini DIY festival in Istanbul with some touring bands like PARAZITOZIS, CHAPPA'AI, SxOxTxE and DIRTY WOMBS, the atmosphere was just awesome and the crowd went nuts during the entire festival.
To be honest, I wouldn't really know how to describe the performance, we just try to play the best we can and hope the audience enjoys it!

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We'll play some local gigs in the next months and we have some plans to tour after the new recording, nothing's set in concrete yet though.

7.Recently you where a part of a split with 'Haemophagus', what are your thoughts on the other band that have participated on this recording?
They're the nicest guys around and they play some great rotten tunes! Anybody slightly interested in AUTOPSY and REPULSION should check out their latest full length Atrocious.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal and grindcore?
While we're still a relatively new band, the response from people have been terrific so far!

9.Are any of the band members also involved with any other musical projects or bands these days?
I also do vocals for BURIAL INVOCATION. Our drummer Kaya used to play in SAKATAT until they called it quits in 2012.

10.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We're frantically (de)composing new tunes for the full length and planning to record this summer. I can say it's more of the same brutal and rigid grindcore, just with more intensity and rawness.

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?
Aside from our main influences ASSÜCK, BRUTAL TRUTH, TERRORIZER and Harmony Corruption-era NAPALM DEATH, we're also influenced by some bands from other genres to a degree I guess, like WARCOLLAPSE, GRAVE, ASPHYX, SKITSYSTEM...
Lately I've been listening to ICON OF EVIL's Syfilis Mentalis, SUFFERING MIND's self titled Formatography 11" and CANCER SPREADING's The Age of Desolation a lot.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Eating vegetarian pizza, drinking unhealthy amounts of beer and getting shitfaced... All the usual stuff!

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks a lot for interviewing us, cheers!

Haemophagus/Subjugation/EveryDayHate/2015 Split 7 Inch Review

  This  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  Italy's  Haemophagus  and  Turkey's  Subjugation  which  was  released  by  EveryDayHate  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  of  Haemophagus  a  band  that plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  off  with  a  very  heavy  and  old  school  death  metal  sound  along  with  some  guitar  leads  being  utilized  at  times  and  a  few  seconds  later  death  metal  growls  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  screams  and  the  music  starts  adding  in  elements  of  early  90;s  gore/grind  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  groove  in  their  musical  style  and  on  the  second  track  the  music  starts  to  speed  up  a  bit  and  add  in  blast  beats  along  with  some  Swedish  death  metal  influences  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound to them,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Haemophagus  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Monsters  In  The  Park".

  Next  up  is  Subjugation  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  grindcore  and  death  metal  with  a  touch  of  punk.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  off  with  a  very  dark  and  old  school  death/grind  sound  and  a  few  seconds  later  growls  are  added  into  the  music  before  speeding  up  and  adding  in  blast  beats  that  also  takes  the  music  play  into  a  grindcore  direction  as  well  as  introducing  high  pitched  screams  into  their  musical  style  and  they  use  this  direction  on  all  3  tracks,  the  production  on  their  side  of  the  recording  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Subjugation  are a  very  great  sounding  old  school  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  with  a  touch  of  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band  and  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Trembling  On  Broken  Glass".

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

Mindflair/Scourge Of Mankind/EveryDayHate/Wooaaargh/2015 CD Review

  Mindflair  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  fast  and  aggressive  form  of  grindcore  along  with  some  elements  of  crust,  power  violence  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2015  album  "Scourge  Of  Mankind"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  EveryDayHate  and  Wooaaargh.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  grindcore  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  brutal  blast  beats  and  the  music  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  at  times  you  can  also  hear  angry  crust  style  shouts  in  come  sections  of  the  tracks  and  all  of  the  songs  are  very  short  in  length  with  the  longest  one  being  2  1/2  minutes.

  Most  of  the  songs  are  heavily  rooted  in  a  90's  style  of  crust  and  grindcore  while  the  production  gives  the  music  more  of  a  modern  day  feeling  and  in  the  slower  sections  the  power  violence  and  hardcore  elements  have  more  of  a  powerful  sounding  presence  and  the  music  also  brings  in  death  metal  growls  and  as  the  album  progresses  melodies  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  heavy  and  brutal  musical  direction.  

