Wojczech/Krupskaya/7 Degrees Records/2017 Split 12 Inch Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Germany's  Wojczech  and  United  Kingdom's  Krupskaya  both  bands  that  have  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  the  album  being  released  on  October  27th  by  7  Degree  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Wojczech  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  grindcore,  crust  and  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split starts  out  with  drum  beats  along  with  some  heavy  riffing  and  high  pitched  screams  a  few  seconds  later  while  death  metal  growls a re  utilized  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  grindcore  elements  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  leads.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  their  side  of  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  elements  of  crust as well as a small amount  of  melody  and  the  music  always  remains  heavy.  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  personal  issues,  sarcasm  and  environmental  issues.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Wojzech  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  crust,  grindcore  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Burning  Solids".

  Next  up  is  Krupskaya  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  grind  and  noisecore.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  distorted  noises  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  spoken  word  samples  are  also  used  briefly  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  noisecore  screams.

  Throughout  their  side  of  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  clean  playing  is  also  utilized  briefly  along  with  some  crust  style  shouts,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  theosophy,  darkness  and  violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Krupskaya  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  grind  and  noisecore,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Frozen  Bodies  Against  The  Wire"  and  "Theosophical  Separation  Of  The  Earth".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  death  metal,  crust,  grind  and  noisecore.  8  out  of  10.

Even Vast/Dawning Gloom/H-Sound Music Records/2017 Full Length Review

  Even  Vast  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  goth  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Dawning  Gloom"  which  wad  released  by  H-Sound  Music  Records.

  Acoustic  guitars  and  female  vocals  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction  as  well  as  adding  some  goth  style  keyboards  onto  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  slow  riffs  also  add  in  a touch  of  doom  metal.

  Most  of  the  music  is  rooted  in  the  90's  goth  metal  style  while  a  couple  of  the  songs  are long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction   along  with  some  of  the  keyboards  also  adding  in  prog  rock  touches  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  male  vocals  can  be  heard.

  On  this  recording  Even  Vast  go  for  more  of  a  straightforward  goth  metal  style  as  well  as  removing  the  death  metal  growls  that  where  a  part  of  their  earlier  recordings,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  love  and  sadness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Even  Vast  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  goth  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dawning  Gloom"  and  "After  All".  8  out  of  10.  

Retortion Terror/Invidiosus/Horror Pain Gore Death Productions/2017 Split CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split album  between  Japan's  Retortion  Terror and  Minnesota's  Invidiosus  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Horror  Pain  Gore  Death  Productions  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Retortion  Terror  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  crust  and  grindcore.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  angry  screams  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  most  of  their  tracks  being  very  short  in  length  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  melody  and  mid  tempo  sections  and  elements  of  crust  can  also  be  heard  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Retortion  Terror  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  crust  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Scorched" and  "River  Of  Ignorance".

  Next  up  is  Invidiosus  a  band  that  plays  a  technical  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  with  some  elements  of  thrash,  crust  and  black  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  fast,  brutal  and  old  school  grindcore  sound  along  with  some  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  screams,  when  guitar  solos and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  technical  fashion  and  d  beats  are  also  used  at  times.

  Elements  of  thrash  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  there  is  also  a  slight  touch  of  blackened  death  metal  and  most  of  their  tracks  are  very  short  in  length,  melodies  are  also  used  at  times  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  depression,  anxiety,  dystopia,  mental  illness  and  humor  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Invidiosus  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  technical  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Purpose  Defeater"  and  "Where  Evolution  Ends".

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

  

Marginal/Total Destruction/Transcending Obscurity Records/2017 CD Review

   Marginal  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a mixture  of  grindcore  and  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Total  Destruction"  which  will  be  rleeased  in  December  by  Transcending  Obscurity  Records.

  Drum  beats  along  with  a  very  brutal  grindcore  sound  starts  off  the  album  while t he  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  as  well  as  the  music  being  very  heavily  influenced  by  d  beat  and  crust  and  guitar  leads  are  also  used  at  times.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  high  pitched  screams  are  also used  at  times  along  with  the  music  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  but  also  sounding  very  modern  at  the  same  time  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  angry  punk  rock  style  shouts  can  be  heard  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length,  spoken  word  samples  are  also  added  on  one  track  and  the  music  always  remains  heavy.

  Marginal  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  grindcore,  crust  and  d  beat  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  political  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Marginal  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  grindcore  and  crust  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Barbarians"  "Impaled"  "This  Violent  Way"  and  "Total  Destruction".  8  out  of  10.  

All Pigs Must Die/Hostage Animal/Southern Lord/2017 CD Review

  Massachusetts's  All  Pigs  Must  Die  have  returned  with  a  new  recording which  continues  the  thrash,  crust,  hardcore,  grind  and  death  metal  mixture  of  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Hostage  Animal"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Southern  Lord.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  bring  in  more  of  an  aggressive  style  that  mixes  crust  and  hardcore  style  yelling  together  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Elements  of  d  beat  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  mixing  in  the  brutality  of  grindcore  as  well  as  some  of  the  riffing  also  adding  in  melody  and  elements  of  thrash  at  times,  one  one  track  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  can  be  heard  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length.

