Trauma/Invisible Reality + Promo 1991/Deformeathing/2015 Compilation Album Review

  Trauma  are  a band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  very  traditional  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  a  2016  compilation  that  contains  their  1992  demo  "Invisible  Reality  plus their  1991  promo  which  will be  released  as  a single  album  in  July  by  Deformeathing.

  Epic sounding  synths  start  of  the  compilation  and  after  the intro  the  music  starts  getting  a  lot  more  heavy  along  with  some  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  vocals  are  all  death  metal  growls  while  the  music  also  sounds  very  extreme  for  the  era  it  was recorded.

  All  of  the  solos  and  leads  remain  very  true  to  a  death  metal  style  while  also  being  very  melodic  at  times and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  when  synths  make  their return  they  give  the  music  more  of  a horror  movie  atmosphere  and  the  bonus  track  brings  in  thrash  and  punk  elements  along  with  a  melodic  choir  while  the  songs  on  the  promo  show  a  return  back  to  death  metal  and  a  lot  of  the  songs  on  the  promo  are  the  more  original  and  raw  versions  of  the  tracks  that  appeared  on  the  demo.

  Trauma  played  a  style  of  death  metal  in  this  era  that  was  very  much  true  to  the  style  of  the  genre  was  going  into  at  the  time  while  having  more  of  a  raw  approach  than  the  better  known  bands  of  that  time, the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  serial killers,  violence  and  anti  religion  themes.     

  In  my  opinion  Trauma  are  a  very  great sounding  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out t his  compilation.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hidden  Instincts"  "Escape  Into  The  Shadows"  "The  Dawn"  and  "Human  Race".  8  out  of  10.

Moss Upon The Skull/The Scourge Of Ages/2016 EP Review

  Moss  Upon The  Skull  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  very  progressive  and  organic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  ep  "The  Scourge  Of  Ages".

 A very  dark,  heavy  and  dissident  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  clean  playing  being  utilized  at  times and  the  vocals  are  death  metal  growls  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  music  can  also  be  progressive  at  times along  with  a  decent  amount  of  melodic  riffing.

  Clean  singing  vocals  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  and  atmospheric  sounds can be  heard  at  times  while  the  solos  and  leads  stick  to  a  very  melodic  yet  progressive  direction  and  on  the  later  tracks  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  songs  stick  to  mostly  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction.

  Moss  Upon  The  Skull  creates  a  style  of  progressive  death  metal  that  is  more  organic  and  dissident  than  most  bands  of  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Moss  Upon  The  Skull  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Morbid  Glory"  and  "Turiyan  Wrath".  8  out  of  10.  

  

Ajatus/Blood 666/Downfall Records/2016 CD Review

  Ajatus  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Blood  666"  which  was releeased  by  Downfall  Records.

  Demonic  voices  start  off  the  album  along  with  the  atmosphere  of  a  horror  film  and  after  the  intro  the music  goes  into  a  very  heavy  and  old  school  death  metal  direction  that  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  some  grim  screams  and  growls  and t he  music  is  rooted  in  the early  90's  Swedish  tradition.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized t hey  are  very  dark  and  melodic  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  there  is  also a  brief  use  of  melodic  chanting  and  the  songs  also  bring  back  a  lot  of  rawness that  has  been  missing  from  the  genre  in  years  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use of  clean  playing  can  be  heard  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  on  the  outro.

  Ajatus  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  old  school  tradition  while  also  having  more  of  a  raw  edge  than  most  of  the  bands  in  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  Swedish  and  cover  darkness,  blasphemous  and metal  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ajatus  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  "Blood  666"  "Karkass" "Assasinator"  and  "Ajatus".  8  out  of  10.

   

  

Iraconji Interview

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

Established in 2009, Iraconji is a 5 piece Death/Thrash metal band from Nashville TN. Members included Matt Chadwell (guitar), Drew Jones (guitar), Nathan Yarroll (bass), Hardy Hardison (vocals), and Kyle Caldwell (drums).

