Kruor/Nightmares/2014 Full Length Album Review

  Kruor  are  a  band  from Finland  that  plays  a  very  old  school  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Nightmares".

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  growling  vocals  and  high  pitched  screams  kicking  in  a  few  seconds  alter  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  in  the  bands  musical  style  which  also  brings  in  a  heavy  Morbid  Angel  influence  at  times  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Blast  beats  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  lot  of  influences  from  90's  death  metal  but  done  with  a  production  that  gives  the  music  more  of  a  modern  day  feeling  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  more  of  a  dark  and  melodic  sound  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  there  are  also  some  grim  spoken  word  parts  being  utilized  on  a  couple  of  tracks.

  Kruor  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  dark,  brutal  and  old  school  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  occult,  and  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Kruor  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  "In  The  Summoning"  "Witch  Trials"  "We  Are  Abomination"  and  "Night  Of  Torment".  8  out  of  10.

    

Disgrace/True Enemy/Closed Casket Archives/2015 CD Review

  Disgrace  are  a  band  from  California  that  plays  a  mixture  of  hardcore  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "True  Enemy"  which  will  be  released  in  march  by  Closed  Casket  Activities.

  Distorted  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  for  more  of  an  old  school  death  metal  direction  along  with  vocals  that  combine  growls  and  aggressive  hardcore  style  vocals  together  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  breakdowns  from  the  later  mentioned  genre  as  well  and  while  the  music  sounds  very  90's  orientated  the  production  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  modern  day  feeling.

  At  times  you  can  hear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  coming  out  of  the  guitar  riffs  and  the  songs  also  stick  to  mostly  a  slow  to  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  there  are  a  small  amount  of  fast  parts  and  a  brief  use  of  blast  blast  beats  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

   When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  which  are  very  rarely  they  bring  in  even  more  of  an  early  90's  extreme  metal  sound  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  some  of  the  alter  tracks  also  bring  in  more  modern  metalcore  elements  at  times  and  there  is  also  a  brief  instrumental  that  introduces  acoustic  guitars  to  the  recording  while  the  remaining  tracks  show  the  music  returning  back  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  and  the  last  song  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  melodic  vocals  which  also  gives  the  recording  a  touch  of  groove  metal.

  Disgrace  takes  the  early  90's  styles  of  hardcore  and  death  metal  and  mix  them  together  with  a  touch  of  modern  metalcore  which  also  gives  their  musical  style  more  of  an  up  to  date  feeling,  the  production  has  a  very  professional  sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Disgrace  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  metal  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "True  Enemy"  "Uncreation"  "The  Wall"  and  "The  Dawn".  8  out  of  10. 

Sewercide/Severing The Mortal Coil/Infernal Devastation Records/2015 EP Review

  Sewercide  are  a  band  from Australia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  "Severing  The  Mortal  Coil"  which  was  released  by  Infernal  Devastation  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  old  school  thrash  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  to  speed  up  a  bit  add  in  blast  beats  and  80's  style  death  metal  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  also  remain  true  to  an  80's  style  of  death/thrash  metal  

  All  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  in  the  mid  80's  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  a  very  raw  raw  and  old  school  death/thrash  sound  from  beginning  and  there  is  never  a  soft  or  weak  moment  present  on  any  of  the  tracks  while  one  song  does  bring  in  the sound  of  a  horror  movie  soundtrack  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Sewercide  plays  a  style  of  death/thrash  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  and  also  has  a  great  amount  of  raw  aggression  being  presented  in  all  of  their  songs,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  dark  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  Sewercide  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  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  "Rituals  Of  Ceremonial  Sickness"  and  "Exist  In  Punishment".  8  out  of  10.

Sepulchral Curse Interview

For those who have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We are a four-piece assault squad formed in 2013, from the western shores of Finland, where the city of Turku is acting as our headquarters. Sepulchral Curse is the name, and the individuals behind this abomination are Jaakko Riihimäki (guitars), Kari Kankaanpää (vocals), Niilas Nissilä (bass guitar), and finally me, Tommi Ilmanen (drums). Old school Death Metal with some hints from other forms of music is our main weapon, and total world domination is our goal. At the moment we have recorded only one EP, and played a handful of gigs, but new acts of terror and propaganda are under planning.

In December you had released an EP, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
As hinted above, the music on “A Birth in Death” has its foundations strongly in late 80’s and early 90’s Death Metal, but there surely is some Black and Thrash Metal stylized riffs and melodies to be heard. In other words I would describe the EP as a perfect soundtrack to set somebody on fire, then smash their bones with a hammer and finally feed their remains to a pack of filthy rats. Or maybe one should imagine how it would feel to get hit by a truck?

What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?
It really depends on the fact who has written the lyrics. Kari writes more about the “basic” topics of this genre; death, war and so on. You know, fictional grotesque stories. I think that the lyrics he wrote for this EP are printed in the booklet, and maybe they are somewhere in the internet, so I encourage you to read them to get the idea. I myself have written lyrics for a couple of new songs, and they are based on some morbid visions and fucked up nightmares I’ve seen about desolation of mankind brought by obscure, malevolent deities and beings. As a writer I’m heavily inspired by occult and satanic texts and teachings, as well as by horror. And by horror I do not mean movies or such, but rather all the things that humans fear, find terrifying and grim, or experience as something that shouldn’t exist at all. But as you might know by now, we do not write about partying, drinking and breaking up with girls. We leave those topics to pop stars and other wimps.

What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name “Sepulchral Curse”?
Before our group had a name, or even single rehearsals, we had a couple of songs already written and we really wanted a name that would characterize perfectly our music and sound (to come). At the time I was thinking that I’d like our name to describe something ancient, otherworldly and so evil, that its true name would be forgotten long time ago by the living things on Earth. Something so hard to understand that there are only few words to portray it. Then, somewhere behind the walls of consciousness, came “Sepulchral Curse” and when I presented the name to others they accepted it without hesitating.