  Mindflair  plays  a  style  of  grindcore  that  is  very  aggressive  and  old  school  sounding  and  also  adds  in  a  heavy  crust  influence,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  politics  and  rebellion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mindflair  are  a  very  great  sounding  grindcore  band  with  elements  of  crust  and  power  violence  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Black  Frost"  "Uncontrolled"  "Exploitation"  and  "Theatre  of  the  Absurd".  8  out  of  10.   

Multinational Corporations/Jamat-al-Maut/Transcending Obscurity India/2015 CD Review

  Multinational  Corporations  are  a  band  from  Pakistan  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  grindcore  with  some  elements  of  crust  and  this is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Jamat-al-Maut"  which  will  be  released  on  March  30th  by  Transcending  Obscurity  India.

  A  very  fast  and  raw  grindcore  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  crustcore  influences  in  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  with  the  longest  being  3  minutes.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  use  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  guitar  leads.

  Multinational  Corporations  plays  a  style  of  grindcore  that  is  very  brutal  and  old  school  sounding  and  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  crust,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  political  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Multinational  Corporations  are a  very  great  sounding  grindcore  band  and  if  you  are a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fuck  Your  Patriotism"  "Advertisement  Overdose"  "Salaab"  and  "Ehsas-e-Jurm".  8  out  of  10.

    

Vengeance/Striver/Bonobostomp Records/2015 Split EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  France's  Vengeance  and  Canada's  Striver  which  was  released  by  Bonobostomp  Records  in  2015  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Vengeance  which  continues their  mixture  of  fastcore,  grind  and  power  violence.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  off  with  a  very  heavy  crust/grind  sound  along  with  some aggressive  female  vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  and  at  times the  vocals  can  be  melodic  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  brutal  blast  beats  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Vengeance  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  fastcore,  grind  and  power  violence,  you  should c heck  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "7  Bucks  A  Skin"  and  "Discoviolence".

  Next  up  is  Striver  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  thrashcore  and  power  violence.

  Their  side  of  the  ep  starts  off  with  a  very  heavy  sound  and  guitar  leads  and  a  few  seconds  later  the  music  starts  to  speed  up  and  adds  in  high  pitched  screams  and  blast  beats  along  with  some  angry  hardcore  style  shouts  being used  at  times  and  the  songs  also  use  melodies  at  times  along  with  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  and  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Striver  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  power  violence,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "One  Out  Of  Five"  and  "No  More  Encore".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  hardcore,  grind  and  power  violence.  8  out  of  10.          

Vengeance/Jugular Scars/Bonobostomp Records/2014 Split EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  between  France's  Vengeance  and  Canada'a  Jugular  Scars  which  was  released  by  Bonobostomp  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Vengeance  a  band  that plays  a  mixture  of  fastcore,  grind  and  power  violence.

  A very  distorted sound  sound  starts  off  their  split  of the split  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  and  adds  in  brutal  blast  beats  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  both  aggressive  female  vocals  and  growls  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  at  times  you  can  also  hear  some  melodies  in  the  bands  musical  style,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and hateful  themes,

  In  my  opinion  Vengeance  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  fastcore,  grind  and  power  violence  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cowboy"  and  "You  Piss  Me  Off".

  Next  up  is  Jugular  Scars  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  punk,  hardcore  and  power  violence.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  off  with  spoken word  samples  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  some  hardcore  style  shouts  and  after  awhile  crustcore  elements  and  blast  beats  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  and  spoken  word  parts  also  make  their   return  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  the  production  sound s very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  French  and  cover  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Jugular  Scars  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  punk,  hardcore  and  power  violence  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Le  Contribuable"  and  "Les  Vraies  Affaires".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  grind,  hardcore  and  power  violence.  8  out  of  10.          

