Haemophagus/Stream of Shadows/Selfmadegod Records/2017 CD Review

  Haemophagus  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal  and  gore  grind  with  a  touch  of  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Stream  Of  Shadows"  which  was  released  by  Selfmadegod  Records.

  A  very  fast  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  soem  melodic  guitar  leads  and  blast  beats  a  few  seconds  alter  while t he  vocals  start  out  as  death  metal  growls  that  also  use  different  pitches  at  times  and  after  awhile  elements  of  old  school  grindcore  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording.

  A  great  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  are  added  into  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in a   great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  80's  to  early  90's  while  also  sounding  very  modern  at  the  same  time  while  a  touch  of  crust  and  d  beat  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  one  track  brings  in a  brief  use  of  saxophones  and  clean  playing  before  returning  back  to  a  brutal  direction and  as  the  album  progresses  the  vocals start  getting  more  guttural.

  Haemophagus  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  old  school  mixture  of  death  metal  and  gore  grind  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore  and  horror  themes.

   In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Haemophagus  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  death  metal  and  grindcore,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Shadowline"  "Deranger"  "Innergetic"  and  "Twisted  Syllables".  8  out  of  10. 

Dark Horse/Bomb Thrower/2017 CD Review

  Dark  Horse  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  grindcore,  hardcore  and  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released 2017  album  "Bomb  Thrower".

  A  very  heavy  crust  influenced  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  as  well  as  some  d  beats  before  adding  in  a  mixture  of  growls  and  screams  and  hardcore  style  shouts  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  while  also  mixing  in  the  heaviness  of  grindcore.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  while  also  mixing  in  the  energy  of  punk  rock  and  back  up  shouts  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  stick  to  an  old  school  style  of  crust  and  the  music  always  remains  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  On  this  recording  Dark  Horse  plays  more  of  a  hardcore  and  d  beat  influenced  style  of  crust  while  elements  of  grind  can  still  be  heard  at  times,  the  production  sound s very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover angry  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Dark  horse  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  crust,  d  beat,  hardcore,  grind  and  punk,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hope  Was  Your  Mistake"  "The  Downing"  "Bomb  Thrower"  and  "Terminal  Capacity".  8  out  of  10.   

Kemerov Interview

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



Kemerov started in 2013 by me (Matt, voice) and Giorgos (guitar). We started writing songs and trying to complete the band lineup, something that happened in 2015 when Tasos (drums) and Spiros (bass) entered the band. In November 2015 we self-released our first EP after which we never missed an opportunity to hit the stage, many times alongside legendary names such as Sodom, Rotting Christ, Septicflesh and Jucifer, among others. In January 2017 we released our debut album ‘FMKD’.



2.So far you have released an ep and a full length, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings?



We prefer the term “death ‘n’ roll” as the one to include our whole sound spectrum as fully as possible. We’re basically rock ‘n’ roll at our base, but we also love hardcore punk, old-school death metal and doom and we try to incorporate all these elements in our sound.



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



The lyrics are inspired by every day life in an existential, social and even political level and how it all affects the human psyche and feelings. All this is usually covered in a rather nihilistic veil with a considerable amount of black humor. We might come out as grim or hopeless at times, but we’re nice guys if you look really deep down inside.



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



There’s no special or hidden meaning behind the name ‘Kemerov’, it’s just the name of a Siberian city where one can find some huge rocks placed on one another, for which legend says they were put this way by giants. We liked the way it sounds and we took it.



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



Our support live show for Sodom last February is for me among the best shows of ours to date, as Sodom is a band we absolutely love and respect since we were practically kids. The people, the vibe, the feeling; everything was perfect about that night. We have also shared the stage with many other great names, but we also enjoy playing in small gigs with local bands as well. Our stage performance becomes better and better with each show, as we are getting accustomed on stage and get to know each other within the band on stage better and better with each time. I think we’re in a very good shape about performing live now, and we can’t wait until our upcoming shows to demonstrate it even more.



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



Yes, there are some local shows we are scheduled to do in nearby Greek cities, while there are mane proposals from summer festivals. We are also planning a tour outside Greece after the summer. Once formal announcements are ready to be made, one can be notified about them through our Facebook page.



