Gravestone/Sickening/Raw Skull Recordz/2018 CD Review

 Gravestone  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  d  beat  infleunced  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Sickening"  which  will  be  released  in  2018  by  Raw  Skull  Recordz.

  A  few seconds  of  horror  movie  style  keyboards  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier direction  which  also  introduces  melodic  guitar  leads  onto  the  recording  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful sound  to  them  along  with  some  elements  of  d  beat  and  punk.

  Vocals  are  mostly  old  school  death  metal  growls  that  are  very  heavy  to understand  while  the  music is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  80's  to  early  90's  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  songs  also  bring  in   a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  always  remains  heavy.

  Gravestone  plays  a  style  of  Swedish  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  80's  to  early  90's  while  also  adding  in  touches  of  d  beat  and  punk,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,  death  and  blasphemy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Gravestone  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  death  metal  band  with  a  touch  of  d  beat  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Timbthrasher"  "Behead  The  Bastard"    "Necromaniac"  and  "By  The  Knife".  8  out  of  10.  

My Silent Wake/There Was Death/Minotauro Records/2018 CD Review

  My  Silent  Wake  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  has  been featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  returns  back  to  an  atmospheric  mixture  of  goth,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "There  Was  Death"  which  will  be  released  in  2018  by  Minotauro  Records.

  Keyboards  and  dark  yet  melodic doom  metal  riffing  starts  off  the  album  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  some  goth  elements  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  the  vocals  being  mostly death  metal  growls  and  screams.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful sound  to  them  while  atmospheric  synths  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in a   great  amount  of  melody  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in a   very  melodic  fashion.

   When  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  as  the  album  progresses  some  songs  also  bring  in  spoken  words  and  acoustic  guitars while  clean  male  and  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as the  music  mixing  a  90's  style  in  with  a  more  modern  atmosphere  and  on  the  last  track  ethnic  music  elements  are  added  onto  the  recording.

  On  this  recording  My  Silent  Wake  moves  away  from t he  experimental  style  of  their  last  release  and return  back  to  a  more  atmospheric  and  gothic  doom/death  metal  direction, t he  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  faith,  loss  of  faith,  fear  and  despair  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  My  Silent  Wake  and  if  you  are  a fan  of  goth  and  atmospheric  doom/death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Dying  Man's  Wish"  "Ghosts Of  Parlous  Life's"  and  "An  End  To  Suffering".  8  out  of 10.

Wardomized Interview

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

We started of as a Crossover Thrash band in March 2014 with our old drummer Josh and Luke, we released a Crossover EP then started leaning more towards the death metal route with a final single from the band called Strained, we started leaning more towards Grindcore with the new line up that got together December 2016.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

We were heavily influenced by Napalm Death old and new, Impetigo and early Nirvana on our new EP 'Forced To Eat From The Apple Tree' we recorded it live to get that dirty repulsive raw sound and we wanted to combine the intensity of grindcore with old school death metal and the sludgyness and sound of early grunge in there too especially with the track 'Blue, White and Black Flowers'

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

The lyrics are mostly about dealing with depression and other topics like that but we mix all that with horror film imagery

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

Our original drummer came up with the name it essentially means the war you struggle with inside your head every day

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

Best shows for us have to be that time we played with Gama Bomb at in Belfast, our shows around Belfast promoting our new release and over in Basque Country when we played Bilbao Deathfest 3 and a show in Vitoria

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

We are hitting France and Belguim for a tour in January actually so early start for us next year! also planning a European tour in April with our friends UK Grindcore band Boycott the Baptist

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

Well we are looking for a label to release our album we have started working on to be released in the future but so far we have been doing everything DIY

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

We got a great recpetion from 'Forced To Eat From The Apple Tree' I would say its the best we have done, our previous release 'Red Death Flows Through My Veins'  before that we liked but wasnt perfect it helped us relaunch the band with the new line up but we really found our sound on the new release and the tours are getting more regular and exposure so its been all good for us

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

I (Eddie) do vocals in Ireland Hyper Thrash band Acid Age we are currently writing a new album at the moment, I also play guitar in Irish Crust Punk/Crossover thrash band Deathbus we are writing for an album at the moment too and just finished a Spanish and a UK tour over the last year, Mike our bass player plays bass for Irish Black Metal band Neamhni who are writing at the moment and released an EP at the start of the year.

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

Probably after summer next year maybe if we get enough time to write inbetween shows, either that or late next year will want to heave it out before 2018, we have a split coming soon with Disconnect and Shrapnel Meat too, We are going to continue where 'Forced To Eat From The Apple Tree' left off intense angry as all hell grindcore mixed with old school angry grunge

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?