Burnt Books/Where There's Smoke There's Fire/Retro Future Records/2015 CD Review

  Burnt  Books  are  a  band  from  South  Carolina  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  grind,  crust  punk  and  noise  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Where  There's  Smoke  There's  Fire"  which  was  released  by  Retro  Futurist  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  later  the  music  gets  a  lot  heavier  and  high  pitched  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  both  post  hardcore  and  noise  rock  elements  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  songs  start  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  bringing  in  the  energy  of  punk  and  back  up  shouts,  clean  singing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  some  of  the  tracks  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  small  amounts  of  clean  playing  and  spoken  word  parts.

  Burnt  Books  still  has  a  bit  of  grind  and  crust  in  their  sound  but  focus  more  on  a  melodic  style  of  noise  rock  on  this  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  angry  and  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Burnt  Books  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Escape"  "These  Arms"  "Stupid  Game"  and  "La  Rosa".  8  out  of  10.
      

Grunt Grunt/[P.U.T]/Pogo Records/2015 Split CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  France's  Grunt  Grunt  and  [P.U.T]  which  was  released  by  Pogo  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Grunt  Grunt  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  grindcore  and  power  violence.

    Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  spoken  word  samples  before  going  into  more  of  a  brutal  grindcore  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  and  the  music  also  brings  in  mid  paced  parts  and  death  metal  growls  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  punk  and  power  violence  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  last  track  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  keyboards,  the  production  sound s very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Grunt  Grunt  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  power  violence  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "2"  and  "6'.

  Next  up  is  [P.U.T}  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  noise.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  off  with  some  drones  and  a  minute  later  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  programmed  beats  and  aggressive  vocals  that  are  much  closer  to  industrial  metal  and  the  slow  heavy  riffs  bring  in  element s of  sludge  and  doom  and  as  their  side  of  the  split  progresses  more  traces  of noise  are  added  into  the  music  and  all  of  the  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  [P.U.T]  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge,  industrial  and  noise  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fear"  and  "Under  Most  Darkest  Sea".

  In  conclusion  i  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  grindcore,  sludge  and  industrial.  8  out  of  10.

    

Exegutor Interview

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

Recording of full-length album is not a job for a couple of nights. Even when our new CDs were only being printed, we already had started to create new songs for the next album. This process is continuous. Also we have some shows to play, and we try to make some special program for each gig. So, we spend much time on making our live performance as perfect as possible.

2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Sound on our new album can be fully described with only one word - angry. It took us almost a year to transform recorded source tracks to final version. Of course, our professionalism and experience increases since first release till latest, but I would prefer to say that each our CD or EP has its own sound face and atmosphere. We proud of all of them.

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

When we just created our band, we decided that there will be no gore-porn-shit and other "classical" grind themes in our lyrics. On this topic we are not like almost all of our grindcore colleagues from other bands.

Our current album lyrics have a focus on some typical features of our country and society, it is something like a postcard from Belarus. In future, I guess, we will find some other social and cultural issues to describe in our music. Of course, not a shit like "global warming" or "dollar dictatorship". We prefer to focus on some thin things, like robotization of our minds by gadjets and new techno-ethics.

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

That means nothing. Just a word. Maybe, it is as "exegutor" with "gut" root, maybe it has its origin from two-heads pokemon. No one remember currently.

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?

I cant choose which were the best right now... I think for us it is better to play on wide stage, because our style of playing live is dynamic. We like to dance and jump and headbang, so our performance, I believe, looks like performance of alive people who really love their music and rocknroll at all.

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

Yes, we do. We have plans to play some local shows in the nearest future; talking about a far time - we plan to participate in some european fests. We are open to any touring proposals.

7.According to the fb page you are going to be on some tribute albums for Grossmember and Cerebral Turbulency, can you tell us a little bit more about your contributions to these compilations?

We respect these bands, so when we had an offer to make a tribute songs, we agreed immideatly. We took "False Unity" Grossmember song and "Kokos" by CT. It was a bit fun, because this song is on Czhech. In general, we love to play covers, especialy on old black metal bands. In our career we even played covers on Dio and Scorpions in grindcore way.