What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
I think that I’m not too far from the truth if I say that our best gig was here in our home town in May 2014, when we were playing at this small bar Portti. The atmosphere was so intense and full of energy that you were almost able to feel it on your skin. Our playing was sharp, yet aggressive, and the audience shared our madness without questioning. It was just perfect. Our stage performance in general is kind of simple; no props, banners, light shows, trampolines (fuck you Dragonforce!) or visuals behind our backs. Just violent bursts energy and dedication, and fair amount of sweat. Although I have to admit that I’m very fascinated about the idea to experiment with some abstract visuals or videos and to combine those with our music. Something to consider in the future!

Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Touring must wait, but some random single shows are coming. Let us talk about that tour in the future when there are more people aware of us and more material released!

The EP was released on Chaos and Hell Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
They are a small label from Greece, founded in 2012, “A Birth in Death” being the seventh release by them. The cooperation between us is working nicely and everything has gone as planned. They do their job with passion, and deserve to be noticed by all true metal-maniacs.

On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of Death Metal?
Oh hell… I think that Kari could be able to give you a better answer considering the topic. But as far as I now (or think I know) the most of our fans come from central Europe or South-America. But generally speaking the feedback has been positive all around the globe. Only truly negative comments have been spoken our fellow countrymen, hah. But what can you do; most of the people here only like to listen “metal” played in radio, which in reality is just bad pop music disguised by distorted guitars and harsh vocals.
What is going on with some of the other bands these days that some of the band members are a part off?
Jaakko isn’t playing in other bands right now. Kari is doing vocals in a Death/Doom Metal band called Solothus, and I think that they are focusing on new material at this very moment. I myself have this solo project; Gambanteinn, a frantic piece of Black/Thrash Metal. This small label, Fettered Redwoods, is releasing Gambanteinn’s debut EP as a cassette in the near future, so watch out for that! I have also this other project, which Niilas is participating too, but I think it’s better to talk about that when we have recorded something.

When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We are actually composing and rehearsing new material for a full length! Currently we have two complete songs, and two under construction. If all goes as planned, nothing awful comes across and the stars are aligned right, then the full length should come out at the end of this year. At the moment it seems that we are expanding out from the pen of old school-sound. Of course our musical basis is there, but there sure are more elements from other genres in the new compositions. I think that there are more influences from classical Scandinavian Black Metal-albums. These four new pieces we have at our hands are much darker and somehow introvert, so to speak. They feel somehow more intimate than the older songs. Genereally speaking it is hard (of not impossible) to foretell where our musical path is going when more songs are made, but I’m pretty sure that the listener will always able to tell that “Yeah, this sure is Sepulchral Curse”. You know, we have our sound and we are not going to lose it.

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 think that nowadays we do not wittingly take influences from the music we are listening, compared to that how the composing process worked when we young. Then you would listen to a band and think “This is something I want to do or try to do”. But today it is something that happens at our sub-conscious levels; you just grab your instrument, play and almost accidentally create something. I know that this is a cliché, but what can you do? It is the truth. When Jaakko and Kari were talking about forming this band, they talked that they’d like to do something that sounds old school Death Metal, something like Autopsy, Dismember and Nunslaughter have done, but that’s about it when we are talking about bands that have influenced us in a direct way. I’m not sure what music the other guys are listening to these days, expect that Jaakko (and me too!) likes Perturbator very much, hah. I have myself listened to bands and artists like …and Oceans, Havoc Unit, King Dude, Carbon Based Lifeforms, Kauan, Hans Zimmer, Chelsea Wolfe and Svartidauði. And of course Nobuo Uematsu, who is my all-time favorite composer ever.

How could you describe your views on occultism?
This is a topic I can’t talk about on behalf of others, but something that I can almost definitely say is that we do not share our views or believe in same things. Let’s just say that I have my own occult/spiritual dogmas and perspectives on things, and all you need to know about them is to be found in the music and lyrics I make.

What are some of your non musical interests?
As said before, all kinds of occult/satanic/spiritual texts and writings, horror literature and macabre poetry. I’m also a big fan of old horror/gore/exploitation films! Psychology is a topic I’m interested in; especially all the studies considering the behavior and mindset of murderers, psychopaths, sadists and rapists. It is interesting how people act when they are totally fucked up. That and the writings about why humans experience fear, hate and other extreme emotions are very fascinating. Quality rum and whiskey is also more than fine with me, hah!

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

Monsterworks/The Existential Codex/Eat, Lead & Die Music/2015 CD Review

  Canada's  Monsterworks  returns  with  a  new  album  that  continues  the  mixture  of  progressive,  thrash,  power  and  death  metal  of  previous  recordings  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "The  Existential  Codex"  which  will  be  released  on  February  27th  by  Eat,  Lead  &  Die  Music.

  A  very  heavy  prog  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  a  trace  of  70's  rock  in  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  some  clean  singing  being  utilized  at  times  and  a  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length.

  When  solos  are  utilized  they  bring  in  a  very  old  school  heavy  metal/hard  rock  sound  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  as  the  album  progresses  element s of  groove  metal  can  be  heard  at  times  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  there  are  also  a  few  tracks  that  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  along  with  a  small  amount  of  violins.

  Some  of  the  tracks  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  while  some  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  classic  rock  elements  the  album  still  sound s very  modern  and  some  of t he  high  vocals  bring  a  King  Diamond  influence  to  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  being  utilized  on  one  of  the  tracks.

  Monsterworks  creates  another  recording  that  has  the  heaviness  of  thrash  and death  metal  along  with  the  melody  of  power  metal  which  they  also  mix  in  with  progressive  and  classic  rock  on  this  recording  to  create  something  very  original  sounding,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyric s cove r philosophical  and  existentialism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Monsterworks  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ripple  Effect"  and  "Tapping  The  Void".  8  out  of  10.    

Void Creation Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Void Creation was founded in Vienna in 2006 by ex-members of Diabolica and Saviour and Seeds of Sorrow. The active Line-up was completed in 2008. In all this years we played a lot of gigs also supporting bands like Nile, Misery Index, Dew-Scented, Possessed, Nervecell, Melechesh, Inhumate or Cataract. An absolute higlight for the band was the Wacken Open Air appearence in 2010 and our first record “Mind Control” from 2011. Live Void Creation guarantee hurting necks.