7.Currently the band is signed to 'Vault Relics', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?



Vault Relics is actually the label I personally have. It’s a label that is dedicated to promoting underground music that deserves to be heard. We have some vinyl releases of our own out there, while we also maintain a distro at http://vaultrelics.bigcartel. com/



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



I have to say that any feedback we are receiving so far is positive. I strongly believe that our music style is unique and really distinct, as there aren’t many bands out there that choose to mix death metal with rock ‘n’ roll and punk like we do. Therefore, we’re getting great reviews, not only from death metal fans, but from fans of other music genres as well. We are really honored by this, and this gives us additional strength to go on.



9.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?



We have been involved with other personal projects in the past, but these days Kemerov and the promotion of our debut album are the absolute priorities for all four of us.



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



This is something yet to be seen with accuracy. We have just released a new album and at this moment we are mainly interested in promoting it. There are some new musical ideas shily surfacing here and there, but there is no definite new material created yet. One thing I’m sure of is that the Kemerov sound will never be boring and that it will always carry the kind of diversity and variety one can find in our debut album.



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?



We’ve always been fans of old-school death metal. Speaking personally, Entombed are my all-time favorite band, and watching their musical course over the years, one can see a lot of the Kemerov sound making sense. I’m also a big fan of Turbonegro and Cathedral, so you could say that these three bands are the main starting influences. From then on, inside the band we all like very different things from each other, be it classic heavy metal, thrash metal, punk etc, and everything finds somehow its way to the final sound. These days, I listen a lot to the new Obituary album which sounds exactly as an Obituary album should!



12.What are some of your non musical interests?



Music is at the center of attention and it consumes the vast majority of my free time. Apart from that, personally I am into board games and computer games.



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



Thank you very much for the interview! One can listen to our album and support us in any way at https://kemerov.bandcamp.com/ and at http://vaultrelics.bigcartel. com/

Goresoerd 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?
Since “Antikhea” came out we have been promoting it with concerts in Europe and Estonia. Recently we released a new video for the song “66” also which was filmed during our album presentation tour in Europe.
We have also received a lot of good feedback about the new album. “Antikeha” was nominated at the Estonian Music Awards ceremony in the “Metal Album of the Year” category and was a local radio station’s metal show listeners favourite album in 2016.
So we’ve been quite busy.


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?
Well the main difference with the previous albums is definitely the atmosphere of “Antikeha”. It has this kind of gloomy, yet pretty straight forward vibe. We try out new approaches with every album and for example this time we brought in a bit more melodic vocals. Listen to the song “66” for a good overview of that.


3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
What comes to lyrics, then Goresoerd has always had a bit of dark humour in it and an ironic view on the seamy side of life. So “Antikeha” is really no different from the previously released songs.


4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name ‘Goresoerd'?
The word “Goresoerd” is made up from English and Estonian. “Gore” comes from English and meaning “shed blood” and “soerd” is an Estonian word which means “abomination”. Combining these two words seemed a pretty good idea when the band first started since the main idea was just to play grindcore and it fitted well.


5.The band started out as a duo, what was the decision behind expanding into a full line up?
It was just the natural course of events. After recording the first demos our current singer Nagy joined and he also found a drummer for the band. And from this point on there was a full line up.


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?
It’s safe to say that our shows are pretty energetic, but we’d rather give this question to concertgoers because they usually have a better perspective on what’s happening on the stage.
Some remarkable shows have definitely been at Devilstone Open Air festival in Lithuania, Hard Rock Laager festival in Estonia, also Tuska Open Air in Finland but let’s not forget about a lot of awesome club shows. Lithuania has always been a fun place to play, also some Slovakian shows we had this December while touring.


