Bizarre/Inner Necropolis/Xtreem Music/2016 EP Review

  Bizarre  are  a band  from  Spain  that  plays  an  dark,  brutal  and  old  school  form  of  death metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Inner  Necropolis"  which  was  released by  Xtreem  Music.

  A  very  dark  sounding  piano  and  demonic  vocals  start  off  the  ep  bringing  in  the  atmosphere  of  a  horror  movie  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  and  darker  direction  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  while  spoken  word  parts  are  also  heard  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.  

  High  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  also  sounds  like  it  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  release  during  that  era  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  they  also  mix  a  few  seconds  of  keyboards  in  with  the  heavier  parts  and  you  can  hear  a  lot  of  influences  from  the  underrated  bands  of  that  era  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  while  the  main  focus  remains  on  a  heavier  style. 

  Bizarre  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavy,  brutal  and  old  school  bringing  in  some  of  the  Finnish  influences  along  with  some  of  the  other  forgotten  bands  of  that  era,  the  production  has  a  90's  sound  to  it  while  the  lyrics  cover  death  and  iner  demon  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Bizarre  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  "Damp  Earth"  and  "Inner  Necropolis".  8  out  of  10.

Damage Source/...Come Deterioration/The Crawling Chaos Records/2016 Cassette Review

  Damage  Source  are  a  band  that  started  out  in  more  of  a  Teutonic  style  of  thrash  metal  with  a  touch  of  the  Bay  Area  sound  but  have  evolved  into  more  of  a  death/thrash  metal  style  on  this  recording  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016 ep  "...Come  Deterioration"  which  was  released  by  the  Crawling  Chaos  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  cassette  and  adds  in  an  old  school  thrash  metal  section  a  few  seconds  later  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  once  the  music  speeds  up  death  metal  growls  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.

  At  times  the  riffs  can  be  very  melodic  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  true  to  an  old  school  style  of  thrash  and  the  songs  have  a  mid  80's  to  early 90's  feeling  where  death  metal  was  still  evolving  out  of  thrash  and  the  whole  ep  remains  hard  and  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Damage  Source  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to t he  thrash  style  of  previous  recordings  but  takes  it  in  a  heavier  direction  by  mixing  it  in  with  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  Satan  and  aggression  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great sounding  recording  from  Damage  Source  and  if  you  re  a  fan  of  death  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  cassette.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Erection  Of  The  Cross"  and  "Into  Grind  Storms  Of  Flesh".  8  out  of  10.


     

Backdawn/I Shall Burn Your Empire/2016 Full Length Review

  Backdawn  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death,  thrash  and  groove  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  released  2016  album  "I  Shall  Burn  Your  Empire".

  Sounds  of  war  start  off  the  album  along  with  soem  aggressive  screams  a  few  seconds  alter  which  also  takes  the  music  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  melodic  guitar  elads  making  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  elements  of  groove  metal  can  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  blast  beats  and  back  up  gang  shouts  are  added  into  the  music  giving  the  music  more  of  a  thrash  feeling  while  the  growls  add  elements  of  death  metal  into  the  music  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  clean  playing  can  also  be heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  mount  of  melodic  singing  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem  while  some  songs  add  in  prog  and  djent  elements.

  Backdawn  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  death  metal,  modern  thrash  and  groove  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  elements  of  prog  and djent  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  profesisonal  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  apocalyptic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Backdawn  are  a very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death,  thrash  and  groove  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "You  Raised  Me  To  Fall"  "The  Path  To  Glory"  "Condemned  To  Suffer"  and  "Kill  Yourself".  8  out  of  10.   

Gorgosaur/LurkingAmongCorpses/Memento Mori/Lurking Among Corpses/2016 CD Review

'  Gorgosaur  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  an  old  school  style  of  Swedish  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Lurking  Among  Corpses"  which  was  released  by  memento  Mori.

  Dark  sounding  pianos  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  introt he  music  goes  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  along  with  the  fast  parts  using  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  vocals  are  done  in  a  death  metal  growling  style  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  style  of  Swedish  death  metal. 

  Melodies  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  are  2  different  vocalists  in t he  band  with  different  styles  of  growling  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  samples  while  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recording  and  released  more  than  20  years  ago  and  when  guitar  leads  are  finally  utilized  they  remain  true  to  an  old  school  Swedish  death  metal  and  pianos  also  make  a brief  return.

  Gorgosaur  plays  a  style  of  Swedish  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early 90's  style,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  death  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Gorgosaur  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  Swedish  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical genre,  you  should  check  out t his  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Terror  Incarnate"  "Pyromaniac  Narrations"  and  "Burial  Of  Rats".  8  out  of  10.   

Area Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We founded Area in 2014, after our previous band kind of fell apart. We’ve decided to try something heavier and darker than before (we’d played old school thrash with our previous band). We also tried to introduce a different model of work (in short: more music, less screwing around), and to focus on writing more complete tracks, both in terms of music and lyrics.

2.Recently you have released a demo, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
It’s definitely very raw. I’d say it reminds me of a debut album from Decapitated (especially the drum sound). I gotta say, I would’ve produced it in a slightly different way, but actually this way it has some character, and I think it also fits well to the overall raw feeling of the whole recording. Also we’ve introduced some electronic ambience and samples, especially in “Awaken…” to add a slightly more “cinematic” vibe, and steer the tracks towards the lyrical themes more accurately.

 3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
When writing the lyrics, my goal was to write something unsettling and disturbing. The general topic of the whole thing would be misanthropy and hatred towards humanity. Personally I don’t hate mankind, although I am critical, but this approach is mostly an artistic choice, made to “darken” our image. Also this topic is represented in a different way in each song. We’ve got a general approach in “Human Distortion”, then something about human experiments, machines slaughtering men, nuclear warfare, and the final track (being sort of an outsider) is about a dream that I’ve had long ago.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Area'?
I don’t know if there’s any deeper meaning. None that I’d know of. We had some trouble agreeing on our name, and in the end we decided to pick up something very ambiguous that would make people think “What the hell?”. Having come to a conclusion that weird things make people uneasy, we named our band “Area”. Makes sense.