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

The album is a mixture of death and thrash metal with elements of classic metal and a drop of black metal.

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

We mostly cover the subject of war from all periods of history but also cover topics like zombies, jellyfish and unfortunate one-night stands.

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

Iraconji is named after the Irukandji jellyfish. Box Jellyfish are the most poisonous creatures on the planet, and the Irukandji is the smallest and most venomous of all the box jellyfish. When Iraconji started in 2009, "core" and "scene" bands ruled the musical landscape. We felt a kinship with the Irukandji, a small but deadly force making it's way through the the world.

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

We've had amazing experiences opening for nationally touring acts like: Abysmal Dawn, Acrassicauda, Arsis, Mobile Death Camp, Warbringer and Warfather but some of our favorite shows ever have been with our local metal brethren here in Nashville.

Iraconji's live set is raw aggression, fast paced, no frills and very little banter. We're here to bring you brutal deathrash without beating around the bush.

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

Right now we're gearing up for our first full length release, so we're laying low getting the album pressed, restocking merch and doing a PR run. Our next show is July 31st opening for Holy Grail, Exmortis and Spellcaster (thanks to Invictim Promotions for booking us). We plan to tour regionally in the southeast in 2017.

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

Iraconji is very D.I.Y.. We've talked to a couple of small labels but haven't actively shopped the album around yet.

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

So far the album has had a pretty good reception. We know Canada likes it, but we've only very recently started announcing the album and sending it out for review.

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

Iraconji will always be a death/thrash band but we anticipate adding a little more black metal and classic metal elements on future releases.

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

We as people are very eclectic in our musical tastes, listening to everything from metal to classic rock, prog , punk and electro. I would say bands that have influenced Iraconji would be: Kreator, Slayer, Exodus, Death, Obituary, Carcass, Mercyful Fate/King Diamond, Emperor,

Currently listening to Exmortis, Ihsahn, Ophiuchus, Antlers, 1349, Frosthelm,, Oubliette, Flummox, Demolition Hammer, Old Wainds, Leprous, and Morbid Saint

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Iraconji takes particular interest in: Cartoons, Beer, Legos, Trailer Park Boys, Airplanes, Hot Rods, Zombies and speedway cafe

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

We'd just like to thank you for taking the time to get to know Iraconji a little better. We really appreciate it.

Sorcery/Garden Of Bones/Xtreem Music/2016 CD Review

  Sorcery  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  has  a history  of  30  years  and  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Garden  Of  Bones"  which  was  released  by  Xtreem  Music.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  speeding  up  and  adding  blast  beats  a  few  seconds  later  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  the  vocals  are  aggressive  death  metal  growls  that  are  closer  to  the  mid  80's  era  of t he  genre  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  while  some  riffs  also  bring  in  elements  of  thrash  metal  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  a  brief  us e of  clean  playing  and  synths  can  be  heard  on  the  last  song.

  Sorcery  plays  a  style  of  Swedish  death  metal  that  remains  true  to  the  mid  80's  and  early  90's  tradition  of  the  genre  without  ever  mixing  in  modern  influences,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  sacrifice,  creation  and  anti  Christianity  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sorcery  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  Swedish  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Holy Ground"  "Dark  Waves"  "Mass  Murder"  and  "Garden  Of  Bones".  8  out  of 10. 

Chugun Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Chugun is the result of vocalist Denise wanting to create a furious band, teaming up with guitarist Timur, and through several lineup changes reaching it's current form. After only three shows we made it to the Israeli finals of the Wacken Metal Battle, and after a year we finished recording our debut album. Recently we made our debut in Europe, playing ten shows in six countries, supporting Nightrage. With the recent signing with Sliptrick Records we are hoping that our music will reach even more people.