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

Let be sincere - we are not world known band, but we regulary have only positive feedback from all over the world. Of course, we try to promote ourselves online as much as possible, so I believe in future stream of positive fluids from all countries will only rise.

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

We discuss this question almost on every our rehearsal session. We want to make a bit more experiments with genres, but our roots are grindcore and we will never play some modern stuff. We are oldschool band and it will be forever.

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?

First of all, there were grindcore bands: Napalm Death, Extreme Noise Terror, Terroraiser, Carcass, czhech and german grind scenes. Also we can notice classic death metal: Cannibal Corpse, Six Feet Under, Death. We are big lovers of old school black metal: Venom, Mayhem, Darkthrone etc. And, of course, we do not listen to only extreme music. We are fans of Metallica, Slayer; we like rocknroll and psychobilly, punk rock etc. We try not to close ourselves on any genres borders.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Two of us are IT specialists in real life, our drummer is a high qualified builder and our guitarist works in logistics. Also we all like to travel and try to combine it with our tours.

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

Listen to music and be opend minded! When you close your mind - there becomes queue of politics, marketologists, ideologists etc. and all they want to put their shit on your closed mind. So it is up to you to be free! And listen to fucking Exegutor!

Unruh/Tomb 3xLP Box Set: Singles And EPs (LP3)/King Of The Monsters/2015 LP Compilation

  This  is  the  final  review  of  a  recording  from  Unruh  which  continues  their  mixture  of  grind,  crust,  power  violence  and  hardcore  with  the  3rd  album  being  entitled  "Singles  And  EPs"  which  consists  of  their  7  inches,  ep's,  singles,  songs  from  splits,  demo's  and  live  tracks  and  was  released  by  King  Of  The  Monsters  in  the  year  of  2015.

  Clean  yet  hard  playing  starts  off  the  compilation  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  and  melodies  and  when  the music  speeds  up  it  showcases  more  of  a  fast  and  raw/crust  grind  sound  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  influence  of  hardcore  really  is  utilized  more  on  these  songs  than  they  where  on  the  full lengths  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  spoken  word  samples  while  some  of  the  later  songs  also  bring  in  death  metal  influences  in  the  riffs  as  well  as  adding  growls  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  As  the  compilation  progresses  some  of  the  melodies have  more  of  a  power  violence  feeling  to  them  along  with  a  touch  of  post  hardcore  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals  on  one  of  the  tracks  and  some  of  the  songs  on  the  compilation  where  featured  on  the  full lengths  and  there  are  also  a  decent  amount  of  live  songs  towards  the  end  of  the  compilation.

  Unruh  bring  in  their  power  violence  and  crust  sound  onto  all  these  songs  and  you  can  hear  a  lot  of  progresses  over  the  years  throughout  the  compilation,  the  production  ranges  from  raw  to  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  hateful  themes.

In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  compilation  from  Unruh  and  if  you are  a  fan  of  grind,  crust,  power  violence  and  hardcore, you  should  check  out  this  3  lp  set.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Siphon"  "Revision"  "Friendly  Fire"  and  "Abscess".  8  out  of  10.

Unruh/Tomb 3xLP Box Set: Setting Fire To Sinking Ships (LP2)/King Of The Monsters/2015 LP Compilation Review

  This  is  a  review  of  the  second  album  in  the  3  lp  set  from  Unrah  called  "Setting  Fire  To  Sinking  Ships"  which  continues  their  mixture  of  grindcore,  crust,  power  violence  and  hardcore  and  was  re-issued  in  2015  by  King  Of  The  Monsters.