 5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Alas, we only performed once. The idea was to add some visual aesthetics to the shows to complete the feel of the music itself. We wanted to play wearing hoods and surgical masks. Unfortunately, we didn’t do it then, because it was too hot there. We still tried to play while being very still and emotionless, as that was the part of the aesthetic.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Right now, no. Don’t know about the future tho.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We’d love it if anybody were eager to release our tracks. Right now we’re sending out our material wherever we may, and hoping for some results.

 8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?
I don’t think we can talk about “worldwide level”. We’re a local band, barely anyone knows we exist. The few people that listened to our music seem to like our sound. That may be the start, and we’ll keep trying to reach anyone craving for some raw, brutal death metal.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I have honestly no idea. Right now, there’s not much going on in the band, so I can’t really tell where we’d be in the future.

 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?
There’s definitely some classic death metal in our influences. Bands like Obituary, you know. As a drummer, I also tried to add some technical vibe, not unlike Decapitated. Results were mostly limited by my skills. As for the musical taste, I can’t really speak for my bandmates. Personally, I listen to many various genres of music, especially progressive rock/metal, death or thrash metal, but also some ambient or shoegaze. I think having a broad interest in music, may get you far, regardless of the genre you want to play. The influences are everywhere if you look for them.

 11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Again, I’ll get personal here. Other than playing/composing music  I write lyrics, sometimes paint and engage in nearly pathological hoarding of useless items (claiming they have “a sentimental value”). I also study psychology, and play video games. A lot.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
To whom it may concern, stay creative!

Area/Obsolete Flesh - Part I/2016 Demo Review

  Area  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  demo  "Obsolete  Flesh  Pt.  I'.

  Dark  soundscapes  and spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  demo  and  after  a  few  seconds  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  brutal  and  old  school  death  metal direction  along  with  some  growling  vocals  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90s  and  high  pitched  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  true  to  an  old  school  death  metal  style  and  elements  of  thrash  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  spoken  word  samples along  with  electronic  sounds  also  return  briefly  while  the  main  focus  remains  on  a  heavier  style.

  Area  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  rooted  in  the more  brutal  side  of  the  early  90's  genre  along  with  a  touch  of  thrash,,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Area  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  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Subject"  and  "Radioactive  Sun".  8  out  of  10.   

Horricane Interview

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

It's been fairly busy and we're really on a roll! The EP "Synthetic Forms" is part of a bigger project and all the work we have been doing with the release will eventually lead to the release of a full album. So as it happens we're promoting the EP, booking new gigs, rehearsing for both live performances and studio work - all at the same time!

2.Recently you have 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?

Massive. It's pretty damn massive and I can say with all confidence that it is a very good sampler of how our next album will sound like. We are very happy with the whole process, especially mixing and mastering at the acclaimed Fascination Street studios. In my personal opinion the new stuff is much more mature in riffs and I'm glad to hear the craftmanship of all musicians shines through. We're looking into the lower end of the sonic spectrum and the accompanying synths and samples are less orchestral and more into the eerie atmosphere of the tracks.

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

It looks like I'm doing most of the lyrics now and as the concept of the EP revolves around the relation between Man and technology and how this will inevitably lead to a clash. Let's just say that I'm betting on metal, rather than flesh and bone. The album will continue on that path with some gloomy revelations.

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

It's just a play of words - a devastating hurricane meets a touch of horror and there you have it!

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?

The best shows are yet to come! That's really not just a a joke, but with the lineup we have now, we're crossing new boundaries. The band has a vivid history with lots of festivals and support roles for Fear Factory, Behemoth, Obituary, Napalm Death... and others, but eyes are on the future and we're getting even better with every passing gig.

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

Absolutely. We don't know how far the road will take us this year, but we're very open for all suggestions and we love playing in new places. We have confirmations for some of the main metal festivals in the Baltics and a row of club gigs where we promote our EP.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you open to working with another label again in the future?

Now that we have the EP in CD form we're doing our best to find contacts all over the industry and hopefully this will result in a deal with a dedicated label for the full album. It's easy to get a disc out these days, but not that easy to find a reliable partner that believes in your music and doesn't just release a small batch for the sake of trading and longer roster of bands on their website.

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

Nowadays everybody is so connected and it's great to receive attention on all continents, even if it's in small numbers. The feedback has been exclusively positive, but that's no wonder since nobody's gonna bother writing you how much they think you suck! So it's been great and we're just getting started.

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?

We've all been in various metal bands and project since the '90s. Some of these bands have been quite well established in the scene, but right now Horricane really takes the cake for all of us. With so much stuff happening there is not so much time for other bands, but I'm still an active member in bands like Tharaphita, Aggressor, Manatark.

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

We are very much hoping to have the release ready this year and the EP is the best indication of our current heading! Check us out at https://horricane.bandcamp.com/ and watch our video "Synthetic Forms" on YouTube.

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?

People would be thinking we're hiding something if we didn't mention Gojira, Morbid Angel, Behemoth... Favourite bands of the week: Skuggsja, Batushka, Alder, Ulcerate, Oceans of Slumber, Solution.45, Avishai Cohen

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

From IT to martial arts, literally! Music is sometimes both work and hobby and I am very often mixing bands, booking and promoting bands or just helping with production at major gigs.

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

Horrrrns up!

