Vulture Wings Interview

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

Me (João Valentim - vocal) and my cousin, Alan Machado (guitar), started the activities of the band in September 2012. Influenced by UK and Swedish old school death metal bands, like: Carcass, Benediction, Bolt Thrower, Entombed, Dismember and At the Gates we wrote the first two songs (Necrophagous Majesty and Walking Corpse Syndrome respectively), and recruited Ted Fernandes (bass) and Wellington Cunha (drums) for the band. We made the first rehearsals adding to the set "Incarnated Solvent Abuse" (Carcass) and "Slaughter of the Soul" (At the Gates). A few weeks later Willian Passos (guitar) joined us.

2.Recently you have released a demo,how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

"Funeral Grounds" is a death metal album basically. "Oath with no Words" the intro, is a song with very melodic and atmospheric guitars. "Tower of Silence" unleashes blast beats and a visceral sound. "Walking Corpse Syndrome" is the longest song in the album. It's the song with more variation too. There's no chorus and bpm changes all the time... "Necrophagous Majesty", is a typical 90's death metal song with blasts and doom parts.

3.The band has been around since 2012 but waited until 2016 to release any music, can you tell us a little bit more about the first 4 years?

Before we find Daniel Escobar (who made the recording, mixing and mastering) in Rio de Janeiro, we recorded in three different studios in our city (Teresópolis), but nothing was satisfactory, two years passed in this process. So in the meantime we did some shows and wrote other songs to be released in the future. In early 2015 we started the actual recording, and the entire production process (recording, mixing, mastering, graphic work and everything else) lasted about one year.

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

I write about about bad feelings, horror, death, other ancient cultures... "Tower of Silence" talks about Zoroastrian Towers, "Walking Corpse Syndrome" is a song in the first person and talks about the horror of the "Cotard Delusion". "Necrophagous Majesty" talks about a dystopian future where the Vulture reigns supreme.

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

We wanted a name with the word: "Vulture". The entity "Vulture" symbolizes very well death metal in our view, so we added "Wings" to become more poetical.

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

Our stage performance is very intense, as we do a few shows we always have a lot of energy to spend on stage, it helps in intensity. We play the songs faster and it creates a stifling atmosphere on the stage.

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

Only a few shows in Brazil. There's no tour plan yet.

8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

Yeah, we're looking for a label, to release our EP "Funeral Grounds" or a future release. "Funeral Grounds" would be released in Brazil in digifile format, but the brazilian label gave up. But now we are open to worldwide proposals.

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

We had little feedback so far, but what we had was very positive in Portugal and in the United States. And in our country the repercussion was bigger and we had a good feedback too.

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

We want to continue playing death metal, but adding many different elements to the sound without restrictions. We always try to do different songs from each other. The EP songs speak for themselves, because they are very different from each other. And we also want to do a concept album in the future.

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?

We are very influenced by the old school death metal, as some bands that we mentioned above. And what we are listening, I will speak for myself: Tribulation, Dead Congregation, Sonne Adam, Necros Christos... some icelandic black metal bands like: Svartidauði, Misþyrming, Sinmara, Naðra... and some brazilian doom metal bands like: Jupiterian, Son of a Witch, Monster Coyote, Saturndust...

12.How would you describe your views on Occultism?

We have curiosity in some themes. Mainly about life after death. But on the whole we approach the subjects in the third person, by the experiences of others.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

I'll speak for myself. Books and movies (sci-fi, horror, philosophy), MMA, NFL and beers!

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

We would like to thank John and Extreme Metal Zine for your interest in the band. And for Brazilians: Gostaríamos de deixar essa mensagem em português para os brasileiros que sei que estão lendo também, obrigado pelo apoio e pela força de sempre! We expect 2016 to be a year of many shows! And in 2017 we expect to release some new material, if possible. Thanks for the support. Necro hailz from Brazil!!!

Diagnosis Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?: Yes, Diagnosis started in 2014 as a personal project by Erubey and Isabel; since we were out of work from our bands respectably we decided to start  in a different style that we were involved at that time. With the pass of the time, and checking the good point of view from people involved in Metal Music Mexican scene; we decided to get it to the next level and then we recruited talented guys to complete the final Diagnosis line up.

2.In July you had released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording? As we mention in several times; Diagnosis takes roots from 90s Death Metal Style mixing it with important modern elements such as harmonic progressions and modal fusions used mainly in jazz and progressive music styles but keeping Diagnosis music into the brutal Death Metal vain.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music? The concept of the lyrical topics on Sympathy for disease is deeply inspired by the testimony written by a critical patient, very important for Sigmund Freud’s investigations and diagnostics. The patient was Daniel Paul Schreber, a German man who suffered psychiatric detention.  The band’s concept is designed and inspired by all people like Schreber, who have psychological and psychiatric disorders. We are thinking about continuing with these topics for the next album, but that we will give news at the time

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Diagnosis'? “Diagnosis” means the art of identifying a disease or illness. The word “diagnosis” has a great power. A proper or improper diagnosis involves healing or death of a patient. So, while reading a text of Freud, it seemed appropriate “Diagnosis” for the band name.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Each show has something different or special. Although specifically, the “Monstruos del Metal Mexicano” fest, and our nationwide venues has been more explosives. We are a band very integrated; our shows are dynamics. We enjoyed the stage!!

The Metal Fests has responded really well with our music, the people identified themselves with our sound and that’s has made them answering with good vibe, it feed us back up and down from the scenario.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?: Yes, we’re working on promote our first studio job named “Sympathy for Disease” with several global managers; and we’re expecting for the best conditions to start to touring at all. Nowadays; we have a nationwide tour in Mexico named “Blasphemy Forces” which will cover the most important places and fests in our Country; it will take place this summer in 2016.