Grindcore, Thrash Metal, Crust Punk, Grunge, so much more we love everything we are really influenced by stuff like Napalm Death, Sepultura, Morbid Angel, Deftones, Nirvana, Impetigo, Terrorizer, Therapy?, Anal Cunt we could go on for days if music has the right attitude and feel to it we love it, will also note that The new Cavalera Conspiracy album is probably my favourite album this year.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

We like to party hard and play Road Rash and Sonic

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

Forced To Eat From The Apple Tree is out now on bandcamp, youtube and is coming to spotify and more soon! Grindcore scene worldwide we are coming for you!

Nightfear/Cryptasm/Black Market Metal Label/2017 CD Review

  Nightfear  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays a  mixture  of  death  metal,  thrash,  crossover  and  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Cryptasm"  which  was  released  by  Black  Market  Metal  Label.

  A  very  heavy  and  old  school  crossover  influenced  thrash  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  vocals  are  mostly mid  80's  style  death  metal  growls  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  d  beats  are  also  used  at  times.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  more  of  an  old  school  death  metal  style  along  with  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  mixing  in  80's  style  hardcore  and  some  songs  also  add  in  the  atmosphere  of  a  horror  movie  and  as  the  album  progresses the  vocals  start  utilizing  more  of  a  thrash  or  hardcore  style  approach.

  Nightfear  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  old  school  death  metal,  thrash,  crossover  and  hardcore  punk  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Nightfear  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  old  school  death  metal,  thrash,  crossover  and  hardcore  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sacrificial  Mutilation"  "Evil  Form"  "Nightmarish  Visions"  and  "Into  The  Deathdream".  8 out  of  10.   

NEID/Noise Treatment/Sliptrick Records/2017 P Review

  NEID  are  a  band  from  Italy  that h as  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  aggressive  form  of  grindcore  with  a touch  of  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Noise  Treatment"  which  will  be  released  by  Sliptrick  Records.

  Wolf  growls  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  while  elements  of  d  beat  and  crust  can  also  be  heard  at  times  as w ell  as  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  melody.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  spoken  word  samples  are  also  utilized  briefly  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  short  in  length  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  always  remains  heavy.

  NEID  creates  another recording  that  remains  true  to  the  crust  influenced  grindcore  style  of previous  releases,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the lyrics  cover  human  exploitation,  mass  control,  and  world  system  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  NEID  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  crust  and  grindcore,  you should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Burden  Of  Progress"  and  "Clear  The  Code".  8  out  of  10.      

Rubufaso Mukufo/Nervous Impulse/Epicrise/More Hate Productions/2017 Split CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  3  way  split  album  between  Czech  Republic's  Rubufaso  Mufuko,  Canada's  Nervous Impulse  and  Ukraine's  Epicrise  which  was  released  by  More  Hate  Productions  and  we  will  start  off t he  review  with  Rubufaso  Mukufo  which  plays  a  mixture  of  grindcore  and  brutal  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  spoken  word  samples  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  direction  which  also  introduces  death  metal  growls  onto  the  recording  which  also  get  very  guttural  at  times  while  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's.

  Elements  of  d  beat  and  hardcore  are  also  utilized  at  times  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  old  school  death/grind  fashion  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  short  in  length  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  fast  or  mid  tempo  direction  and the  music  always  remains  very  heavy,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  violence  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Rubufaso Mufuko  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  grindcore  and  brutal  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "End  OF  The  War"  and  "The  Great  Insanity.

  Next  up  is  Nervous  Impulse  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal  ans  grindcore.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  and  blast  beats  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  direction  which  also  brings  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  short  in  length.

  The  music  always  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal  as w ell as  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  technical  guitar  leads  while  the  songs  also  bring  in a  great  mixture  of  both  fast  and  mid  tempo  parts,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  murder,  humanity  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Nervous  Impulse  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  brutal  death  metal  ans  grindcore,  you  should  check  out their  side  of t he  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Air  Bust"  and  "Disaster  Porn".

  Closing  the  split  is  Epicrise  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  grindcore  and  punk.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  fast  grindcore  sound  along  with  some  growling  vocals  while  also  mixing  in  elements  of  d  beat  and  hardcore  punk  at  times  along  with  some  screams  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  the music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era  of  the  genre.

  All  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  their  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  they  also bring  in   Dead  Infection,  Cerebral  Turbulency  and  Grossmember  covers,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore  and  aberration  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  Epicrise  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  grind  and  hardcore  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band. RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Godshit"  and  "Workship".