Epidemia/Leprocomio/Satanath Records/2016 CD Review

  Epidemia  are  a  band  from  Ecuador  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  an d this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Leprocomio"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Satanath  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  morbid  sounding  melodies,  death  metal  growls  and  brutal  blast  beats  and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  a  pure  style  of  death  metal w hile  also  having  their  melodic  moments.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  while  the  music  has  its  roots  in  the  old  school  style  they  still  bring  in  more  of  a  modern  day  brutality  and  the  whole  album  also  remains  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Epidemia  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  brutal  and  also  mixes  both  the  modern  and  old  school  style  together,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  terror,  corpses  and  massacre  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Epidemia  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  and  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Retribucion  Homicida"  "Agonistes  En  El  Infraumando"  and  "Existencia  Repulsiva".  8  out  of  10. 

Inferior/The Red Beast/Big balls Productions/2016 CD Review

  Inferior  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2016  album  "The  Red  beast"  which  was  released  by  Big  Balls  Productions.

  Aggressive  vocals  and  heavy  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  the  vocals  also  using  growls  and  you  can also  gear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  the  riffing  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  when the  music  speeds  up  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  they  also  mix  in  both  modern  and old  school  influences.

  Throughout the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  even  more  of  an  old  school  extreme  metal style while  also  being  melodic  at  the  same  time  and  the  80's  and  90's  influence  start  taking  over  more  as  the  album  progresses  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  on  later  tracks  a  touch  of   traditional  metal  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  leads.

  Inferior  goes  back  to  the  mid  80's  and  early  90's  style  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  mix  them  together  while  also  bringing  in  more  of   a  modern  touch,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Inferior  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  "Expressed  in  Murder"  "Divine  Spectres"  "Above  The  Surface"  and  "The  Righteous  Will  Rise".  8  out  of 10.   

Fractured Insanity 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?

Hi mate! We started recording the album in summer 2015. First the drums, then guitars and bass and last the vocals. Everything was recorded at our drummer’s studio. In November 2015 everything was sent to the Hertz Studios in Poland for mixing and mastering. Our previous record Mass Awakeless we recorded from beginning till end at the Hertz Studios, but we couldn’t make it this time to take 14 days off and go to Poland. End February 2016 the mix and master was done and sent to our label Xtreem Music from Spain. In the meanwhile we were very busy putting up gigs, rehearsing the songs, printing shirts, making promo etc.- So we want to promote the album as much as we canAt this point we have 5 shows ready to promote our new album. Only yesterday we got the news we can do a gig to support Cattle Decapitation, which is very good news!



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?

Every Fractured Insanity album is different. Our first album When Mankind Becomes Diseased was pure US death metal, Suffocation, Pyaemia, Disavowed like. Then our second album Mass Awakeless had a more modern Polish death metal feeling, more like Decapitated, Behemoth, Vader, but also some Necrophagist. It was more technical. This new album still has that Polish death metal sound, but is less technical. There is more groove in the album, more melody,  some more old school parts as well. You can hear some Morbid Angel Domination influences, but also Behemoth, Hour of Penance, some Gojira. There are even black metal parts and progressive parts, we wanted to put the best we can of different metal styles on the album. We didn't want to play only deathmetal in the vein of..., no if some progressive stuff sounds awesome, why not.



3.This is the first album to be released in 6 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?

After the Mass Awakeless release in 2010 we did a lot of gigs, in Belgium, UK and The Netherlands. We played together with Avulsed, Basement Torture Killings, Beheaded, Carnal Decay, ... All to promote our album. Then in 2011 Didier, our bass player (plays now in Gotmoor), decided to quit the band. We had to find another one, which became Tom. He played 1 year with us and stopped also and he joined Storm upon the masses. In 2013 Fafa our vocalist also stopped, so we had to find another bass player and vocalist. We found that in Stefan, who combines the both. It took a while to get him ready with the old songs, plus writing new songs.



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

We have lyrics about terrorism, Ancient Rome, inquisition, anti-religion, …



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

We were looking for words that in a way were powerful as word itself, on the other way words that describe the music we wanted to make, the impression it gives to people. After some philosophical moments (at the bar) the word Insanity seemed not that bad. In that time Kenny also broke his wrist, so that explains the "fractured" part .



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?

Some of the best shows? We always liked playing in the UK. Most of our shows in West-Flanders (our homebase) are also legendary. Houten Deathfest, Limburg Deathfest, London Deathfest, ... (yeah we like deathfests :))

Our stage performance is very intense. We want to play the songs as perfect as possible, so we take playing live serious. But we also have fun on stages and we interact with the audience. The most important is that everybody is having a good time, and that after the concert people are impressed with what they just heard.





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

The next month we have 3 release shows planned. Then we'll have a support gig for Cattle Decapitation and a festival in October. Other then that we are talking about doing another weekend tour in the UK.



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

For us it's always funny to see people from for example have our album in countries like Indonesia. Then again, our label has good distribution, so it gets everywhere. We always got good feedback so that's really nice. We love to have our music/merch spread all over the world!



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?

Ignace play also the drums in Gotmoor (fast black metal), Darkest Mind (melodic black metal) and session drums with Svartsyn (Swedish black metal) and Aguynguerran (melodic black metal).





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

Not easy to say. We always play what we like at that point. Maybe some more classical influences? Doesn't matter, as long as it kicks ass.



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?

Ignace: In fact I like many kinds of metal, but mostly extreme metal. My favourites are Nokturnal Mortum, old Dub Buk, Skyforger, Morbid Angel, old Hypocrisy,  Dawn (Swe), Mörk Gryning, Sacramentum, Mgla, Falkenbach, Priest, Type o negative, old Korrozia Metalla, ...

Stefan: going from Hardcore (Madball and so on, H8000 scene from Belgium from the 90’s) to Death Metal (Morbid Angel, Obituary, …) to classic stuff, more jazzy, …

Kenny: I listen to everything: pop (Abba, Adele, Coldplay), Jazz (specialy early jazz: bop, swong, cool), metal (Fleshgod, Behemoth), lots of classical: Bach, Villa Lobos, Scarlatti, Mendelssohn, Beethoven,...