2.In March you have your first full length coming out, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the ep you had released in 2011?
Well, you can hear oldschool Thrash as well as you can hear modern Death Metal or Grindcore on “Deadnology”. The songwriting is more complex, faster and brutal than on our first release “Mind Control”.

3.The band has been around since 2006 but so far has only had 2 releases, can you tell us a little bit more about the gaps between recordings?
At the beginning we had some line up changes until Piz finally joined in 2008. Then we worked on new material which leads to our first album “Mind Control” 2011. The years after we used to define our style and grow together as band. It took us some time to find an inner consense. We also played a lot of gigs in this time to establish us as a well known live band. Finally we recorded “Deadnology” in 2014.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
The lyrics are mostly about what we think about our lifes as human beings and what happens in this society. so it is just a reflection of ourselves. Most of the lyrics are pretty apocalyptic. But if you want to draw a realistic picture of society you have no other choice anyway.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Void Creation'?
This oxymeron combines the contradictory terms from the process of creation and the meaningless of the void which gives an idea of the existence and the actions of todays mankind.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band ha splayed over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
One of our best shows was definitley the Wacken Open Air appearence in 2010. There was a great audience but the crew was brilliant. Over the years we establish ourselves as a well known live band. We want to bring as much energy to the audience as possible, so our stage performance is quite intense. Headbanging, moving around, band members crashing involuntarily into one another...such stuff. Better to play one or two false tones than to have a boring stage performance. Besides that, from the first chord on, we can’t stand staying still anyway.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
On 11th of April we will have our release show in Vienna with Entrail. We want to play as much as we can in and outside austria, also on festivals. But nothing special is planned by now.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death and thrash metal?
We are a band that is focusing on the music, not on the marketing , so we didnt get much feedback worldwide. its more important for us to get feedback after a show and these feedback made us proud everytime. We probably have a very oldschool approach - just getting on stage and giving people a good time. And we seem to be pretty good at that.  Nonetheless now that we are working together with our label MMA, we look forward to be promoted worldwide.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
There probably won’t be big surprises. Of course there’s always room to increase technical skills, write better songs and be more brutal. So, maybe that’s our future: Raising Void Creation to a higher level.

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?
Alex: Metal hit my life at the late 80´s so main influences are old school Thrash bands like Slayer, Megadeth, Kreator .. and Death Metal like Possessed, Morbid Angel and that stuff. Nowadays I also love Stoner/Doom like Jack Frost, St. Vitus or Garcia.
We are also influenced by the 90’s metal bands like Pantera or Machine Head and modern Death Metal and Grind bands. Some bands we listen today are Nile, Gojira, Misery Index, Devil Driver, Napalm Death, Faith No More, Joe Bonamassa, Anathema, ...

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Some of us likes cooking, and we do sports like cycling or mountain climbing. Alex loves to race on his R6 motorcycle, Berna loves good movies, good books and spending her time with her two adorable and crazy cats. Berni is a huge fan of computer games while Gilli loves to smoke fine cigars drinking and collecting cognac and rum. Piz is also interested in politics and growing vegs.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks for the interview. Enjoy our new album and stay tuned \m/

Disrupted/Heavy Death/Apocalyptic Productions/2015 EP Review

  Disrupted  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "Heavy  Death"  which  will  be released  in  March  by  Apocalyptic  Productions.

  A  very  raw  and  old  school  Swedish  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  growling  vocals  as  well  as  the  band  utilizing  a  great  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  can  also  be  very  brutal  at  times.

  All  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  during  the  90's  and  all  of  the  tracks  avoid  any  modern  elements  and  also  stay  away  from  using  any  solos  and  leads  to  create  a  very  heavy  style  of  death  metal  and  there  is  never  a  soft  or  weak  moment  ever  present  on  any  of  the  tracks.

  Disrupted  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  tradition  and  they  have  more  of  a  raw  approach  to t his  genre,  the  production  sound s very  raw,  heavy  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Disrupted  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  Swedish  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  D"  and  "Urge!".  8  out  of  10.       

Gian Interview

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

Lassi: We're a five piece metal band from Äänekoski, Finland making noise since 2005. Musically speaking we lay somewhere between death and thrash metal. Always aggressive, always heavy as fuck.

2.You have your first full length coming out later this month, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the demo's you had released in the past?

Lassi: The music on the album is very fist-in-your-face-and-anus death-thrash with some hints towards hardcore punk. Fast and aggressive with some melodies lurking here and there. The overall sound and songcrafting is much more focused compared to the demos of course.

Konsta: Yeah, and the album is kind of a ”greatest hits” album because it contains new songs and also old songs from the old demos. What I find nice with the album is that the new material blends quite well with the old ones, even when the oldest song the album is actually from 2006.

3.This is your first release in 5 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
Lassi: The five years between the Capital Punishment demo and All Life Erased were quite slow and sometimes even difficult. We played only a handful of shows during that period because we had to change guitarists for a few times for various reasons. And for the same reason we had to always postpone the plans to record the full length album which would have seen the light of day in 2012 or 2013 without the problems in the line up I think. Fortunately we now have a stable line up and are ready to blast full on.

Konsta: We were also pretty busy with our other projects at that time and I was studying at the other side of Finland for half of that time. In my opinion it was actually a good thing that we didn’t record the album back then when we first started planning it because during that time the new (and the old) songs matured so well and we managed to execute them tightly enough for the album. And now in my opinion the band is tighter than ever and the group is getting along very well.

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

Lassi: I don't put too much thought in the lyrics with this band. I mostly just try to write words that sound good and have a good rhythm and punch to them when Jampe screams and growls them out. The topics in the lyrics tend to lean towards the likes of war, horror and self destruction.

Konsta: War, sex and self-destruction!