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

Apartment 213 Interview

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

Meketa- The band is not doing anything these days.  Myself and Ron Etchell (original drummer) talked about trying to do material but the interest is not there for me anymore.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the newer recordings?

Meketa- I always called our sound Noise. I am sure the other guys disagree.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored over the years with their music?

Meketa- Depravity

4.I know that the band was named after Jeffery Dahmer's address, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in serial killers?

Meketa- To be honest that was so long ago I have no idea.  In 2009 I became a Christ follower, these days I strive to build people up.

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?

Meketa- We haven’t played shows in years. I always had fun at the shows in Cleveland.

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

Meketa- No. The band is done.

7.Recently Magic Bullet Records has re-issued some of your older material, can you tell us a little bit more about the newer versions?

Meketa- Newer versions??  The last record we did was a spilt with Nothing Is over I believe.

8.Over the years the band has been a part of a great amount of splits, can you tell us a little bit more about the bands you have shared these recordings with?

Meketa- Sorry for the short answers but it has been so long, I really haven’t thought too much about 213 let alone the bands we did splits with. Sorry

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of power violence and grindcore?

Meketa- We were kind of ahead of the Power Violence fandom, we started in 1992. When we were active we had our “fans” but for the most part we were not that popular.

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

Meketa- The band broke up when I moved to Southern California.  If the remaining members want to tour or do new music they should. As I stated in previous questions I am out of the music game for now.

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?

Meketa – I listen to all sorts of music, always have actually. Heavy stuff the new Integrity LP is GREAT!!!

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

SKOGGING!!!! See skogging.com

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

Thanks for the interview.  It probably bored the reader.  A213 is inactive and as I can see is it will never be active again.

Wvrm/Can You Hear the Wind Howl/To Live A Lie Records/2017 EP Review

  South  Carolina's  Wrvm  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  their  mixture  of  death  metal,  grind,  power  violence  and  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Can  You  Hear  The  Wind"  which  was  released  by  To  Live  A  Lie  Records.

  Distorted  amp  noises  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  very  fast  grindcore  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  high  pitched  screams  and  death  metal  growls  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  crust  and  d  beat.

  A  great  amount  of  power  violence  and  hardcore  elements  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  a  great  majority  of  the  songs  are  very  short  in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  and  a  small  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  Wrvm  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  mixture  of  death  metal,  grind,  power  violence  and  hardcore  punk,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while t he  lyrics  cover  depression,  love,  loss,  and  struggle  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Wrvm  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  death  metal,  power  violence,  grind  and  hardcore  punk,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bag  Of  Blades"  and  "Mountains  Of  Dead  Pigs".  8  out  of  10.

Wardomized/Forced To Eat From The Apple Tree/2017 EP Review

  Wardomized  are  a  band  from  Northern Ireland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal,  grindcore  and  crust  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  ep  "Forced  To  Eat  From  The  Apple  Tree".

  A  very  heavily  crossover  influenced  sound  starts  off t he  ep  before  adding  in  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  grindcore  screams  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  elements  of  crust  and  d  beat  as  well  as  having  its  roots  in  the  mid  80's  and  early  90's.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  most  of  the  tracks  being  very short  in  length  and  female  vocals  are  also  used  briefly.

  Wardomized  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  grindcore,  death  metal,  thrash,  crossover  and  crust  punk  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  heavy  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Wardomized  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  metal,  grindcore  and  crust  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blue,  White  And  Black Flowers"  and  "The  Ultimate  Demise".  8  out  of  10.   

Fuck On The Beach/Terlarang/WOOAAARGH/2017 Split Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Japan's  Fuck  On  The  Beach  and  Malaysia's  Terlalung  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  WOOAAARGH  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Fuck  On  The  Beach  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  grindcore  and  power  violence.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  blast  beats  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  which  also  takes  the  music  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  grindcore  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly high  pitched  screams  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length.

  A  great  amount  of  crust  and  power  violence  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  while  the  fast  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  chaotic  fashion,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  humorous  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Fuck  On  The  Beach  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  grindcore  and  power  violence  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "CallBack  Again"  and  "Fuck  On  The  Beach.

  Next  up  is  Terlalang  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  thrashcore  and  power  violence.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  fast  grind  and  thrashcore  sound  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  power  violence  as  well  as  some  blasts  and  d  beats  and  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  and  the  music  has  its  roots  in  the  80's  and  90's.

