Ingurgitating Oblivion/Continuum Of Absence/Willowtip Records/2014 CD Review

 
  Ingurgitating  Oblivion  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays a  very  dark  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Continuum  Of  Absence"  which  was  released  by  Willowtip  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  after  a  minute  and  a  length  the  music  gets  a  lot  heavier  along  with  some  guitar  leads  that  have  a  very  haunting  presence  to  them  and  a  more  heavy  death metal  sound  that  brings  in  growling  vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  At  time s high  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  with  the  faster  sections  utilizing  some  brutal  sounding  blast  beats.

  When  sound  effects  return  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  they  add  in  more  of  a  ritualistic  and  occult  sound  to  the  bands  musical  style  which  also  gets  more  brutal  as  the  album  progresses  and  some  of  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  a  heavy  Morbid  Angel  influence  to  the  tracks  they  are  utilized  on  while  the  band  still  has  their  own  approach  to  death  metal.

  Ingurgitating  Oblivion  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  dark,  atmospheric,  brutal  and  ritualistic  sounding  as  well  as  demonstrating  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  as  musicians  and  bringing  in  a  very  epic  style  of  this  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ingurgitating  Oblivion  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  and  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Antinominion  Rites"  "Descent  To  The  Temple"  and  "Offering".  8  out  of  10. 

Heaving Earth/Denouncing The Holy Throne/Lavadome Productions/2015 CD Review

  Heaving  Earth  are  a  band  from  the  Czech  Republic  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  dark,  blasphemous  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Denouncing  The  Holy  Throne"  which  will  be  released in  2015  by  Lavadome  Productions.

  Dark  and  evil  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  which  leads  up  to  some  morbid  sounding  melodies  that  start  taking  the  music  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats,  fast  riffs  and  deep  death  metal  growls  and  the  songs  have  an  early  Florida  feeling  but  updated  for  the  modern  day  with  the  music  having  more  of  a  brutal  and  technical  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  guitar  leads  displaying  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melody  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  and  there  are  also  some  dark  and  atmospheric  parts  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  a  few  brief  instrumentals  one  which  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  before  returning  back  to  vocal  tracks  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Heaving  Earth  creates  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  Florida  and  Polish  tradition  but  brings  in  enough  melody,  brutality  and  technical  playing  that  also  makes  their  songs  have  more  of  a  modern  day  feeling,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  blasphemous  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Heaving  Earth  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dark  and  blasphemous  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Final  Crowning"  "Worms  Of  Rusted  Congregation"  "Into  The  Depths  Of  Abomination"  and  "Jesus  Died".  8  out  of  10.

      

Johansson & Speckmann/Mask Of The Treacherous/Vic Records/2015 CD Review

  Johansson  &  Speckmann  are  a  duo  of  2  death  metal  legends  that  have  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  play  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Mask Of  The  Treacherous"  which  will  be  released  in  2015  by  Vic  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  old  school  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  growling  vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  is  in  more  of  an  80  and  early  90's  traditional  style  of  death  metal  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Elements  of  thrash  can  be  heard  throughout  the  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  and  the  guitar  riffs  also  bring  in  a  good  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  songs  remain  true  to  an  old  school  death  metal  sound  and  ignore  all  of  the  modern  trends  of  the  past  25  years.

  Johansson  &  Speckmann  create  a  death  metal  album  that  takes  the  American  sound  of  the  mid  80's  and  mixes it  in  with  the  Swedish  death  metal  sound  of  the  early  90's  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  violent  and  the  more  negative  part  of  everyday  and  real  life.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Johansson  &  Speckmann   and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Inhuman  Lust"  "The  Bringer  Of  Pain"  "Within  Reach"  and  "A  Grave  To  The  World".  8  out  of  10.  
    

Obduktion 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 ep?
We are still promoting “Mors Janua Vitae” EP, working on new material and rehearsing for some gigs in the near future and probably a Balkan mini tour. After that we’ll keep composing and enter the studio once again for the 4th album, hopefully released in the fall of 2015.

2. Recently you have released a new ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is present on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
It sounds 100% Obduktion for sure! We tried to keep the main elements of our tunes, the aggressive riffing, catchy melodies, brutal vocals and solid rhythm section with fast and mid tempo parts. For once more we worked hard on production, combining the old school death metal feeling with fresh sound. Compared to our past releases the new EP is a more in your face work and still has the high level standards of our previous album “Pain Chronicles”.

3. The band was broken up for a year, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
We really needed a break at that time due to some individual personal reasons but never buried the reunion thought since our personal relations were always extremely good. Recharged our batteries, the idea of reforming came up and here we are again!

4. Some of your lyrics have covered Occultism and Masonic Rituals, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?
I can’t say that Obduktion refers to occultism lyrically. Perhaps some words and phrases but not in general. The track “Lordship of Superior” of our new EP is about Masonic Rituals and scripted words and actions that are spoken or performed during the degree work in a Masonic Lodge. I was fascinated by the perceived secrecy of a Masonic Ritual and the vows and oaths that are taken but I was never really a fan of Masons or into it. Just an interesting subject and that’s all.

5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Obduktion'?
Obduktion originates from the german word meaning autopsy. Our guitarist Obduktor came up with the name since he had to changed it to that, cause at first, the name was Obduction, but already taken by other bands. I think this is what we do all these years, an autopsy of extreme metal music and then bringing out the results through our tunes. Don’t forget to mention the death metal legends Autopsy!

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?
I will always remember the ones supporting Asphyx, Absu and Belphegor but our first time playing in Thessaloniki was really awesome too! Crazy crowd, great gig! We try to do our best on the stage doing our job with passion, banging our heads and I believe that’s appreciated by the audience.

7. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We are planning some live shows in Greece including a special one, celebrating the band’s 20 years and preparing a Balkan mini tour in the spring of 2015.

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?
Considering that Obduktion is an underground Greek death metal band, the feedback we get is more than just satisfying. All the good words we receive from friends and listeners are one of the main reasons we will keep on playing.

9. When can we expect another full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
According to our schedule we’ll probably enter the studio in the summer of 2015 to record some brand new tracks of pure death metal and hopefully release a new album the fall of the same year. Our musical roots will remain the same and always close to old school death metal but as our main goal is to become better and better, as a band and musicians, we’ll never stop experimenting to achieve the best results with higher and higher professional standards.

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?
It’s easy for someone into extreme metal music to find out our main influences when listening to Obduktion. 90’s European and US death metal scene and bands like Bolt thrower and Obituary have surely affected us but gaining experience through the years brought us to our own unique sound and musical identity. I listen to all bands that have something to offer to the metal scene and I sure dig Fleshgod Apocalypse! I also like a lot the growing Indonesian death metal scene, many kickass bands there.

11. What are some of your non musical interests?
I am a huge fan of soccer, basketball and watch lots of series and movies, mostly horror ones. Reading about any historical period or subject is one of my interests too. And drinking cold beers!

12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I’d really like to thank you for the interview and interest and wish you good luck and much success! Tones of respect to our friends out there and keep supporting the underground!
Cheers,
Takis V.O.T.
Obduktion.

Carnation/Cemetery Of The Insane/Final Gate Records/2014 EP Review

  Carnation  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  ep  "Cemetery  Of  the  Insane"  which  will  be  released  in  2015  by  Final  gate Records.

  Demonic  sounds  and  noises  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  dark  death  metal  direction  that  also  bring s in  a  good  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  along  with  some  growling  style  vocals  and  the  band  goes  for  an  early  90's  style  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  being  utilized  in   certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  an  old  school  death  metal  sound  and  all  of  the  songs  have  a  vintage  sound  from t hat  era  and  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  during  that  time  frame.

  Carnation  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  ignores  all  of  the  modern  trends  of  the  past  20  years  as  well  as  always  remaining  heavy  and  there  is  never  a  soft  or  weak  moment  present  on  the  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  violent  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Carnation  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should c heck  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cemetery  Of  the  Insane"  and  "Rituals  Of  Flesh".  8  out  of  10. 

Abscession/Grave Offerings/Final Gate Records/2015 CD Review

  Abscession  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  Swedish  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Grave  offerings"  which  will  be  released  in  2015  by  Final  Gate  Records.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  old  school  Swedish  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  growls  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  and  guitar  leads  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  at  times  you  can  also  hear  some  high  pitched  screams  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  All  of  the  songs  have  a  vintage  90's  sound  to  them  and  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  during  that  time  frame  and  on  a  couple  of  tracks  of  the  tracks  keyboards  are  added  into  the  music  giving  the  album  an  atmospheric  death  metal  feeling  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  that  are  kind  of  buried  by  the  growls  on  one  of  the  tracks  while  on  the  last  song  they  get  more  powerful  for  a  few  seconds.

   The  later  tracks  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  the  early  technical  death  metal  sound  along  with  some  clean  playing  being  added into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  being  brought  in  at  times   and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Abscession  plays  an  old  school  style  of  Swedish  death  metal  that is  on  par  with  the  elder  bands  and  their  fellow  countrymen  and  the  music  has  a  perfect  balance  between,  heaviness,,  rawness  and  melody,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  horror  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Abscession  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Where  Sleeping  Gods  Dwell"  "Cabin"  "Freshly  Dug  Graves"  and  "Engorged  With  gore".  8  out  of  10.

  .

  

Obduktion/Mors Janua Vitae/2014 EP Review

 This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Obduktion  which  continues  the  old  school  death  metal  sound  of  previous  recordings  and  the  ep  was  self  released  in  2014  and  called  "Mors  Janua  Vitae".

  A  very  heavy  90's  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  growling  vocals  and  a  few  seconds  later  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  song  and  the music  sticks  to  mostly  a  slow  to  mid  paced  direction  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  melody  being  added  into  the  riffing.

  The  second  song  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy  old  school  death  metal  riff  and  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  some  influences  from  both  the  Florida  And  United  kingdom  bands  of  that  era  and  they  also  add  a  small  amount  of  melody  into  the heavy  parts  on  the  track

  Obduktion  remains  true  to  the  old  school   death  metal  sound  of  previous  recordings  and  there  is  never  a  soft  or  weak  moment  present  in  the  2  songs,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  heavy  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  New  World  Order,  Pessimism,  Humanity  and  Salvation.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Obduktion  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Lordship  of  Superior".  8  out  of  10. 

Obduktion/Pain Chronicles/2011 CD Review

  Obduktion  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2011  album  "Pain  Chronicles".

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  old  school  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  which  also  leads  to  growls  that  become  a  huge  part  of  all  of  the  tracks  and  at  times  you  can  hear  some  melodies  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  On  some  of  the  tracks  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  can  be  heard  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  the  album  progresses  along  with  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  that  are  very  brutal  sounding  while  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  horror  movie  samples  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  used  they  add  even  more  melody  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  on  the  last  track  a  small  amounts  of  synths  and  violins  are  added  into  the  song.

  Obduktion  plays  a  style  of  old  school  death  metal  that  sounds  like  it  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  in  the  early  90's  and  also  ignores  all  modern  trends,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cove r New  World  Order,  Humanity,  Salvation,  and  Pessimism.

  In  my  opinion  Obduktion  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Demonic  Methods"  "Pain  Chronicles"  and  "Semi  Humans.  8  out  of  10.