  Acoustic  guitar  playing  and  keyboards  start  off  the  album  giving  the  music  a  progressive  feeling  before  going  into  a  very  brutal  crust/grind  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  while  the  music  does  slow  down  at  times  and  adds  in  melody,  power  violence  and  post  hardcore  elements.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  death  metal  growls  at  times  and  some  of  the  songs  also  add  in  small  amounts  of  clean  playing  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  influence  of  hardcore  starts  to  kick  in  more  during  the  mid  paced  sections  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Unruh  continue  the  mixture  of  grind,  crust,  power  violence  and  crust  on  this  release  while  also  adding  in  more  melody,  structure  and  longer  songs  this  time  around,  the  production  sounds  very  raw,  heavy  and  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Unruh  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  grind,  crust,  power  violence  and  grind,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Spoonful  Of  Tar"  "Faded  Tattoos"  and  "Five  Year  Wager".  8  out  of  10.  

Unruh/Tomb 3xLP Box Set: Misery Strengthened Faith(LPI)/King Of The Monsters/2015 LP Re-Issue Review

  Unruh  are  a  band  from  Arizona  that  plays  a  mixture  of  grind,  crust,  hardcore  and  power  violence  and  this  is  a  review  of  the  first  album  in  a  3  part  LP  box  compilation  with  the  first  album  being  entitled  "Misery  Strengthened  Faith"  which  was  released  by  King  Of  The  Monsters.

  A  very  fast,  raw  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  and  they  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  faster  sections  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  crust  and  grindcore  elements  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Melodies  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  reverb  and  distortion  while  the  mid  paced  sections  bring  in  a  heavy  influence  of  both  hardcore  and  power  violence  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in some  songs  and  towards  the  end  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  are  added  onto  one  of  the  tracks.

  Unruh  plays  a  style  of  crust/grindcore  that  is  very  raw  and  heavy  while  also  having  a  decent  amount  of  power  violence  and  hardcore  elements  in  their  sound  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  at  times  which  makes  their  music  stand  out,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  hateful  themes.    

  In  my  opinion  Unruh  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  grindcore,  crust,  power  violence  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Compost"  "Jab  Job"  "Numbered  Days"  and "Ugly  Outside".  8  out  of  10.  

Come Back From The Dead/The Coffin Earth's Entrails/BlackSeed Productions/2015 CD Review

  Come  Back  From  The  Dead  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  crust  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "The  Coffin  Earth's  Entrails"  which  was  released  by  BlackSeed  Productions.

  A  very  dark  and  melodic  guitar  lead  which  is  also  used  on  other  tracks  as  well  starts  off  the  album  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  melody  and  heaviness  and  after  a  minute  the  music  gets  a  lot  more  fast  adding  in  angry  crust/hardcore  shouts  and  an  old  school  death  metal  sound  that  is  influenced  by  the  Swedish  bands  of  the  early  90's.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  growls  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  d-beats  and  while  the  music  sounds  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  it  still  evokes  a  very  modern  day  feeling  at  times  and  the  whole  album  sticks  to  a  very  raw,  old  school  and  heavy  musical  direction  from  beginning  to  end.

  Come  Back  From  The  Dead  goes  back  to  the  more  raw  and  melodic  style  of  Swedish  death  metal  of  the  early  90's  and  mixes  it  with  crust  and  d  beat  to  create  a  very  retro  yet  heavy  and  brutal  album,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  horror  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Come  Back  From  The  Dead  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  crust  and  old  school  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Better  Morbid  Than  Slaves"  "Hell  Inside"  "Haze  of  Blood"  and  "Vault  Of  Horror".  8  out  of  10.  

   

Orgasmic Victim/BRUD/Disentomb/In Gore We Grind/Narcoleptica Productions/2015 Split CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Russia's  Orgasmic  Victim,  Ukraine's  BRUD  and  Russia/Moldova's  Disentomb  called  "In  Gore  We  Grind"  which  was  released  by  Narcoleptica  Productions  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Orgasmic  Victim  a  band  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  gore/grind.

  A  very  brutal  gore/grind  sound  starts  off  their  side  of   the split  along  with  a  great  mixture  of  guttural  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  crust  and  death  metal  style  melodies  in  the  bands  musical  style,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore  and  violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Orgasmic  Victim  are  a  decent  gore/grind  band  and  while  some  of  their  vocals  are  not  my t hing,  I  still  feel  they  are  good  at  what  they  do.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hellbound"  and  "Rape  Goats  And  Geese".