2.So far you have released one album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Virus is a modern interpretation of old school death and thrash- on one hand it's fast, dirty and aggressive, and on the other it incorporates grooves more typical to modern death metal, and a more advanced production. It's like early Death or Morbid Angel with today's production technology.


3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
The main concept in the lyrics is misanthropy and criticism of society, but there are two comical reliefs, for one of them we also made a silly lyrics video which you can find on YouTube (Evil Whiskey).


4.I know that the bands name means 'Cast Iron' in Russian, how does this name fit in with the musical style that you play?
Cast iron is a pretty heavy material, and that is exactly how we strive to sound- heavy, blunt, straightforward, and painful when crashing into your face.


5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
There was a show in Freaked Studio in France where we managed to kill the PA system but before that got a very warm reception and a great time, there was another in Liege where we started the craziest mosh pit with people flying into the monitors, and of course we had some great shows back home, like the album release show where we got electrifying feedback from the crowd.


6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We have several shows coming up in Israel and after that we're hoping it won't be long till we're on the road again!


7.Sliptrick Records are re-issuing your 2015 album, are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?
We started working with Sliptrick Records in March and already things have started moving. One of those things is a crazy music video that we are working on and hoping to release soon.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death and thrash metal?
So far the album got many praising reviews from blogs and webzines worldwide, and a positive feedback from the crowd in Europe. There even were people who followed us on several shows on the same tour, which was very awesome.


9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We already started working on materials for the next album, and so far it seems that the music became more complex and groovy, without losing the solid base of heaviness and aggression.


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?
You can hear some old school death and thrash metal influences in the album, as well as modern grooves mixed in, like Slayer and Sepultura with some Lamb of God. Every band member likes different stuff- from old school, through folk metal, to modern metal.
Recently there's been a lot of Decapitated and Clutch in some of our band member's music players.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Our guitarist is a computer geek finishing his masters degree, the vocalist (also a programmer) is a book worm, the bassist is a booze loving faster-than-spongebob cook and the drummer has time for nothing but practicing drums!


12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Open a beer, put our album in the background and we hope to one day see you at our show!

Colosso/Obnoxious/2016 Full Length Review

  Colosso  are  a  band  from  Portugal  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  progressive  and  experimental  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  self  released  2016  album  "Obnoxious"  which  will  be  released  in  September.

  A  very  heavy  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  a  few  seconds  alter  which  also  become  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  while  the  vocals  are  done  in  a  death  metal  growling  style  and   all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of t he  recording.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  also  getting  atmospheric  at  times  while  a  great  amount  of  prog  metal  elements  are  also  utilized  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  high  pitched  screams  and  some  of  the  fast  parts  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  as  the  album  progresses  spoken  word  samples  and  experimental  sounds  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  while  later  tracks  bring  in  traces  of  industrial  and  ambient.

  Colosso  plays  a  musical  style  that  remains  true  to  the  progressive  death  metal  style  they  have  established  and  previous  releases  while  also  adding  in  elements  of  ambient,  experimental  to  take  their  music  to  another  level,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  in  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  from  Colosso  and  if  you are  a  fan  of  progressive  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "In  Memoriam"  "As  Resonance"  "To  Purify"  and  "A  Noxious  Reflection".  8  out  of  10.   

Ascent Interview

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

- You know what if you were born in Russia it's so complicated to create and promote something about heavy music. So we wasted so mush time trying but here we are. You actually can hear our music! It's awesome anyway. You gonna face brutality, you gonna face melodies, you gonna face the atmosphere. Try it out and let us know if we are different from bands you do listen to. It's really what we think and feel. And all lyrics are built on circumstances we face every day. So taste us ;)

2.So far you have recorded one album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

- Ok. It.s simple. We had enough holy wars throughout the band to create an album that sounds not normal for nowadays listener. Not popular if you want. So it could be hard to understand but we want to sound as we want to sound no matter what.

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

- Well they are all metaphors about out life. We face it every day... Every second we exist. What about you again? Tell us if you actually found THE reflection of your life in there.