  At  times  the  music  brings  in  the  energy  of  hardcore  punk  while  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  always  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal  as  well  as  the  closing  track  mixing  in  elements  of  black  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Terlalang  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  power  violence,  grind  and  thrashcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Play  Fast  or  Go  Sleep"  and  "Stop  The  Hate". 

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

  

Heretics Fork/Greed/2017 EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from Earth,  Texas's  Heretics  Fork  which  is  also  a  mixture  of  harsh  noise  electronic  music  and  grindcore  and  the  ep  was  self  released  in  2017  and  called  "Greed".

  Electronic  music  elements  along  with  industrial  style  spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  ep  while  programmed  beats  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs  before  adding  in  programmed  blast  beats  and  elements  of  harsh  noise  as  well  as  utilizing  death  metal  growls  at  times  and  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length.

  Heretics  Fork  creates  another  recording t hat  remains  true  to  the  cybergrind  style  he  had  established  on  the  previous  release,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while t he  lyrics  cover  humorous  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Heretics  Fork  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  cybergrind,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Greed"  and  "My  First  Trap  Song".  8  out  of  10.  

Heretics Fork/Blasphemy/2017 EP Review

  Heretics  Fork  are  a  solo  project  from  Earth,  Texas  that  plays  a  mixture  of  harsh noise  and  cybergrind  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2017  ep  "Blasphemy".

  Spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  also  brings  in  elements  of  harsh  noise  and  electronic  music  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  and after  awhile  spoken  word  parts  and  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  some  grindcore  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  blast  beats  are  also  used  briefly.

  Heretics  Fork  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  grindcore,  harsh  noise  and  electronic  music  and  mixes  them  together to  create  his  own  style  of  'cybergrind',  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  humorous  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Heretics  Fork  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  electronic  music,  harsh  noise  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of   those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "100 Corpses  Litter  The  Floor"  and  "Blasphemy".  8  out  of  10.    

Apartment 213/Collected Violence/Magic Bullet Records/2017 Compilation Album Review

  This  is  another  review  of  a recording  from  Cleveland,  Ohio's  Apartment  213  which  is  also  in a  mixture  of  power  violence,  and  grindcore  and  the  album  is  called  "Collected  Violence"  which  was  released  by  Magic  Bullet  Records  and  consists  of  songs  from  ep's  demo's  and  splits.

  Spoken  word  and  movie  samples  start  off  the  compilation  and  also  return  on  a  great  amount  of  later  tracks before  going  into  a  very  fast  grindcore  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while the  vocals  go  for  more  of  a  crust  and  hardcore  style  of  shouting  as  well  as  mixing  in  power  violence  elements.

  Throughout  the  compilation  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts while  growls  and  screams  can  also be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  being  very  short  in  length  and  as  the  compilation  progresses  a  small  amount  of  live  tracks  are  also  added  onto  the recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  one  of  the  later  tracks  also  brings  in  elements  of  power  electronics  and  harsh  noise  while  another  song  introduces  melodic  guitar  leads  onto  the  album.

  On  this  compilation  Apartment  213  stick  to  mostly a  crust,  grindcore  and  power  violence  style  while  elements  of  noise  and  power  electronics  are  used  at  times,  the  production sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violence  and  serial  killer  themes.

  In  my  opinion this  is  a  very  great  sounding  collection  from  Apartment  213  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  power  violence  and  grindcore,  you  should  check  out  this  compilation.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kill  For  Christ"  "Endless  Killing"  "Plotting  A  Murder"  and  "Hollow Cost".  8  out  of  10.

    

Putrescence Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band members since the break up of the band?

Everyone has been pretty active with other projects.  I play in a grind crust band called Flash Out with Anders (Reeko Suave) and Ripley (R.I.P.).  We just released a new 7" called Death Dealer and toured the states with some killer bands Fiend and Haggus.  Highlight of that tour was a spot at the Maryland Deathfest. My brother Shaun (Necromagnon) also plays in a death metal band  called Zombie Assault and we just released our first full length album  Video Nasty on Eclectic Records from Ukraine.  Reeko also plays in another crust band called Skunk and a crossover band Solanum.  And R.I.P. has a 3 person grind project called Gourmet.  Mike (Soiled Depends) moved to British Columbia just before our final show in Maryland. We still keep in touch; currently he is pursuing art in not playing in any bands at the moment.

2.How would you describe the musical sound of the last album and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

This one is far more death metal than some previous ones.  Being the first full release with two new guitar players definently changed the sound.  Like every band says when they release an album...we feel this is some of our best work.  Previous albums like Sledgehammer Holocaust and Fatal White Pustules Upon Septic Organs had a lot more grind in there.