  Next  up  is  BRUD  a  band  that  plays a  very  brutal  form  of  grindcore.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  grindcore  sound  starts  off  their  side  of  the  split  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  good  mixture  of  guttural  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  as  well  as  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  brutal  death  metal  in  the  bands  musical  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  perverted  themes.

  In  my  opinion  BRUD  are  a  very  decent  sounding  grindcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mustache  In  A  Cream"  "Sleep  Not  Cannibal  Cops".

  Next  up  is  Disentomb  another  band  that  plays  a  brutal  form  of  grindcore.

  Melodic  female  chanting  starts  off  their  side  of  the  split  before  adding  in  a  more  brutal  crust/grind  sound  that  also  uses  a  good  mixture  of  guttural  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful, you  can  also  hear  some  deathcore  style  vocals  in  the  songs  at  times  along  with  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  hateful  themes.

In  my  opinion  Disentomb  are  a  very  decent  sounding  brutal  grindcore  band  and  while  I  do  not  care  much  for  some  of  the  vocals  I  do  feel  the  brutality  is  played  out  very  well.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Orgasm  Of  Ears"  and  "Exorcism  Of  True  Marasmus".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  decent  split  and  I  would  recommend  to  brutal  grindcore  fans.  7  out  of  10.        

Exegutor/Embassy Of Hell/Narcoleptica Productions/2015 Cassette Review

  Exegutor  are  a  band  from  Belarus  that  plays  a  brutal  mixture  of  death  metal,  grindcore  and  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  cassette  "Embassy  of  Hell"  which  was  released  by  Narcoleptica  Productions.

  A  very  raw,  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  sounds  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  a  few  seconds  later  crust  style  growls  start  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  the  morbid  sounding  melodies  of  death  metal  in  the  guitar  riffing  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  At  time s the  vocals  can  be  very  guttural  along  with  some  deathcore  elements  and  high  pitched  screams  which  have  somewhat  of  a  black  metal  feeling  to  them  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  few  bass  guitar  leads  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  guitar  leads  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  a  later  track  has  semi  melodic  vocals  and  they  also  do  a  cover  of  Venom's  and  Mayhem's  "Black  Metal"  and  "Deathcrush"  in  a  medley  while  the  main  focus  remains  on  a  brutal  style  of  crust/grind.

  Exegutor  plays  a  brutal  style  of  crust/grind  that  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  influences  and  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  hardcore  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  humorous  themes  along  with  the  song s being  written  in a  mixture  of  English  and  there  native  tongue

  In  my  opinion  Exegutor  are  a  very  great  sounding fast  and  brutal  mixture  of  death  metal,  grindcore  and  crust  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Smoke  Of  The  Water"  "Buy  Made  In  Belarus"  "Karahod"  and  "Pyro  Is  Not  A  Crime".  8  out  of  10.  

Flash Out Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Recently we just had our split 7” release show as it was also our farewell show for our long-time friend Joe. He’s moving to Australia later this month so hopefully he starts some sick bands out there and we hope to play shows with him again some day. But for the meantime we’re keeping it low and writing for a new full length. I (Anders) am thinking of starting a compilation series which we just recorded our newest song for. Our friend Nick from Sabbatory is going to fill in on bass duties so we’re looking forward to that.

2.Recently you were a part of a split, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

I would say the stuff we recently recorded was more raw and brutal, we took more time with our full length and basically had 2 different people record the releases. Terminated Efficiency has a more polished sound (hopefully not too polished) where as our split screams “fuck you blow your speakers!!”

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
The majority of the themes involve war and broken down life. Constant struggles of human progression and how basically we are fucking ourselves over hard in the long run. We just write shit that we feel at that time and make it fit.

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

Bastard. "Many People have died"

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 have been fortunate enough to play with a lot of the bands that have had a huge influence on us for example Napalm Death, Doom, Despise You, Iskra and Massgrave which we’re all amazing shows. I would like to pick a favourite but they were actually all insane.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We did have plans that had to fall through due to our schedules and financial situations. We would love to tour with our next line up. We’re all in a bunch of other bands too so that makes things kinda tough.