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

Lassi: The name has no meaning in particular. It's just something our original guitarist and founding member Jasu came up with when we we're trying to find the name for the band. It's short and sounds good.

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?

Konsta: I think to me one of the most memorable shows has been probably some of those back in the days when I joined the band. Perhaps some of the gigs at our one only local youth house. Back then the youngsters were much crazier than they are today. In the bars people tend to just stand around, nod their heads occasionally and drink beer. Maybe the best is yet to come? In live situations there’s nothing much special going than five ugly sweaty men banging their heads and putting themselves to their limits, and the songs are much faster, the overall feeling is more relentless and I think our music works better when you experience it live and that’s what we like doing.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

Konsta: Yes we plan to do as much shows in Finland as we can when the album is out. We’ll see what happens, nothing is certain yet. A tour in Europe would be nice at some point but let’s conquer Finland at first.

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

Konsta: We are still quite underground band in the metal scene but the feedback we’ve got so far of our album has been pretty good.

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

Konsta: Yeah we all have our other projects going on. I play in a grind/crust band and then there’s two rock bands, one of them plays more classic style of rock and the other one is some sort of alternative rock. And there’s some other little stuff going on all the time.

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

Lassi: Hard to tell. At least we won't be wimping out and go emo, that's for sure! We tend to just write songs and then see what we've got and choose the best ones. I guess in the future the aggressive and brutal aspects will be more aggressive and brutal and there will be much meatier hooks in the melodic side.

Konsta: Louder and louder, the goal is to be louder than Manowar one day. I’ve been practicing double bass drums like fuck since the recordings so next album will be full of them. This is a promise right here so I won’t forget to practice even more!

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?

Lassi: From the top of my head I can think of such influences as Slayer, The Haunted and Shining (the Swedish one) in my songwriting but I'm not sure how much you can hear them in our songs. Iron Maiden is of course a big influence and a source of inspiration. Listening wise I like and listen anything that sounds good to me from grindcore to rap. Right now I'm having my annual black metal phase, on the menu I've had the new albums from Archgoat and Marduk for example. And of course De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas from Mayhem.

Konsta: Metal wise the influences for my drumming come perhaps from Rammstein, System of a Down, Ministry and Slipknot, and grindcore. I like rock, industrial and electronic music, punk, good pop music, etc. I don’t like to have any genre limitations. It’s all music, you know.
12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Lassi: Horror, cats and ice hockey.

Konsta: I actually don’t really do much else than music related stuff. I also keep myself busy with doing sound engineering stuff. I think all that I do has music related to it somehow. At least music saved me from sports. Playing blastbeats and double bass goes for my workouts!

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

Konsta: Thanks for this, and for the readers: put ”All Life Erased” spinning and hit your face to the wall. It works! Cheers!

Lassi: Kill yourself or die!

Eternal Solstice/Remnants Of Immortality/Dark Descent Records/2015 CD Review

  Eternal  Solstice  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  has  a  20+  year  history  and  plays  a  very  traditional  style  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Remnants  Of  Immortality"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Dark  Descent  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  ritualistic  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  alter  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  heavy  sound  as  well  as  guitar  solos  that  are  very  dark  and  melodic  and  are  also  a  huge  part  of  most  of  the  songs  and  after  the  intro  the music  starts  going  for  more  of  an  old  school  death  metal  sound  along  with  a  great  mixture  of  growls  and  screams.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  while  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  style  of  death  metal  the  production  gives  the  songs  more  of  an  up  to  date  feeling  and  in  some  of  the  faster  sections  the  blast  beats  can  be  very  brutal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  whole  album  sticks  to  a  very  heavy  style  of  death  metal  with  no  soft  parts  ever  being  utilized.

  Eternal  Solstice  remain  true  to  the  death  metal  sound  of  previous  recordings  and  creates  an  album  that  is  very  old  school  yet  heavy  and  dark  at  the  same  time,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Eternal  Solstice  and  of  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ritual  Prey"  "Recipe  For  Death"  and  "Subconscious  Burial  Ground".  8  out  of  10.  

Conceived By Hate Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band these days?
*** Well, I have been working on promotion for the new release internationally and also the last things with the factory for the pressing version I will put out on my label (MORBID SKULL RECORDS). There are also some local shows and we need to execute. We have been also composing material for the coming full length which I hope to have it ready in the coming months and release late this year. There are also plans for our first European tour for this year so I am working on that also to check out schedules and options.

2.In March you have a new split coming out, 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?
*** In terms of composition I think these are quite versatile songs with the same death/thrash vibe we have composed in the past but maybe for in your face and not so complicated arranges as you can see in our first full length “Pestilence Reborn”. I changed a little bit the production in comparison with our last split with DECEASED, I tried to use more analog gear and less compression in order to get a more organic sound and I think it came out just great thanks to help from Benny. In terms of the lyrical concepts we keep the same overall vision.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
*** On the last release the lyrics are related to 3 topics. First one on how there is and has been for years and ambitious industry of super soldiers sent to war trained to kill or be killed to pursue the interests of the high world hierarchy, how these people is brainwashed and willing to anything with no feelings at all. Second topic is related to Ego, I personally believe this should be as less as you can but some people usually think they are the center of universe and suddenly they got an accident or something and all goes downhill. Final topic I touch on “Coalition Of Death” split is related to anti-christian-religion beliefs, I think is a very straight forward lyrics we included this time.


4.Originally the band was known as 'Spiritual Demise' what was the cause of the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Conceived By Hate'?
*** Yes, that was the name I had originally for this band but unfortunately was changed due to differences in beliefs with some other members so I accepted the change. Concept behind “Conceived By Hate” was that at least for me most of the inspiration of the songs and lyrics where originated from hatred and the aggression it could provoke to certain things or people and when I say aggression means all kind of it not just physical violence. We are currently six members with different ways of life and thinking but I write most of the lyrics and music so maybe I liked the name because it matches with the origin of must of my compositions but I honestly loved more “Spiritual Demise”.


