Nex/Totalitarian Leader/2015 EP Review

  Nex  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  an  modern  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  self  released  2015  ep  "Totalitarian  Leader".

  Distorted  effects  start  off  the  ep  giving  the  music  a  sci-fi  atmosphere  along  with  some  elements  of  electronic  music  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  also  introduces  death  metal  growls  onto  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  also  has  its  brutal  moments  and  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast parts  and  some  old  school  influences  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  spoken  word  samples a re  added  onto  the  last  track.

  Nex  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  modern  while  also  being  very  different  from  most  of  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  anti  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Nex  are  a  very  great  sounding  modern  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Slaves  In  the  Name  Of  The  Law".  8  out  of  10.

Vultur/Vulture's Beak/War Productions/2016 Cassette Review

  Vultur  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  demo  "Vulture's  Bleak"  which  was  released  on  cassette  by  War  Productions.

  Death  metal  growls  start  off  the  demo  along  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in t he  90's  style  of  the  genre.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  bring  in  a  more  chaotic  style  of  the  genre  and  all  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  in  the  90's  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  heavy  musical  direction.

  Vultur  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  dark,  heavy  and  morbid  sounding  in  the  90's  tradition,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,  death,  murder,  horror  and  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vultur  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  style  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vulture's Bleak"  and  "Incubation  Of  Grimness".  8  out  of  10.

Festering/From The Grave/War Productions/2016 CD Review

  Festering  are  a  band  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "From  The  Grave"  which  was  released  by  War  Productions.

  A  very  dark,  horror  movie  orientated  intro  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  that  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  growls  and  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's.

  High  pitched  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  an  old  school  style  of death  metal  and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  influenced  by  the  Swedish  style  of  the  genre  and  all  of  the  songs  also  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  25  years  ago  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts while  one  track  also  uses  keyboards  for  a  few seconds  before  closing  the  album  with  a  heavier  song.

  Festering  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  aggressive  in  the  90's  Swedish  tradition,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,  death,  and  disease  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Festering  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  "Exhumed"  "Consuming  From  Within"  "Bloodline"  and  "Psychic  Convulsions  Of  Neurasthenia".  8  out  of  10.

Scalpture/Panzerdoktrin/Final Gate Records/2016 CD Review

  Scalpture  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Panzerdoktrin"  which  was  released  by  Final  Gate  Records.

  Military  beats  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  Swedish  style  of  the  genre  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  very  melodic.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  more  than  20  years  ago  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  war  era  spoken  word  samples  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  all  of  the  musical instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Scalpture  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  Swedish  style  of  the  genre  ans  also  always  remains  heavy,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Scalpture  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  "...Panzer  Hooray!"  "Flattened  Horizons(Pounding  Howitzers)"  and  "Embrace  the  Afterglow".  8  out  of  10.

Inexorable/Sea Of Dead Consciousness/Godz Of War Productions/2017 CD Re-Issue

  Inexorable  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  dark  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "Sea  Of  Consciousness"  which  will  be  re-issued  in  2017  with  a  bonus  track  by  Godz  Of  War  Productions.

  Distorted  yet  clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  the  music  getting  more  dark  and  heavier  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  awhile  the  music  speeds  up  and  also  introduces  blast  beats  and  deep  death  metal  growls  onto  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  melody  in  the  riffing.

  At  times  the  vocals  get  very  grim  and  when  melodic  chants  are  utilized  they  give  the  music  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  clean  playing  also  returns  briefly  as  well  as  a  few  seconds  of  classical  guitars.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them and  one  track  which  is  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  also  brings  in  evil  sounding  keyboards  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  they  also  bring  in  covers  of  Mayhem's  "De  Mysterious  Dom  Sathanas"  which  has  acoustic  guitars  at  the  beginning  Immolation's  'Here  And  After"  which  has  melodic  chants  that  where  not  on  the  original  version  and  Mysticism's  "Black  Magic  Mushrooms".

  Inexorable  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  dark  and  evil  while  also  being  very  original  at  the  same  time,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  yet  heavy  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  Death  and  Vanitas  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Inexorable  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  and  original  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "I"  and  "IV".  8/5  out  of  10.

Morbid Messiah/In The Name Of True Death Metal/Godz Of War Productions/2017 EP Review

  Morbid  Messiah  are  a  band  from  Mexico  that  plays  a  very  dark  and  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  ep  "In  The  Name  Of  True  Death  Metal"  which  will  be  released  in  2017  by  Godz  Of  War  Productions.

  A  very  dark  and  evil  intro  starts  off t he  ep  along  with  some  deep  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  a  very  fast  musical  direction  that  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  style  and  at  times  a  small  amount  of  melody  can  hear.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they remain  true  to  an  old  school  death  metal  style  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  high  pitched  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  rawness  and  darkness  that  is  very  rarely  heard  in  this  genre  these  days and  all  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily been  recorded  and  released  more  than  20  years  ago,.

