Miserable Failure/Hope/Kaotoxin/2014 EP Review

  Miserable  Failure  are  a  band  from  France  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  i  would  describe  as  being  a  fast  and  brutal  form  of  grindcore  with  elements  of  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "Hope"  which  was  released  by  kaotoxin.

  The  ep  starts  out  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  spoken  word  parts  before  going  into  a  fast  direction  and  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  growls  and  crust  style  shouts  as  well  as  some  blast  beats  and  the  music  also  slows  down  at  times  so  you  can  hear  the  bass  and  they  remain  in  the  same  direction  throughout  the  ep  and  all  of  the  songs  are  brutal  examples  of  grindcore.

  Miserable  Failure  on  this  recording  while  not  being  completely  original  still  do  a  great  job  with  their  ability  to  create  some  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  and  the  only  set  back  is  the  ep  is  way  too  short.

  Song  lyrics  cover  hateful  and  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  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  this  is  another  great  sounding  from  Miserable  Failure  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  grindcore,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Blueprints  Of  Self  Disgust"  and  "This  World  Ain't  Mine".  8  out  of  10.

Ass To Mouth/Degenerate/Selfmadegod Records/2014 CD Review

  Ass  To  Mouth  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  fast,  heavy  and  brutal  form  of  grindcore  with  elements  of  thrash  and  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Degenerate"  which will  be  released  by  Selfmadegod  Records.

  the  album  starts  off  with  a  sample  and  then  goes  into  a  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  a  mixture  of  screams  and  growls  and  you  can  hear  some  more  modern  influences  being  added  in  and  when  the  music  slows  down  it  is  only  for  a  few  seconds.

  As  the  album  progresses  it  remains  in  a  fast  and  brutal  direction  while  also  going  back  to  the  old  school  days  of  grindcore  as  well  as  mixing  in  trash  and  punk  influences  as  well  as  some  modern  deathcore  being  added  to  the  vocals  without  having  to  resort  to  the  more  mainstream  side  of  that  sub  genre  as  well  as  some  samples  being  brought  in  as  intros  on  some  of  the  songs.

  The  music  also  brings  in  a  good  amount  of  d  beat  and  crust  influences  as  well  as  slowing  down  and  bring  in  elements  of  groove  and  melody  and  they  also  bring  in  some  very  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  at  times.

  Ass  to  Mouth  created  some  great  quality  grindcore  with  this  record  and  the y  reamin  fast  and  brutal  throughout  this  recording  as  well  as  not  having  a  standard  sound  and  this  is  some  of  the  most  brutal  grindcore  I  have  heard  in  years.

  Song  lyrics  cover  hateful,  everyday,  drinking  and  pot  smoking  themes,  while  the  production  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  Ass  To  Mouth  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy  and  brutal  grindcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Under  The  Razor's  Edge"  "Drunk  And  Stoned"  "Brainless  Retards"  and  "Scumbags".  8/5  out  of  10.  

Left In Ruins/Ghost/Ruins Records/2013 Full Length Review

  Left  In  Ruins  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  hardcore  punk,  crust  and  power  violence  and this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Ghost"  which  was  released  by  Ruins  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  some  bass  guitars  and  distorted  parts  before  going  into  a  fast  and  heavy  direction  along  with  some  screams  as  well  as  mixing  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  together  as  well  as  some  blast  beats.

  As  the  album  progresses  guitar  leads  are  added  to  their  fastcore  assault  along  with  some  old  school  hardcore  elements  along  with  some  grindcore  elements  and  the  music  goes  for  more  of  a  mid  90's  hardcore  direction  while  also  adding  in  a  good  amount  of  80's  influences

  Song  lyrics  cover  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  raw,  heavy  and  old  school  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  all  of  the  songs  are  very  short  and  fast.

  In  my  opinion  Left  in  Ruins  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  hardcore  punk,  crust  and  power  violence  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band  and  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ghost"  "I'm  Bored"  "The  Heretic  Son"  and  "Vicious  Cycle". 7/5  out  of  10.