5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
*** All the shows we had played were locally and there is no one I could mentioned. Regarding our stage performance I can say for me is like a trance, energetic and a way to evoke the energy bounded by the normal way of life.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
*** There are some local shows and yes, we are planning and evaluation the options for touring for the first time Europe, I think for me this is very necessary in order to get more exposure in countries were metal is better valued.

7.Over the years you have been a part of 3 splits, can you tell us the decision behind doing all of these splits?
*** I wanted to get more exposure internationally by doing these splits because we have done them with very respectable bands and good friends. It would had been easy for us to put out a second full length right after “Pestilence Reborn” but I also felt that not all of the songs had the same vibe to be part of the same album so that is why splits were a good idea for me.

8.The new album is going to be released on Morbid Skull Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
*** At least so far the third split “Coalition Of Death” will be out on MSR, there will be another version edited in Colombia also with a different layout so the collectors can purchase both ones and not get bored with the same booklet. Regarding the coming releases if there are no other options then I will release them under my label without a doubt. I started my own label to be able to press in a more professional way the releases of my bands on which I am involved so far (DISORDER – MORBID STENCH) so that way I could had all the control, it is not easy because of the distribution and demands a lot of time but its the way it is and I face it. Of course it would be interesting to get other options to be able to distribute my music with bigger labels but if those options are not available I will continue doing it on my own. I pressed most of the things in United States or Germany and import the stuff to El Salvador then distribute all from here.

9.On the new split you did a cover of Dissection's "Thorns Of The Crimson Death", what was the decision behind doing your own version of this song?
*** I had always been attracted by the esoteric universe since I remember, obviously when I was young there were no Internet and getting this type of information or books was not easy, this is a reason why I had always felt linked to this band, because of what was behind the music as well as for other bands alike. On the other hand musically I got hooked by those albums in the 90s. So the intention of doing this cover as other we have done and will make is to pay tribute to those artists with whom I or we feel personally identified.

10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death and thrash metal?
*** In the last 2 years it has been growing slowly but it is happening, I get more orders, messages or comments from people mainly from in Europe so I think we are beginning to get more exposure. It is very hard to put out releases in a country like El Salvador when resources are limited and there is very few local honest support for bands so there is almost few chances to get the music properly distributed worldwide and be able to show our art. I think the style we have evolved in the last years had a better feedback, the most important for me is to be honest on the music and on the intentions with it, if there is good or bad feedback there is nothing I can do to control it but of course it feels good when someone thousand kilometers from El Salvador takes the time to send a message on support of the band or wants to purchase merchandise, that is very appreciated because it is something I am used not to expect.

11.What is going on with some of the other musical projects or bands these days that some of the band members are a part off?
*** Currently I have 2 more bands on which I am putting efforts, one is my first band founded on early 90s called DISORDER (Thrash/Black) but then put to freeze back in 2002 and revived in 2011 as a solo project and just including Hellbastard in the vocals. With this band I just put out the second Full Length called “En El Rio Del Olvido” available on Morbid Skull Records and currently recording the songs for the coming release. On the other hand another band formed last year was MORBID STENCH which involves CbyH drummer Iosif Najarro (ANTARES DEATH, etc.) and vocalist The Master Butcher from Costa Rica (INSEPULTO, NECROGOD, etc.), we are planning to put out a release this year hopefully. On my part these are the projects on which I am working deeply now days.

12.When can we expect another full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
*** I am currently working on this, already in composing mode since last year but after “Coalition Of Death” is released I will concentrate on setting up the tracks, as said before I hope to get this full length ready this year but will see, I do not want to rush it. Musically I think will be more in the vein of songs like “Selective Procreations” or “Skull Crush Brigade” and lyrically still deciding the topics.

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?
*** Main influence on way to compose music or lyrics I think is unconscious in a way since it is not my intention to copy one or any bands in particular but I think main influences will always be bands like DECEASED and DISSECTION, also Fenriz has an interesting way of lyrics in the early works. On the other hand I do try to follow new bands that have that old sound like Vampire, Miasmal, Morbus Chron, etc. Lately I have been listening a lot to Horrendous, Natur, Bölzer, Jess and the Ancient Ones, Soulburn, etc.

14.How would you describe the metal scene in your home country of El Salvador?
*** This is a not pleasant question, in my humble way of see it I think there is a lot more bands and metalheads in the air but very few really Metal, with Internet it is easier for people to access more information and that has produced younger bands better skilled but inconsistent, also I think there is a lack of passion and also a lack of real supporters, of course they are and are very appreciate and valued but not enough to push motivation on bands to keep creating music and releasing it by their own facilities. Also not all people see making music so serious I think, maybe just as a hobby. I can only tell you what I have seen but not necessarily is the reality so this is just a point of view.

15.What are some of your non musical interests?
*** I like to collect items related to esoteric believes but unfortunately most of the real ones are very expensive so it takes time.

16.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
*** Thanks a lot for your questions. Will governed!!

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www.conceivedbyhate.bandcamp.com   

Killer Refrigerator/The Fridge And The Power It Holds/2015 Full Length Review

  Killer  Refrigerator  are  a  band  from  Ohio  that  plays  a  very  old  school  mixture  of  crossover,  thrash  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  self  released  2015  album  "The  Fridge  And  The  Power  it  Holds".

  A  very  melodic  guitar  lead  starts  off  the  album  and  they  are  also  a  huge  part  of  all  of  the  songs  before  going  into  an  80's  crossover/thrash  metal  direction  along  with  some  growls  and  screams  that  bring  in  the  death metal  elements  and  at  time s they  music  sounds  very  technical  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  You  can  hear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  in  the  riffing  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  bass  guitar  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  leads  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  Nintendo  music  at  times  which  also  gives  the  old  school  nature  of  the  bands  musical  style  more  of  a  modern  day  feeling  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  Killer  Refrigerator  takes  the  80's  forms  of  crossover,  thrash  and  death  metal  and  mix  them  in  with  some  technical  and  Nintendo  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  kitchen  appliances,  thrashing  and  humorous  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Killer  Refrigerator  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  crossover,  thrash  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Slaystation"  "Shower  Thrashing  Death"  and  "To  Hell  With  Cancer".  8  out  of  10.      