  Morbid  Messiah  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  dark,  raw,  heavy  and  old  school  sounding,  the  production  has  more  of  an  old  school  style  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  evil,  gore,  blasphemy  and  demons  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Morbid  Messiah  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  and  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "I  Am  Your  Lord"  and  "Legions  Of  Death".  8  out  of  10.

Maze Of Sothoth/Soul Demise/Everlasting Spew Records/2017 CD Review

  Maze  Of  Sothoth  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  Lovecraft  themed  style  of  death  metaol  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Soul  Demise"  which  will  be  released  in  2017  by  Everlasting  Spew  Records.

  A very  dark and  avant  garde  ritualistic  synth  starts  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  gets  more  heavy  and  brutal  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  musicians  on  this  recording  are  very  talented  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  very  melodic  while  still  being  in a  darker  style  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences  while  also  being  very  modern  at  the  same  time  and  as  the  album  progresses  synths  also  make  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  main  focus  is  on  a  brutal  style.

  Maze  Of  Sothoth  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  traditional  and  brutal  while  also  mixing  in  a  sci-fi  atmosphere  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  based  on  the  writings  of  H.P  Lovecraft.

  In  my  opinion  Maze  Of  Sothoth  are  a  very  great  sounding  Lovecraft  themes  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lies" "The  Outsider"  "At  The  Mountains  Of  Madness"  and  "Divine  Sacrifice".  8  out  of  10.

Golden Rusk/What Will Become Of Us?/2016 Full Length Review

  Golden  Rusk  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  death  metal  with elements  of  thrash  and  industrial  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "What  Will  Become  Of  US?"  which  will  be  released  in  December.

  Atmospheric  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  getting  heavier  while  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  death  metal  growls  that  also  mix  in  the  distorted  effects  of  industrial  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  high  pitched  screams  are  used  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  fashion  and  as  the  album  progresses  more  elements  of  thrash  and  industrial  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  synths a re  also  utilized  in  some songs  and  there  is  also  a  brief  instrumental  that  introduces  violins  onto t he  album  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  while  there  is  still  a  small  use  of  classical  guitars.

  Golden  Rusk  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  modern  death  metal  while  the  thrash  and  industrial  elements  gives  the  songs  more  originality,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.   

  In  my  opinion  Golden  Rusk  are  a  very  great  sounding  death  metal  band  with  elements  of  industrial  and  thrash  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "What  Will  Become  Of  Us"  "As  it  Should  Be"  and  "Life  No  More".  8  out  of  10.

Scorched Interview

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

We are Scorched from Delaware formed in 2015. We play horror-themed death metal.

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

We are mostly influenced by the classic death metal style, but we incorporate horror-influenced lyrics and synth interludes of the 80s horror film style.

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

We watch horror films to get inspiration, so it's mostly serial killer rampages, torture, guts, gore, and all that filthy shit.

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

We honestly just picked it from a list of ideas we had. It's a short and memorable name and it plays into our theme. Our self-titled song that was on our demo and just re-recorded for our full length was about dragging victims into a burn pile. and watching them melt to death.

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

Our best shows have been probably our New York date with Funebrarum and Putrisect on our last tour, and a Baltimore gig we played with Crypt Sermon and Horrendous. We play our interludes and intros during our set to go along with the horror theme. We try to capture the mood of our recordings.

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

Not as of now. We are all super busy people. A west coast run may happen next year though. Stay tuned.

7.You have been a part of a couple of splits these years, can you tell us a little bit more about the bands you have shared these recordings with?

Outer Heaven, Gatecreeper, Homewrecker...all friends! Great dudes, solid tunes. The 4 way split was a no-brainer. Putrisect recorded in the same studio as us and heard us while recording there, dug us, and hit us up with the split idea. They rule! Totally fitting for our style, we toured afterwards, and now they're our brothers!

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

No hate mail yet, I think we're on the right track!

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

No clue really until we all get together. We all bring ideas to the table. There is no one leader of Scorched, we are a collaborative 5 piece force.

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 could fuse those two answers together. Classics such as Morbid Angel, Convulse, early Sentenced, Benediction, Burial, Autopsy, etc...also newer bands such as Incantation, Disma, Vastum, Funebrarum and so on!

11.How would you describe the metal scene in your home state of Delaware?

Ha...what scene?! There was once a really sweet early 90s death metal band out of Delaware, however, called Corpus Rottus.

12.What are some of your non-musical interests?

Bourbon, beer, some of the dudes like weed! ha ha..I work a lot, try to keep physical, hit the gym..we love to party though!

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

I appreciate your time and interest is contacting Scorched! Death metal is stronger and more powerful of a force than ever. Special shout out to Unspeakable Axe and Dark Descent Records...two unstoppable forces. Thanks again!
https://www.facebook.com/scorchedde
http://www.unspeakableaxerecords.com/

Pestilence/Presence Of The Pest/Vic Records/2016 Live Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Pestilence  this  time  being  a  live  show  that  was recorded  the  the  Dynamo  Open  Air  in  1992  along  with  7  bonus  tracks  from  the  tour  they  had  done  with  Monstrosity  and  Torchure  the  same  year  and  the  album  is  called  "Presence  Of  The  Pest"  and  will  be  released  in  November  by  Vic  Records.