  All  Pigs  Must  Die  creates  another  recording t hat  remains  true  to  the  thrash,  crust,  hardcore, grind  and  death  metal  mixture  of  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  hatred,  destruction  and  anti  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  All  Pigs  Must  Die  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  thrash,  crust,  grindcore  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hostage  Animal"  "Slave  Morality"  "Moral  Purge"  and  "Heathen  Reign".  8  out  of  10.  

Necromorph 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?



Quite some. We’ve been playing a few shows and are already working on the next album. We are also planning to release a song from our latest album on video.



2. In 2016 you had 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 Composing is more elaborated or probably more defined. We took a step away from the Swedish sound with that fuzzy HM2 distortion towards more melodies and D-Beats. The same is still, that we didn’t lose any of our grind power, so that you will find quite a lot of raving blast-beat parts on “Under the Flag”.



3.In the beginning the band was more black metal, then death metal moving moving into a mixture of death metal, crust and grindcore, can you tell us a little bit more about the decision behind going into a different musical direction?



Oh, that’s quite simple. Our taste of music has changed over the years and after a while we came to a point, were we said: Yeah, grindcore that’s the music we want to do.



4. This was your first album since 2011, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during the last 5 years?



We were getting older. J No, seriously. We played some shows of course, changed our label and our rehearsing room and we had a little lineup change with Benna leaving and Karl joining the band. Fritze became Father. Some member started new projects. Summed up, a lot personal things wish took time apart from the band.



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



We are criticizing society and often focus on what happens around us in our everyday life. Especially themes like intolerance or ignorance are often subject we expose in our lyrics.



6. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Necromorph'?



First, we liked the sound of the word itself. Then it is also some kind of tribute to Necrony which influenced us very much in the early days of Necromorph. We also liked the picture or metaphor in sense of a necromorphing or with other words rotting society.



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



Of course we enjoy every show we are playing. But to name some, it would definitely be: Obscene Extreme, Blut Svente Festival, VEB in Lübeck, Amnesie in Berlin or in Weimar in the Gerbertstraße. We like it small and cozy – so our best shows might have been in clubs like that. Our performance is always wild and a bit chaotic, very energetic and true.



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



Yes. October 1st Berlin @ Pedäl Bättl. October 14th the Defying Danger Label Night in Bitterfeld. October 28th at Café Markzicht in Dedemsvaart (Netherlands). November 10th Ear Terror Festival in Emden. December 23rd Abjured Record Release in Halle.



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



The feedback has basically been positive. You can say, that we didn’t have the same impact on promotion we had with Grinding Black Zero due to our change to a smaller label. F.D.A. Rekotz is quite an institution in the German metal scene were as our new label Defying Danger Records is a newcomer on the German metal-landscape. It needs some time get established and connected. But we are very confident that it will work out. And hey, it’s always cool to support the underground.



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



Yes. Ulf plays guitar in an old school death-metal band named Dehuman Reign. Karl has some cover-projects going on here and then and is also performing shows with the Feuerregen – a fire-artist group. Jockel is playing bass for Ost+Front – an industrial band, which comes around a lot.



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



We are not planning to do something especially different or so. We just let it flow and will see what happens…



12. 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?



That’s quite much and differs from member to member. From Raised Fist to Tragedy over Entombed to Anaal Nathrakh is their quite a lot between. For all of us it is definitely: Necrony or later Nasum, Napalm Death and Victims.



13. What are some of your non musical interests?



Sports, reading and writing, hanging out with friends and watching movies, enjoying the big cultural live of Berlin – and parties and alcohol of courseJ.



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



Thanks for the interview. Think independently. Support the underground. We will hopefully see us to one of our shows. Cheers.

Reign Of Vengeance/The Final Aeon For All Humans/2017 EP Review

  Reign  Of  Vengeance  are  a  band  from  Arizona  that  expands  on  their  technical  and  brutal  style  of  death  metal  by  adding  in  elements  of  slam,  grindcore,  hardcore  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released   2017  ep  "The  Final  Aeon  For  All  Humans"  which  will  be  released  in  October.

  A very  brutal  sound  along  with  some  technical  guitar  leads  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  clean  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  as  well  as  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  hardcore  and  slam  elements  which  also  shows  the  vocals  also  adding  in  a  shouting  style  at  times.

  Symphonic  elements  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  some  of  the  vocals  also  adding  in  high  pitched  screams  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  traditional  metal/hard  rock  elements  at  times  along  with  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  influences  of  black,  groove  and  thrash  metal  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  On  this  recording  Reign  Of  Vengeance  cover  a  lot  of  ground  with  influences  of  technical  death  metal,  symphonic  black  metal,  grind,  hardcore ,  slam,  thrash  and  groove  metal  all  getting  mixed  together,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  conspiracy  theories,  esoteric  theology,  gore,  blood,  brutality  and  violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Reign  Of  Vengeance  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  a  variety  of  many  different  extreme  metal  genres,  you  should  enjoy  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fuck  The  Recession,  Kill  Those  Who  Caused  It"  and  "The  Great  Hecatomb".  8  out  of  10.