3.What where some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explored over the years with their music?

A lot of gore related stuff.  We always thought of ourselves as a gore metal band.  There are a few tracks on this one that we had been playing for a few years.  So we kind of just stuck to what we have always talked about.  Gore related goofy shit.

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

It's just a cool sounding death metal name...haha.  It's the process of something growing rotten.  When we started out we had bands like Impaled, Carcass, Exhumed, Regurgitate and General Surgery in mind as influences and the kind of death metal we wanted to play.  Name totally made sense for what we were going after.

5.What where some of the best shows that the band had played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We were fortunate enough to play the Maryland Deathfest 3 times and it was always a wicked time.  Playing Bloodshed Fest in Europe with Dead Infection and Regurgitate ruled.  Mosh festival in Poland with Extreme Noise Terror and Skit system was a treat.  We also toured Canada in 2007 with Impaled and Fuck the Facts.  One of the funnest tours we have ever done and getting to tour with a band we really loved made it even better.  There was actually a ton of really amazing shows over the years.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about 'Mount Elgion Productions' and 'Ninjacat Productions'?

Soiled and I both were putting on shows here in our hometown Winnipeg.  Soiled did mostly DIY grind shows and I did touring shows for bigger bands.  So we joined up for Mount Elgon Productions so we could bring all of the heavy shows to town.  Had a great long stretch of shows; and also two festivals called Arson Fest and the Manitoba Metalfest.  I've since started my own production company called Ninjacat Productions as the shows I was producing got bigger and bigger.  Started booking bands like Overkill, Behemoth, Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death....tons and tons of shows.  And I still have the Manitoba Metalfest still going for 13 years.

7.Over the years you have also been a part of a few splits, can you tell us a little bit more about the bands you had shared these recordings with?

We did a split with some label mates from the No Escape Records days called Neuropathia. Great rad grind band from Poland.  Fellow home town band Archagathus did a split with us years back.  Our first split ever was with Embalming Theatre.  We also had a small run of records with a grind band that is no longer around anymore from Alberta Canada named I die Screaming.

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

The band got more well known than we ever anticipated when we started out.  We thought no one would give a fuck...but we didn't care.  This was the type of shit we wanted to play.  And it just happened to catch on with the right people.  We loved working with No Escape Records back in the day and they were putting out some sick releases of bands we loved.  And getting to play with a lot of our fav bands over the years means we must have done something right . Sometimes we noticed we were a bit too death metal for some parts of the grind scene...and then we were a bit to grind for some of the death metal people.  But overall we were happy with the response.  Europe was great crowds all over.

9.What is going on with some of the current musical projects the band members are a part of?

I guess I kind of listed all that stuff in question 1 haha.

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?

Like I said earlier....we took influence from General Surgery, Carcass, Impaled, Regurgitate, Exhumed... we loved the gore. We still listen to all of these bands still today.  Some rad new band is Gruesome with Matt Harvey from Exhumed.  I'm still always following Autopsy as well.  They are a long time fav of mine.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Soiled Depends loves art.  Necromagnon kick boxes.  Reeko likes to skate.  RIP also has a big interest in art.

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

Putrescence had a great run and tons of great memories.  Thanks for reaching out.  I liked going back through all the old shows we played.  There's been so many you forget how many its been. It was a lot of work getting this final album done but we really wanted to finish off the band the right way.  And we are very happy with the final product.  Hope people enjoy the final release Voiding Upon the Pulverized.  Cheers.  

Apartment 213/Cleveland Power Violence/Magic Bullet Records/2017 CD Re-Issue Review

  Apartment  213  are  a  band  from  Cleveland,  Ohio  that  plays  a  mixture  of  harsh  noise,  power  violence  and  grindcore  and  this is  a  review  of t heir  2006  album  "Cleveland  Power  Violence"  which  was  re-issued  by  Magic  Bullet  Records.

   A  very  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  vocals  are  angry  shouts  as  well  adding  in  movie  samples  at  times  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  power  violence.

  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  riffs  also  having  their  melodic  moments  and  as  the  album  progresses  elements  of  power  electronics  and  harsh  noise  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  last  track  is  very long  and  epic  in  length.

  Apartment  213  plays  a  musical  style t hat  is  mostly  rooted  in  power  violence  and  grindcore  while  power  electronics  and  harsh  noise  elements  do  appear  at  times, t he  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violence  and  serial  killer  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Apartment  213  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  harsh  noise,  power  violence  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should c heck  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Headache"  "Cosmetic/Vanity"  "Wife  Beater"  and  "The  Green  River  Killer".  8  out  of  10.
    