Daems: I listen to a lot of music, going from pure death metal like Horrendous, Gruesome, to more black metal like Deathspell Omega, Ihsahn, Dodheimsgard, Abigor, hardcore like Congress and Hard Resistance or classical music like Stravinsky, Holst, Mussorgsky, ...



12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Reading, nature, traveling, renovate my house, technology, history, sports, …





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

Thanks a lot fort he interest and the interview! We hope a lot of fans keep supporting underground death metal and keep buying albums and attending gigs! Get over to our FB for more info about the new records, for more reviews and interviews. Get in contact for your copy of MAN MADE HELL, or go to www.xtreemmusic.com !

Horricane/Synthetic Forms/2016 EP Review

  Horricane  are  a  band  from  Estonia  that  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  with  horror  movie  style  keyboards  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self released  2015  ep  "Synthetic  Forms".

  A  very  heavy  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  melodic  riffing  along  with  some  clean  singing  and  death  metal  growls  and  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  awhile  keyboards  become  a  part of  the  music  and  takes  the  music  into  more  of  an  atmospheric  direction  and  you  can  also  hear a   touch  of  modern  metal.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  fashion  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic in  length  and  spoken  word  samples  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  a  touch  of  industrial  can  also b e  heard  in certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  music  sticks  to  mostly  a  mid  paced direction.  and  as  the  ep  progresses  there  is  a  few  seconds  of  clean  singing  and  blast  beats.

 Horricane  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  death  metal  but  also  adds  in  modern  metla a nd  industrial  elements  along  with  keyboards  which  makes  their music  stand  out  a  bit  more,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Horricane  are  a  very  great  sounding  keyboard  orientated  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Synthetic  Forms"  and  "Leper  nation".  8  out  of  10.   

Burning Hatred Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Currently we are preparing us for the coming shows and the release of the album. And we have started to play around with some riffs for new songs.

2.In April you have a new album coming out, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
The sound is heavy and brutal but clear. You can hear all of the instruments, but it doesn’t sound soft. In the past we have used the same kind of sound, but without the clearness. It sounded good, thick and heavy but you couldn’t always hear the difference in the instruments.
Musically wise we play faster then we used to do and used that to make more variety with the slower songs/parts.

3.This is the first album  be released in 5 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
There were some lineup changes that always needs time to get the band ready again for shows. And we were forced to change a couple of times from rehearsal place. We’ve always had our own place, so every time we need to rebuild this.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
Most of the lyrics on the “Carnage” deal with genocide, mass murders and massacres, in time of war or with a religious or political background. It goes from witch huntings centuries ago till the recent ongoing war in the middle east. There’s a lot of rotten history mankind created and still creates. Enough inspiration for us to write about.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Burning Hatred'?
An enormous intense feeling of hate is what it means. It sounded good when we came up with that name and fitted the music and lyrics. Most of the lyrics deal with pain and suffering that people inflict on each other mostly because of hate.  

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?
Stonehenge 2014, 2 shows we did in 2008 with Dismember, Nice To Eat You Deathfest in 2015, maybe not the best musically, but these are the ones with the best memories.
Our stage performance is one big ride of headbanging and an explosion of death metal with some slower parts to give the audience a moment to get a sip of beer, before we all get crazy again.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
In the week of the release date we will do a show with Nile and a small festival with God Dethroned. We are planning some more shows for this year and some festival appearances for the end of this year and next year. Their are some plans for a small tour, but nothing is determined yet.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?
Most of the people that are into Old School Death Metal like it. The first reviews are in and the bigger part of them are very positive. As always, some people are complaining about the fact that it’s not original, not renewing, etc. but that doesn’t matter, we play what we like and that is what counts.

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?
Gerben is busy with writing a new album with Phlebotomized, René is doing shows with Abrupt Demise, Marc is in the middle of recording an album with Condolence and I am recording an album with Anarchos.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We play and always will play old school death metal, we are just getting better in writing, composing and playing it. No surprising changes of style!

11.What are some of the bands or musical style that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
The swedish and dutch death metal from the nineties is what we all like and something we listen to, so that’s where most of the influence comes from. For me personally it’s bands like Dismember, Grave, Carnage, God Macabre, Asphyx, Autopsy, Vomitory, Unleashed, Bolt Thrower, first Darkthrone, Kaamos, Kreator and more.
Nowadays bands like Slaughterday, Mordbrand, Entrapment, Bombs Of Hades, Chapel Of Disease, Cruciamentum, Demonical, Eternal Mortification, Rotten Casket, Bastard Grave, Vanhelgd, Krypts and a lot more.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
The rotten history of the world, speciality beers and cooking (BBQ).

Killing For Company Interview

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

We all live in Trondheim, a small city in Norway and we met about 10 years ago when we all where playing in other bands and decided then to record some songs together.

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?

The sound on the album was important for us. We are old school people and play old school death metal. We wanted the atmosphere and sound to pull you back in time. No plastic drums!

3.The band was broken up for 10 years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?

Good question! I can't remember... we recorded some songs 10 years ago, never did anything about them and 10 years later Tom (Guitarist) reached out again. We where all like.. ok we got some killer tracks we never published so lets record these new ones and go for an album.

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

War and Chaos

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Killing For Company'?

Tom W  took the band name from a book he read many years ago. He just liked the name, the way it has two meanings.

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?

We never play Live with this band. It is more like a project.

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

No.

8.On the new album you had a few quests, can you tell us a little bit more about who they are and their contributions to the recording?

We've many guests on this album:

* Stian Kråbøl is the brother of our drummer Terje. They used to play together in Minas Tirith, and now they both play in Sarke. He play the opening lead on the album.

* Øystein Haltbakk and Andrè Ulriksen are Tom's bandmates in Exeloume. They play the leads at the end of "God of Malice". First Andrè, second Øystein.

* Per Spjøtvold plays keys and he also did the design for the album. He plays in a lot of bands/projects. Multiartist.