7.The album was released on Db Metal Recording, can you tell us a little bit more about this label? dB Metal Recording is an independent Recording Studio set up 6 years ago; thought to support Mexican Metal Scene engaged with other organization named “Metal Demons”. In which talented bands could record and promote their music in live.

dB Metal Recording has a good tools and music background  to deploy music worldwide; It was founded by Guitarist Erubey diBello; hence the name dB (diBello) and Leo Rodriguez (RIP).

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal? Response to our job has been good; and reviews in some worldwide places has support Diagnosis to start to engage more people to our project day by day; we really appreciate all the fans and people to take a time to listen our songs and we are thanked with them for the following up.




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

Arturo and Ever used to be part of a Melodic Death Band called “Relief of the Souls”. It last 2 years and a half. After that, many projects were tried, which of them had influences of black, death, shoegaze, technic and melodic metal. Nowdays they have 2 tentative projects; one of them is a Grind Death Metal sound called #Trabestia” and the other is a concept of Black Metal that still is in working process

Isabel was important part of Archetype and Cornucopia project; as well in other female fronted bands; so far she is focused 100% in Diagnosis.

Chaak was part of Hyperion band and nowadays he’s focused on Diagnosis totally.

Erubey was part of Mutilated and Hyperion bands; nowadays he’s working separately in a personal project named diBello Project that is based on rock – fusion style; nevertheless; He’s focused on Diagnosis 100%.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future? We have good plans and strategies to continue working and producing during the next 3-5 years; so … it is important to highlight that the band mindset is to transcend in Metal Music; hence we has settled important strategies to establish  market’s intelligence  to continue in the like of the people in future. In more simple words there is DIAGNOSIS for a long period of time.

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?

Technical Death metal is one of the biggest genres with more influence in the band, also the Doom and its variants,

Death, Sepultura, Morbid Angel, Vile, Carcass, Iron Maiden, At the gates, Bolt Thrower is as well a big influence.



12. What are some of your non musical interests?

The regular interests such as Read, watch TV series, follow soccer matches, study, spend time with friends, rehearse, study, read, listen music, read … and so on.


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

Just to thank everybody for following up Diagnosis and be aware about our recent releases and news; please don’t forget to visit our Facebook profile and drop a salute at www.facebook.com/diagnosismx

As well you could find us in ReverbNation at 

www.reverbnation.com/diagnosismx

The Zenith Passage/Solipsist/Unique Leader/2016 CD Review

  The  Zenith  Passage  are  a  band  from  California  that  plays  a  very  technical  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Solipsist"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by Unique  Leader.

  Avant  garde sounds  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  into  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  technical  musical  direction  along  with  soem  death  metal  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  progressive  structures  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  technical  elements  can  be  heard.

  Atmospheric  sounds  and  clean singing  can  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  some  parts  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  the  solos  and   leads  are  very  melodic  and  also  remain  true  to  a  very  technical  and  progressive  musical  style.

  The  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  high  pitched  screams  start  to  be  utilized  a  lot  more  and  they  also  bring  in  a  brief  instrumental  track  that  brings  elements  of  jazz  onto  the  recording  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  sound  while  also  adding  symphonic  elements  onto  the  recording.

  The  Zenith  Process  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal,  technical  and  progressive  sounding  while  also  being  very  original  at  the  same  time,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover the  philosophical  and  metaphysical  idea  of  solipsism.

  In  my  opinion  The  Zenith  Process  are  a  very  great  sounding  technical  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out t his  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Simulated  Reality"  "Metaphysical  Solipsism"  and  "Luminary  Singularity".  8  out  of  10.

   

 

Omophagia/In The Name Of Chaos/Unique leader/2016 CD Review

  Omophogia  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "In The  Name  Of  Chaos"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Unique  Leader.

  Dark  sound  effects  and  spoken  word  samples  start  off  the album  along  with  some programmed  beats  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  direction  along  with  some brutal  blast  beats  and  dark  sounding  melodies  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  give  the  music  more  of  a  technical  feeling  and  high  pitched  screams  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of war  samples  while  a  later  track  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  heavy  and  brutal  style  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  prog  elements.

  Omophagia  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  while  also  being  very  technical  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  present  throughout  the  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violence  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Omophagia  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  and  technical  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Willing  Whore"  "Love  Song"  and  "Wheel  In  The  Engine".  8  out  of  10.  

Fear Factory/Genexus/Nuclear Blast/2015 CD Review

  Fear  Factory  have  returned with  a  new  album  that  continues  the  industrial/groove  metal  sound  of  previous  recordings  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Genexus"  which  was  released  by  Nuclear  Blast.

  Industrial sounds  along  with  spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  album  before  going  into more  of  a  heavier and  symphonic  musical  direction  while  also  keeping  the  industrial  elements  and  after  awhile  aggressive  vocals  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  groove  metal  elements  in  the  guitar  riffing.

  Clean  singing  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow, mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  just  like  the  other  albums  also  avoid  using  any  solos  and  leads  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  some  songs  also  mix  in  elements  of  nu metal  and  metalcore  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Fear  Factory  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  musical  style  that  they  have  been  playing  for  more  than  20  years   and  if  you  heard  the  other  albums  you  know  what  to  expect,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  technology,  science  fiction,  hate,  society  and  anti  religion  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Fear  Factory  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Anodized"  "Protmech"  "Regenerate"  and  "Expiration  Date".  8  out  of  10.

  

Deathtale/Whole World Burns/Terrasound Records/2016 CD Review

  Deathtale  are  a  band  from  Austria  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Whole  World  Burns"  which  was  released  by  Terrasound  Records.

  Atmospheric synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  thrash  metal  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  that  have  a  tinge  of  thrash  to  them  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  melodic  riffs.

  Guitar  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  metal  style  and  the  vocals  also  add  in  a  touch  of  melodic  groove  metal  at  times while  traditional  clean  singing  can  also  be  heard  in  some  songs  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  lot  of  mid  80's  and  early  90's  influences  and  clean  playing  along  with  classical  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  they  also  bring  in  a  brief  instrumental  before  closing  with  a  vocal  track.