7.Recently you where a part of a split with 'Begrime Exemious',what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the recording? We (Cory Anders and Ripley) were fortunate enough to meet those guys a couple years back when we played a festival at the Moose Knuckle Lodge in Lethbridge while we were playing in Putrescence. They were the best band of the night for sure and we became tight buds and talked about doing a split with Flash Out. They got stoked on the idea and we’re all stoked on the 7” actually being released thanks to our friend Jordan at Filth Regime Records.

8.You have had your stuff released through Filth Regime and Bloody Scythe, do you feel these 2 labels have been very helpful when it comes to getting your music out there heard?

Yeah, for the most part. Jordan and Eli at both labels are rad. But we’re just very lucky to have people wanting to put our shit out in the first place.

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

People into this genre are very friendly and supportive all around. Give what you get really, It’s just amazing to see how much respect as well as judgement goes on in this community. Locally and world-wide.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
New bass player, Same feel. But more fucked. Progression is never a bad thing.

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?

The Influences and musical styles of Flash Out was us originally playing Japanese hard-core type stuff . Like Bastard//Lip Cream//Death Side//in late ’07 (No recordings unfortunately) Now going more in the musical direction of Terrorizer//Disrupt and tons of other wicked bands. We listen to a lot of shit, but mainly the band is influenced by life . We feel this shit because it's real.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Staying in town.

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

Abyss/Heretical Anatomy/20 Buck Spin/2015 CD Review

  Abyss  are  a  band  from  Toronto,  Ontario,  Canada  that  plays  a  brutal  mixture  of  grindcore,  crust  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Heretical  Anatomy"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  20  Buck  Spin.

  Dark  sounding  ritualistic  drones  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  samples  before  going  into  more  of  an  old  school  death  metal/grindcore  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  after  awhile  growling  yet  understandable  vocals  are  added   onto  the  recording  along  with  some  grim  screams  and  morbid  sounding  melodies.

  You  can  hear  a  lot  of  influences  from  the  mid  80's  to  early  90's  in  the  bands  musical  style  but  the  production  and  the  way  they  approach  the  music  makes  it  sound  more  better  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  an  old  school  style  of  death  metal  and  as  the  album  progresses  d  beats  ban  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful sound  to  them.

  Abyss  takes  the  rawest  sounds  of  old  school  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  update  the  sound  for  the modern  day  with  a  touch  of  crust  and  d  beat,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  based  on  the  writings  of  H.P  Lovecraft.

  In  my  opinion  Abyss  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw,  brutal  and  old  school  mixture  of  death  metal,  grindcore,  crust  and  d  beat  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Heretical  Anatomy"  "Flesh  Cult"  and  "Nightmares  In  Skin".  8  out  of  10.

    

Theories/Regression/Metal Blade Records/2015 CD Review

  Theories  are  a  band  from  Seattle,  Washington  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal,  grindcore,  crust  and  power  violence  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Regression"  which  will  be  released  on  March  24th  by  Metal  Blade  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  fast  crust/grindcore  direction  which  also  utilizes  high  pitched  screams  and  blast  beats  and  you  can  also h ear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  in  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  At  times   the music  can  be  very  technical  with  the  riffs  without  losing  the  raw  crust  and  grind  approach  and  after  awhile  deep  death  metal  growls  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of t he  songs  avoid  using  any  solos  and  leads  and  focuses  more  on  a  modern  style  of  death/grind.

  Theorie s creates  a  very  modern  death/grind  album  that  also  bring s in  a  touch  of  crust  and  power  violence  which  also  makes  their  songs  have  a  bit  more  originality  to  them,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  social  discontentment,  economic  uncertainty,  environmental  catastrophes,  and  the  inevitable  cycle  of  decay.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Theories  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  death metal,  grindcore,  crust  and  power  violence,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Burnt  Concrete"  "Abortive  Crescent"  "Swimming  In  Mud"  and  "Landfill".  8  out  of  10.