* Daniel Olaisen from Blood Red Throne plays lead on "Iron Coffin".

* Siv Lena Laugtug Sæther plays fiddle on Frontal Assault. She used to play in Lumsk, a well-known band in Norway. She now plays in Woebegone together with Per Spjøtvold.

* Andrè Krokstad was the original guitarist in Killing For Company. Plays lead on House of Hades, and all guitar on the three last tracks. Hopefully he will be back full time for the next album.

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

I've seen a few  reviews coming inn.

It's a good feeling to read and hear people tell you they love your work.

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

My other band KHONSU is releasing a new album this year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loJYmoquI7k

Terje K played drums on the new Sarke album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDkqpijpX4o&index=2&list=PLzYSbdKt4Tksdr7RbLJ35wIdwNbgLBiIC

Tom W is working on new Exolume album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq1j5B-c_ZE

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

Hopefully we will make more music in the future.

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?

Well, We all grew up listning to alot of heavy music, and we all like the more groovy slow and heavy type of death metal, even though some of the tech death metal bands are very good.

So it was just natural that KFK went in the same direction.

Personally I listen to everything from Whitesnake to Bathory.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Trying to force our kids to keep they're shit together and I love to have a beer and play videogames.

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

Nothing special... Just hornz up you know and thanks to everyone out there that support music, and buy albums or digital music.

Vibrion/Bacterya/Xtreem Music/2016 CD Review

  Vibrion  are  a  band  from  Argentina  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Bacterya"  which  was  released  by  Xtreem  Music.

  Dark  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  along  with  the  voices  of  tortured  souls  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  heavy  musical  direction  that  uses  a  great  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  use  an  80's  style  of  death  metal  growls  that  is  almost  close  to t he  more  extreme  side  of  thrash  metal.

  Most  of  the  music  is  rooted  in  the  old  school  style  of  death  metal  while  also  mix  in  some  of  the  modern  brutality  and  the  songs  also b ring  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  an  early  90's  death  metal style  along  with  some  Morbid  Angel  influences  and  some  of the  riffing  also  brings  in  dark  sounding  melodies.

  One  track  bring s in a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  and  movie  samples  and  all  of t he  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  clean  playing  can  be  heard  briefly  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  while  some  of  the  heavier  parts  use  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  a  later  song  also  brings  in  a brief  use  of  cello's  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a heavy  and  brutal  style  while  avant  garde  sounds  can  also  be  heard  briefly. 

  Vibrion  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  with  a  vocal  approach  that  is  almost  close  to  thrash  while  the  music  still  has  enough  brutality  to  fit  in  with  the  modern  days,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  murder,  rotting  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vibrion  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal,  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Day  Of  Replication"  "The  Walls  Of  Caffra"  "Bacterya"  and  "Mutant".  8  out  of  10.

 

Imperium Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band the recording of the new album?
The new album 'Titanomachy' is coming out soon. It's been mixed and mastered by the awesome Chuck Creese and we're very happy with the result! The guitars, drums and bass had been recorded a while before I was recruited, so my part of the recording was quite simple. Come into the studio for a weekend and lay down vocals! We tracked the lot in two days, and that was that.

The wait is almost over now, so we can finally show everyone what we've been up to!


2.You have a new album coming out in May, 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?
This album feels very intense. There is an element of light and dark, slow brooding riffs and fast frantic ones, but the core sound is very unrelenting. The speed rarely let's up, whether it's from the riffs, blasts, or shredding lead guitar playing. I tried to rival this intensity vocally too, throwing a variety of blackened screams and low gutturals into the mix. There are gang chants to fit the themes of the lyrics, along with speedy passages too.

The real difference in sound I think stems from the themes, which come across heavily in the lyrics. The sound has changed here too though, with very grand passages of orchestral sounds, female vocals and samples of warfare and violence. It's a real musical journey, just a very fast and violent one.


3.This is the first album to be released in 4 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
With line up changes and injuries, Mike had to take his time preparing the new material. The songs have been a long time coming, and without a vocalist things took longer to find completion. I was contacted last year, and since then things have begun moving along at a steady pace.


4.The lyrics deal a lot  with Greek and Roman Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
The debut album covers the bloody history of the ancient Romans. It's a great topic to cover, and there are a lot of themes that are very applicable to death metal. 'Titanomachy' moves further back. The Roman gods where lifted from the gods of the ancient Greeks, and their mythology holds a great wealth of tales of bloodshed, monsters and war. It's always been a passion of mine, and I jumped at the chance to scribe an album dedicated to this topic.


5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Imperium'?
'Imperium' roughly translates as 'power to command'. It was a term used in ancient Rome use to describe the ability of military leaders, worthy of leading.


6. The new album is coming out on 'Ultimate Massacre productions, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
The label was started by Mallika Sundaramurthy and Serge Rhino of 'Abnormality' and 'Epicardiectomy' respectively. Both of the pair have their feet firmly planted in the underground death metal universe, and are out to support up and coming bands in the scene. With 'Imperium' being based in the UK and two label representatives based in the US and Czech Republic, it's quite a global project.


7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?
Well it's the first album to be released in 4 years, so we will have to let you know after May 7th! But judging by the reception from the debut, we're hoping for the best!


8.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?
I play drums for Unfathomable Ruination and do vocals for Inebrious Incarnate. Unfathomable have just finished recording our second full length and Inebrious are hitting the road next month, with plans for a release maybe later this year.


9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Imperium in it's current form is a two man studio project. It would be great to see the band fully formed on the next release, with a drummer and bass player. It's an exciting possibility, and one we may well be exploring in the near future.


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?
Myself and Mike listen to a broad variety of music, inside and out of metal. For Imperium itself, the band takes influence from the themes and riff styling of bands like Nile and Behemoth. We try to take these sounds and turn them into a marching Roman war machine!