  Deathtale  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  melodic style  of  thrash  and  mixes  it  in  with  death  metal  to  create  an  old  school  style  of  their own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Deathtale  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 t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Flesh  For  Sale"  "Before  blood  Flows"  "Warparth"  and  "From  Hell  Deutsch".  8  out  of  10.

 

Burning Hatred/Carnage/Vic Records/2016 CD Review

  Burning  Hatred  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  an  old  school form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Carnage"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Vic  Records.

  Sounds  of  war  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  synths  in  the  background  before  going  into a   heavier  musical  direction  which  also  introduces death  metal  growls  and  morbid  sounding  melodies  onto the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up a   great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's.

  Throughout  the  recording you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  very  dark  and  melodic and  also  remain  true  to  an  old  school  style  of  death  metal  and  the  war  samples also  make  a  return   later  on  during  the  recording  before  making  a  return  back  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very powerful  sound  to  them  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  bring in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking.

  Burning  Hatred  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  old  school  and  rooted  in  the  early  90's  and  also  seems  to  be  heavily  influenced  by  both  the  Dutch  and  Swedish  scenes  of  that  era,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  war  and  anti  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Burning  Hatred  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  "Reign  Of  Horror"  "Religious  Insanity"  "Doomed  City"  and  "March  Towards  Death".  8  out  of  10.      

Apelsinovaya Krevetka Interview

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

The band was formed in Krasnodar (southern Russia) in 2007. The band consists of two
people, I(Dmitry) - guitarist and vocalist and drummer Ilya. For live performances, we
take session musicians. At the moment, we have already released three albums on the
Russian label Irond. Music we have a mixture of death, Thrash. black and various
experiments with other genres of music.


2.In February 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?

While working on the album sound, we were inspired by Gojira, late Soulfly, trying to
make it not too oldschool and not very modern.Our new album "Inbox" It differs from
previous ones in that it has become much more experimentation with non-metall musical
genres. The tenth track was originally conceived as a surf-rock, and then we beat in
the metal, but the bonus recorded it in its original form, using even with saxophone.
It is on this album, I finally got vocal sound that it suited me completely.


3.The band has been around since 2007 and so far had only released 3 albums, can you
tell us a little bit more about the gaps in between releases?

as a band, we began to exist in 2011. By 2011 I consider as a "test". The second album
was released two years later, the third delayed for three years, we have spent more
time working on it.of each song, we are working very hard, trying to make it not look
like the previous ones, it takes a very long time.

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

The first song tells the story of war, about a man who fights for peace in the future,
thus destroying the world in the present. The second song "kelp needs money for new
shoes" performed at the cowboy style of women who live at the expense of men while
giving nothing in return, such as parasites. "juice after the end of the world" simple
post-apocalyptic story. Our lyrics are embracing social aspects, mental disorders,
sometimes direct and undisguised aggression, as an emotional stream of consciousness.

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

When coming up with the band's name and the first song, I did not think how everyone
will go, I just did what seemed right to me. We had some strange, memorable name. It
means nothing, we might be called "grapefruit tumor" or "Tomato Land staphylococcal
grasshoppers" but stopped at the "Citrus Lobster". The Russian orthodox metal society
can not accept such a name, because we play sufficiently heavy music and should be
referred to as a "human bones harvester" or "limb amputation".


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 best show was in Krasnodar, in the city in which we live in the death Black death
fest. In general, we rarely give concerts, this is due to the fact that the
underground in Russia ceases to be interesting, people do not go to concerts. We are
primarily interested in writing music, concerts, this is another matter.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
until the invitations have been received

8.The new album was released on Irond\Molot Records, can you tell us a little bit more
about this label?

a leading Russian label engaged in metal music. in Russia they release on license
Dimmu Borgir, Anthrax, Covenant, Manowar, Behemoth.And of course they release the
Russian bands is engaged in a subsidiary of the Molot.

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

Sometimes the letters in the mail, but we are only now thinking of promoting band
outside Russia.

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

Maybe Times?

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?

metal bands that have influenced me is Pantera, Gojira, Sepultura, Soulfly,
Darkthrone. Slayer, Immortal, Emperor, grindcore bands. Now I listen to Rammstein, I like their approach to composition and academic music, in particular, I was very inspired by Mozart.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

I work as a system administrator, every day I have the install and repairing.I play board games.

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

If you want to hear and understand the Citrus lobster, you have to forget about what you've heard before, all comparisons and parallels violate the integrity of the ideas and the composition of our music.

Apelsinovaya Krevetka/Inbox/Irond/Molot/2016 CD Review

  Apelsinovaya  Krevetka  a.k.a  Citrus  Lobster  are  a  band  from Russia  that  plays  a   mixture  of  death  metal,  thrash  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2016  album  "Inbox"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Irond  and  Molot.

  A  very  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  after  awhile  aggressive  screams  are  added  into  the  music  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  whistling  on  one  of  the  tracks  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  You  can  hear  a  lot  of  hardcore  elements  in  both  the  vocals  and  riffs  and  when  the  music  speeds up  thrash  influences  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while also  mixing  in  the  heaviness  of  death  metal  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid paced  and  fast  parts  and  back  up  gang  shouts  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  most  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  heavy  sound  while  one  song  does  add  in  Asian style  instruments  and  the  last  track  utilizes  acoustic  guitars  along  with  saxophones  briefly.

  Apelsinovaya  Krevetka  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  death  metal,  thrash  and  hardcore  and  mixes  them  together to  create  their  own  style  of  schizo  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Russian  and  cover  anti  humanism,  violence,  psychedelia,  mental/social  issues  and  black  humour  themes.

  In  my opinion  Apelsinovaya  Krevetka  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  metal, thrash  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kelp  needs  Money  For  New  Shoes"  "One  With  Gills  Under  the  Skirt"  "Stuffed  Baggy  Face"  and  "The  Waves Chopped  Sun".  8  out  of  10.    