7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
In April, 11-13, we are opening up for Napalm Death in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia which is a huge honor for us. Then we have some festivals confirmed for the summer in Estonia and currently working on plans for Autumn.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal and grindcore?
The feedback has been mostly positive. Music these days don’t have any boundaries, as much there are different people who listen to our music, there are as much different opinions about us.
And as a side note, we rather define our music as death metal with mixture of different elements now than grindcore. But yet again, it is up to the listeners. :)


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?
Our drummer Tõnis has studied in a music school and occasionally works with some projects as a session studio drummer or just fills in on other gigs. He also plays drums in a thrash metal band called Cantilena. But mostly he is working with bands as an event organizer, tour manager, producer or as a sound engineer.


10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
It’s quite hard to say. Everything actually depends on emotions and current situations. We definitely are going to continue the same path we are on already, but with every album we like to try something new.


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?
Stig: Marduk, Emperor, Mayhem, Death.
Rasmus: I’m pretty open-minded when it comes to listening or playing music. If it’s well written I honestly don’t care what genre it is. One of the suggestions I recently got is GoGo Penguins which I really like now. And the latest Architects’ album “All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us” is something that I haven’t been able to put away.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Stig: sports and just relaxing mostly.
Rasmus: since I work in a local restaurant/bar I’ve been looking into more of some food and drink related topics.


13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Horns up and support your local scene! Believe us, it means a world to the musicians and bands if they have strong local support these days. It’s not easy out there.
Stay brutal!

Kemerov/FMKD/Vault Relics/2017 CD Review

 

  Kemerov  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays a  mixture  of  death'n'roll  and  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "FMKD"  which  was  released  by  Vault  Relics.

  Gun  shots  and  air  raid  sirens  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  some  of  the  riffing  also  mixes  in  the  energy  of  punk  rock  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  in  the  mid  80's  to  early  90's  style.

  A  great  amount  of  hard  rock elements  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  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  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  d  beats  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  back  up  shouts.

  Kemerov  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  old  school  death  metal,  punk,  and  rock'n'roll  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  real life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Kemerov  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death'n'roll  and  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "New  Order"  "Slay  Your  Son"  "Murdered  in  the  Steppe"  and  "FMKD".  8  out  of  10.

Goresoerd/Antikeha/Inverse Records/2017 CD Review

  Goresoerd  are  a  band  from  Estonia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death,  groove  metal,  grindcore  and  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Antikeha"  which  was  released  by  Inverse  Records.

  Psychedelic  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  fast  grindcore  direction that  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  range  from  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  while  melodic  singing  is  also  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  clean  playing  also  being  utilized  at  times.

  Atmospheric  sounds  can  be  heard  in  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount of  melody  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  hardcore, crust  and  groove  metal  and  as  the  album  progresses  keyboards  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion   and  later  songs  also  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  while  a  later  track  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  electronic  music  parts.

  Goresoerd  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  crust,  grind,  hardcore,  grind,  death  and  groove  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Estonian  and  cover  the  writings  of  Sven  Kivisildnik.

  In  my  opinion  Goresoerd  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  crust,  grindcore,  death  and  groove  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Neetud"  "Vard"  "Likus"  and  "Elajas".  8 out  of  10.

Raised By Owls Interview

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

Hi, firstly thank you for asking us to do the interview. We are Raised By Owls, an extreme metal band spawned from the depths of England to cause a mild disturbance then apologise shortly afterwards. We formed in 2015 and we're a very British metal band. We released our debut EP 'The Great British Grind Off' back in October 2016 which we are giving away as a free download on our Bandcamp page.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?

We like to think of our sound as a melting pot of extreme metal sub-genres. There are elements of death metal, grindcore and a few hints of black metal. We try not to restrict our sound to a specific genre, if it sounds good we will use it. Actually, if it doesn't sound good we'll probably still use it.

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

Our lyrical content takes a comedic approach, we don't take ourselves or our lyrics too seriously and we think the music expresses that. From the start we always said we wanted the lyrical themes to be absurd. Our focus on the EP was to poke fun at British culture and British celebrities.

Sam, who writes the lyrics, doesn't have any particular hardship or negativity in his life. He just likes going to the pub and has a weird obsession with UK mega-chef Ainsley Harriott. So that's what he writes about. 

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Raised by Owls'?