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

- It's for us like... Give a dog a bad name and hang him. If you want to be higher then reality and create something more you must act like you've already done it. That's why we chose this name.

5.Originally the band started out as a solo project, what was the decision behind hiring a full time line up?

- We live in the middle of taiga. And who are you gonna empress with your music? Bears??? Ok, try it out and let luck be with you ))) But seriously if you don't have the formalized idea (especially musical idea) then you'll never do anything "and forever you will be stuck in eternity" (с) So Semyon created some material and then showed it to each of us. He wanted to create the band from the very beginning but he had no chance to find any member from the start. And that's why it was one-man project.

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

- How would you play shows any level above very little in there? It was pure luck that Andrew worked as a sound engineer in one the clubs here and had free access for the band to play with some bands coming from another cities and countries. So we played with Relics of Humanity (BLR) and Katalepsy (RUS). So these were our best shows to support. There were Sadist (ITA) and Thy Disease (POL) on the road but shows were canceled as our promoters here suck so much. And of course we played in our city and close cities with friends a lot. And our performance nowadays is very standard. But we are not cool professionals and it's basically made to keep sound level high. But we work on that.

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

- We release album in 10 days as we answer these questions. And actually we want and wait for euro touring later this year. And probably something more then that but it's the question right now.

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

- Oh... It's our first one release and we are waiting for album to come out and some touring to get good amounts of feedback you know.

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

- We never give up and sit on our ass. It's death to us in there. Come and taste it yourself if you want ) So we will give it all and go over anything to reach all the achievements we can. And trust us you will see us in your place ;)

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?

- Ok. We do listen to each and every type of music. And feed on it all as much as we can. But talking about metal these are Decapitated, Sepultura, Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, Arch Enemy, Soilwork, Slipknot, Gojira, Lamb Of God, In Flames and more and more and more... Old and new. Both of generations.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

- Tattoo and vodka motherfffffff!!!! Oh! Bears... Balalaika... Taiga... )

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

- We spent so much time, money, emotions, creativity and such to make something that will be our reflection. To say something anyone could here and then share our ideas probably... So we hope you would. And if not... We will arrive to your place and show you! Show all the things we can and it will be Ascent!

Iraconji/Global Genocide/2016 Full Length Review

  Iraconji  are  a  band  from  Nashville,  Tennessee  that  plays a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Global  Genocide".

    A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  growls  and  thrash  elements  from  the  80's  and  also  mix  it  in  with  a  more  modern  style.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  the  screams  are  done  in  a  German  thrash  style  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  the  whole  album  also  remains  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Iraconji  plays  a  music  style  that  takes  death  metal  and   mixes  it  with  both  old  school  and  modern  thrash  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Iraconji  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  "Global  Genocide"  "Pillage  The  Village"  "Psychotic  War  Machine"  and  "Death  To  Posers".  8  out  of  10.

Chugun/Virus/Sliptrick Records/2016 CD Review

  Chugun  are  a  band  from  Israel  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  with  some  touches  of  modern  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Virus"  which  will  be  released  on June  30th  by  Sliptrick  Records.

 A  very  heavy  and  aggressive  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  riffs  can  also  be  very  melodic  at  times.

  A  great  amount  of  thrash  and  modern  metal  influences  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  some  80's  and  early  90's  influences  can  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  there  is  only  a  brief  use  of  any  guitar  solos  and  leads  while  the  album  also  remains  heavy  and  aggressive  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

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

 In  my  opinion  Chugun  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death,  thrash  and  modern  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Unholy  Warrior"  "Sadistic  Rites"  "Fall  Of  Mankind"  and "Evil  Whiskey".  8 out  of  10.