      

Skelethal/Interstellar Knowledge Of The Purple Entity/Caligari Records/2014 Cassette Review

  Skelethal  are  a  band  from  France  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  cassette  "Interstellar  Knowledge  of  the  Purple  Entity"  which  was  released  by  Caligari  Records.

  Dark  and  evil  sound  effects  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  horror  movie  style  keyboards  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  an  old  school  death  metal  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  the  vocals  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  growls  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  brought  into  the  music  they  add  in  more  of  a  chaotic  style  of  death  metal  when  they  are  utilized  and  the  keyboards  from  the  intro  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  tracks  briefly  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  they  close  the  cassette  with  a  cover  of  Carnage's  "Torn  Apart".

  Skelethal  remain  true  to  the  old  school  death  metal  sound  that  was  presented  on  the  previous  recording  and  also  bring  out  the  best  of  the  early  90's  Swedish  style  with  their  songs,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  powerful  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  from  Skelethal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  cassette.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sabbatical  Demonic  Invocation"  and  "Slaughtered  From  beyond".  8  out  of  10.  

Triumvir Foul/An Oath Of Blood And Fire/Godz Of War Productions/Third Eye Temple/2015 7 Inch Review

  Triumvir  Foul  are  a  band  from  Portland,  Oregon  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  ep  "An  Oath  Of  Blood  And  Fire"  which  will  be  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Godz  of  War  Productions  and  Third  Eye  Temple.

  A  very  distorted  and  old  school  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  growls  and  brutal  blast  beats  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  bringing  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  very  dark  yet  heavy  atmosphere  and  at  times  there  are  some  early  90's  style  death  metal  melodies  in  the  tracks.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  continue  the  old  school  school  death  metal  tradition  that  is  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording    and  all  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  released  and  recording  in  the  early  90's  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  small  amount  oh  high  pitched  screams  and  they  close  the  ep  with  a  cover  of  Autopsy's  "Embalmed".

  Triumvir  Foul  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  brings  out  the  darkest  and  heaviest  sounds  of  the  early  90's  and  there  is  never  a  soft  or  weak  moment  to  be  heard  anywhere  on  the  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Triumvir  Foul  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  7  inch.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Vacuum  Of  Knots"  and  "Silence  Continuum".  8  out  of  10.

       

Wreckage Interview

Credits go to the drummer(kostakis)  he answered the questions!

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
 
Hello there,
WreckAge started in 2009 as a side-project, which gradually evolved into our main priority.
Among other things, we are all 90's death metal fans, particularly fond of the Swedish scene, so we thought it was cool to make our own 90's tribute.
Since 2009, we have released a demo ("Crawl"), an EP ("Rise From Ruins") and a four-way split  with other great Greek bands.
At the moment, we are working on new material and also reissuing our first EP with some extra tracks from the split.


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

Our sound is that Swedish mid-ranged chaos that Entombed and Dismember have "standardized". You know, the one that sounds like a lawnmower.


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

I'd say our lyrics are quite diversely themed, ranging from expressing our views towards politics and religion, to dead-on tongue-in-cheek gore. Most of the time, bands clearly follow one of the two routes, but  something awkwardly  interesting is created while blurring these lines.


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

No special story behind it, really. It's a simple wordplay between our general, let's say, "feeling" about today and a really loved Entombed song.


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 believe that most of the gigs we've played were awesome, like opening for bands like Pungent Stench,Mastic Scum ,Inveracity  & many more  ,we always try to have a good time, but the New Long Festival in July 2013 was probably the best. Sun, sea, open-air stage, beer and of course friends and tons of local scene bands.
Our shows are quite energetic ,We are always excited and give our best.
 However, no matter what we do, our completely mental frontman makes us look like living fucking statues.
 It's not uncommon to see him share several of his pastry delicacies with the audience.


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

Not for the time being. We are focused on writing and polishing (with sand paper :)) our morbidly grim thoughts.


7.Recently PRC re-issued your 2013 ep as a full length album, what are your thoughts on the final product?

We are really happy to collaborate with PRC Music. It's a small label, but very well focused in what it offers.
This enhanced release is a good opportunity for us to reach out to a broader audience. The first cut of the EP was limited to 200 copies and was distributed in Greece, albeit a few exceptions. All in all, we are pleased with the outcome.


8.On the album you had an Entombed cover, what was the decision behind during your own version of one of their songs?

It was completely spontaneous. We started jamming to it at rehearsals and we actually played it that many times, it became part of our setlist. Later on, when we hit the studio to record the drum tracks for "Rise From Ruins", we just said "hey, why don't we do Eyemaster?". And so we did.


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

To be honest, we haven't had much exposure outside Greece yet. The few ones that did discover us through, gave us some really positive reviews. The same happens to us, as music fans, all the time; it's quite hard to discover the small, not well known bands out there.


10.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?

Mimis is sharing his throat with Freefall, who are currently recording their third album. Hippis is a member of the brutal death metal act Murder Made God (the reincarnation of Human Rejection). They have recently signed with Comatose Music and they are now also in the studio, recording their second full length. Tts expresses the punk side of his personality with the guys from Progress Of Inhumanity. This raw grindcore collaboration goes by the name of 666 Casualties.


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

We try to evolve around the "old school death metal meets rock n roll" theme, so expect retro aesthetics and playing, with a modern twist. However, nothing is set in stone.


12.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?

Our main influences for the music we play with Wreckage are bands such as Entombed, Autopsy, Death (you know which albums), Death Breath, Murder Squad, Dismember and the like. Besides that, listening to bands like Abscess along with our grindcore past made our approach and playstyle more "punky". In our playlists you can almost certainly find some of the above, Morbid Angel, Grave, Pestilence, Repuked, Black Breath, Trap Them, Morbo, Converge, Baptists, Parlamentarisk Sodomi, Psudoku, Magrudergrind, Napalm Death and the list goes on.