We were talking about this the other day and cannot actually remember the exact moment we coined the name 'Raised By Owls'. We wanted to take a typical metal band name like 'Raised By Wolves' or 'Raised By Lions' you know, a strong and fierce animal that you might typically associate with metal and replace it with a not so metal sounding animal. Like an owl.

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've played shows up and down the UK and played with some awesome bands in front of some really cool crowds. We played the Sheffield Corporation with Bleating Apocalypse last week, which was a great show. We've been to see some of our favourite bands play there, so it was brilliant to get the chance to play on that stage ourselves.

Cambridge with Serrabulho and Chestburster was great and Derby with End Of Salvation and This Is Hate was another good show, however I think the highlight still has to be our very first gig. We played the first UK round of 'Metal 2 The Masses' with Deathflux and Built Upon Hatred for a chance to play Bloodstock Festival. That was a really cool opportunity for us, and we were really happy to be accepted to play. It felt like the perfect environment to introduce the Raised By Owls live extravaganza.

We always like to have a laugh with the audience but we take the performing of the music seriously. It's frantic, sweaty, offensive and hideously noisy throughout, and we plan to get more so in every aspect with each gig.

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

We'll be hitting Manchester, Reading, Leeds and Nottingham in the coming months, but are eager to book more and really get ourselves out on the road.

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

I think the dream for a lot of bands is to get signed, but it's not something we're really focusing on right now. I think we're still trying to find our footing in the world and gather interest. Without sounding like one of those inspirational posters you see on Facebook, we're just having fun with it and we're taking each day as it comes. Unless we are approached by a big European club like Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, or Wigan.

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

We've had some fantastic feedback online. We've not just had a lot of attention in the UK, but also France, Germany, and even the US! People are sending us messages to say they dig the tunes and find our videos funny and that means the world to us. We're honestly grateful for anyone who takes the time to watch our videos or listen to our songs.

Like most other bands, we’ve been told that we suck and that we’re not metal, but we’ve developed a good coping mechanism. Normally we sob uncontrollably for 9 hours straight, compose ourselves, then carry on.

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

The next EP will be at least 90% Shania Twain covers. Only joking, 100% Shania Twain covers.

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?

CRIKEY FLIP, Now you're asking! We take inspiration from bands like Carcass, Napalm Death, The Black Dahlia Murder, Behemoth, Cannibal Corpse, Pig Destroyer, Municipal Waste, King Parrot, At The Gates, and loads more. The list goes on and on...

Recently we've been really enjoying latest releases from The Drip and Iron Reagan. We've also been digging Omnipotent Hysteria who dropped a ripper of an album late last year. Party Cannon are on the playlist frequently as well.
Oh, and we listen to the soundtrack for the hit motion picture 'Chicken Run' at least once a month.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Pretty normal interests like any other lads in their twenty-somethings would have: going to gigs, video games, Satan worship, knitting, manufacturing plastic, teaching grandma how to use Tinder and drinking tea by the bucket load.

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


Thanks for the interview!

Stay metal and stay weird!

Sigil/Kingdom Of The Grave/Horror Pain Gore Death Productions/2017 CD Review

  Sigil  are  a  band  from  Texas  that  plays  a  mixture  of  crust  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Kingdom of  the  Grave"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Horror  Pain  Gore Death  Productions.

  A  very  heavy  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  riffing  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  vocals  bring  in a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams and  the  music  is  rooted  in  the  90's.

  A  great  amount  of  crust  and  d  beat  influences  can  be  heard  quite  a bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  one  track  brings  in  a  brief  use  of violins  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  a  couple  of  tracks  also  brings  in a   small  amount  of  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Sigil  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  old  school  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  crust  and  d  beat  to  create  a sound of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sigil  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  crust  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Death  Unreal"  "Kingdom  Of  The  Grave"  and  "Death  Won't  Kill  Me".  8  out  of  10.

  

Terminal Nation Interview

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



            Stan: Of course, We are Terminal Nation a hardcore band from Little Rock, Arkansas. Our music can be best described as short, fast, and pissed off. We started back in 2014. I wanted to start a band that was just no frills, fast hardcore and things kind of spun off from there.