11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Mike is heavily into working out. From running marathons to 100km bike courses, he is addicted to exercise! It makes me feel bad for enjoying beer and video games so much! I also run a music video company called Visceral Video, and of course play drums!


12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Cheers for the support, and I hope everyone enjoys the new album when it drops on May 7th!

Devilz By Definition Interview

Answers by - Shawn Mailloux  (Mailbox) in collaboration with Devilz By Definition
>
> 1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
>
> "We are one big giant family with very different backgrounds and all possess "comic book like" character traits. For example, our singers name is Mailbox (Shawn Mailloux) - he is the messenger, lyrically he tells the story behind the music in a way that is relatable to almost any circumstance. Our rhythm guitar player is Popz (Bruce Munro) - he is like a father figure to all of us and is responsible for alot of our sound. Our bass player is an Alien (Mat Dobbin) - he is out of this world..literally, and surprises us very often with his abilities. He is very quick witted and if your not on your toes he will abduct you with his mind. Our drummers name is McThrashTits (Jimmy Mackinnon) ...well we will let you figure that one out, and finally our lead guitar player is Couv (Jamie Couvillon) very intelligent, and understands music like mathematicions understand math."
>
> We are just 5 guys from Windsor Ontario Canada who decided to play music and are bringing our entire family with us for the ride"
>
> #DevilzFam
>
> 2.So far you have released a full length and an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is present on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?
>
> "We have definitely grown as musicians and even made a couple of last minute changes to the line up trying to procure this specific sound. The Devilution strongly represents where we have been and where were going and has extreme passion into the evolution aspect, where as, The Rape of a Czar, was more of a story to be told in the form of music then a definition of our sound. During this time we were in lineup change - Shawn Mailloux had just stepped out from the drumkit after 3 years of service and became our frontman so, there was a very different direction added to our sound. We all adapted well and when we introduced some new members we finished writing The Devilution. It was different because the music was just so much heavier because of the passion behind it. and now we are just building on that."
>
> 3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
>
> "Lyrically it's a journey into a part of the mind that is sometimes not explored. Past, present and future events are often touched on, all leading up to a point where everything is brought to the table of ones self, and then left to question.The music amplifies the words and structure of the lyrics - more passionate words bring heavier musicality. All in all, It is a self awareness/ understanding of everyday topics with the only answer being your own interpretation of the context."
>
> 4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Devilz by Definition'?
>
> "First of all, it is a very controversial name. I mean in this day an age the word DEVIL is a touchy subject but we are only Devilz By Definition.
>
> The premise is that evil is sometimes preserved as good in the eyes of the watcher of the sociological realm. Risk and reward, conscience and guilt, evil and good, they are all interpretations of an idea that someone or something is and will be. The Definition of a Devil is much less explored so we are the product of that ideal, you need to explore the Definition Of Devilz before you can understand Devilz By Definition."
>
> 5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
>
> "That would have be Squirelfest! What an incredible adventure that was. Everyone knew everyone and we all camped out for a whole weekend of music and family. There was like 20 bands and we knew all of them so the support was incredible. We had our merch table in the forest and set it all up on a tree. There was lots of traffic to the "Jungle Merch Table" for hangouts, games, FrizballFootBe - (our combination of frizbee and football) of course, some black tooths for dime! We ended up headlining that event and had the time of our lives.
>
> As for our stage performance..well it's just something you gotta see. All we can tell you is it's very high energy and full of crowd involvement. By the time we get off stage we will have hoped to engage with the audience enough for them to have a good memory with us and we make sure to give gratitude for that particular moment in time. Were usually on stage for 25-45 minutes. and in the duration of our performance lots of awesome things happen.
>
> you can view a video clip from that amazing weekend here
>
> https://youtu.be/6uClXEC5HzM
>
> 6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
>
> Most current show is our
> CD RELEASE SHOW
>
> April 22 2016 @ The Dominion house tavern
> Windsor Ontario
>
> after that we are going to be hitting the road with this album and traveling all the way out to Oshawa by june. We are currently booking shows after June 17th and we are really excited to get out there and meet new and awesome people.
>
> you can follow us on Facebook to find out where we are playing next.
>
> www.facebook.com/devilzbydefinition519
>
> 7.The new album was released on CDN Records, are you happy with the support they have given you so far?
>
> "Oh yes we are very happy with the result. CDN Records is doing a stellar job and they believe in this album just as much as we do.
> We are up to our eyeballs in inquiries and we are completely happy to let the world know who we are".
>
> 8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme metal?
>
> "So far the response is almost overwhelming. People are really digging the new album and that's all that we could have hoped for. The support we are receiving is incredible and the kind words are very humbling".
>
> 9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
>
> "Our main focus is to grow our family and one day gather them all in one place to share the adventure with them. We do not carry elaborate goals or wild ambitions about our careers nor long for extravegence. We just want to share our heavy metal vibe with our family of music lovers. and be known for that fact alone".
>
> 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?
>
> "There is a little bit of everything mixed in with us, our genre discrimination is very minimal and we respect all art in it's entirety. Some are hip hop backgrounds, like LL Cool J, DMX, Immortal Technique, Eminem. Others are Trivium, Amon Amarth, Pantera, Megadeath, Iron Maiden Lamb Of God, Parkway Dive, Even the greats like like Pink floyd, Jimmy Hendrix, i mean the list is long and there's no way I could get them all.
>
> What were listening to nowadays is new and upcoming bands anything we can support.
>
> I mean we still dabble in the roots but we also take great pride in supporting our local scene. Bruce Munro alone owns over 100+ Band T-Shirts from bands we have
> encountered in our journey".
>
> 11.What are some of your non musical interests?
>
> "Bruce Munro is a artist, he can draw very well and also has done many tattoos. Mat dobbin is a K9 whisperer, he trains dogs to learn German commands and does so very well. Shawn Mailloux is very wrapped up in the buisness world building a company from a trade he learned from bruce. Jamie Couvillon is a family man and takes care of his fatherly duties and jimmy Mackinnon enjoys computer programming and graphics design."
>
> 12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
>
> "Yes, We would like to thank you for your time and it was an absolute pleasure answering these questions. We are so grateful for all the support we are receiving and we hope you know a little bit more about us after reading this interview.
>
> DevilzFam Is Huge! We Will See You Soon"

First Fragment/Dasein/Unique Leader Records/2016 CD Review

  First  Fragment  are  a  band  from  Quebec,  Canada  that  plays  a  neo-classical  influenced  form  of  technical  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Dasein"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Unique Leader  Records.

