Lake Of Tears/Illwill/AFM Records/2011 CD Review

 Lake  Of  Tears  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  has  been  around  since  1992  that  started  out  as  a  gothic/doom/death  metal  bands  but  has  added  styles  to  their  music  over  the  years  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "IllWill"  which  was  relased  by  AFM  Records.

  Drums  range  from  sow,  midpaced  to  fast  drumming  with  not  much  in  the  way  of  blast  beats,  while  the  bass  playing  sounds  very  powerful  with  some  dark  and  heavy  riffing.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  midpaced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  gothic/doom  metal  with  traditional  rock  music  and  some  thrash  influences,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  and  tragic  sounding  guitar  solos,  as  fr  the  accoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  briefly  they  use  full  chords  to  add  another  dimension  of  darkness  to  the music.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  clean  singing  and  raspy  vocals,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  hateful  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  powerful  and  professional  sound  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  good  sound.


  In  my  opinion  this  a  good  album  from  Lake  Of  Tears  and  while  some  of  their  fans  from  the  90's  would  be  dissapointed,  I  still  this  is  a  good  album  that  would  appeal  to  more  open  mined  fans  of  metal.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Floating  In  Darkness"  "The  Hating"  "Taste  Of  Hell"  and  "midnight  Madness".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

My Black Light/Human Maze/Massacre Records/2011 CD Review

  My  Black  Light  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "Human  Maze"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  drumming  with  only  a  small  amount  of  fast  playing  or  no  blast  beats,  while  the  keyboards  bring  a  very  dark,  symphonic  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  music  with  some  influences  from  electronic  music,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  gothic  metal  riffs  that  are  very  dark  and  meldoic  sounding  and  there  is  only  a  small  amount  of  fast  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  and  technical  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  they  are  only  utilized  briefly  and  use  exotic  sounding  scales.

  Vocals  are  mostly  clean  singing   female vocals  mixed  in  with  some  deep  sounding  death  metal  growls  and  there  is  some  clean  male  vocals  being  used  on  one  song,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  everyday  thems,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  powerful  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  My  Black  Light  are  a  very  good  sounding  gothic  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Abstainer"  "Noise  For  Sale"  "Deadline"  and  "Energy  Core".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

Bastard Priest/Ghouls Of The Endless Night/Pulverised Records/2011 CD Review

  Bastard  Priest  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  had  their  previous  album  reviewed  in  this zine  that  plays  a  very  primitive  form  of  death  metal  mixed  with  punk  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "Ghouls  Of  The  Endless  Night"  which  was  released  by  Pulverised  Records.

  Drums  range  from  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  being  thrown  in,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  midpaced  riffing  that  sounds  like  a  mixture  of  primitive  Swedish  and  Brazilian  death  metal  mixed  with  punk  rock  and  I  can  hear  some  thrash  influenced  riffing  being utilized  at  times,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  chaotic  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  all  deep  death  metal  growls  that  are  very  easy  to  understand,  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  horror,  gore,  pain  and  evil,  as  for  the  prodcution  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw,  heavy  and  primitive  sound  to   it.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  album  from  Bastard  Priest  and  if  you  where  a  fan  of  their  last  album,  you  should  enjoy  this  recording  as  well.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Pestilent Force"  "Poison"  "Fucking Slaughter"  and  "Enormous Thunder Of  The  End".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.  

Katanga Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

We have been playing music together for quite some time now, it will be twelve years this year. During that time we had opportunity to share a stage with numerous national and international bands such as Umbra et Imago, Blind Passengers, Knorkator, Scream Silence, Clan of Xymox, and others.
We consider ourselves part of the Goth subculture, but we have a veritable multitude of musical styles between ourselves and make a point of crossing them all over. As a result, we are not easily pidgeonholed, which we do not try to be anyway.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album, and how does it differ from previous releases?

With “Moonchild“ we created a warm, 1980s-like sound, the keyboards gained some more prominence, and we added Doreen's female vocals to the mix.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects, the new release explores?

The lyrics are influenced by movies, books, and our very personal experiences – Metropolis is influenced by Chaplin's “Modern Times” and Lang's “Metropolis”. The title track “Moonchild” deals with solitude. Thus we comment the darker and more unappealing aspects of society.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

The name Katanga is derived from a movie called “Gattaca” which premiered shortly before we named ourselves, we changed the sound of it a little and, hey presto, Katanga was born. We feel that it is a name that is easy to remember and does not pre-label our music.

5. Have you had any opportunities to do any live shows yet, if so what are some of the best shows that the band has played so far, and how would you describe your stage performance?

As we have been in existence for some time now we can look back on quite a number of live shows. We have fond memories of our appearance at a festival in Świnoujście, Poland, as well as the Burgnächte in Rosslau, Germany.
Our stage performance is not too remarkable, three black-clad guys and a girl playing their music... we tend to kick ass, though!

6. Do you have any touring plans for the new releases?

Yes, we do. We managed to cooperate with Mainpoint to do two shows in April, more shows in Northern Germany will be announced soon.