Orbweaver Interview

Answers by Randy Piro:

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

We kicked off the EP release with a small tour around Florida with our good friends Hollow Leg and Shroud Eater, to a great response. Since coming home we've been working on new material for the next LP, and a few more esoteric recording projects that are on the horizon. 

2.For those that have not heard the new recording, how would you describe the musical sound you have brought out with the new release?

 I guess the short answer to that would be a combination of abstract metal and harsh noise. I will admit that we are a hard pill to swallow musically....so I generally let other people describe us.

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

The lyrics represent an ongoing story I am creating. The lyrics have been omitted from the album however. I wanted to be a little ambiguous about it for the time being. The only insights a listener will get is from the limited edition cassette available from Primitive Violence Records. I worked with Jean Saiz (Shroud Eater, Primitive Violence head honcho) to create comic style trading cards that were included in some of these packs. Those cards, the cover, and the layout all have expansive artwork which corollate directly with the lyrical themes. 

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

I named the band after a spider that appears in my garden after heavy rainstorms. I was walking through mango trees lost in thought when I ran face first into a massive Golden Orb Weaver web....you might say the name hit me in the face. Spiders have always fascinated me. From an evolutionary standpoint they are almost perfect creatures. 

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 been fortunate to play a lot of killer shows. One that sticks out in my mind is Cinema Sounds. For this show, we were tasked with creating a soundtrack to one of my favorite movies: Tron. We locked our selves in our jam room for several weeks just watching the segment of the film we were scoring. It all culminated with us playing a show in a movie theatre with the film playing on the screen behind us. It was very surreal for me. 

Our live set flows much like our recording. As far as the performance aspect goes, we just light a few candles and jam. 

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

We are slowing down our live actions for the rest of the year. We have a few shows booked, but after November we are taking a little time off to write for a few upcoming projects we have coming out next year. A west coast tour is in the works for February. 

1. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the ep by fans of underground metal?

Very positive indeed! The overall theme i'm getting back is that we sound like drugs. I'm okay with that. 

8.The ep came out on Primitive Violence, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Primitive Violence started as a cassette only label founded by Jean Saiz from Shroud Eater. She does small runs that include very thought out packaging, killer art, and other limited goodies. It also has become a form of sorts for her to showcase her artistic talents as well. Jean's art is the proverbial rug that ties together Orbweaver's room.

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

Most of the songs on the EP were written by myself, before we had a full line up. Now that we've all been jamming together for a few years (with the exception of Scott, who recently joined us on drums) the way we write has turned into a very democratic process, and a lot of our riffs and arrangements come from purely jamming with each other. We're really just letting things flow and now with four people writing, the sound is definitely going to start falling a lot further down the rabbit hole.

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

I listen to tons of music. As far as influences that made me want to make music in general: Frank Zappa, Morbid Angel, Black Sabbath, Primus and Metallica were my big favorites when I was just starting out. I grew up in a house of musicians, so I was exposed to lots of different types of music and instruments at a young age.......so once I had the basics down, there was always something new to discover from one of my parents, or uncles, etc. These days I'm really enjoying the new stuff from Glorior Belli, Portal, Shroud Eater, and Hollow Leg as far as heavy music goes. Diamanda Galas, Iannis Xenakis, Amon Tobin, and Secret Chiefs Three are always in heavy rotation.

11.How would you describe your views on occultism?

Occultism is the science of our ancestors. I believe these sciences were used to communicate and interact with the overseers of our race. 

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

Well, Orbweaver really does dominate most of my life in some way or form. When I do make time for myself outside of Orbweaver I generally find myself jamming with other musicians who I want to work with. Mainly with  my improvisational black metal/noise project Death Talisman VII. This started as a solo thing, but now I have a revolving lineup that changes for each performance. I have a release coming out with Dying God Records in October. I am also working with a few friends on a grind band that will put an EP out here in the near future (really can't say too much about that yet though). When I do get a few free moments to myself I enjoy simply hanging out with my lady, reading, playing video games, etc. We also do like to spend a good amount of time at the beach, since we live in Florida and all.....

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

Thanks for the interview. Rosdower. 