  A very  fast  and  raw  sound  along  with  some  blast  beats  start  off  the  album  along  with  death  metal  growls  making  their  presence  known  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  melodies  at  times and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  also  gets  very  technical  at  times.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  solos  range  from  chaotic,  raw,  melodic  and  technical  and  the  band  also  has a   great  inter reaction  with  the  crowd  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  heavier  direction  with  no  soft  or clean  parts  ever  utilized  and  they  also  only  bring  in  songs  from  ''Consuming  Impulse"  and  "Testimony  Of  the  Ancients".

  With  this  live  recording  Pestilence  brings  in songs  from  both  their  traditional  and  technical  death  metal  days  and  the  album  is  a  combination  of  both  eras,  the  production  has  a  very  raw  sound  with  all  of  the  songs  recorded  live  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Death  and  Suffering  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  live  recording  from  Pestilence  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Chemo  Therapy"  "Lost  Souls"  "Testimony"  and  "Prophetic  Revelations".  8  out  of  10.  

Totten Korps/Supreme Commanders Of Darkness/Blood Harvest/2016 LP Review

  Totten  Korps  are  a  band  from  Chile  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  occult  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Supreme  Commanders  Of  Darkness"  which  will  be  re-issued  on  vinyl  by  Blood  Harvest.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  sound  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  start  off  the  album  as  well  as  adding  death  metal  growls  and  screams  onto  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  melodies  at  times  and  there  is  a  brief  use  of  ritualistic  spoken  word  parts  while  the  guitar  work  is  very  heavily  influenced  by  Morbid  Angel.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  a  very  brutal  style  of  death  metal  and  the  songs  also  take  a  lot  of  influences  from t he  90's  without  sounding  out  of  date  and  the  whole  album  also remains  very  heavy  and  brutal  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Totten  Korps  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  fast  and  brutal  as  well  as  being  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's,  the  production sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Satanism,  Mythology,  Lovecraft  and  Darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Totten  Korps  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  occult  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Supreme  Commanders  Of  Darkness"  "Hastur's  Voice  Echoes  In  Our  Mind"  "Amarduk"  and  "Tortured  Souls  From  the  Path  Of  Perdition".  8/5  out  of  10.

http://bloodharvestrecords.bandcamp.com/album/supreme-commanders-of-darkness-12lp

Echelon/The Brimstone Aggrandizement/Transcending Obscurity/2016 CD Review

  Echelon  are  an  international  with  members  from  both  the  United  Kingdom  and  Sweden  and  are  all  veterans  from  various  legendary  bands  and  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "The  Brimstone  Aggrandizement"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Transcending  Obscurity  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  old  school  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  after  awhile  growling  vocals  make  their  presence  known  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  the  songs  also  bring  in   a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  songs  also  mix  the  English  and  Swedish  death  metal  styles  together  and  spoken  word  samples  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount of  tremolo  picking  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  heavy  musical  direction.

  Echelon  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  old  school  death  metal  style  of  their  previous  release,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  satnic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Echelon  and  if  you  are  a fan  of  old  school  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The Forbidden  Industry"  "Of  Warlocks  And  Wolves"  and  "The  feared  Religion".  8  out  of  10.
 

Scorched/Echoes Of Dismemberment/Unspeakable Axe Records/2016 CD Review

  Scorched  are  a  band  from  Delaware  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Echoes  Of  Dismemberment"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Unspeakable  Axe  Records.

  Horror  movie  style  synths  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  melodic  guitar  leads  and  heavy  riffs  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  when  the  music  speeds  up a   great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  most  of the  songs  have  horror  movie  style  intros  in  between  them  and the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  recorded  and  released  20  years  ago  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  melodic  singing  and  clean  playing  and  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  briefly  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  heavier  sound. 

  Scorched  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  old  school  in  the  90's  tradition  while  also  being  heavily  inspired by  horror  movies, t he  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror,  gore,  death,  torture  and  cannibalism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Scorched  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  style  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre, you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Torture  Prolonged"  "Dealings  Of  A  Gruesome  Kind"  "Autopsy  Complete"  and "Fluorescent  Hell".  8  out  of  10.

Diatonic/IAm The One/Triton's Orbit/2016 Full Length Review

  Diatonic  are  a  solo  project  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  Swedish  style  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2016  album  "I  Am  The  One"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Triton's  Orbit.

  A  dark  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  the  90's  Swedish  style  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  High  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  music  mostly  sticks to  a  mid  paced  section  and  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  been  recorded  20  years  ago  and  there  is  also a   brief  use  of  synths  and one  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  acoustic guitars  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  heavier  style.

  Diatonic  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  mostly  mid  tempo  and  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  Swedish  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  angry  and  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Diatonic  are  a  very  great  sounding  Swedish  style  death  metal  solo project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kiss  Of  Death"  "Once  More"  "Fading"  and  "Deceived".  8  out  of  10.