13.What are some of your non musical interests?

To name a few, geeky-nerdy computer stuff, history & movies. None of them is shared between all four of us, which is also the funny part.


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

Support music from the (under)ground up. Try attending local concerts once in a while. You might be surprised!
You can check us out at:
BandCamp:  wreckagedm.bandcamp.com
Facebook:  facebook.com/thebandwreckage
PRC Music: prcmusic.bandcamp.com
http://www.prcmusic.com/store/

Finally, we wish the best of luck to all bands out there trying to get their music heard. Thank you for your time.

Dewar PR Compilation Vol. 1/2014 Review

This  is  a  review  of  the  first  volume  in  a  series  of  compilation's  which  will  be  reelased  by  Dewar  PR  and  we  will  review  the  songs  one  by  one.

  1.  Thunderwar  brings  us  "Viman  (The  Chariots  In  Heaven)"  a  song  that  is  in  more  of  a  melodic  death/thrash  metal  direction  and  also  brings  in  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  vocals  are  more  80's  style  early  death  metal  growls.

  2.  SoulSteal  brings  us  "Allegiance"  a  song  that  mixes    90's  style  groove  metal  with  thrash  and  death  metal  while  also  bringing  in  a  good  amount  of  melody  and  atmosphere  as  well  as  having  a  trace  of  modern  melodic  death and  doom  metal  and  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  at  times.

  3. The  King  Is  Blind  brings  us  "Revelation,  Apocalypse"  a  very  heavy  sound  that  mixes  the  darkest  forms  of  doom  and  death  metal  together  to  create  a  very  slow  and  dark  song  that  is  also  very  heavy  while  also  having  a  good  sense  of  melody  at  times  along  with  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars.

  4.  Decaying  brings  us  "One  To  Conquer"  a  song  that  is  in  the  old  school  Swedish  death  metal  direction  and  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  heaviness  and  melody  while  also  mixing  in  a  slight  thrash  feeling.

 5.  Dismanibus  brings  us  "Stamp  on  Your  Grave"  a  more  modern  sounding  melodic  death  metal  song  that  also  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  screams  and  growls  as  well  as  adding  in  a  touch  of  groove.

  6.  Diskord  brings  us  "Elytrous  Occullations"  a  song  that  shows  a  black  metal  feeling  in  the  beginning  before  slowing  down  a  bit  and  going  more  into  a  slower  early  90's  doom/death  metal  direction  while  having  more  of  an  old  school  death  metal  style.

  7.  Jottnar  brings  us  "Relics"  a  song  that  is  in  more  of  an  old  school  90's  black  metal  direction  and  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  the  early  Polish  sound  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams.

  8.  Illness  brings  us  "Zaraza"  a  very  long  and  epic  in  length  black  metal  song  that  mixes  both  the  old  school  and  modern  variations  of  this  genre  together  as  well  as  adding  in  a  touch  of  thrash  and  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  9.  Praesepe  brings  us  "Acedia"  a  very  long  and  epic  in  length  song  that  brings  more  of  a  symphonic  and  melodic  approach  to  black  metal  that  is  more  closer  to  the  90's  symphonic  style  and  also  has  a  touch  of  death  metal.

  10.  Arkona  brings  us  "Klucz  Do  Istnienia"  a  very  raw  and  melodic  sounding  pagan/black  metal  sound  that  is  very  atmospheric  and  also  brings  in  a  bit  of  the  brutal  Polish  sound  when  blast  beats  are  utilized.

  11.  Ctulu  closes  the  compilation  with  "Mondsucht"  a  10   minute  epic  track  that  bring s in  a  very  raw,  atmospheric  and  black  metal  sound  that  also  bring s in  a  great  amount  of  speed  and  blast  beats  in  the  Swedish  tradition.

  In  conclusion  I  fell  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  compilation  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  black  and  death  metal.  8  out  of  10. 

Mortal Factor Interview

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

We are Mortal Factor from Lucerne, Switzerland. The band was formed in 2003 by René and QD as a five man thrash metal band (the usual setup, 2 guitars, bass, vocs and drums). Recently we underwent several lineup changes and as of 2014 we are officially a trio with René on guitars and backing vocals, Spiga on drums and me on bass and vocals. We played all over Europe during our tour with Vendetta and Shadow's Far, but so far we have played most of our shows within Switzerland.


2.Recently you have released your first full length, 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 sound on the CD is basically a dirty mix of thrash metal and hard rock ... kinda. But we don't really know exactly either, it's just loud music with guitars and heavy riffs. Compared to our earlier stuff the new songs are groovier, a lot simpler and much heavier and in-your-face. The track "Mortal Factor" is actually one of our earliest songs ever written and more or less shows how we used to sound.


3.The band has been around since 2003 but so far has only released one promo, split and full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap between releases?

We're simply more of a live band. We played a lot of concerts over the years and it's what we enjoy most. It's possible that the next CD's gonna be released sooner than this one, but We're not going to churn out releases just so that we have some.


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

Some songs are about serious issues, such as general human stupidity (Symbols of Power/Don't be Afraid), while others are morbid/funny (Body in my Bed) and others simply say: fuck it all, let's party (Crank It).


5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Mortal Factor'?

The mortal factor is apparently something that showed up often in greek mythology. It's the thing that makes us mortal, ie. distinguishes us from the gods, and that thing is blood, because gods don't have any. So blood is the mortal factor. The name was already chosen before we had had a closer look at it, but We liked the concept a lot so we kept the name.


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?