Invocator/Through The Flesh To The Soul/Heartburn Records/2015 Vinyl Re-Issue Review

  Invocator  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  has  a  history  going  back  30  years  and  plays  a  technical  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  in  the  beginning  but  evolved  more  into  a  modern  thrash  band  on  this  recording  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2003 album  "Through  the  Flesh  To  The  Soul"  which  was  re-issued  in  2015  by  Heartburn  Records.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  seconds  the  music  goes  for  more  of  a  melodic  thrash  metal  sound  that  sounds  modern  for  2003  along  with  some  elements  of  groove  metal  and  after  awhile  melodic  yet  aggressive  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  and  the solos  bring  in  an  80's  extreme  metal  sound  while  still  having  a  good  amount  of  melody  in  them.

  At  times  the  music  can  be  very  technical  with  the  band  demonstrating  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  as  musicians  and  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  incorporating  more  blast  beats  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  Al  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  songs  adding  in  a  touch  of  hardcore  and  the  mainstream  metal  sound  of  the  early  2000's  while  the  more  aggressive  side  of  the  bands  material  shows  more  of  an  aggressive  80's  thrash  metal  style  but  lacking  the  death  metal  element s of  the  earlier  material.

  Invocator  stayed  away  from  their  death  metal  influenced  thrash  sound  of  earlier  recordings  and  went  for  more  of  a  modern  thrash  sound  on  this  recording  and  while  it  did  not  appeal  to  some  of  their  long  time  fans  they  where  still  very  good  at  this  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  angry  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  decent  sounding  recording  from  Invocator  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  modern  thrash  metal,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Through  The  Flesh  To  The  Soul"  "Flick  On  It"  "There  Is  No  Savior"  and  "Sand  Between  The  Teeth".  7/5  out  of  10.  

  

Abhoth Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band since the recording and release of the new ep?

Abhoth is currently strengthened by three session members from various Montenegrin bands. So we’re rehearsing and getting ready for our first live show, which is to be on Bedem Fest in Niksic in September. We’re also working on some new material, correcting the arrangements of some old songs, re-shaping them into something new and colossal.

2.In December you had released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

We have defined our music as atmospheric death metal.We’re trying to mix death metal riffs with atmospheric keyboards as a background to the raw guitars. Mid tempo death metal music is the main core of our songs, varying from fast ripping thrash-death riffs to obscure doom-parts, with slow and dim guitar solos. Harsh metal sound is submerged into overwhelming impression of soft keyboards, as chaotic yet shaped and defined clash of genres  imagined to bring forth obscure Lovecraftian atmosphere.

3.The band has been around 2006 but you waited till 2014 to release any music, can you tell us a little bit more about the wait?

First version of “Beyond the Gates of the Silver Key” was recorded in 2008 and it was known only among the limited group Montenegrin metalheads. The rest was planned to be recorded when band would have the proper equipment and conditions. Members have also had obligations to other bands, with Zaimus who have recorded an EP in 2009, and later with KK Street Bangers who have done it in 2010, and started to perform live afterwards (Both Milos and Branko  are members of these bands). So we have decided to start the recording of our own EP in 2010. Even with the greatest effort and determination to release the product of our work. In the meantime, we’ve released re-mastered version of  “Beyond the Gates of the Silver Key” in 2012 via YouTube, and song was well-received by public, which gave us new will. In order to fulfill the vision of our own ideal sound that we had in the very beginning, previously recorded versions of songs were deleted, due to dissatisfaction with the sound of recorded guitars, and EP was once again recorded in 2013, with much better equipment and much greater knowledge of mixing.

4.Your lyrics cover Cthulu Mythos, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this subject?

I’m a great fan of horror literature, and I think H. P. Lovecraft and his circle of friend-writers have inspired many aspects of its nowadays concept, as much as Tolkien had done it for epic fantasy. The main theme in their opus are the universal horrors manifested as the "Great Old Ones", a dreadful pantheon of ancient, monstrous deities from outer space and beyond-cosmic voids. I think Lovecraft has been the dominating figure in depicting the frights of interstellar space same as Carl Sagan is in understanding of its secrets. As a fan of sci-fi, I have found his elements of parallel universes with physics explained astonishing, and his sense of abstract grotesque in describing alien races magnificent. I’ve always been fascinated with concept of some of the their appearance as a contrast to global human egocentrism and humanoid aliens shown in most of Hollywood movies. By following his work, I’ve came across the whole world of entwined Mythos and I’ve opened myself to devouring world of Ancient Ones.

5.I know that the band name came out of the writings of Clark Ashton Smith, do you feel he is an underrated writer compared to H.P Lovecraft?

Not at all.Smith was one of "the big three” of the famous “Weird Tales” magazine,famous sci-fi and horror franchise,together with Lovecraft  and Robert E. Howard, creator of “Conan the barbarian”. He was known to readers for the most morbid style of these three writers, so it means they were both recognized. In fact, their 15 years long friendship and correspondence begun when Lovecraft sent him fan letter, admiring his story that he’s published.

6. In one interview you had talk a little bit about your interest in the occult, what are some of the forms of occultism do you find very interesting these days?
As an eternal agnostic, I don’t practice any of the occult arts, but I have always loved them being used as a motive in other ones, like on paintings showing evangelic visions of hell and apocalypse. I don’t like the connecting occultism to Satanism in traditional concept of the word. Personally, I limit the usage of Satan to his metaphorical meaning, like Milton and Blake did, not a figure to bow down to. Although I think satanists like La Vey are idiots and their commercial usage of occultism has nothing to do with real esoteric arcane knowledge, their beliefs and rituals are great themes for horror, same as witches’ sabbats and grimoires of medieval demonology. A lot of artists like Lovecraft have used those motives to build some parts of their opus upon them, same as we as a band did with his work. But, I have to admit, a lot of occult philosophical aspects are amazing, and some of them can even be implemented in one’s concept and belief of the ways cosmos works. Mostly, I admire doctrine, philosophy and poetry of Crowley’s Thelema, his cult of the Beast and doctrine of Aeon. I’m also into ancient Egypt’s Draconian cults, Qabalah Apocryphs, Madam Blavatzki’s theosophy and Spare’s cult of Zos, and especially doctrine of Bertiaux’s Cult of Black Serpent (Le Couleuvre Noire).