 

Necroven/Primordial Subjugation/Memento Mori/2016 CD Review

  Necroven  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a very  dark  and  cryptic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Primordial  Subjugation"  which  will  be  released  on  October  24th  by  Memento  Mori.

  Ritualistic  sounds  and  whispers  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  a  faster  and  heavier  musical  direction  along  with  some  very  brutal  blast  beats  and  the  riffs also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's.

  When  guitar solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  modern  influences  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  ritualistic  and  shamanistic  type  chanting  and  synths  are  also  used  on  the  last  track  and  bring  in  the  atmosphere  of  a  horror  movie.

  Necroven  plays  a  style  of  death  metal t hat  is  more  in  the  darker  style  of  the  genre  while  also  bring  very  heavy  at  the  same  time,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Witchcraft,  Occultism,  Near  Death  Experiences  and  Gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Necroven  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  and  cryptic  death  metal  band  and  if  you are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sacrificial  Deliverance"  "Esoteric  Entropy"  and  "Serpents  Crawl  Stealthy".  8 out  of  10.    

Zealot Cult Interview

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

At the moment, we’re writing and demoing material for a new album and we have a couple of shows coming up over the next few months so we’re quite busy, we’re certainly not sitting around ha ha! “Karmenian Crypt” is being released by Swedish label Blood Harvest on October 24th on vinyl so we’ll be promoting that with our shows. Exciting times to be playing Death Metal!

2.In March you had released a new ep, 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?

When we initially started we just wanted to play extreme music, the earlier material on the self titled demo had grind influences in there, a lot of blast beats and was all played on 7 string guitars. Very chaotic sounding at times and dark. The progression to Karmenian Crypt was very natural, we all know what we like, late 80’s/early 90’s death metal, the old Florida bands and the early Earache releases, we all grew up listening to those bands as they were coming up so they are massive influences. We also tuned up to a higher pitch, to give the songs a bit more excitement and use the 7 strings for slower, heavier stuff.

3.This was your first release in 6 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time frame?

Ah, we went into the wilderness for a while, don’t get me wrong, we were still playing shows and working on material for a second release but that material was never released. We also started another project with other musicians at the time but that fell through so back in 2015, we went back to Zealot Cult and started writing again and the material that is on Karmenian Crypt is the result of that.

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

The lyrical themes and topics vary from song to song. Some songs are based on fantasy, the darker side of humanity and other songs are based on very real topics such as war, brainwashed religious nutcases, tyranny, mental illness etc.... All the good stuff haha!

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

A zealot is defined as a religious fanatic, back in early times they would have had authority, they would police people and had no problem killing for their beliefs. A Cult is pretty explanatory so the two words work together to make a very death metal band name. We feel it suits the music and the lyrical themes of the songs.

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?

Twice a year in our hometown of Limerick, there is an all day festival called “The Siege Of Limerick”. It has 3 stages, runs from noon til 2am and is always a great gig when we are asked to play. A lot of cool bands have played it over the years including bands like Primordial, Grave Miasma, Cruciamentum. The next instalment in October has Dead Congregation headlining and we feel very proud to be part of this upcoming one. Other shows that stand out for us, we were very lucky to share the stage with some great bands such as Decapitated, Exhumed, Atheist, Hail of Bullets, Necros Christos... The last show we did was an all day event with some Invictus acts like Malthusian, Vircolac and Coscradh, that one was a lot of fun, very underground. Our stage performance is very straightforward, we don’t rely on gimmicks like flames or inverted crosses, it’s just song after song after song. We like to fit as much material as possible into an allocated slot.

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

We don’t have any tours planned as of yet as we are busy writing for our debut album that’s coming out on Blood Harvest records but we have some shows booked. We have a show coming up with Akercocke in October, the Siege of Limerick fest at the end of October, we are playing alongside Destroyer 666 on New Years Eve and we have a show with Napalm Death in early 2017 so there is a lot to look forward to.

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

So far, all the feedback we have received for Karmenian Crypt has been extremely positive. We are overwhelmed with the good reviews the EP has gotten so I’d say it is going down very well with death metal fans, everyone that has heard it enjoyed it.

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

The album should be done early 2017, everything going to plan. Musically, there isn’t that much of a deviation from the EP, the music we have written follows the same vibe and ideology. We have some fast stuff written, slower heavier stuff, a good mix of material that seems to flow well together.

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?

We still have all the same favourite bands as we had when were kids, I reckon time just reinforced that haha. We’re big fans of all the late 80’s/early 90’s releases so it would be bands like Morbid Angel, Death, Pestilence, Deicide, Obituary, Immolation, Carcass etc.... Nowadays we are still listening to the same bands and also stuff like early Sepultura, Dark Angel, Possessed but newer bands like Dead Congregation, Deathspell Omega, Cruciamentum etc...

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I don’t think any of our interests are non musical to be honest. You’d have a better chance meeting any of us at gigs, drunk out of our minds than at, say, a football match or any “normal” event. All our interests are musical, either going to gigs, playing gigs or drinking at house parties listening to early Metallica and Slayer.