Three shows come to mind: one was a halloween show in a club called Mosphit in Wallis. If i'm not mistaken it was also the first show for our drummer Spiga. We had all had a lot to drink (except for Spiga who was really nervous) and our former singer accidentally cut himself on René's guitar strings on stage so he was bleeding and screaming the songs. The crowd was mental, really cool show. The other two are probably the gig at the Schüür in Lucerne and a show on our european tour with Vendetta and Shadow's far which took place in Kranj in Slovenia. The stage was actually built into an old swimming pool. Really cool and a long night ... Our stage performance used to be quite wild when we were still a five man band, a lot going on and lots of hair flying around. Now that we're only three people that has become a little more static. We're still getting used to it, but the energy's coming back fast! René's always worth watching anyways, hair and sweat everywhere!

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

There are a few shows in 2015 but nothing official yet. The dates will be posted on www.mortalfactor.com and fb/twitter, so check back there. There's still room in 2015 though, so book us!

8.The album was released on Non Stop Music Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Non Stop Music Records is our distribution partner for Switzerland and, digitally, for the rest of the world. It's a small but hard working label with a good reputation in the Swiss music scene, since it allows you to use their distribution channels without being bound to a record company. Great stuff!


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

We've had positive reactions throughout our european tour in all the locations and so far the reactions to the CD have been great as well. Still waiting for that 0-points-utter-shit review ... What happens quite often is that we're playing with brutal death and grindcore bands, so we're kinda the softie band of the evening.


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

I think we've found our own style and will carry on in that general direction. It's probably gonna vary from super fast to super slow, but it will always be about the riffs and the groove.


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?

Most of us grew up listening to the thrash bands of the 90's (Exodus, Testament, etc.), so they definitely had their influence somewhere. I guess Pantera's also an all-time favourite of ours, so there's that. Today we all listen to a lot of different stuff, but there need to be guitars. I for myself like Crowbar, 1349, Carcass, Devin Townsend ... the list is weird and long.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?

I love computer games and motorcycles, René plays GTA and collects guitars and Spiga, and I quote, likes to "study frogs in their natural habitat". 

Mercyless Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
1/ hey !! so we are preparing all the stuff for our new album for 2015 and at the same time we are working, and booking some dates and fest .


2.A year back 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?
2/So we had released“unholy black splendor “ in the same vein of our 2 first albums “ abject offerings” and “ coloured funeral”,with heavy riffs ,raw and brutal vocals, intense parts that made our sound since 25 years,and always in a old’school death metal style .Not so different from our old stuff ,but more structured, and more evil I think.


3.The band was broken up for 10 years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
3/It’s not exact …yes we have put the band in standby  during 10 years,but we have never stopped to play music. We have made a new project really different,triyng to explore new musical horizons. It was necessary for us after all these years practicing death metal to discover a new kind of music with electro parts ,clear voices,ambient keys…etc. It was our personal challenge very important ,but after a moment we have to return to our old style ,with fresh ideas and a new motivation;


4.The band was around during the early death metal days, do you feel that your music inspired a lot of the earlier bands in the genre?
4/We are just a Death metal band with our personal style and influences from the 90’s and I really don’t know if we have influenced some bands,it’s not important for us ,the most important for us is to stay alive and we just want to keep doing this fucking music from hell !


5.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
/..lot of our lyrics are about the most evil and dark thing in this world …human being !!!! why worshiping religions,control and dominate the others,destroying is own world,fucking politics in this rotting society. I write my lyrics using a lot of symbols of this malicious world  with the evil spirit that live in every human ….like an horror movie!!


6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Mercyless'?
6/Mercyless means “Without mercy” ,like or music ,and lifestyle …no compromises ,no guarantees ,and no regrets !!!

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?
7/Probably when we have toured in 1993 with the best death metal band ,Death …..it was everyday a dream to share the stage with them !! we will never forget these days …and also at the same period lot of gigs with Cannibal Corpse,Tiamat,Unleashed,Obituary….etc on stage we try to be very intense and brutal without concessions…it’s Death metal my friend !


8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
8/ we are working on some gigs in Germany ,England and differents fest for the summer 2015 !!


9.The last full length came out on Trendkill Recordings, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
9/I don’t want to lose my time with this label ,we have stopped every kind of relation with this label!!!the guy speak too much and is really not serious …just another rip off !!! I don’t understand why we have work with him …choices in life are sometimes really strange !!!


10.Recently Great Dane Records, re-issued your 1992 album, what are your thoughts on the final product?
10/Very proud to re-released this album again with a serous label !!! and the remastering is very powerful !!



11.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your reunion by long time fans?
11/We do not expect anything with the return of Mercyless,at first it was another challenge for us …but a serious challenge !!!...and at the moment we came back ,the reaction of fans was really incredible ,apparently they were waiting for us !!!! but they were waiting for the Mercyless wich plays Death metal like in the 90’s (not the strange style after the album “Coloured Funeral”!!) And now it’s a pure pleasure to play in this band !!



12.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
12/I don’t know ? one thing is sure ,we will play Death Metal in a few years again!!that’s is sure !!



13.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?
3/always the same bands since 25 years ,that’s life ; Death,Dark Angel,Possessed,Bathory,Hellhammer,Asphyx,Obituary,Morbid Angel,early Kreator ,Destruction,Pestilence…etc after all these years we don’t change a lot ..;and we don’t want ..yhis is for our influences ,but we listen to a lot differents style and bans too like ,Massive Attack,Sisters of Mercy,Peter Gabriel,Tori Amos …etc .   So for the newest bands ,it’s difficult because of the thousand of bands,internet,youtube …etc…


14.What are some of your non musical interests?
14 /  yes lot of things the most important ,our families  and football,horror movies from the 80 ‘s,the passion of red wine,animals,personally I love to read books (thriller),movies,tv series ( the walking dead,breaking bad,ray Donovan,….)