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
As I’ve previously mentioned, we’re about to play our first on Bedem Fest in September, and we hope that it will be opening for the series of live shows. All the organizers and bands interested to make a tour or a gig with us are most welcome to send their invitations to our e-mail to arrange as much live shows as we can.

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

The feedback is great and we’re quite satisfied. A mere fact that we were contacted by Russian record label with an offer to release our EP with distributors from Germany and USA was really quite astonishing for a band from a country that many people from abroad can’t even find on a map, thinking it’s a Spanish village because of its name.

9.What is going on with some of the other musical projects or bands these days that some of the band members are a part of?

Currently I’m in the process of recording a side project with Milos on guitars, thrash-death metal band called Hostis, and I hope it will be finished soon. KK Street Bangers is doing some gigs in Bosnia and Herzegovina in Marc/April, and I think they shall soon start recording their album. I think Branko and Milos are to record full length of Zaimus afterwards.

10.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

As I have mentioned, we’re currently re-shaping some of the old songs, and we’ve got a lot material. Our full length will be based mostly upon terrific scenes of ancient Egyptian mythology, as well as the songs inspired with Sumerian, Assirian, Babylonian beliefs. So, we can say our next release will be a mixture of rituals, incantations, mantras, and vivid horror scenes from that world. Musically, we shall stay the same genre, harsh guitars and atmospheric keyboards, with little more extreme approach (occasional blast beats, back growls and screams etc.) Also, many songs on our full-length will be composed by Milos. We’re planning to record it somewhere in Serbia or abroad, so it will take some time to collect the financial resources for its recording. I don’t think it will be possible in this year, but we’re hoping to collect some part of it with our live shows and selling of our share of CDs.

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?

There are many old-school bands that I’ve drawn inspiration for my music from, primary from bands like Nocturnus or Pestilence, which have tried to mix death-metal with keyboards, resulting in great masterpieces . Nowadays there are also bands, like Sulphur Aeon, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Ex Deo, Septic Flesh which are also great in mixing the keyboard sound with the death metal matrix. These days I’ve been mostly listening to  “Consumed by the elder sign” of Australian Innsmouth and the last album of Cannibal Corpse.

12.How would you describe the metal scene in your home country of Montenegro?

As still non-existent. In Montenegro, as a country struggling with its own economics, where unemployment of young people is number one problem, most problems for a metal band are created in a background of financial situation. Bands can’t afford to play on descent and proper equipment and gear and soon they start to lack ambition and professionalism as well, and finally, they seize to exist. The bands who play metal in Montenegro are used to playing almost for free, sometimes with them losing money instead of earning it, with greedy organizers, inexperienced sound engineers, forced to play on a bad equipment in a country where it’s hard to find the place for rehearsals, not to mention the non-existence of professional studios to record their ideas, and all of these things are will-killers. But we’re hoping for things to change. I’m glad that interest for extreme metal is spreading, and there are also some new bands, who are yet to taste the test of time and record material of their own.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Smoking weed and playing Middle Earth-Shadow of Mordor. (laughs). I don’t know about Branko and Milos.

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

Thank you for your interest in band, and hails to all of those who support us.

Inverted/The Age Of Harvest/Grindhouse Music/2015 CD Review

  Inverted  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "The  Age  Of  Harvest"  which  was  released  by  Grindhouse  Music.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  death  metal  growls  and  the music  also  uses  a  good  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  and  chaotic  guitar  leads  which  also  can  be  dark  and  melodic  at  the  same  time  as  well  as  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Morbid  sounding  melodies  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  diversity  while  also  remaining  true  to  a  pure  style  of  death  metal  which  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences  at  times  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  heavy  musical  direction  and  there  are  no  soft  or  acoustic  parts  ever  utilized  on  this  recording.

  Inverted  takes  the  brutal  and  old  school  genres  to  create  a  death  metal  album  that  is  pure  true  to  the  genre  as  well  as  always  staying  heavy,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  war,  death,  human  and  natural  disasters.

  In  my  opinion  Inverted  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  and  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Across  The  Snow  TO  Nowhere"  "E.R  Weapons"  and  "Clear  Sky".  8  out  of  10.     

Void Creation/Deadnology/Metal Music Austria/2015 CD Review

  Void  Creation  are  a  band  from  Austria  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Deadnology"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Metal  Music  Austria.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  old  school  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  growls,  thrash  influences  and  melodies  and  at  time s you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  throughout  the  recording  while  some  sections  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  samples  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  while  also  having  some  modern  elements.

  On  some  of  the  tracks  high  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  mixture of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  using  solos  and  leads  that  are  heavily  influenced  by  the  early  90's  Florida  sound  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  elements  of  groove  and  one  of  the  later  songs  also  adds  in  a  few  seconds  of  clean  playing  and  the  last  track  uses  acoustic guitars  and  clean  singing  vocals.

  Void  Creation  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash  metal  influences  and  a  touch  of  groove  which  makes  their  music  sound  more  modern,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness, dystopian  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Void  Creation  are  a  very  great 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  "1984"  "Dystopia"  "Thelema"  and  "Earthlings  2.0".  8  out  of  10.   

Pikodeath/Tief In Dur/Defense Records/2014 CD Review

  Pikodeath  are  a  band  from  the  Czech  Republic  that  plays  a  brutal  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2014  album  "Tief  In  Dur"  which  was  released  by  Defense  Records.