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

Thank you for the interview, we really appreciate it. Also, please be sure to grab a vinyl copy of Karmenian Crypt which is coming out on Blood Harvest records on October 24th. Be sure to check out the Blood Harvest bandcamp and Zealot Cult bandcamp pages too to listen the material. Thanks for your time!!

Virvum Interview

.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We're based in Zurich Switzerland, and we like Deathmetal a lot. It's the music we grew up to.
We've been a band since more than 8 years now, but only around 4 years in this current constellation (Berger, Gruhn, Morenzoni, Koelman).
We had the renowned Arran McSporran of De Profundis laying down bass for "Illuminance".


2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
A journey to a place where timelessness reigns and nature blooms in strangest colours; A heavenly place far beyond comprehensible perception.
In particular we tried not to focus on writing a pure death metal Album, but focused on the essentials of creating music that pleases our own ears.
We focused on integrating a lot of abstract, cinematic, "beautiful" elements. For me, as I'm influenced by a lot of Drone, Ambient or Post Rock music, I tried to combine those elements with my natural playing style - which includes a lot of stereotypical palm muting and alternate picking etc.

3.The band has been around since 2007 but waited until 2016 to release an album, can you tell us a little bit more about the long wait?
We didn't just "wait". Growing up as musicians, your influences may change rapidly. As we are slow writers, there were times when, whenever we wrote a new song, the next song would sound a lot different to the previous one and so on. There was no way we could have put such diverse songs on one album. Plus, we were not always taking this band as serious as we've been taking it for the last 1-2 years. Around 2 years ago, the plans for this album were drawn and we worked hard on putting together an album that stands out as a whole.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
As a whole, "Illuminance" is a lyrical (and musical) concept album about natural, spiritual and sensual abstractness. The lyrics go into a more Sci-Fi driven direction.
They include sci-fi based topics such as the liquefaction of light, the existence of unknown colours and the general captivation of the human mind.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Virvum'?
People have been asking us this question a lot, specifically because it's also a song by Deeds of Flesh.
After DoF, Virvum can be described as the humanly unknown energy that holds any mass in the universe together, the primordial energy that makes all life possible.
As the term is really memorable, and the meaning after DoF fits perfectly into our lyrical concept, we knew all we needed is a good symmetrical logo.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Direct Support to Dying Fetus was definitely something special and meant a lot to us.
 As we have no big touring history, we're looking forward to hitting the stages of this world as soon as possible.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans fir the future?
As we are currently with no label to put us on a tour, we are always looking for opportunities. There will be a couple of shows coming up in late 2016/early 2017 but if you are a promoter in Europe, do not hesitate to book us.

8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Yes, we have received some offers. They were not of any big advantage for us. We refused because we believe that this new album is a great product, and the reactions we got from fans so far have proven that this decision was right. We are still interested in signing with a label if our expectations are met.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of progressive and technical death metal?
So far, extremely positive. The hardest part about all of it though, is to reach the people that are potentially interested in hearing your music.
There, I can say that there is still a lot of potential in terms of scalability.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
More concept albums, more cinematic stuff, more natural-, less artificial tunes :-)

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?
Getting up to speed at guitar, I'd say bands like Necrophagist, At The Gates or The Black Dahlia Murder have been some of my biggest long term influences.
Some newer bands I dig lately are definitely Fallujah (whom I played guitar for in 2013), Vale Of Pnath (who put out a fantastic record this year), or Animals As Leaders.
On the non-metal edge, I'm into a lot of artists like This Will Destroy You, Tides From Nebula, Tipper, amm.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Next to this band, we currently all still work ordinary jobs five days a week. There is not much time left for other stuff, but we all love to see new places around this world and hope that our music can soon enable us to do that.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks for reading this and supporting Virvum in any way, especially if you purchased "Illuminance". I hope to be able to meet everyone of you in person asap.

https://virvum.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/virvum
 

RTM CxOxMxP 1/Rebirth The Metal Productions/2016 Compilation Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  compilation  released  by  Rebirth  The  Metal  Productions  called  "RTM  CxOxMxP"  which  consists  mostly  of  death  metal  bands  and  we  will  review  the  songs  one  by  one.

  Sacramental  Blood  brings  us  "Sanctimonious"  a  song  that  is  rooted  in  a  very  old  school  yet  brutal  style  of  the  genre  while  also  being  more  heavily  rooted  in  the  more  blasphemous  style  of  the  genre.

  Morass  Skoffin  brings  us  "Blindfold"  a  song  that  goes  for  more  of  an  early  90's  style  of  death  metal  with  a  slight  thrash  influence  while  also  still  having  a  very  modern  sound  and  you  can  also  hear  some  Swedish  influences.

  Enthrallment  brings  us  "Totally  Dismembered"  a  song  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  the  more  brutal  side  of  the  genre  while  still  having  melodic  guitar  leads  and  some old  school  elements  and  all of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  Horrific Disease  brings  us  "Waste  It  Now"  a  song  that  takes  the  old  school  styles  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  adds  a  more  up  to  date  approach  to the  style  while  the vocals  are  more  rooted in  the  mid  80's.