Putrescence/Voiding Upon The Pulverized/Eclectic Productions/2017 CD Review

  Putrescence  are  a  band  from  Manitoba,  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  brutal  death  metal  and  gore/grind  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Voiding  Upon  The  Pulverized"  which  will  be  released  on  November  10th  by  Eclectic  Productions.

  Spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  darker  and  heavier  musical  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  along  with  some  screams  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  grindcore  elements  can  be  heard.

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  mixing  in  elements  of  power  violence and  crust  at  times.

  When  guitar  leads  are utilized  they  remain  true  to  an  old  school  death  metal  and  grindcore  style  while  horror  movie  samples  are  also  used  on  some  of  the  later  tracks,  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  melodic  riffing  can  be  heard  along  with a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length.

  Putrescence  plays  a  musical  style  that  goes  back  to  the  90's  style  of  death  metal  and  gore/grind  while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  power  violence  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,  death  and  humor  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Putrescence  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  metal  and  gore/grind  with  a  touch  of  power  violence  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Voiding"  "Squeeze  And  Squint Until  Eyes  Water"  "Catastrophic  Living"  and  "Bathing  In  Toilet  Water".  8  out  of  10.      

Antigama/Depressant/Selfmadegod Records/2017 EP Review

  Poland's  Antigama  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  their  mixture  of  crust,  grindcore  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Depressant"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Selfmadegod  Records.

  Spoken  word and  commercial  samples  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  also  be heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  crust  elements  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  spoken  word  samples  also  return  on  later  tracks  as  well  as  one  of  the  tracks  introducing  experimental  elements  onto  the  recording  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  briefly  they  are  done  in  a  very  distorted  yet  melodic  fashion.

  Antigama  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  mixture  of  crust,  grindcore  and  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  life  and  abstract  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Antigama  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  crust,  grindcore  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Anchors"  and  "Room  7".  8  out  of  10.

  

Regardless Of Me Interview

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

Well we have so many plans this year and for the 2018 too. New videoclips and new tours around Italy and Europe

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?

The album will be released October 31, Halloween. I’m the last new element in the band as a drummer, but I can tell you that The Covenant is the most dark Regardless Of Me’s Album. The sound is more obscure and more emotional

3.This is your first album since 2011, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

Yes, so many line up changement…you know what I mean. Changements bring so many problems for the projects you have, so this is the main reason why so many years have passed

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

It’s all about Life and human passion, nothing more, in a dark way

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Regardless Of Me'?

Regardless Of Me means that things happen regardless of us, we’re just souls driven by the wind. There’s no religion

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

Regardless Of Me played all around Europe in the past and I’m sure that the best shows have been in th summer’s festival, supporting Meshuggah in Romania for example. A big experience with great musicians


7.DO you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

Of course we got an Italian Tour immediately, 10 live gigs more or less. Unfortunately I will not play this Tour because of healthy reasons. The New Regardless Of Me’s drummer is Mr. Rob Iaculli, great man and phenomenal drummer

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

We’re not a goth metal band, we’re more in a Dark Progressive sound. Goth metal is too reductive for Regardless Of Me. Anyway, we get good feedbacks everywhere and we’re so happy about this

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

It’s a really good question and I really don’t know…Regardless Of Me are in constant motion

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?

Massive Attack and Portishead first of all, then Meshuggah, Tool and Katatonia


11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I am a student of psychology and I am interested in astronomy in spare time


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

Thank you so much for the interview and please support Regardless Of Me in everyway you know!

Answers By Simon Beauty Whites Bianchi (Drummer)

Tantal Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Dmitry Ignatiev (guitars): Recently, we’ve released our third album called “Ruin”. It’s already available in all digital stories (Itunes, Google Music etc.). We have also 2 physical releases of the album: one is for Russia (released by “Mazzar Records”) and the second for the rest of the world - released by “Sleaszy Rider Records” (it should come out soon). Also, last weekend we played our big show dedicated to the new release in Moscow.

2.Recently you have released a new album, how would yu describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also howdoes it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
DI: Definitely, this album is different from the previous ones. “Ruin” is more soft in terms of sound and more mainstream work, but at the same time its “proggy” and contains all our stuff and distinctive features inherent to our band. Style of the music I would describe as metal with gothic, progressive and alternative influences.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
DI: As it was in previous albums – it’s a conceptual album. This time lyrics are dedicated to the five stages of grief. When you lose someone you love (your beloved or relatives or close friend) you always pass through this stages: anger, denial, bargaining, depression, acceptance.