  Horror  movie  style  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  direction  that  combines  death  and  thrash  metal  together  along  with  some  growls  and  the  music  also  incorporates  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  songs  also  using  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  While  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  old  school  tradition  you  can  hear  quite  a  band  of  modern  death  metal  element s in  some  of  the  growls  and  at  times  the  guitar  riffs  can  be  very  melodic  and  they  manage  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  adding  in  more  touches of  groove  which  also  makes  the  music  sound  very  catchy  without  losing  any  of  the  brutality.

  Pikodeath  are  another  band  that  plays  an  old  school  style  of  death  and  thrash  metal  while  also having  more  of  a modern  feeling  than  most  bands  of  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Pikodeath  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  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  "My  Four  Walls"  "I  Am  How  You  Like"  "Child  Devourer"  and  "Coma".  8  out  of  10.

    

Formis/Mental Survival/Defense Records/2014 CD Review

  Formis  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Mental  Survival"  which  was  released  by  Defense  Records.

  Dark sound  effects  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  an  old  school  thrash  sound  mixed  in  with  death  metal  guitars  as  well  as  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  in  a  very  melodic  direction.

  Some  of  the  tracks  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  the  vocals  also throw  in  high  pitched  screams  at  times  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  whispers  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  start  incorporating  more  blast  beats  that  make  the  music  sound  more  brutal  and  all  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  between  88-92.

  Formis  plays  a  style  of  death/thrash  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  days  of  the genre  and  they bring  out  a  great  amount  of  energy  and  aggression  with  their  musical  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Formis  are  a  very  great  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  "D.I.D"  "Mental  Survival"  and  "Skeleton  Key".  8  out  of  10.

Gian/All Life Erased/Inverse Records/2015 Full Length Review

  Gian  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "All  Life  Erased"  which  will  be  released  on  February  20th  by  Inverse  Music.

  Weird  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  reverb  noise  and  spoken  word  samples  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  raw  death/thrash  metal  direction  along  with  some  technical  riffs  and  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  groove  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  in  the  songs  mixing  with  the  growls.

  A  lot  of  the  riffs  incorporate  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  the  faster  sections  utilize  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  very  melodic  and  have  an  old  school  death  metal  feeling  to  them  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  clean  singing  vocals  at  times.

  The  death  and  thrash  metal  elements  of  the  recording  are  in  more  of  a  modern  direction  while  you  can  still  hear  a  bit  of  some  old  school  influences  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  incorporating  more  hardcore  and  punk  elements  and  the  whole  album  sticks  to  a  very  heavy,  brutal  and  aggressive  musical  direction.

  Gain  takes  both  the  old  school  and  modern  styles  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  combine  them  together  along  with  some  elements  of  groove,  punk  and  metalcore  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  violent  and  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Gian  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bloodstorm"  "Self-Immolation  Party"  "Aggression  Unleashed"  and  "Capital  Punishment".  8  out  of  10.

Conceived By Hate/Akheron/Coaltion Of Death/Morbid Skull Records/2015 Split Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  El  Salvador's  Conceived  By  hate  and  Columbia's  Akheron  called  "Coalition  Of  Death"  which  will  be  release d in  March  by  Morbid  Skull  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Conceived  By  Hate  a  band  that  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal.

  A  very  heavy,  raw  and  old  school  thrash  metal  sound  starts  off  their  side  of  the  split  along  with  small  doses  of  melody  and  a  few  seconds  alter  death  metal  growls  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  a  mid  80's  death/thrash  feeling  to  the  songs  they  are  utilized  on  and  the  songs  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  faster  sections  adding  in  blast  beats  and  when  atmospheric  sounds  and  keyboards  are  added  onto  the  recording  they  add  more  modern  elements  to  what  is  more  of  an  old  school  sound  and  the  band  closes  their  side  with  a  cover  of  Dissections  "Thorns  Of  Crimson  Death''  which  also  brings  in  screams  that  are  in  more  of  a  black/death  direction,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  solitude,  society,  revenge  and  emptiness.

  In  my  opinion  Conceived  By  Hate  are  a  very  great  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  "Devotees  of  Death"  and  "Thorns  Of  Crimson  Death".

  Next  up  is  Akheron  a  band  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  thrash  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  off  with  a  very  old  school  thrash  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  80's  along  with  some  growls  and  screams  that  are  in  more  of  an  early  death  metal  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  true  to  an  old  school  extreme  metal  sound  while  also  adding  some  melodies into  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  while  the  music  is  very  old  school  the  production  makes  the  band  sound  more  modern,  as  their  side  of  the  split  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  is  added  into  one  of  the  tracks  and  they  close  their  side  of  the  split  with  a  cover  of  Misfits  "Where  Eagles  Dare",  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  social  topics,  war  and  mental  degradation.

  In  my  opinion  Akheron  are  a  very  great  sounding  thrash  metal  band  with  elements  of  old  school  death  metal  and   if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Estigma"  and  "In-Comformista".  8  out  of  10.

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

Defcon One/The Perfection Of Slavery/RVP Records/2015 CD Review

  Defcon  One  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  a  progressive  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "The  Perfection  Of  Slavery"  which  was  released  by  RVP  Records.

  A  very  dark  drone  starts  off  the  album  before  the  music  starts  going  into  a  more  heavy  death  metal  direction  along  with  some  growling  vocals,  high  pitched  screams  and  blast  beats  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  in  a  very  melodic,  progressive  and  technical  musical  direction  and  you  can  also  hear  some  atmospheric  elements  in  the  background  at  times.

  You  can  hear  a  lot  of  thrash  elements in  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  are  also  a  few  tracks  that  are  instrumental  and  the  synths  also  bring  in  elements  of  dark  ambient  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling.  and  at  times  they  are  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  samples  being  utilized.

  Deafcon  One  plays  a  style  of death  metal  that  is  very  atmospheric  and  progressive  while  also  being  very  heavy  at  the  same  time  and  also  incorporating  elements  of  thrash,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Philosophical  and  Historical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Deafcon  One  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  and  progressive  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  "Son  Of  God,  Daughters  Of  Men"  "Subconscious  Seven"  and  "History  Is  Written  By  the  Victor".  8  out  of  10.