  Drum  beats  and  a  very  fast  and  technical  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  guitar  leads  that  also  demonstrate  a great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  and  after  a  few  seconds  death  metal growls  make t heir  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  At  times  the  music  can  be  very  brutal  and  high  pitched  screams  can  also  be  heard  in  some  sections  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  the  solos  and  riffs  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  classical  guitars.

   Bass  guitar  leads  can  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  as  the  album  progresses  elements  of  flamenco  music  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  there  are  also  a  couple  of  instrumental  tracks  while  on  some  of  the  later songs  the  music  starts  getting  more  avant  garde  and  experimental  and  a  lot  of  the  music  brings  in  more  of  a  progressive  death  metal  style  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  a  couple  of  songs  towards  the  end  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  samples.  

  First  Fragment  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  technical,  progressive  and  brutal  while  also  mixing  in  neo-classical  style  guitar  leads  as  well  as  being  very  experimental  which  also  makes  the  music  sound  a  lot  more  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  metaphorical  themes,  abstract/expressionistic  poetry,  and  ongoing  conceptual  saga  themes.

  In  my  opinion  First  Fragment  are  a  very  great  sounding  neo-classical,  technical  death  metal  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  that  is  original,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dasien"  "Emergence"  "Gulu"  and  "Evhron".  8  out  of  10. 

Scolopendra Interview

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


Thomas: Hello my brother I’m the singer, I’m with Olivier the bassist and Maxime the guitarist and former band. We are working on the second album, we even wrote already all the songs, and we've started to play some of the songs at rehearsal.

Olivier: yeah we have approximatively worked on half of the album now.


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?


Thomas: This is our first LP, we wanted to bring something unhealthy and deviant to our music.
We wanted to make something more elaborate and more mature than before, and especially, we wanted more coherence.

Olivier:  It's maybe why we made a concept album haha


3.The band has been around since 2006 but so far has only released 1 ep and 1 full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap in between releases?


Maxime: Ho yeah this gap is because a lot of lineup changes that made us stagnated during certain periods.

Olivier: Normandie is a place in France whom stole 2 guitarists from Scolopendra! By the way "Hi" to Florian and Brice our Normand friends

Thomas: Yes! now we have a new guitarist, Yves from the band "Corrosive Elements" but we are still looking for a drummer!


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


Thomas: The words are centered on the human psyche and its dysfunction, and some lyrics speak about invisible suffering.


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


Thomas: Scolopendra represent a weird and capricious creature that lives deep in your mind, hidden in the shadows of your mind whom manages your consciousness.

Maxime: and it's also a very powerfull, ferocious and a gross insect haha


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?


Thomas: I think the best shows was at “La Machine Du Moulin Rouge”

Olivier: For sure and at “La cigale”.

Maxime: Yep there was a good mix of sound, very professional, we moved like crazy and the public were headbanging as fuck! What Else?


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


Maxime: Not for now, but we are soon  looking for it.


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


Thomas: We have not contact a label for now, but for the future maybe it will be useful for promotion and tourning.


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


Thomas: Haha I don’t think anybody outside of France know us right now, we hope very soon because of album promotion.


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


Thomas: We want to increase our level of technicality and creativity in our new compositions.

Olivier: For sure, the second album will be like the best pieces of the first album but with new rhythm and melodies.


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?


Maxime: We have a big tasteful panel, but the main influences are Sepultura, Slayer, Metallica, Emperor

Thomas: Cannibal Corpse, Meshuggah, Napalm Death,

Olivier: Pantera, Morbid Angel, Mayhem, Necrophagia, and many more!


12.What are some of your non musical interests?


Thomas: Beers, tattoos!!!

Olivier: haha for sure

Thomas: sport sometimes haha

Maxime: yeah soccer!!! And horror movies haha

Thomas: painting, travel, barbecue... science… So cliché haha


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


Thomas: Listen to good music and if you can, enjoy life

Olivier: Stay tuned for the second Scolopendra LP

Maxime: See you soon on stage!!!

Godless/Centuries Of Decadence/Transcending Obscurity Distribution/2016 EP Review

  Godless  are  a  band  from  India  that  plays  a  traditional  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Centuries  Of  Decadence"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Transcending  Obscurity  Distribution.

  A very distorted  yet  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  touches  of  thrash  and groove  metal  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up a   decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  also  has  more  of  a  modern  approach  while  some  old  school  influences  can  be  heard  and  ound  effects  are  also  added  briefly  towards  the  end  of  the  recording.

  Godless  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  aggressive  while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  thrash  and  groove  metal  which  also  makes  the  music  stand  out  a  bit  more,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Godless  are  a  very  great  sounding  death  metal  band and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Infest"  and  "Oneiros".  8  out  of  10.    

  

 

Killing For Company/House Of Hades/Via Nocturna/2016 CD Review

  Killing  For  Company  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "House  Of  Hades"  which  will  be  released  on  April  30th  by  Via  Nocturna.