 
 

Geryon/The Wound And The Bow/Profound Lore/2016 CD Review

  Geryon  are  a  duo  from New  York   that  plays  a  very  avant  garde,  technical  and  progressive  form  of  death  metal  as  well  as  consisting  of  2  members  of  Krallice  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2016  album  "The  Wound  And  The  Bow"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Profound  Lore.

  A  very  powerful  bass  guitar  sound  which  is  also  utilized  as  a  lead  instrument  along  with  drums  start  off  the  album  bringing  in  a  progressive  flavor  to  the  recording  and  when  the music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  the  songs  also  get  very  technical.

  Avant  garde  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  music  in  a  way  they  have  not  been  done  in  the  death  metal  genre  along  with  a  small  amount  of  synths  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  an  experimental  feeling  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  psychedelic  elements.

  Geryon  plays  a  style  of  progressive  and  technical  death  metal  that  is  a  lot  different  than  most  bands  of  this  genre  mixing  in  avant  garde,  psychedelic  and  experimental  elements  while  also  using  the  bass  guitar  as  a  lead  instruments  to  create  something  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my opinion  Geryon  are  a  very  decent  sounding  avant  garde,  progressive,  technical  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  original,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Silent  Command"  "Skein"  and  "The  Wound  And  The  Bow".  7/5  out  of  10.   

 

Comatose Interview

 1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
-Comatose, we started as a 4 piece death metal band here in Cebu City, Philippines that was way back 2003. At first, we were a cover band, the beginning was really funny actually, we had rehearsals in a small room inside our house with no professional equipments. Most of the stuffs we played are from Hypocrisy, some Deicide and Morbid Angel etc. We also went through several line-up changes but the band will stay to its old school death metal influence. As of now there’s 4 of us with Bellz (Guitar) taking up the duties on vocals when our previous vocalist left the band. Milo (Guitar) is also one of the original members and still with the band. Surge (Bass) also joined the band and doing great on it, and Kyndall (drums) who had been playing with couple of band before and later decided to be a full time drummer for Comatose.

2.In 2015 you had released both a demo and a full length, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?
 For me they were both great. How they differ? the ultimate revenge was more aggressive in terms of blast beats and the brutality of the vocals while our new stuff are still  extreme, brutal and the presence of old school is always there, I can't really compare the two release right now until we finish polishing our demos. line up changes can also affect the musical sound but the soul is always there.

3.In between 2010 and 2015 there was no music being released, can you tell us a little bit more about the 5 year gap?
-Yeah! It was really a long time for the band.but to be honest the ultimate revenge should have been released in 2012 but due to some circumstances it was delayed. back in the day those were  really hard times. Milo had to attend to his personal life for his work, at the same time I need to go back abroad to finish a Job contract. But our work did help us a lot. During the time that we are working, we keep some money so we can buy our own equipment for the band because we know someday we will return and we will be more ready to make our materials once again with full force hahah.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
-For our new music it focus on religion, death, darkness, and apocalypse. Lyrics are important for us, we can say that it is also one of the important element for this kind of music. 

5.Originally the band was known as 'Churchburner', what was the cause of the new change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Comatose'?
 church burner sounds to corny.i decided to name the band comatose coz at that span of time i kept on spinning kreator’s coma of soul and their I got the idea, and i think theres is no one else is using that name, there is some but maybe inactive or disband.


6.In the beginning the band started out playing 'Hypocrisy' covers, was this band meant to be a cover band at first before you started writing your own material?
-I think most of the bands started that way as well. Yes I admit Hypocrisy had a great impact on us and in a way we shaped our style specially on the first 3 albums (Penetralia, Osculum Obscenum, & The The Fourth Dimension). Then we noticed that we were improving and the whole situation to look better and better, we decided to make our own materials for our tracks and see if it will be good and turns out it did. Until now we still play cover songs but not that much, just 1 or 2 songs in a set of 8-10 songs every time we have a gig.  

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
I am very sure that was last year(August 2015) in Ilo-Ilo city, coz the sound system was awesome, the crowd was good the promoters was very accommodating, and our performance level was 666% evil!!! Lol... we really love to go back there hopefully if they will invite us again 

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
-Yeah we have a gig outside cebu, that will be on may 28 2016 in Cagayan de Oro. Tour abroad I still don’t know. It would involve a big amount of money, hopefully someday.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?
-Worldwide level??? I think it's still very very low coz’ nobody recognized us outside our country yet but So far there were 5 or 6 reviews I have read and most of the comments were positive, hopefully this will be our stepping stone to be recognized, but honestly  I really don’t give a shit if they put negative feedbacks on our music coz its their own opinion, always remember " you can't please everyone ".  but sometimes we will learn something from the negative feedbacks.

10.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
-Nope, coz every one is quite busy of their individual professions and family, sometimes rehearsal schedule is so damn difficult find.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
-I think we will stick as what we have started. Old school and extreme, but the song's tuning may vary we will be using 7 strings for some of the new stuff i guess. 

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
-Commonly we listen to 70's/80's rock heavy metal to mid 80's thrash/death, now a days I kept on listening this nursery rhymes all day long on youtube coz my kid is the one using my laptop lol. But honestly it depends on the mood sometimes heavy/rock, the next day sinister/death/morbid angel/hypocrisy and so on, I even listen to some Viking stuff like BATHORY.

13.How would you describe your views on Satanism and Occultism?
-For me this two words have different meanings Satanism, the worship of Satan as supreme will and sometimes modern people use this word as freedom or rebelling from a religious groups. While Occultism is a worship of one SELF as the supreme being. 

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
-In behalf of comatose I would like to thank you for the review of our album and spending time doing some questionnaire, To all labels, zines, producers, promoters and etc... try to dig some 3rd world aspiring metal bands, why not give them a chance? I assure you that there are some worth listening.
-LEE "Bellz" L.D.

Imperium/Titanomachy/Ultimate Massacre Productions/2016 CD Review

  Imperium  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that plays  a  very  technical  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this is  a  review of  their 2016  album  "Titanomachy"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Ultimate  Massacre  Productions.

