Reproacher/Nothing To Save/2013 CD Review

  Reproacher  are  a  band  from  Wyoming  that  plays  a  mixture  of  power  violence,  grind  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  album  "Nothing  To  Save".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  power  violence,  grind  and  hardcore  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  all  hardcore/grind  style  shouts,  screams  and  growls,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  violent  and  hateful  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  while  you  can  still  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Reproacher  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  power  violence,  grind  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Casemate"  "Marginal  Being"  "A  New  Dark  Age"  and  "New  Skin".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Tears Of Martyr Interview

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

Hi and thank you for giving us the chance to share some lines with you.
This past weekend we had a bunch of big news as our second full-length "Tales" has been released by Massacre Records and we celebrate it appearing at Lisbon Dark Fest playing alongside with metal masters Therion.

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

Well, one of the improvements in Tales is the production, we are very happy with the results and having worked together with Enrik Garcia (Dark Moor) and Luigi Stefanini at New Sin Studios. Regarding the musical sound you can find all the elements usually present in Tears of Martyr sound, maybe we have put this time even more detail in the orchestra and how entwines with the rest of the instruments.

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

We have tried to combine both music and lyrics as we always do, so the lyrics can stand alone as stories by themselves. In "Tales" there are a lot of   short stories. Some of them are inspired in novels and classics as "The Scent no. 13th" which is inspired in The novel "The Perfume" or "Lost Boys" an adaptation of Peter Pan to the Tears of Martyr Universe. You could also find "Of a Raven Born" my personal vision of Poe's classic "The Raven".
There are also original characters like "Golem", "Mermaid and Loneliness" or "Fallen Hero". There are also songs  inspired in some stories and legends from Spain, like "Vampiress of the Sunset Street", "Ancient Pine Awaits" or "Wolves and a Witch", so we hope the listener could really enjoy all the emotions and feelings that come from these stories!


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

Tears of Martyr always had quite a somber touch in our songs, this is most of the times present, there is a tragical sense in our stories and our characters find their selves inside a stormy spiral of emotions and having to fight or escape from the role of suffering and despair they have been put through. We had an strong influence of classic greek and romanic mythology in our origins, so the idea of fighting against some kind of gods who wickedly play with our fate and destiny remains there.

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

We have had the chance to play with many great bands, like Dark Tranquillity, To Die-For, Epica, Dark Moor and a long etcetera, i could chose any of these shows but I will tell you the last one playing with Therion at Lisbon was amazing, the fans gave us a huge support and it was a very special night celebrating the release of Tales. We are a band who loves to play live, for us is always something very special as is the moment when we can canalize all your feelings straight to the crowd.

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

There are no confirmed dates for the fests season and at this moment we are looking for promotor to work with. It will be great to schedule some dates after summer so we will be able to tour consistently with Tales and share it on stage with the fans.

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

We have received a lot of good reviews and comments from many countries so for us it would be really great to have the chance to tour and play for the fans abroad!

8. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

We are a band who has slowly shifted in our style since it was formed back in the nineties, so you could not expect a dramatic change for the next I guess hehe. Anyway, we have never said no to new things... so there is always room for at least a couple of surprises!


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

I listen to many kind of music styles but metal is the biggest influence. As for bands I started listening to bands like Kiss, Ozzy, Dio, Wasp when I was a kid, and later added some extra heaviness and darkness to the mix with bands of death and doom of the early nineties.


10. Does Occultism play any role in your music?

I should say yes, there are some references to the occultism and there is a lot of space for the 'unknow' in our lyrics, anything related with mistery, the unsual and the occult is a big source of inspiration for me.

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

I think I gave you some hints with the previous question ;) I also love poetry and cinema a lot (horror, suspense and thrillers the most!) but I like watching all genres. In my case lyrics have a big visual influence so when I am writing the story it usually comes to me in flashes.

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

Thanks again for these lines, I hope it will give Occult readers the chance to know a bit more about Tears of Martyr and our new album "Tales"!

Cheers,
-Miguel Angel

Hybrid/Angst/Deepsend/2013 CD Review

  Hybrid  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  mixture  of  brutal  and  technical  death  metal,  gindcore,  progressive  and  experimental  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Angst"  which  was  released  by  Deepsend.

 Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  good  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very   strong  and  powerful sound  with  heavy  and  progressive  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording,  as  for  the  saxophones  which  are  only  used  briefly  they  bring  an  avant  garde  jazz  sound  to  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  technical  and  brutal  sounding  death  metal  with  grind  and  hardcore  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  while  the  soft  and  clean  elements  bring  elements  of  jazz,  experimental  and  progressive  music,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  technical  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  enhance  the  progressive  elements  of  the  music.

  Vocals  range  from  high  pitched  grindcore/noise  screams,  deep  death  metal  growls,  hardcore  style  yelling  and  some  spoken  word  samples  being  utilized  at  times  along  with  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing,  while  the  lyrics  cover  Chaos  Theory,  New  World  Order,  and  Alienation,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  brutal  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Hybrid  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  grindcore,  technical  death  metal,  progressive  and  experimental  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Enter  The  Void"  "Self-Implosion"  and  "Doomed  To  Failure".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.      

Antigama/Meteor/Selfmadegod Records/2013 CD Review

  Antigama  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with    musical  style  I would  describe  as  being  brutal  grindcore  with  elements  of  crust,  noise  and  progressive  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Meteor"  which  will  be  released  by  Selfmadegod  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow, mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  as  for  the  sound  effects  when t hey  are  utilized  they  bring  elements  of  noise  and  progressive  music  to  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  grindcore  riffs  that  are  heavy  and  brutal  sounding  while  also  use  some  crust  and  technical  elements  in  the  riffing  and  there  are  little  to  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on t his  recording.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  grindcore  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  with  some  spoken  word  samples  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing,  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  and  scientific  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful, heavy,  brutal  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Antigama  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Key"  "Prophecy"  "Stargate"  and  "Perfect  Silence".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.    

Tears Of Matyr/Tales/Massacre Records/2013 CD Review

  Tears  Of  Martyr  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  symphonic  form  of  gothic metal  with  elements  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Tales"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  no  blast  beats  being  present  on  this  recording, while  the  synths  bring  a  very  dark,  atmospheric,  symphonic  and  gothic  sound  to  the  recording  as  well  as  some  violins  being  utilized  at  times,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  gothic  metal  riffs  that  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  with  some  elements  of  death  and  doom  metal  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  at  times  and  there  are  little  to  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording,  as  for  the  classical  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  to  add  more  dark  elements  to  the  recording.

  Vocals a re  mostly  clean  singing  female  gothic  metal  vocals  with  some  deep  doom/death  metal growls  being  utilized  at  times as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  and  clean  sinding  male  vocals,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  poetic,  and  metaphysical  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.  

  In  my  opinion  Tears  Of  Martyr  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic,  melodic  gothic  metal  band  with  elements  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Golem"  "Vampires  Of  The  Sunset  Street"  "Lost  Boys" and  "WolvesAnd  A  Witch".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Full Of Hell/Rudiments Of Mutilation/A389 Recordings/2013 CD Review

  Full  Of  Hell  are  a  band  with  members  from  both  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland  with  a  music  style  that  combines  noise,  grind,  death  metal  and  hardcore  together  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013 album  "Rudiments  Of  Mutilation"  which  was  released  by  A389  Recordings.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  sound  effects  bring  elements  of  harsh  noise  to the  recording,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow.  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  hardcore,  crust,  grind  and  death  metal  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  range  from  hardcore  style  yells,  deep  crust/death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  grindcore  screams  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts,  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  everyday  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  brutal  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.  

  In  my  opinion  Full  Of  Hell  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  noise,  grind,  hardcore  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should c heck  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vessel  Deserted"  "Indigence  And  Quilt"  "Bone  Corral  And  Brine"  and  "Contempt  Of  Life".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

Cocktopussy/Demo 2010 Review

  Cocktopussy  are  a  band  from  the  Chezch  Republic  that  plays  a  very  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  form  of  porno  grind  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  self  released  2010  demo.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  bass  playing h as  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  heavy,  brutal,  raw  and  primitive  sounding  old  school porno  grindcore  riffs  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  anywhere  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  grindcore  death  metal/core  growls  to  high  pitched  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  perverted,  disgusting,  sick,  and  demented  porno  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it  while  you  can  still  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Cocktopussy  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy,  brutal,  raw  and  primitive  porno  grind  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kinder  Grinder"  and  "Third  Towlen".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.