  A  very  heavy yet  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  solos  and  leads  that  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  start  making  their  presence known  on  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up   a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can be  heard  and  the  vocals  also  use  screams.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  keyboards  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  one  songs  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  violins and  some songs  also  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  Killing  For  Company  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  owes  a  lot  to  the  90's  Swedish  style  but  bring  in  a  different  approach  by  adding  in  keyboards  which  also  makes  the  music  stand  out  a  bit  more,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  religion,  war,  torture,  death,  fictional  and  non  fictional  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Killing  For  Company  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS INCLUDE  "God  Of  Malice""Frontal  Assault"  "House  Of  hades"  and  "Marching  In  Step  With  Death". 8  out  of  10.       

Without Mercy/Mouichido/2016 EP Review

  Without  Mercy  are  a  band  from  Vancouver  B.C,  Canada  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  technical  death  metal,  groove  metal  and  metalcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  ep  "Mouchido"  which  is  actually   a  re-recording  of  their  2014  ep  with  their  new  singer.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  screams  before  adding  in  elements  of  metalcore  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  the  more  aggressive  side  of  groove  metal  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Melodies  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  but  throughout  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  the  songs  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  the  mid  tempo  sections  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  metalcore  style  breakdowns  while  later  songs  also  bring  in  a  more  technical  side  and  the  whole  ep  also  sticks  to  a  heavy  sound  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the recording and  the  last track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Without  Mercy  retain the  same  style  of  the  original  version  while  the  vocals  are  a  little  bit  more  different  and  an  improvement  from  the  original  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Without  mercy  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  groove,  death  metal  and  metalcore,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "In  Waves"  and  "Morphine". 8  out  of  10.     

Dominhate/Emissaries Of Morning/Lavadome Productions/2016 EP Review

  Dominhate  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Emissaries  Of  Morning"  which  will  be  released  on  April  22nd  by  Lavadome  Productions.

  Dark  electronic  sounds  start  off  the  ep  giving  the  music  a  ritualistic  feeling  along  with  some  distortion  in  the  background  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  very  fast  and  brutla  death  metal  direction t hat  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  morbid  sounding  melodies  as w ell  as  a  great  amount  of  90's  infleunces.

 Vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  along  with  a  few  high  pitched s creams  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of t he  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  while  the  solos  and  leads  remain  true  to  a  more  darker  style  of  death  metal  and  while t he  music  is  rooted  in  the  old  school  style  it  still  has  some   of  the  more  modern  brutality  and  the  last  track  is  long  and  epic  in  length.    

  Dominhate  plays  a  style  of  death  metal t hat  is  more  rooted  in t he  darker  and  evil  side  of  the  genre  while  also  having  a  great  amount  of  heaviness,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dominhate  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Awakening  Confessiones"  and  "Creation Quies  Monumenti".  8  out  of  10.

 

Fractured Insanity/Man Made Hell/Xtreem Music/2016 CD Review

  Fractured  Insanity  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  very  technical  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Man  Made  Hell"  which  was  released  by  Xtreem  Music.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  and  when  the  music speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  riffing  can  also  get  melodic  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  Polish  influences  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  High  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  very  technical  while  also  having  its  melodic  moments  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  while  the  music  is  very  modern  you  can  still  hear  some  90's  influences  at  times.

  One  track  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  classical music  elements  before  making a  return  back  to  a  more  brutal  direction  while  classical  guitars  can  be  heard  briefly  on  later  tracks  and  some  of  the  heavier  riffing  also  utilizes  tremolo  picking  and  Gregorian  chants  are  brought  onto  the  last  track  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  that  have  almost  a  ritualistic  feeling  to  them  and  the  song  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Fractured  Insanity  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  traditional  while  also  being  very  technical  and  also  having  a  very  modern  and  brutal  approach  to  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  anti  christian,  death  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Fractured  Insanity  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  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Blame  Of  Humanity"  "Man  Made  Hell"  and  "Suicidal  Holiness".  8  out  of  10.        

Solinaris Interview

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

The project started out a couple of years ago when Bernard and I were thinking about getting back together to write music. We wanted to make something different, by mixing up a lot of musical styles, many different influences, etc. It started really slowly. We wrote a lot of stuff, and finally decided to approach some musicians, well known on the Quebec musical scene to collaborate in the confection of "Deranged".

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

Different, we hope. In the sense that we just didn't want to just copy/paste any specific musical genre. Instead, we wanted to "create" something new, or at least, try to make something original and hard to categorize while staying fluid and musical. And that's why we don't really want to stick to one particular style. I guess Avant-garde and progressive would be good categories encompassing the major part of our sound.

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

Writing music, recording music, drinking scotch while writing music, moving, having kids, all other members also have bands and musical projects so it took quiet a while to complete the album. But, the next one will come out sooner than in 4 years (we hope so).

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

It's a conceptual album telling the journey of a serial killer, placing the action in the last seconds of his life , remembering his life as a killer. It's about the hatred of human kind.

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

Solinaris is a derivation of "Solaris" which is pertaining to the sun, or solar. We wanted something to evoke the power and the essence of life and death. This is where Solinaris comes from.

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

No shows, Solinaris is a studio project!

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

No.

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

So far, quiet good. People seems to be responsive to our style. There will be people who hate us, others who like us. We make music first for us, then we share it to everyone with great pleasure and pride, no matter what people say.

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?

They are all pretty active. Even if some are disbanded, or more on a stand-by mode, Lucas, our drummer, is involved in a lot of other projects, same with Jonathan, our bassist, who plays in a Pink Floyd tribute band called Dedicated Sound. J-D's band Deviant Process is pretty active too.

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

In my studio, chilling and making music, drinking scotch, smoking cigars and enjoying life.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

There are many bands, and I wouldn't want miss one, you know. We listen to a lot of stuff, from classical music to the most extreme metal, to blues and jazz, funk, redneck music, movie scores, etc.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

I think I spoke about Scotch and cigars, right? Enjoying life would be the best description we could give. Hiking, hunting, shooting stuff, listening to movies, hanging out with friends, etc.

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

Of course. We would like to thank everybody who supported us. Thank you! It's more than appreciated!