7. On a worldwide level, how has your music been recieved by gothic metal fans?

Exceptionally well, we do have a lot of fans in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and even some in the United States. Most of our fan base is in Germany, though.
Generally Gothic Metal fans tend to like our music, especially if they have a previous inclination towards bands like Zeraphine or Dreadful Shadows. Gothic Metal is an umbrella term for quite different kinds of music, though – people who lean towards bands like Dimmu Borgir, for example, may not be too happy with our music.

8. Do any of the band members have any side projects or is this a full time line-up?

Our bass player Wilko has another project called Burning Alive, all the others are musically monogamous [smirks].

9. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

We are going to stay true to our course, not barring detours. Future material will be melodious and catchy, just like our current stuff.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music, and also what are you listening to nowadays?

A multitude of bands and styles: Metallica, Megadeth, The Doors, Danzig, Depeche Mode, Oomph, Rammstein, Dreadful Shadows, The Sisters of Mercy, The 69 Eyes, Nightwish, Loreena McKennitt, Eisbrecher, ASP, or Zeraphine to name just a few. We live for music!

11. What role does Occultism play in the music, and how would you describe your views on those topics?

We are of the opinion that Man cannot be defined by materialistic considerations. People who are, tend to be hollow on the inside and savage on the outside. Man has a deep longing for the intangible and transcendent, for everything that is bigger than visible reality. Arts and music cater to that desire, and our music does so as well. None of us considers him- or herself a member of Wicca or Asatru, though, and we are opposed to Satanism and Neo-facism.

12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Mario likes to research the Nibelungs and Germanic heroic sagas, Wilko is fond of reading, especially English literature, Doreen and Michael are devotees of fitness and athletics. Still we all like to go out in the evenings to meet friends in cafés and bars.

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thank you very much for the interview – we look forward to meeting you or any of your esteemed readers on tour.

The Rotted/Ad NauseamCandlelight Records/2011 CD Review

  The  Rotted  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal  and  crust/punk and  this  is  a  review of  their  2011  album  "Ad  Nauseam"  which  was  released  by  Candlelight  Records.

  Drums  range  from  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  alot  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  in,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  riffing  that  combines  death  metal  and  punk  rock.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  thaat  combine  death  metal,, thrash,  crust  and  punk  rock ,  while  the  lead  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  bring  a  Motorhead/punk  rock feeling  to  the  music.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls,  high  pitched  screams,  crust  punk  style  growling  and  shouted  gang  style  vocals  in  addition  the  last  song  utilizes  some  black  metal  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful,  occult  and  anti  christian  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  The  Rotted  are  a  very  good  sounding  death  metal/punk  rock  sounding  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  hybrid,  you  should  check out  this  band.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Anarchogram  Sun"  "Non  Serviam"  "The  Hammer  Of  Witches"  and  "Put  Me  Out  Of  Your  Misery". RECEMMONDED  BUY.

Crematory/Black Pearls Greatest Hits/Massacre Records/2011 CD Review

Crematory are a band from Germany that has been around for over 20 years and has also had their previous album reviewed and has been interviewed by this zine as well, that plays a style that mixes doom, death and gothic metal together and this is a review of their 2010 compilation album "Black Pearls Greatest Hits" which was released by Massacre Records.

Drums are mostly slow to midpaced playing with not alot of fast drumming or blast beats mixed in with some drum programming, while the keyboards have a very psychedelic, etherial and atmospheric feel to them that also at times have an industrial edge and some ocasional piano parts, as for the bass playing it has a very dark  and heavy feel which seems to follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and on some songs they sound very powerful.

Rhythm guitars are mostly slow to midpaced riffs that combine death, doom and gothic metal together, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding guitar solos that sound very doomy at times, as for the classical guitars when they are utilized they bring a very tragic sound to the music.

Vocals are a mixture of deep death metal growls with some clean singing male and female vocals, while the lyrics are written in a mixture of German and English and cover poetic and depressing thems, as for the production it has a very heavy and professional sound.

In my opinion this is a great compilation album from Crematory which covers their long history, and if you are  a fan of this band, you should get this album. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Tears Of Time" "Shadow Of Mine" "I Never Die" and "In My Hands". RECEMMONDED BUY

Katanga/Moonchild/Massacre Records/2011 CD Review

Katanga are a band from germany that plays a very melodic and symphonic form of gothic metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "Moonchild" which was released by Massacre Records.

Drums are a mixture of slow to midpaced drumming with some fast playing and not much in the way of blast beats, while the keyboards have a very, dark, symphonic, and atmospheric sound with gothic and industrial inflences, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars and at times there are very powerful gothic rock riffs.

Rhythm guitars slow to midpaced riffs together that utilize influences from both gothic rock and thrash metal, as for the lead uitars when they are brought into the music they use alot of melody in the guitar solos, as for the accoustic guitars when they are utilized they use full chords to give the music a folk music feel.

Vocals are mostly clean singing vocals with only the ocassional deep death metal growl along with some female vocals, while the lyrics are written in a mixture of English and German and cover dark and occult themes, as for the production it has a very professional and heavy feel to it.

In my opinion Katanga are a very good gothic metal band, and if you are a an of this genre, you should check out this band. RECEMMONDED TRACKS INCLUDE "When Darkness Falls" "Moonchild" "Lemuria" and "Death Of The Fun Generation". RECEMMONDED BUY.