4.I know that the band was named after an ancient god, how does this name fit in with the musical style that you play?
DI: Ancient god is the only of several explanation of the name. But yes, our band is “tantalized” too much. But the main definition is – rare metal in periodic table of chemical elements. For us it means – create something unique in music. I hope we manage to do it.

5.What are some of the best shws that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
DI: I think, the last two shows dedicated to the new album. At first show we shared the stage with “Lacuna Coil” and we were greeted by the audience very warmly. Everyone can check out some pro-shots from this concert at our YouTube channel. And the second concert is our release show last weekend – everything was perfect. We played 1.5 hour show with a lot of new songs and acoustic part with special guests. This show was filmed too and soon we will release it.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
DI: At now moment no any concrete plans, because we are going to a huge tour with another of our project. But we definitely plan to make a big show next year in Moscow. And of course – if some of the booking agents will be interested in our band – we are open for cooperation if terms and conditions will be acceptable for both parties.

7.On a worldwide elvel how has the feedback been to your music by fans of goth and extreme metal?
DI: At now moment I see a lot of positive feedback from everywhere. New songs are for much wider audience, so I hope we will touch much more hearts and ears with this album. Of course, I read some comments like “WTF where is melodic death metal? Where is female growl?”, I understand this reaction, but at now moment we don’t want to repeat our previous album. We are moving towards unknown and what is interesting for us as musicians at first.

8.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
DI: With Everlost (where participate U.D.O./ Dirkschneider guitarist Andrey Smirnov) – we are about to release our 15 anniversary DVD, and next year we will start to write new album, Flash Of Aggression (with the same members but with female extreme vocals) – I plan to finish the second album and release it next year. And soon we will go for a tour with our Metallica S&M tribute with symphonic orchestra.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
DI: I think, on more mainstream stage, but I don’t want to be similar to all gothic/dark metal bands. We always have some distinctive things in our music and we will try to keep it. We want to be unique and have our own face.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
DI: A lot…Katatonia, Evergrey, Alter Bridge, Emma Ruth Rundle, Anathema, Paradise Lost, Death, The Gathering and many many others. We all have different musical tastes and we don’t listen to only metal, maybe what is why “Ruin” has become miscellaneous album.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
DI: Longboarding, cycling, running – during the summer. Skiing – in winter.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
DI: Thanks for interesting questions. And to all who has read this till the end – check out our music and the last album “Ruin”, also don’t forget to watch our videos at YouTube channel! Thanks for support!

Delain/A Decade Of Delain -Live At Paradiso/Napalm Records/2017 Double Live Album Review

  Delain  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  a  symphonic  form  of  goth  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  double  live  2017  album  "A  Decade  Of  Delain  -  Live  At  Paradiso"  which  will  be  released  on  October  27th  by  Napalm  Records.

  Audience  cheers  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  symphonic  direction  along  with  some  operatic  female  vocals  while  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  they  also  mix  the  symphonic  and  heavy  parts  together  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  A  couple  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  quest  vocals  from  the  singers  of  Arch  Enemy,  Nightwish,  Theater  Of  Tragedy  and  Fear  Factory  while  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  great  amount  of  goth  metal  elements  also  being  added  into  the  music  and  as  the  album  progresses  some  songs  also  incorporate  electronic  music  elements  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  guitars.

  Delain  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  more  of  a  modern  symphonic  and  gothic  metal  direction  while  elements  of  death  metal  can  also  be  heard  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  pain,  sorrow,  yearning  and  love  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Delain  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  goth  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  double  live  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hands  Of  Gold"  "Fire  With  Fire"  "Stay  Forever"  and  "We  Are  The  Others".  8  out  of  10. 

  

Tantal/Ruin/Sleaszy Rider Records/2017 CD Review

  Tantal  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a    mixture  of  goth,  progressive,  alternative  and  death  metal   and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Ruin"  which  was  released  by  Sleaszy  Rider  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  solos  and  leads  also bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  some  clean  vocals  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  tracks.

  A  great  amount  of  modern  metal  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  band  musical  style  while  death  metal  growls  and  screams  are  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  some  tracks  also  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  keyboards,  clean  playing,  progressive  and  alternative  rock  influences  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  some  of  the  tracks  also  start  bringing  in  acoustic  guitars.

  Tantal  plays  a  musical  style  that  take s progressive,  alternative,  goth  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  depression,  despair  and  anger  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Tantal  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  progressive,  alternative,  goth  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Denail"  "Torpid"  "Ruin"  and  "The  Awakening".  8  out  of  10.