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



            Stan: All of our recordings to date have taken influence from NYHC bands  like Breakdown and Agnostic Front but also the early west coast powerviolence. I wanted to start a hardcore band, but I wanted it to be more punk than metal. Our sound kind of started to evolve a little more since then.



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

          

            Stan: I try to keep a ridiculously broad spectrum of subjects in the    songs. We have songs about hating your job, a song about a deadbeat dad who won’t take responsibility for his children, a song about the monopoly of the healthcare industry, a song about Freddy Kruger, a song about shitty/crooked cops. I think we touch some stuff that a lot of bands skip over no doubt. 



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



            Stan: To be honest, Terminal Nation is a song by my favorite band Infest. I have honestly wanted to name a band that for like 5 years before we started. It seems very fitting to have a name like that now, more than ever.



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



            Stan: Lately, here in Little Rock, we have been playing shows with some of the rappers and hip hop artists in the area. Little Rock rapper Goon des Garcons (any of you rap/hip hop fans out there, remember that name) throws a music showcase a few times a year called Fireroom here in Little Rock. The whole show is mainly just rap and hip hop so we are a pretty stark contrast to it. Amazingly enough, the people there have been very open to us playing and into it completely. We also bring our own crowd, and it gets   fucking crazy, but everyone really has a good time losing their minds. I think punk/hardcore and rap really have the same attitude and mindset, just different sounds. Those shows always tend to get pretty crazy with a combination of two different crowds. In general our live shows are usually crazy, which is the way we like it. Since we don’t play as often as other bands, each time we play we make it count, trying to push the envelope more so than the last time.



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



            Stan: As of right now, there are no major touring plans for this year. A few of us are taking on some major changes right now, doing some serious ‘adulting’ but the window may open up at some point. We have a few rad fests we’ll be doing this year. We have been doing a lot of weekend warrior stuff over the last few months. If a fest opportunity opens up for us, we always try to make it happen,within reason.



7.The new album is coming out on 'Deep Six Records', are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?



            Stan: Absolutely. It’s one of my favorite labels of all time (up there with Slap A Ham, Southern Lord, A389, etc), and I couldn’t be happier. Bob, who runs the operation is totally awesome. He takes a really laid back approach, and I am down with that.



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



            Stan: Overall, it’s been good. I know the physical copies of our Waste 7” EP  have made their way across Europe and Japan, as far as I have seen. That’s really cool to see.



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



            Stan: Musically, only been getting heavier and faster. I am happy with that.



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?



            Stan: Our influences range from pv bands like Infest/Despise You to stuff like Terrorizer. In the last few releases there was a major hardcore punk vibe but    I think that’s slowly started to evolve into more of a metallic style, taking some influence from the older Cleveland bands like Ringworm and Integrity, when it comes to some of the new riffs. As far as what I have been listening to lately, the new Power Trip record is a beast. New Primal Rite record is great. Forged released a 7” a couple of months back, that’s one of the most bad ass EPs I have heard in a while.



11.What are some of your non musical interests?



            Stan: I wish I had time to have other interests.



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

              

                Stan: Listen to some shit that doesn’t get recognition. Take a chance and check out some band you’ve never heard before. There is a lot of underrated stuff out there. If you need to check out some cool bands, listen to Deadbeat, The JiG, Pissed On, Easy Money, Fissure, Time Walk, No Victory, God’s America, Forged, Sex Prisoner, Piece of Mind, Reserving Dirtnaps, Life as One and plenty more that I am not thinking of at this moment. Thanks a lot for your time, I appreciate it and to everyone reading, : Keep an eye on Terminal Nation because we are doing some cool shit in the near future.

              

Raised By Owls/The Great British Grind Off/2016 EP Review

  Raised  by  Owls  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  party  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  ep  "The  Great  British  Grind  Off".

  Car  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  radio  sounds  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  which  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  melodic  guitar  leads  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  it  goes  into  a  very  fast  grindcore  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  that  also  has  a  touch  of  black  metal  to  them  as  well  as  having  that  influence  in  the  tremolo  picking  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced and  fast  parts  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length.