 Atmospheric  synths  and  battle  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  female  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a heavy  and  melodic  musical  direction  along  with  soem  technical  riffing  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  that  get  very  guttural  at  times  along  with  a  few  high  pitched  screams  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  a  technical  style  of  the  genre  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  as  well  as  a  couple  of  brief  instrumentals  along  with  a touch  of  middle  eastern  music  on  some  tracks while the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  heavy and  brutal  sound.

  Imperium  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  technical  and  brutal  while  also  having  its  own  different  approach  to  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Roman  and  Greek  Mythology,  Ancients  and  Wars.

  In  my  opinion  Imperium  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  "Castrate  The  Father  Of  The  Sky"  "Into  Abode  Of  The  Dead"  "Minos"  and  "Titanomachy".  8  out  of  10.

Vulture Wings/Funeral Grounds/2016 EP Review

  Vulture  Wings  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of their self  released  2016  ep  "Funeral  Grounds".

  Sounds  of  flies  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  more  of  a  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  musical  direction w here you  can  also h ear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  on  the  second  track  the  music  goes  into  more  of  an  old  school  death  metal  growls  and  blast  beats  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  screams.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  very  dark  and  melodic  and  the  songs  stick  mostly  to  a  90's  style  of  death  metal  and  the  whole  ep  also  remains  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording  along  with  one  of  the  tracks  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Vulture  Wings  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  dark  and  heavy  in t he  early  90's  tradition,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  despair,  dystopia  an  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vulture  Wings  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  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tower  Of  Silence"  and  "Necrophagous  Majesty".  8  out  of  10. 

 

Scolopendra/Cycles/2016 Full Length Review

  Scolopendra  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death,  thrash  metal  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Cycles".

  Electronic  music  sounds  starts  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  for  more  of  a  heavier  thrash  metal  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  that  also  have  a  hardcore  tinge  to  them  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  High  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  in  the  music  at times  along with  the  riffs  also  adding  melodies  into  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  there  are  also  back  up  gang  shouts  being  into  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  remain  true  to  an  extreme  metal style and  they  also  add  in  some  modern  elements  at  times  and  electronic  music  sounds  also  make  a  return  on  a  later  track  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  a  later  song brings  in  a  brief  use  of  movie  samples.  

  Scholpendra  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  death  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  modern  thrash  and  hardcore  while  also  being  a  lot  more  heavier  than  most  bands  that  mix  these  genres  together,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics cover  philosophical  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Scholopendra  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  metal,  thrash  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Purity"  "Morbid  Psychosis"  "End  Of  Tunnels"  and  "Psychotic  Mass  Murder".  8  out  of  10.

 

Strangulate/Catacombs Of Decay/Transcending Obscurity Distribution/2016 CD Review

 Strangulate  are  a  band  from  India  that  plays  a very  raw  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Catacombs  Of  Decay"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Transcending  Obscurity  Distribution.

  A  very  dark  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with some  guitar  leads  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  brutal  direction  that  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  death  metal  growls  and you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on t he  recording  while the  riffs  also  mix  in  morbid  sounding  melodies.

  High  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  brought  into  the  music  they  give  the  songs  more  of  a  90's  death  metal  style  and  the  whole  album  also  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording. 

  Strangulate  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  brutal  while  also  always  remaining  heavy  and  being  balanced  in  between  both  the  old  school  and  modern  side  of  the  genre,  the production  sounds  very  professional  while the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Strangulate  are  a very  great  sounding  raw  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE "Primordial  Execution"  "Orchestrated  Massacre"  and  "Catacombs  Of  Decay". 8  out of  10.

   

   

 

Diagnosis/Sympathy For Disease/Db Metal Recording/2015 CD Review

  Diagnosis  are  a  band  from Mexico  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Sympathy  For  Disease"  which  was  released  by  Db  Metal  Recording.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  after  a  few  seconds  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  blast  beats  are  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  and  90's  influences  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  an  old  school  style  of  death  metal  and  some  of  the  riffing  also  brings  progressive  structures  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  bass  also  being  used  as  a  lead  instrument  at  times  and  the  whole  album  also  remains  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording  while  there  are  also  some  modern  elements  to  be  heard  at  times.

  Diagnosis  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  mostly  rooted  in t he  old  school  style  while  having  some  modern  traces  and  a  more  powerful  bass  guitar  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Diagnosis  are  a  very  great  sounding  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Seclusion"  "Diagnosis"  "Sympathy  For Disease"  and  "Stigmatized".  8  out  of  10.

 

    

 

Uttertomb/Sempiternal/Pulverised Records/2016EP Review

  Uttertomb  are  a  band  from  Chile  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Sempiternal"  which  will  be  released in  April  by  Pulverised Records.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy sounds  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  drum  beats  and  tremolo  picking  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  and after  a minute  death  metal  growls  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  along  with  a  few  screams  and  the  leads  also  start  getting  more  dark,  morbid  and  melodic  sounding.

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  it  brings  in  more  of  a  raw  style  of t he  genre  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  Swedish  influences  and  the  songs  also start  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  also  remaining  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording  along  with  both  tracks  being  long  and  epic in  length.

  Uttertomb  plays  a  musical  style  that  is very  dark,  heavy  and  old  school  while  also  adding  in  their  own  touch  to  create  a  style  they  call 'Necrological  Death  Metal',  the  production  sounds  very  professional while  the  lyrics  cover  death  and  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Uttertomb  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  "Excarnation".  8  out  of  10. 

The Beast of Nod Interview

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

We’re a very cohesive group; we’ve all become really good friends over time and spend a lot of time hanging out even when we’re not practicing.  We make a point of going to as many shows as possible and love being a part of the local scene.  For us, this band is just part of who we are.  We practice a lot both as individuals and as a band, are constantly striving to improve ourselves, and we really like to have fun with everything and try to bring that to the music as well. 