 

Ribspreader/Meathymns/Vic Records/2014 CD Review

  Ribspreader  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  d  beat  melodic  Swedish  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Meathymns"  which  will  be  released  by  Vic  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  some  screams  before  adding  in  heavy  and  melodic  death  metal  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  solos  which  also  leads  to  some  deep  guttural  growls  along  with  a  mixture  of  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  some  crust  influences.

  As  the  album  progresses  it  remains  in  an  old  school  Swedish  death  metal  direction  along  with  the  vocals  being  very  easy  to  understand  and  they  also  mix  in  some  brutal  sounding  high  pitched  screams  and  there  is  only  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  drums  concentrate  more  on  d  beats  instead  and  when  the  music  slows  down  you  can  also  hear  the  bass  guitars  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  on  the  last  song  psychedelic  sounds  are  added  onto  the  record.

  Ribspreader  continue  the  tradition  of  of  Rogga  Johansson's  old  school  approach  to  d  beat  and  death  metal  with  this  being  another  one  of  his  musical  projects  and  while  it  does  not  sound  very  original  it  is  very  well  executed  sounding  old  school  Swedish  death  metal  with  a  touch  of  crust.

  Song  lyrics  cover  blood,  gore  and  horror  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  professional  and  old  school  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Ribspreader  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  d  beat  Swedish  style  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cemetary  Dreams"  "The  Ones  Who  Hide  And  Wait"  "Asylum  Of  The  Rotting"  and  "Skeletonized".  8  out  of  10. 

Yautja/Songs of Descent/Forcefeild Recordings/2014 CD Review

  Yautja  are  a  band  from  Nashville,  Tennessee  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal,  grind  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Songs  Of  Descent"  which  was  released  by  Forcefeild  Recordings.

  The  album  starts  out  with  some  drums  and  a  few  seconds  alter  bass  guitars  kick  in  which  also  leads  up  to  some  heavy  guitars  and  once  the  album  gets  past  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  more  death  metal  direction  while  adding  in  elements  of  hardcore  to  the  vocals  and  by  the  time  the  third  song  comes  on  the  music  goes  into  a  more  grindcore  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats.


  This  album  shows  a  great  amount  of  diversity  with  the  way  they  mix  the  heaviness  of  death  metal,  the  speed  of  grindcore  and  the  hardcore  style  vocals  as  well  as  mixing  that  influence  in  the  slower  or  mid  paced  part  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  the  band  comes  out  with  a  very  creative  sound   and  by  the  time  the  7th  song  comes  around  guitar  leads  are  added  into  the  music  and  they  bring  a  darker  sound  to  the  recording  as  well  as  adding  in  elements  of  noise  rock  and  the  band  utilizes  a  mixture  of  both  slow  and  fast  songs.

  Song  lyrics  cover  hateful  and  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  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  Yautja  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  metal,  grind  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blinders"  "Faith  Resigned"  "Of  Descent"  and  "Chemical".  RECOMMENDED  BUY. 

Tellusion/Scania/2012 EP Review

  Tellusion  a  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  mixture  of  grindcore,  crust,  metal  and  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  ep  "Scania".

  The  ep  starts  out  with  some  dark  and  melodic  sounding  guitar  riffs  along  with  soem d rums  a  few  seconds  alter  which  leads  up  to  some  heavier  guitar  riffs  as  well  as  a  mixture  of  grindcore  screams  and  crustcore  style  growls  as  well  as  some  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  and  the  music  sticks  to  mostly  a  mid  paced  direction  and  the  music  also  incorporates  some  progressive  elements  at  times.

  These  2  songs  show  a  lot  of  talent  and  originality  and  the  band  is  not  afraid  to  mix  a  variety  of  musical  styles  together  and  it  adds  new  elements  to  grindcore  that  no  bands  have  attempted  before  and  there  are  also  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  being  utilized  on  the  last  song.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful  and  heavy  sound  fro  being  a  self  released  recording  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  ep.

  In  my  opinion  Tellusion  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  grind,  metal  and  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Karnival".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.