15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
15/  Thanx for your support ,and thanx to all the people who are still there ,supporting us ,after all these years ,….and visit our facebook page ,let us a message ,listen to our album “Abject offerings” ,you will (re) discover a good album !!!! Support the underground,webzine,your local scene,bands….and the most important   …STAY EVIL !!!

Putrid Evocation/Echoes Of Death/Xtreem Music/2014 CD Review

  Putrid  Evocation  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Echoes  Of  Death"  which  was  released  by  Xtreem  Music.

  Horror  movie  samples  start  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  seconds  a  very  dark  old  school  death  metal  sound  starts  to  kick  in  along  with  some  evil  sounding  melodies  that  are  heavily  influence  by  both  the  Finnish  and  Swedish  bands  along  with  a  touch  of  early  American  death  metal  and  after  the  intro  growls  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  more  structured  songs.

  You  can  hear  a  decent  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  coming  out  of  the  vocals  at  times  along  with the  music  bringing  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  on  some  of  the  tracks  a  small  amount  of  sound  effects  are  utilized  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  continue  the  old  school  tradition  that  is  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  vocals  start  to  get  more  guttural  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  are  also  a  few  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  on  the  last  track  the  band  closes  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Convulse's  "Putrid  Intercourse".

  Putrid  Evocation  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  has  the  vintage  90's  sound  down  perfectly  and  they  play  a  darker  version  of  this  style  and  avoid  any  modern  technical  or  brutal  trends  to  create  some  very  raw,  filthy  and  evil  sounding  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror,  gore,  darkness  and  evil  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Putrid  Evocation  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Echoes  Of  Death"  "Morbid  Sacrilegious"  and  "Total  Death".  8  out  of  10.
 

Mortal Factor/No Lessons Need Learning/Non Stop Music Records/2014 CD Review

  Mortal  Factor  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "No  Lessons  Need  learning"  which  was  released  by  Non  Stop  Music  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  thrash  metal direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  few  seconds  later  aggressive  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  and  there  is  also  a  decent  amount  of  solos  and  leads  being  utilized  throughout  the  recording  that  are  also  heavily  influenced  by  80's  metal.

  Death  metal  growls  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  at  times  the  guitars  also  bring  in  melodic  riffs  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  whispered  style  vocals  and  spoken  word  parts  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  shows  the  band  bringing  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  also  on  this  recording  you  can  hear  a  bit  of  the  80's  hardcore  sound  being  added  into  some  of  the  tracks  and  towards  the  end  of  the  album  the  vocals  start  adding  in  more  melody  and  the  band  also  brings  in  elements  of  early  90's  groove  metal.    

  Mortal  Factor  plays  a  style  of  thrash/death  metal  that  goes  back  to  the  mid  80's  to  early  90's  style  of  the  genre  and  also  bring  in  elements  of  hardcore  and  groove  metal  and  while  this  is  not  a  style  I  regularly  listen  to,  i  still  feel  the  band is  very  good  at  what  they  do,  the  production  sound s very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mortal  Factor  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Moving  Among  You"  "Knives  vs.  Guns"  "Crank  it"  and  "Final  Call".  7/5  out  of  10. 

Soulskinner/Crypts Of Ancient Wisdom/Xtreem Music/2014 CD Review

  Soulskinner  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  old  school  style  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Crypts  Of  Ancient  Wisdom"  which  was  released  by  Xtreem  Music.

  Classical  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  symphonic  sounds  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  an  early  90's  death  metal  sound  that  also  adds  melodies  in  both  the  leads  and  riffs  and  a  few  seconds  later  growls  are  added into  the  music  and  the  band  starts  going  for  more  of  a  faster  musical  direction.

  Blast  beats  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  90's  Florida  and  Sweden  death  metal  influences  into  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  On  a  couple  of  the  tracks  a  brief  use  of  keyboards  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  one  track  bringing  in  war  samples  before  going  into  more  of  a  brutal  death  metal  direction  and  they  show  that  you  can  still  be  very  heavy  without  following  any  modern  trends  and  a  great  amount  of  the  melodies  have  a  very  evil  sound  to  them  and  they  close  the  album  with  an  acoustic  outro.

Soulskinner  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  also  brings  in  the  perfect  balance  between  brutality,  darkness,  and  melody,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  dying,  and  death  themes.

  In  m  opinion  Soulskinner  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  death  metal b and  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Captive  Trojan  Maiden"  "Our  Greatest  Curse"  "Thou  Shalt  Die"  and  "Why  Shrink  From  Death".  8  out  of  10.  

Mercyless/Abject Offerings/Great Dane Records/2014 CD Re-Issue Revew

  Mercyless  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1992  album  "Abject  offerings"  which  was  re-issued  in  2014  by  Great  Dane  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  haunting  synth  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  which  leads  up  to  a  very  fast  and  raw  death/thrash  metal  direction  that  also  uses  growling  vocals  and  blast  beats  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  which  also  bring  in  an  early  technical death  metal  sound  at  times.  

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized they  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  and  also  bring  in  a  Florida  style  death  metal  influence  and  at  times  the  band  brings  in  an  atmosphere  that  was  rarely  heard  back  in  those  days  and  one  of  the  later  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  demonic  sounding  laughter  and  most  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  sound  that  was  considered  for  that  time  while  also  having  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  being  utilized  in  all  of  the  tracks  and  on  the  alst  song  a  brief  use  of  classical  guitars  are  brought  in..

  Mercyless  where  very  underrated  for  their  time  while  they  played  a  very  raw  and  aggressive  style  of death  metal  they  where  ignored  by  a  lot  of  people  for  not  being  the  typical  death  metal  band  and  you  can  also  hear  some  technical  playing  and  thrash  influences  in  their  musical  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror,  anti  christian  and  religion  themes.