  Abrasive  brings  us "Addicted  To  Flesh" a  song  that  goes  for  the  more  brutal  east  coast  influenced  style  of  the  genre  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  track a long  with  some  blast  beats  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  song.

  Concrete  brings  us  "A  Slasher's  Thrill"  a  song  that  goes  for  an  early  90's  style  of  the  genre  and  you  can  also  hear  a  heavy  Cannibal  Corpse  influence  in  the  song  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  Corpse  Garden  brings  us  "Evoking  A  Dead  Sun"  and  the  music  also  sounds  very  technical  yet  brutal  at  the  same  time  and  the  vocals  also  use  a  good  mixture  of  growls  and  high  pitched  screams.

  Extermino  brings  us  "Bond  By  Blood"  a  song  that  goes  for  a  more  modern  and  brutal  approach  to  the  genre  and  the  vocals  also  use  guttural  death  metal  growls  while  the  riffs  mix  in  some  morbid  sounding  melodies.

  Among  Rats  brings  us  "Art  Movement"  a  song  that  goes  for  more  of  a  fast  style  of  death  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  grindcore  elements  in  the  track  while  still  having  an  old  school  vibe.

  Deformed  Cadaver  brings  us  "Brutalized  Mutilated"  a  song  that  mixes  grindcore  and  brutal  slam  death  metal  together  along  with  a  touch  of  deathcore  and  the  song  is  also  very  short  in  length  and  east  coast  influenced.

  Nexus  Clandestine  brings  us  "The  Purge"  a  song  that  goes  for  more  of  a  darker  yet  heavy  style  of  death  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  in  the  song  while  also  using  spoken  word  parts  at  times  as  well  as  some  clean  singing.

  Macabre  Demise  brings  us  "Resurrection  Of  The  Walking  Dead"  a  song t hat  goes  for  more  of  a  brutal  and  guttural  style  of  melody  and  the  blast  beats  have  a  very  dominating  presence  when  the  music  speeds  up.

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

  https://rebirththemetalproductions.bandcamp.com/album/rtm-cxoxmxp-1



    

Mercyless/Pathetic Divinity/Kaotoxin Records/2016 CD Review

  Mercyless  are  a  band  from  France  that h as a  history  of  almost  30  years  and  also  have  had  an  album  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a review  of  their  2016  album "Pathetic  Divinity"  which will  be  released  in  October  by  Kaotoxin  Records.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro starts  off  the  album  having  the  atmosphere  of  a  horror  movie  and  spoken  word  samples  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  that  also  shows  the  riffs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  vocals  are  old  school  death  metal  growls.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  while  the  music  has  its  roots  in  the  80's  and  90's  the  production  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  modern  feeling  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  true  to  an  old  school  death  metal  style  while  also  being  very  melodic  at  times  and  spoken  word  samples  also  make  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording while  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  heavy  style.

  On  this  recording  Mercyless  go  for  more  of  an  old  school  approach  to  death  metal while  also  updating  the  genre  for  modern  times  and  the  music  is  also  less  thrash  influenced  than  their  earlier  recordings,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  anti  Christianity  and  political  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Mercyless  and  if you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Pathetic  Divinity"  "To  Exhort  the  Heretic"  and  "Hoe  Deep  Is  Your  hate".  8 out  of  10.      
 
   

Hostis/Self Titled/Miner Recordings/2016 CD Review

  Hostis  are  a  band  from  Montenegro  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2016  album  which  was  released  by  Miner  Recordings.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  thrash  influenced  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  a  very  melodic  and  traditional  style  of  metal  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  lot  of  old  school  influences.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  vocals  are  all  death  metal  growls  and  while  the  music  has  its  roots  in  the  past  it  still  sounds  very  modern  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  album  also  remains  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording  and  the  last  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples.

  Hostis  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  old  school  forms  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  mixes  them  together  for  the  modern  times,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  social  issues  against  the  political  and  religious  dogma,  indoctrination  and  media  manipulation.

  In  my  opinion  Hostis  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  "Mutilation  Of  Truth"  and  "Gods  Are  Dead".  8 out  of  10.     

     

Sacramental Blood Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
Well we did lot of shows, had some line up changes and we recorded/released our 2nd demo "The Second Death" between recording and release of album, since we had few years gap between recording and mixing/mastering and then again till release of album. After the release of album we were forced to focus only on promotion of album through magazines and internet due to our drummer's health issues, but we are looking now for his substitute and hopefully from November we will be able to hit the stage again and tour as much as possible. In other news, in coming weeks Miner Records will release limited edition of single cd "Destroyer of Thought and Form", that will contain title track and experimental version of another track from album, "Sanctimonious", enriched with keyboards.

2.In May 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?
Well it's continuation of what we did on our 2 demos but it has better sound and we captured better performance. Many reviews state it's old school death metal with modern sound of 16th Cellar studio. Musically it's old school brutal death metal in vein of bands like old Monstrosity, Sinister, Suffocation with Obituary/Death and Deicide kind of vocals. Of course there's also more songs so we could deliver more
variety on "Ternion Demonarchy" than on our 2 demos. It's definitely our best work to date.