2.So far you have released 2 ep's, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?

Simply put, musically we are a Death Metal band but lyrically we are a bit eclectic.  We focus on having a mix of aggressive, progressive, and technical riffs; and we always incorporate groove.  The two EPs differ in that the second EP has songs that have more complex composition and the EP is more technical overall.    

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrics the band brings out in the music?

Some are more traditional death metal lyrics and are specific upon that, for example Ripped Off Face is a proper description of how one could actually rip a face off.  Others are about a concept or idea, whether it be greed and consequence or artificial life becoming self-aware.  The rest are story driven and are about one or more of the characters in our comic book universe and the situations they get into; thus far these have been our most complex songs. 

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'The Beast Of Nod'?

When we were first brainstorming a lot of things came up, but we wanted to have something that spoke to our music.  So from that we came up with ‘Nod’ because we always incorporate groove and our music makes people ‘nod’ their heads, then soon after The Beast of Nod came about.  The secondary meaning, which we discovered after the initial inspiration, is that in some citations the ‘Land of Nod’ is where Cain was sent after he killed Abel in Christian mythos.  In the ‘Land of Nod’ there were ‘beasts’ which were essentially demons, sometimes called by specific demon names, but the coming of the ‘beast of nod’ to earth is a sign of the coming apocalypse. 

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

Truthfully we are still at our infancy as a performing band.  We’ve been lucky enough to play a couple shows with international acts, but really we just like playing out and are still discovering what it means to be a good live act through watching our peers, our heroes, as well as just applying good old trial and error.  We work hard at being objective and evaluative of every live show we play and are constantly striving to improve in every way we can.  We don’t so much see this as a journey that will ever be complete either, just like with the music, we’re always going to want to improve our live show and bring it to the next level.  We have a lot of fun at local shows, ones where people are all part of a community, there’s just nothing like that.  One thing we try to push is crowd participation, whether it’s Brendan jumping in the pit during a breakdown or Paul jumping off stage and running around the crowd singing we simply don’t just let people stand there. 

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

We have a number of local shows coming up and do plan to travel a bit this summer to gig and are hungry for more.  As we continue to grow we hope to be able to gig as much as possible in as many places as possible. 

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

We have received some interest, nothing substantive yet.  We love the community aspect of music and would be very interested in any relationship we could develop that may lead to us being able to create and play more music. 

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

Not even going to try to bullshit that we have a worldwide appeal, we hope to someday.  Although we have had some interaction from people from the Philippines, China, Russia, Mexico, Argentina, and various European countries; albeit a relatively small number it’s incredibly encouraging, as thus far all the feedback we have received has been positive. 

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

I see us continuing to involve more progressive elements; we plan to record again in the fall where we’ll be upping the technicality while still providing heavy driving rhythms. 

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?

Our influences are all over the place, but some staples are Cannibal Corpse, Carcass, and Gojira.  We’ve been listening to a lot of Dying Fetus as of late.  And we jam on different covers a practice including Megadeth, Sepultura, Motorhead, Liquid Tension Experiment, Rush, Dethklok, and Death. 

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Görebläster does circuit design, among a number of other things.  Thus far he’s built a dynamic programmable Metal Metronome with led displays for practice and a guitar pedal called the Hyperanal Hyperdrive that we will be selling at our local shows; and he plans to build several other styles of pedals in the future on top of working on some new pretty awesome ideas.  He’s an incredibly hard working good dude.  Brendan is a huge Star Wars fan, enjoys reading Thoreau and Emerson, and he likes beer, preferably dark beer.  Nate is a Batman nut, likes his cats, and doing pretty much anything outdoors, like hiking and drinking beer.  Paul is comic book fan, likes anime and the 80s, is socio-politically conscience, and goes to the gym a lot. 

12.Before we wrap up this interview do you have any final words or thoughts?
Be open, be inclusive, stay metal, and bang your head!  Playing metal and performing live are incredibly cathartic for us, we live to share that experience with as many as possible. 

MUFA Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
1 - Well, we are MUFA, from São Paulo, Brazil, the band started in 2008, we were friends that used to smoke weed together and listen to metal and hardcore music. At this point we decided to start a band because we have this musical affinity. Some changes of members along the time, but the band still on this same lineup since 2011. Last year 2015 we recorded our debut album Brutality Show and for us was a great experience to record our original songs after this long time with the band. It was something that we used to dream about and then we finally got it. And the result was awesome for us about our first album.
2.How would you describe your musical sound?
2 - It's hard for us describe how is our sound. I think that is something between death, thrash and hardcore styles, at least is what we can hear when we stop together to listen our music. But we just do our music without thinking in how it will sound or what genre it will englobe.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
3 - I think that our music is a reflect of society which we live. We talk about drugs, violence, corruption, crimes, with a few of humour. But all of them have meanings behind. Like "Junkie Pride" for example, this song explores how society judge someone about his addictions or the way that people looks like. You know, a kind of judgement just because your way of living is different of others. One of our favorite lyrics is "Gold", this one have no meaning behind, it's just saying that we love weed, the name came from the type of weed we buy in our hometown it's called gold weed, hahaha.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'MUFA'?
4 - The name is a slang that means weed, haha. Some people think it's a anagram for "fuma" word that means "smoking" in portuguese, but isn't.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
5 - Our first gig was very memorable, we played with Nervochaos a great band here from Brazil. Other gig that we liked was with Test and Nuclëar Fröst in the same venue. Sometimes we play in great places and other times in small places, but it's always awesome to play and meet other persons and bands.
I think our stage perfomance is very heavy, at least our vocalist is a heavyweight frontman, and with his growls and the other instruments together people really enjoy the sound. And in ours gigs we play a version of Antichrist song of Sepultura, it's awesome, people really like old stuff.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
6 - At the moment we have some gigs here in our hometown São Paulo, and we are looking for more venues to play and spread our sound. Our plans to future are share and spread a lot our sound, play a lot, release some new material and try to tour in others countries.