  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  very  great  sounding  from  Mercyless  and  if  you  are  interested in  hearing  some  of  the  lesser  known  death/thrash  metal  bands  of  the  early  90's,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Message  For  All  Those  Who  Died"  "Without  Christ"  and  "Burned  At  the  Stake".  8  out  of  10.
  

Hereza Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
- Hereza is blackened death metal punk duo from Croatia, Europe founded in July of 2014. Band members are Slobodan Stupar on instruments and back vocals and Ivan Kovačević Kova on vocals.

2.You have an album coming out in February, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
- "Blackened death metal punk" is how I call music we play. Songs are short, fast, dark, melodic with recognizable sound of Boss HM-2 pedal, better known for typical "Swedish Death Metal chainsaw guitar sound" :)

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
- Lyrical topics are mostly about death, destruction and chaos. Typical for metal bands.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Hereza'?
- Hereza means "Heresy" in Croatian and inspiration behind the name is to be short and direct without philosophy.

5.Currently the band is a duo, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future, or do you chose to remain a duo?
- At the moment no. I have other plans in life so Hereza will remain studio project for a little while longer.

6.Has the band done any live shows or is this strictly a studio project?
- No it hasn't. It's a studio project and will stay like that for a while.

7.The album is going to be released on PRC Music, can you tell us a little bit more about the deal?
- Yes, well there's nothing special to say about the deal. Most deals are the same and bands know how things work in the underground.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of underground metal?
- On a worldwide level, I don't know, but on a local level feedback has been fantastic. People really dig it and it makes me happy and motivated.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
- It's heading towards more extreme paths for sure because I already have 13 new songs ready to be recorded. :)

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?
- I seek inspiration in black metal, death metal, punk, hardcore.
Bands that influence me at the moment are Anaal Nathrakh, Black Breath, Entombed, Human Error, Marduk, The Exploited, Hatebreed... and many more.

11.What are some of your non musical interests/
- Mostly sport activities, spending as much time as possible with my dogs, work...

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
- Thank you for checking out Hereza and spreading the word.
Keep up the good work and support metal music and bands.

Canker/Physical/Xtreem Music/2014 Double CD Re-Issue Review

  Canker  where  a  band  from Spain  that  played  a  technical  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1994  album  "Physical"  which  was  re-issued  in  2014  and  also  brings  in  a  bonus  cd  that  contains  both  their  1990  and  91  demo's.

  A  classical  guitar  intro  starts  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  raw  death  metal  that  has  an  80's  South  American  extreme  metal  feeling  at  times  while  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  bring  in  a  more  technical  style  to  the  bands  musical  sound  and  the  music  also  uses  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Blast  beats  when  they  are  utilized  which  is  quite  often  bring  in  a  very  brutal  feeling  to  the  songs  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  all  deep  death  metal  growls  and  they  also  use  solos  that  go  back  to  the  early  primitive  death  metal  days  without  losing  focus  of  the  technical  aspects  and  at  times  the  vocals  use  some  screams  that  also  go  back  to  the  days  when  thrash  was  evolving  into  death  metal.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  at  time s the  guitar  riffing  also  brings  in  a  good  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  title  track  being  10  minutes  in  length  and  the  classical  guitars  of  the  intro  also  make  a  return  on  a  couple  of  the  later  tracks  and  one  of  the  demo  tracks  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  synths  while  the  main  focus  is  on  a  raw  death  metal  sound  while  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  small  amounts  of  clean  playing  as  well  as  having  more  thrash  influences  and  a  good  portion  of  the  demo  tracks  are  original  versions  of  some  of  the  songs  that  appeared  on  the  full  length.

  Canker  played  a  style  of  death  metal  that  was  very  raw  and  brutal  for  their  time  while  also  being  on  of  the  earlier  bands  playing  a  technical  form  of  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  the  time  it  was  recorded  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Canker  where  a  very  great  sounding  technical  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  double  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Inquisition"  "Dark  Destiny"  "Evil  Attack"  and  "Opus  Death".  8  out  of  10.  

  

Kadar Interview

1.      For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
About the band: Kadar was created in 2009. Band puts primarily to make contribution to the music. One reason of KADAR’s appearing can be called a desire to play distinctive music. We have experienced a wave of Alternative music, wave of Black Metal, Metalcore and Deathcore on Kazakhstan scene. In general, band moves towards the creation of a rigid and original music contrary to fashion.

2.      Recently you have released an EP, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?  
First, I would like to note that the album Infidel is complete and full-length for us. It’s called a mini-album due to its timekeeping - 23 minutes 5 seconds. Musically and lyrically - Infidel is a long-play. As an example I can give you the album Slayer - Reign in Blood, the classic version which lasts 28 minutes, 25 seconds.
And nobody considers Reign in Blood mini-album.
Musical sounding which we got as a result of the work turned out pretty decent, but some of the expectations are not met. For technical reasons the songs are not as heavy as planned. In our understanding the music in such style has to be heavier. Songs came out diverse not like one another, but there is still much work to music has gained the necessary heaviness.

3.      The band has been around since 2009 and this is the first release, can you tell us a little bit more about the 5 year wait?
At one view 5 years of the band’s existence were quite interesting - creating music, give concerts and very complex with another - when it comes to forming a stable line up, working in the studio. It is a record of the material and its release became a major problem for 5 years. The fact that Kazakhstan - is not the United States with their studio «Morrisound», which stood at the origins and the sound of Death Metal, this is not the UK and Germany with their Earache Record and Nuclear Blast respectively. Professional studios in Almaty and other cities of Kazakhstan do not record Thrash and Death Metal.
Sound Engineers doesn’t have an idea how heavy "metal" sound construction, how to handle the sound of guitars, how to work with the type of extreme vocals and things like that. So everything you have to do by yourself. So this fuss was the cause of the delay for 5 years length.