3.The band took a hiatus for a few years, what was the cause of the break and also the decision to re-group?
After the tour with God Dethroned and Fleshgod Apocalypse in 2009 I realised I could no longer keep the band functional with the same line up since half of the band didn't want to play tours anymore. Still there were too many factors involved so I couldn't just fire those people. We were also not satisfied how was album mixed, but since there was break in communication between band members, we couldn't agree about the future of the band and what to do with album, so I was forced to go on hiatus and just wait until some things come to right place. In beginning on 2011 we got an offer to tour with Disgorge and Natron and I decided to risk and bring new vocalist/guitarist to the band. That was turning point for us because it gave us whole new sound + we stripped band line up to the core that wanted to work hard and continue touring. Hiatus was something I was forced to, so the question was just when will we regroup and continue our mission.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
Our lyrics on "Ternion Demonarchy" deal with religion and destructive nature of mankind, mental and social alienation, cloning and sorcery. Sometimes it's more obvious and sometimes it's multi layer song, with horror stories in first plan and deeper meaning hidden between the lines.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Sacramental Blood'?
I came up with idea for band's name after watching some documentary about Mayan civilisation. For decades general opinion was that they didn't know about violence and cruelty, but then few decades ago some archaeologists found some old Mayan wall paintings showing human sacrifices and blood rituals they were practising everyday. Even their kings had to spill their own blood about 5 times a day in order to please their gods. They believed prosperity of whole community was depending on their sacramental blood. If something went wrong they believed gods needed more blood or that king's blood wasn't good enough. All those rituals and beliefs were perfectly described later in Mel Gibson's movie "Apocalypto". I thought the name sounds great and has meaning that perfectly fits our music and lyrics.

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?
The last run of shows we did in 2011-2012 with new line up were some we really enjoyed because of chemistry we had. Also show with Sinister in Belgrade, our debut show in Sofia (Bulgaria) and shows with Cannibal Corpse and Vader stick in my mind

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
As soon as we find new drummer we are going to start booking shows again. We were forced to turn down many great offers this year and that sucks. We just can't wait to get back in touring mode and try to visit some new countries and revisit some old places

8.The album was released on 3 different labels, are you happy with the support they have given you so far?
Yes,"Ternion Demonarchy" is released on cd through Ghastly music (Japan) worldwide. Miner Records (Swiss) released cd for ex Yugoslavia territory and they will also release it on vinyl, while Rebirth the Metal (Germany) released it on tape. We also got few days ago an offer from some Brazilian label to release cd in Brazil too so album should be available to all metalheads worldwide. We are more or less satisfied with labels by means of releases and distribution, I just wish they do more in terms of promotion since we are responsible for 95% of reviews out there.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?
It has been great so far. It seems like everybody like it. We are getting fantastic reviews and fans are also full or praise for "Ternion Demonarchy". I can't really remember any single bad comment I read about it

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
No big changes. We will continue to do what we do the best, the same way we did in the past. We have never discussed change of direction we will go except when we got the chance to bring Srdjan to band and change the style of lead vocals. We work on one song until it's the best we could make and then we move to the next song. Each song stands for itself and we try to incorporate in each song all elements we have in our music in general: fast,twisted parts, groovier and mid tempo riffs, thrashier riffs, but like I said, without too much planning. It all comes very natural.

11.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?
Bands like Sinister, old Monstrosity and Suffocation, Luciferion, Sadus, Morbid Angel, Disincarnate, Dying Fetus, Hate Eternal, Possessed, Death, old Forbidden, Nevermore, Vader, old Slayer, Tony MacAlpine, Vital Remains... basically many, many death metal and thrash metal bands. Right now I'm playing blasting through Sinister - Cross the Styx and Deicide - Legion will be the next.

12.Does Occultism play any role in your music?
No, not really. Some of us had some little experience with occultism but nothing big and important and it didn't affect our music

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
I don't have much interests nor time for anything else besides music and my little daughter. Srdjan is into kick box and soon will become kick box trainer. Drummer Ivan rides bicycle and is internet addict, digging anything related to conspiracy theories, secret societies and new world order

14.Before we wrap up this interview. do you have any final words or thoughts?
We are doing our best to get back on the road and once when we get there be sure to come and check us out. Album is available from band directly and we have some nice T-shirts in stock too, so do not hesitate to get in touch with us and order your copy. For orders, booking or any other information write to sacramentalblood@yahoo.com or visit our facebook page. Thanks for your attention!

Zealot Cult/Karemenian Crypst/Blood Harvest/2016 EP Review

  Zealot  Cult  are  a  band  from  Ireland  that  plays  an  old  school  form of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  2016  ep  "Karemenian  Crypt"  which  was released  by Blood  Harvest

  A  very  heavy  and  old  school  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  blast  beats  when t he  music  speeds up  and  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  80's  to  early  90's  era  of  the  genre  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  At  times  a  small  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard on  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  stick  to  an  old  school  style  of  death  metal  while  also  having  there  melodic  moments  and all  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  more  than  20  years  ago.  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  heavy  musical  direction  and  there is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  on  the  last  track  along  with  some  technical  elements  while  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Zealot  Cult  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  traditional  and  rooted  in the  early  90's  era  of  the  genre, the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Zealot  Cult  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  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Eternal  Winter".  8  out  of  10.   