  Elements  of  hardcore  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  a  few  back  up  gang  shouts  and  spoken  word  samples  also  make  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  synths  are  used  for  a  few  seconds  on  a  couple  they  bring  in  the  atmosphere of  a  horror  movie  while  most  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  heavier  direction  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  along  with  one  track  also  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  being  all  instrumental.

  Raised  by  Owls  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  death  metal  and  grindcore  while  also  having  elements  of  hardcore  and  black  metal  which  also  makes  the  musical  stand  out  a  lot  more,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  humorous  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Raised  By  Owls  are  a  very  great  sounding  party  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "You  Have  Been  Mary  Buried"  "Off To  The  Pub"  "Rot  Stewart"  and  "Strictly  Come  Grinding...".  8  out  of  10. 

Buckshot Facelift/Ulcer Island/Paragon Records/2017 CD Review

  Buckshot  Facelift  are  a  band  from  New  York  that  p0lays  a  mixture  of  death  metal,  grindcore,  and  power  violence  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Ulcer  Island"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Paragon  Records.

  Spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  album  before  going  into a  very  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  direction  that  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  vocals  that  bring  in a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  crust  style  shouting  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  power  violence  elements.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  high  pitched  screams  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  guitar  leads   are  done  in a   melodic  fashion  along  with  some  of the  tracks  being  short  in  length  and  spoken  word  samples  also  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  riffing  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  and  a  later  track  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  black  metal.

  Buckshot  Facelift  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  death  metal,  grindcore,  and  power  violence  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Buckshot  Facelift  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  metal,  grindcore,  and  power  violence  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ulcer  Island"  "Ascend  To  Descend"  "Don't  Hang  From  The  Pipes"  and  "A  Trophy  Cup  Intoxicant".  8  out  of  10. 

Grog/Ablutionary Rituals/Hellprod Murder Productions/2017 CD Review

  Grog  are  a  band  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  mixture  of  brutal  death  metal,  crust,  and  gore/grind  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Ablutionary  Rituals"  which  will  be  released  on  March  8th  by  Hellprod  Murder  Productions.

  Distorted  guitar  riffing  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier direction  a  few  seconds  later  along  with  a  mixture  of  tortured  vocals  and  death  metal  growls  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  screams  and  harsh noises  are  added onto  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  it  brings  in  more  of  a  grindcore  style.

  A  great  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats  can be  heard  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  guttural  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  in  the  riffing.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  gets  more  technical  and  when  guitar  leads  are  finally  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  chaotic  death/grind  style  while  later  songs  also  add  in  crust/hardcore  style  back  up  gang  shouts  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  electronic  music  elements.

  Grog  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  gore/grindcore  and  brutal  technical  death  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  a  touch  of  crust  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,  sex,  porn,  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Gorg  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  brutal  death  metal,  crust,  and  gore/grind  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Uterine  Casket"  "Vortex  Of  Bowelism"  "Gut  Throne"  and  "From  Disease  To  Decease".  8  out  of  10.            

Terminal Nation/Absolute Control/Deep Six Records/2017 EP Review

  Terminal  Nation  are  a  band  from  Arkansas  that  plays  a  mixture  of  hardcore,  grind  and  power  violence  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Absolute  Control"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Deep  Six  Records.

  Distorted  amp  sounds  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  drum  beats  a  few  seconds  later  as  well  a  some  touches  of  harsh  noise  before  adding  in  heavy  riffing  and  aggressive  hardcore  style  vocals  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  elements  of  grind  and  power  violence  can  be  heard.

  A decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  in  the  faster  sections  of   the  songs  while  back  up  gang  shouts,  grindcore  and  growls  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  none  of  the  songs  ever  use  any  solos  and  leads  and  the  music  also  remains  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the recording.  and  all  of t he  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  Terminal  Nation  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  hardcore, g rind  and  power  violence  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent,  hateful  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Terminal  Nation   are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  hardcore,  grind,  and  power  violence  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Numb  To  The  Pain"  "Hand  That  Feeds"  "Violator_Violated" and  "Broken".  8  out  of  10.