4.      What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Lyrics are descriptive. They contain criticism of organized religion in general, and describe the harm and danger of religious fanaticism. Theme of the songs completely echoes with the name of the album - Infidel. Exceptions may be two songs from the general tracklist. This is "Star Light" - a song that tells about astronomy and optical effects that we see in the night, when we see the light of the stars extinct millions of years ago. And “Outro”. This song has not received any special name. It is an instrumental mix of Funk, Jazz Fusion and Groove Metal.

5.      What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Kadar'?
KADAR - a term which comes from the Arabic language. Means literally: "Verdict", "Prescription", "Fatalism of human destiny". It is found mainly in Islamic eschatology. I would like to digress. The band does not support extremism in any of its manifestations.

6.      Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?
At the moment the band KADAR – is duo. Within the city of Almaty we cann’t equip line up even up to the trio with inviting drummer. The reason for this is the low level of the musicians in our city. The vast majority of drummers that come from musical schools perform covers of famous pop songs in restaurants and pubs. Nothing else the vast majority can not do. If in the nearly  future will be a talented drummer, then I think we would be able to take him to the band. At the moment, the main solution with the line up is either a drum machine that we use at concerts (also drum machine use Putrid Pile, Mortician) or invite guest musicians.

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?
Concerts in Almaty and Kazakhstan - is a different story to tell. If you look at the audience in Germany and other European cities you will find that it is amorphous and lazy. The situation is similar here. Gathered peples in an amount of 300-350 people at the concert – is a great achievement. It is not possible to fiil up a large hall in Almaty for metal bands concert. Such is the historical situation. It is better to understand and appreciate the bands "Kino", "DDT", "Aquarium" (Russian rock bands) and prefer to listen to them. Nobody knows about a man named Chuck Schuldiner in wide circles. Certainly, Viktor Tsoi and Schuldiner talented musicians and leaders of its era, but since there is a situation that Death, Thrash Metal – is a strange, aggressive & noisy "something".
We have repeatedly given concerts in Almaty. Shows gathered a pretty average number of people from 100-300. In comparison with the festivals in Europe – it’s extremely small. Therefore our best show yet to come.

8.      Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Sure. We expect to visit the festival Wacken Open Air, and subsequently show ourselves in the vast Europe and American continent, in particular in Latin America (Argentina).

9.      On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death and thrash metal?
Appearance at the international level – is an achievement. The album was released by the label Metal Scrap Records at August 28, 2014, not so long ago, but there are already positive reviews from fans and also from various publications. And we're not talking about the fact that the album is not yet released in the US, and is available only in Europe.

10.  When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
As we said a little earlier, the album Infidel is a long-play with its musical and lyrical concept, in our understanding. Currently we are busy recording our second album, which will be even more diverse than first. Let's see what will be the response of the first album, then released a second. Next we can talk about the musical "march" in Europe and other continents. The new album will be released in 2015.

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?
Bands that influenced us. List can be endless. Such as: Pantera, Jimi Hendrix Expirience, Stevie Ray Vaughan. We can also add such jazz fusion artists as Al Di Meola, Pat Metheny, George Benson, Chick Corea and many others. Classical music presented by: Sergei Rachmaninoff, Frederic Chopin and many other composers.
Nowadays, my (Ruslan) favorite music is: Pat Metheny Group, Six Feet Under and their album “Unborn” 2013, Eric Gales.
         
12.  How would you describe the metal scene in your home country of Kazakhstan?
Metal scene in Kazakhstan is experiencing the same thing as the rest of the world scene. It’s an emergence of new-fangled genres such as Deathcore, Djent on the one hand, on the other – metal stage is extremely poorly maintained by Kazakh media. In this regard, we are experiencing the same situation that was in the US in the 80s years of the 20th century, in the era of the birth and rising of Thrash Metal movement. When radio and TV were escaped from such heavy music. What comes to Metal scene in Kazakhstan is hard to say.

13.  What are some of your non musical interests?
Not musical hobbies? The main hobby can be called literature, reading. Permanent receive an education. It helps in life.

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

Zero Gravity/Holocaust Awaits/Transcending Obscurity India/2014 CD Review

  Zero  Gravity  are  a  band  from  India  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  progressive  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Holocaust  Awaits"  which  was  released  by  Transcending  Obscurity  India.

 Avant  garde  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  after the  intro  clean  playing  which  is  also  used  again  on  a  couple  of  the  later  tracks  is  added  onto  the  recording  which  also  leads  up  to  a  heavier  sound  along  with  some  death metal  growls  and  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  the  band  also  adds  in  a  good  amount  of  progressive  elements.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  heavy  influence  from  modern  extreme  metal  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording  they  bring  in  more  of  a  melodic  and  old  school  sound  and  after  awhile  blast  beats  start  getting  added  into  the  tracks  as  well  as  a  good  dose  of  thrash  will  some  of  the  later  tracks  combing  groove  metal  with  the  more  heavy  progressive  death  metal  side  of  the bands  musical  style  and  the  songs  stick  to  mostly  a  mid  paced  direction..

  Zero  Gravity  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  modern  and  progressive  sounding  and  also  incorporates elements  of  thrash  and  groove  metal  and  while  the  music  is  not  very  original  the  band  is  still  very  good  for  what  they  are  trying  to  achieve,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Zero  Gravity  are  a  very  decent  sounding  progressive  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Weapons  Edge"  "Democratic  Warfare"  and  "Chronicles  Of  The  Radical  mind".  7/5  out  of  10.