Virvum/Illuminance/2016 CD Review

  Virvum  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  plays  a  very  technical  and  progressive  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Illuminance"  which  will  be  released  in  September.

  Sci-fi  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  technical  direction  and  the  solos  and leads  also  demonstrate  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  bass  guitar  also  brings  leads  into  some  parts  of  the  songs.

  At  times  the  music  can  be  progressive,  atmospheric  and  experimental  while t he  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  more  as the  album  progresses  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  there  is  also a  brief  instrumental  and  on  the  last  track  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  can  be  heard. 

  Virvum  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  progressive  and  technical  sounding  as  well  as  being  more  different  and  original  than  most  bands  of  this  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  Virvum  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  and  technical  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Earthwork"  "Tentacles  Of  The  Sun"  and  "II  A  Final  Warning  Sign  -  Acsension  And  Trespassing".  8 out  of  10.

 

Cryptic Shift 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?


Since the release of ‘Beyond the Celestial Realms’ we have been focusing on writing future releases and covering as much as the UK as possible.


2.In April you had released a new ep, 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?


Our previous release was a single called ‘Dustbowl’ which featured a cover of Sepultura’s ‘Arise’ - ‘Beyond the Celestial Realms’ is our first official release as the collective line-up we are now, the music and atmosphere between the single and the EP has taken a massive leap forward and has matured along with the band. There is a constant progression towards our next release.


3.Your lyrics cover a great amount of science fiction themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?


Our interest in Sci-Fi all started at an early age with the introduction of films like Star Wars, Alien etc. and books such as Dune - Xander also has an interest in H. P. Lovecraft, a lot of our lyrical themes are built around the idea of combining cosmic horror and fictional alien realms.


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


The name of the band was inspired somewhat by the Atheist album ‘Unquestionable Presence’, one of our favourite records! 


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?


We recently came back from supporting Vektor (US) during their ‘Recharging the UK/Ireland’ tour - that was pretty awesome! Vektor have always being one of our favourite current artists in the Thrash genre, so going out with those guys for the three dates was an out of this world experience (no pun intended). Supporting other artists such as Exodus and Municipal Waste are up there in our highlights! Our stage show is often much faster than on record - so bring a neck brace.


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


2017 is going to see us hitting mainland Europe for the first time, and as always we have plans to tour the UK in-between. We’re pretty excited - keep your eye out for tour dates and festival apperences!


7.The ep was released through both 'Nightbreaker Productions' and 'Fractured Mind Records', are you happy with the support both of the labels have given you so far?


Fractured Mind Records is run by Ryan and Xander - it was founded as a DIY label to help push artists from the UK who we feel deserve the attention! Check out the Bandcamp/Facebook page to hear releases from our friends in Redeye Revival, Desolator and String Villains! Nightbreaker Productions approached us with interest of a re-release of ‘Beyond The Celestial Realms’ with intention to help promote our music throughout Europe, we were very pleased to find that they had interest in our material and have found that working with them is a pleasure.


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


The EP orders have come in from all quadrants of the earth, which was pretty surprising to see! We’ve had very positive responses from new friends, online and at shows, it’s impacting to see our music is inspiring people from all over the place!


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


As for the full length we currently feel no pressure to release anything longer than an extended-play. We hope to be bringing out a two-track release sometime in the first quarter of 2017, expect to hear a heavier themed sound similar to the likes of Gorguts and Revocation - without losing our Sci-Fi signature.


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?


Collectively we all listen to a lot of musical styles - from Hardcore Punk to Folk, although a lot of our current interests are artists such as Gorguts, Revocation, Obscura, Foreseen, Havok, Death and Defeated Sanity.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?


Going on Hikes, No Man’s Sky, Food, Sci-Fi Movies, Sci-Fi Books, Star Wars.


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


Cheers for reading - keep your eyes on our Facebook page/website for updates on upcoming shows, merch and releases!

Carnophage/Monument/Unique Leader/2016 CD Review

  Carnophage  are  a  band  from  Turkey  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Monument"  which  will  be  released in September  by  Unique  Leader.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with t he  sounds  of  humans  being  tortured  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  death  metal  direction  along  with  some  growling  vocals  and  technical  elements  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  in some  parts  of  the  songs.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads are  utilized  they  stick  to  a  very  melodic  style and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  grim  screams.

  Carnophage  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  yet  technical  at the  same  time  and  they  also  display  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  as  musicians,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death  and  torture  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Carnophage  are  a  very  great  sounding  technical  and  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Second  Genesis"  "Unbroken  Fortitude"  "Ode  To  Corruption"  and  "Inertia  And  Failure".  8  out  of  10.