7.Currently you are unsigned are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
7 - Yes, we are sending our album to labels around the world, but we haven't received offers yet. Here in Brazil we have few labels interested in that kind of sound and it's hard to the undergrounds bands get a sign.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal and hardcore?
8 - It's a great surprise for us, we are sharing our music with people of different countries and is amazing that people got interested.
I guess we're having a great feedback of people from other countries.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
9 - We hope get a sign with some label to record a new album, we have a lot of new songs ready to be done. Our plans are touring in different countries and meet new bands and friends, new cultures. I guess we want to have a lot a fun with the band, hahaha.

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?
10 - Our songs are very influenced by metal, hardcore and some brazilian music. There are some bands that was very important at the beginning of our sound, like Cannibal Corpse, Sepultura and Hatebreed. Nowadays we have listened to a lot of different genres of music and bands.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
11 - Well, we work a lot, hahaha.
Everyone in the band dedicates a lot of time in ours personal jobs to pay our bills and studying, some of us are teachers, it's a great job. In our free time, we like to drink some beers together and talk a lot of bullshit, hahaha.

12.before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12 - We want to thank you a lot for this interview, it was a pleasure for us.
And for everyone who wants to get more infos about the band, can enter in our website: http://www.mufa666.com/
Cheers from Brazil to The True Bringer of Death Zine!

Terrordome/Chaos Synopsis/Intoxicunts/Defense Records/2016 Split CD Review

 This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Poland's  Terrordome  and  Brazil's  Chaos  Synopsis  called  "Intoxicunts"  which  was  released  by  Defense  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  split  with  Terrordome  a  band  that  plays  a  brutal  form  of  crossover/thrash.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  old  school  thrash  metal  sound  along  with  all  of t he  musical  instruments  sounding  powerful  while t he  faster  sections  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  you  can  also  hear  melodies  in  the  riffing  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  hardcore  punk  style  yells.

  Back  up  gang  shouts  can  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  guitar  leads,  the  production  on  their  side  of  the  recording  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  social  issues,  pathologie's and  booze  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  Terrordome  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  mixture  of  crossover  and  thrash  and  if  you are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Nothing  Else  Fuckers"  and  "Beerbong  Party".

  Next  up  is  Chaos  Synopsis  continuing  their  mixture  of  death  metal  and thrash.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts out  with  a  very  heard  and  heavy  thrash  metal  sound  that also  uses  a  small  amount  of  melodies  while  the  solos  and  leads  also bring  in  more  of  a  mid 80's  extreme  metal  style  which  also  leads  to  understandable  death  metal  growls  being  added  into  the  music  and  the  leads  also  have  a  very  technical  feeling  at  times.

   You  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that are  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a great  mixture  of slow, mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  touch  of  modern  thrash  and  they  also  close  their  side  of  the  split  with a  cover of  Metallica's  "Damage  Inc",  the  production  sounds very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  chaos  and  serial  killer  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Chaos  Synopsis  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  death  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Fire  On  babylon".

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

         

Chaos Synopsis/Seasons Of Red/Black Legion/2015 CD Review

  Chaos  Synopsis  are  a  band  from  Brazil that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Seasons  of  Red"  which  was  released  by  Black  Legion.

  Acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  more  distorted  and  melodic sounding  leads  making t heir  presence  known  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  a  heavier  thrash metal  direction  which  is  more  closer  to  the  modern  side  of t he  genre  while  still  having  a  bit  of  the  old  school  aggression.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  vocals  are  mid  80's  style  death  metal  growls  that  have  have  are  understandable  enough  for  the  thrash  crowd  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  tribal  music and  exotic  female  vocals  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  music using  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  after  awhile  solos  and  leads  return  on  some  of  the  songs  and  also  gives  the  music  even  more  of  an  old  school  death  metal  style.

  Chaos  Synopsis  plays  a  style  of  death/thrash  that  is  more  rooted  in  the  mid  80's  while  also  having  more  of  a  modern  take  on  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  chaos  and  serial killers  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Chaos  Synopsis  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  "Gods  Upon  Mankind"  "Brave  New  Gold"  "State  Of  Blood"  and  "Four  Corners  Of  The  World".  8  out  of  10.

   

   

Rotten Repugnancy/Harbringers Of The Last Judgemenet/CDN Records/2015 CD Review

  Rotting  Repugnancy  are  a  band from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  brutal  form  of death  metal  with  a  touch  of thrash  and this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Harbringers Of The Last Judgemenet"  which  was  released  by  CDN  Records.

  Distorted  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording.

  A  lot  of  old  school  death  and  thrash  metal  elements  can  be  hear d in  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and fast  parts  and  high  pitched s creams  can  be  heard  in some  parts  of t he  songs  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  while  the  music  is  rooted  in  the  mid  80's  and early  80's  it  still  mixes  in  a  lot  of  the  more  modern  and  brutal  sound  and  on  the  last  track  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  spoken  words  are  added  into  the  music

  Rotting  Repugnancy  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  mixes  both  the  old  school  and  more  modern  brutal  style  together  with  a  touch  of  thrash  which  makes  the  music  stand  out  a  lot  more,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  doom,  blasphemy and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Rotten Repugnancy  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  brutal  and  old  school  death  metal  with  a  touch  of  thrash  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Desert  Storm"  "Hollowed  Beast"  and  "Godless  World". 8  out  of  10.   

 

Slave One/Disclosed Diotropic Principles/Dolerum Records/2016CD Review

  Slave  One  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  very  progressive  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  2016  album  "Disclosed  Dioptropic  Principles"  which  will  be  released  on  March  25th  by  Dolorem  Records.

  Melodic chants, atmospheric sounds,  tribal  beats  and  exotic  female  vocals  start  off  the  album  and  also mix  in  with  the  heavier  sound  a  few  seconds  later  along  with  all  of t he  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  you  can  also h ear  a  lot  of  prog  elements  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls.

 Spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  briefly  while  some  of  the  riffs  get  very  melodic  at  times  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  bring  in  more  of  a  technical  style  to the  bands  musical  style  and  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  when the  music  speeds  up  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  clean  playing  and  some  songs  also  shows  the  music  getting  a  little bit  more  experimental  while  also  adding in  some  traces  of  Hindu  music  and  spoken  word  parts.

  Slave  One  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  progressive  and  technical  sounding  while  the  band  also  has  more  of  an  original  approach  to  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while t he  lyrics  cover  philosophical,  esoteric  and  metaphysical  themes.

 In  my  opinion  Slave  One  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  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Antikythera  Mechanism"  "For  Shiva  Whispered the  Universe"  and  "Degenesis".  8  out  of  10.

  

  

   

Ferium/Behind The Black Eyes/2016 CD Review

  Ferium  are  a  band  from  Israel  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  death,  groove  metal and  metalcore  and  this  is  a  review of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Behind  The  Black  Eyes".

  Clean yet  distorted  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  thy  also  add  in  metalcore  style  aggressive  vocals  and  death  metal  growls  and  you can  also  hear  some  melodies  being  mixed  in  with  the  guitar  riffing  and  they  alos  add  in  more  of  a  modern  groove  metal  style  at  times.

  When  guitar  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  give  the  songs  more  of a  technical  edge  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  clean  playing  also  makes  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  one  of  the  tracks  being  all  instrumental  while  a  couple  of songs  also  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Ferium  creates  another  recording  that  takes  groove  and  metalcore  and  mixes  it  in with  the  heaviness  of  death  metal  while  also  being  very  modern  at  the  same  time,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  personal  relationships.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ferium  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  death, groove  metal  and  metalcore,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Power  Is  All  That  Matters"  "Losing  The  Grip"  and  "A  Free  Man".  7/5  out  of  10.

 

Valgrind 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?
"Speech of the Flame" is finally out, so we only have to concentrate on promoting it in the best way possible. We already played at the "Speech of the the Flame" release party and tested the new songs on stage. We are now looking forward to play more gigs to present the new album properly.


2.Recently you have 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?
Of course we did not change the main characteristics of our sound, but this time we approached the songwriting in a different way. The first album was written solely by Massimiliano, while "Speech of the Flame" has been a more collective effort. The songs have more impact and the structures are a little bit more straightforward. At the same time we created more complex solos and harmonies, I think Massimo and Massimiliano really did their best on this one.


3.This is your first album in 4 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
We were forced to make some line-up changes, Massimo and Gianmarco were recruited just after the release of "Morning will come no more" and they had to learn the old tracks in order to be ready for the live performances. Once we stabilized the band we started working on the new material. After we created and recorded it we had some problems with the previous label and everything was delayed. We were lucky to enter in the Lord of the Flies recs rooster, Cristian was a fan of the band and immediately showed the will to release the album as soon as he could.


4.The lyrics cover the darkest side of ancient Mediterranean civilities, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those topics?
This time we wanted a main lyrical  theme and Massimiliano suggested the ancient Greek and Mikenes cultures. These civilities were part of our history and their myths permeated all the Mediterranean cultures. We are Italian so we can still breath this legacy, specially in the south where the band was founded 20 years ago. Me and Massimiliano wrote all the lyrics, I think they fit the music perfectly.


5.The bands name from Norse Mythology, are the band members also interested in Paganism?
Not really, the band name has been chosen in 1995 by a guy who is not even in the band anymore. I think it represents the power of the band's sound very well but it's not really related to our thematic anymore.


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?
To be honest I would say that the most recent shows are the best. We have improved dramatically in terms of cohesion and our live performances are getting better all the times. Our shows are definitely simple and based only on the brutality and darkness of the music.


7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We have a couple of show in italy planned on may, we will confirm them as soon as possible. It would be great to visit some European countries again, we played in Germany and Sweden in the past and it was a blast. Anyone who is interested in arranging something can contact us at paintingtheabyss@gmail.com


8.The album was released 'Lord Of The Flies Records' can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
It is a new label runned by scene veteran Cristian Colonna. He released only quality material so far and we trusted him immediately. He was a fan of the band since the release of our first album, it's great when you find a label where you are not only a number among others.


9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?
So far our music has been well reviewed and received everywhere. Anyway "Speech of the flame" has just been released, so we are curious to read the comments. I hope that we can build a bigger fan base and start making some serious tour to bring our music everywhere.


10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the other band members are a part of?
Me and Massimo play in Hateful, a Death Metal band with a more Technical twist. We have played For the first time outside of Italy this year in January. We are currently working on a third album and trying to organize another minitour in Europe. Gianmarco, the drummer is busy with the hardcore Italian legends Raw Power and also Massimiliano works with a couple of local bands. We are busy guys eheh.



11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We definitely don't want to repeat ourselves. With this new album you can hear a strong progression in terms of songwriting and with the next album we hope to do the same. I think it will be a balanced mix of killer riffs and dark, majestic melodies.  We already have a couple of new songs to rehearse and I am sure we are going in the right direction!


12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Since day one we were voracious listeners of the early nineties Florida Death Metal. Massimiliano is a Morbid Angel, Pestilence and Death addicted (just like myself) and we grew up with that sounds in our mind. Having said that there are more external influences like Classic metal, Doom and some Black Metal stuff here and there. Vocally speaking I tried to make "Speech of the Flame" more diverse  using different vocal styles from song to song. I always loved "Blessed are the Sick" vocal approach, where each song has it's own "pitch".




13.What are some of your non musical interests?
I am a painter and decorator, so I'd say everything related to visual arts is my main interest together with music. You can check a selection of my works at www.facebook.com/danielelupidiartist .


14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks for the interview! We recently released a video clip for "Tyrants" , you can check our facebook page www.facebook.com/valgrindband. We can't wait to see you guys on the road. Thanks for the support!!!