Regardless Of Me/The Covenant/Sleaszy Rider Records/2017 CD Review

  Regardless  Of  Me  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  progressive  mixture  of  goth,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "The  Covenant"  which  was  released  by  Sleaszy  Rider  Records.

  Gothic  style  keyboards  start  off  the  album  while the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  trip  hop  along  with  the  music  also  getting  very  symphonic  at  times  and  after  awhile  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavier  direction  as  well  as  introducing  death  metal  growls  onto  the  recording  and  they  also  mix  the  trip  hop,  symphonic  and  goth  stuff  with  the  metal.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  female  vocals  are  also  used  throughout  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  and  whispers  and  the  musical  also  gets  very  progressive  at  times,  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion,

  As  the  album  progresses  clean  male  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  one  track  also  introduces  clean  playing  onto  the  recording  while  another  song  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  folk  instruments  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  an  ethnic  feeling  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo direction.

  Regardless  Of  Me  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  progressive,  goth,  doom  and  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  elements  of  trip  hop  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  love  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Regardless  Of  Me  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  mixture  of  goth,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "We  Are"  "Neurotic  Traits"  "This  Night"  and  "Blue  Apocalypse".  8 out  of  10.  

Mortalium Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
A lot of things have happend to the band since releasing latest album: line-up changes, gigs and festivals in Ukraine and abroad. Currently we are taking a small break from our activity and set the project on hold, but suppose it gives us power to continue with renewed vigor in the near future.

2.How would you describe the musical sound of your current music?
Started with mostly pure gothic doom our sound with time has become heavier and gained more death metal traits. Now we continue moving in this direction and adding to our music more polyphony and complex structures.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored over the years with their music?
Mostly social ones. We try to reveal the vainness of our being in the songs and inspire people to spend the time we have on earth with benefit and use. We believe that each person, whoever he or she is, in fact, is lonely in life and, actually, is a separate independent individual whose primary purpose is self-realization. We call people to be inquisitive and active to leave a rich heritage to our descendants.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Mortalium'?
The word has several meanings one of which is “actions of mortals”. This is again the reflection of the main idea we carry through our works.

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 had so many of them already that it is hard to be objective. I believe, all of us will agree that the brightest memories have left from the festivals. We enjoyed Metal Crowd in Belarus very much. Agressive Music Fest in Czech was also fantastic. And the latest one we played at this year – Black Sea Metal Festival – in Ukraine turned out to be surprisingly good. We are very proud that Ukrainian providers can do good job in this respect!

6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Now we don’t, but hope we will soon. There are too many undiscovered places left in the world for us.

7.In the latest album you had done a cover of The Beatles 'Eleanor Rigby', what was the decision behind doing your own version of this song?
Why? Eleanor Rigby’s lyrics are pure doom! They have so much darkness and despair in them that we decided that a respective musical framework would be just suitable for the song. So we made our own doom version of this genius composition.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of goth, doom and death metal?
The feedback has always been fairly versatile from enthusiastic one to boldly negative and even angry. We believe it is not bad all in all. At least our music does not leave people indifferent which is in itself is very important for us. It was surprising that we received a lot of positive feedbacks from Central and South America and South Asia. We couldn’t even think that people from such distant countries from us would have the opportunity to learn about us and listen to our music.

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

So far we do not conduct active wok on the album although the material for it is collecting gradually and several new songs have already been composed. However, we do not plan to record them in the near time.

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?
Our music taste has been considerably influenced by such great bands as Amorphis, Sirenia, Tristania, Moonspell, Necrophagist, Unexpect. This does not mean that we tried to copy or imitate them but their works definitely affected our musical outlook. Personally, currently I prefer to listen to silence.)

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
We are usual people and we have a lot of interests beyond music. We all have regular job that eats out a lot of time from our hobbies. For example, our vocalist Maria is keen on pole dance and goes in for this sport quite profoundly, participates in competitions from time to time. Our bass player Sergey prefers going to the gym and riding a bicycle. He has always been a fan of new electronic gadgets and has a large collection of them – phones, tablets, laptops, scooters and so on. I (key boards player Yaroslav) has gone in for yoga recently. Besides we all have a lot of pets – cats, dogs, rats, turtles and even spiders. By the way, Serg has a Scotch terrier who is a champion of Ukraine and so he breeds dogs.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Prosperity to your journal, peace to the world, f*ck the war. And in general, good people (like we are) must unite … and kill all the bad ones. Hallelujah, brothers and sisters!