Age Of Agony Interview

 Balázs Kovács, the drummer:

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the name album?
First of all, thank you for the interview and greetings to the readers!
Death Metal Artillery was released on cassette and CD in the summer 2014. We had some live gigs in clubs, we played on some festivals too, so the band was active on the concert front.
Meanwhile we began to write material for our fifth album For The Forgotten, which we finished recording in january this year. It was released this spring, but there was a change regarding the label. It was released by the (also)Hungarian label Neverheard on CD and cassette because Terranis Records, the label behind D.M.A., finished releasing records.
After recording the new album there was a change in the lineup: guitarist Gábor Ferencz left the band because of his engagements in civil life(studies), he was replaced by Péter Kéméndi, who used to play in the Death Metal band Catalepsy. The lineup change went smoothly, the band is OK.

    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?
You obviously can't say, that there is no difference between our new album and the old ones. For The Forgotten is a concept album, which means, that every song is about  a significant Hungarian event of WW1. Those with knowledge about this era know, that this war had catastrophic consequences for Hungary. Alongside the human losses, the treaty of Trianon dismembered our country, more than 60% of our territory was cut away and given to our enemies(with the assist of traitors).
So For The Forgotten is not a happy album. Not by far… Each song is based on real events and the bloody reality of war. War is not something funny or happy. That is why we made an album with more significant atmospheric elements in the music.
So our goals didn't change, we play old school Death Metal, but the central topic of the lyrics called for a music with more dismal and monumental elements.
An other significant change was, that for the first time in the band's history we worked with a sound engineer, who is specialized in Death Metal and you can definitely hear it!
Dávid Fehér from the Noise Labs Studio has done a great job, finally the band sounds as it always should have.


    3.What are some of the lyric topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
As I mentioned before the songs are bound together by the concept of World War I, from the perspective of Hungarian soldiers, from 1914 to 1921.
The lyrics tell about soldiers(hussars, stormtroopers, artillerymen, a flying ace etc.),
whose sacrifice and bravery were buried later by the catastrophy of the lost war(1918),
the communist terror(1919) and the consequences of the treaty of Trianon(1920).
There's no place for them in today's schoolbooks, so we thought, by telling their story, we give them the well-deserved respect and honor! A musical monument for the forgotten!


    4.Originally the band was known as 'Silent Agony' what was the decision behind the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Age of Agony'?
Hey, just in time, it was almost 16 years ago… Hehehe
Nothing significant really. We started as Silent Agony, but after our second demo we heard, that there is a band in Austria with the same name, so we changed it. After years we learned that there is a band called Age Of Agony too, but we don't care, we won't change the name again. You can't come up with anything new nowadays anyway, can you? Hehe


    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?
Agony is an active band on the „concert front”, we play regularly in Hungary and also abroad, but we don't want to overdo this. We have lots of other things going on beside the band and that would not allow us to be constantly on the road, but it never was our goal either. You know, only eat so much, your body can take…
On stage we are aggressive and serious, we all know what the songs we play are about, so no jokes on stage. The lyrical topics not allow us to be a band of idiotic, funny dressed clowns on stage. We leave that to other bands…
After 20 years of playing concerts it's not easy to pick the best ones. One of my favourites is definitely the gig we played with Nunslaughter(R.I.P. Jim Sadist!!!), but our tour in the Székely Land(Transsylvania) in 2011 and our gigs In Mlada Boleslav(Czech Republic) were also great!



    6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
Yes, surely because of the new album we have more live gigs this year.  End of  april we played in Vienna, after that, there was an outstanding event in Szeged, the Szegedeath Festival. We played two gigs in the Czech Republic and our next concert will be at the Total War Fest, which also is an awesome event. This year later we are going  back to the Czech Republic, but also play some concerts in the Hungarian Highlands(today Slovakia) and in Erdély(Transsylvania). In October we do a gig with Infernal War in Budapest and I could go on. 


    7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?
The feedbacks, that reach us, are mainly positive but nowadays we can't have high hopes… We play Death Metal for a long time now, we are an old band, we are present in the scene since our demo phase, so there are people in every corner of the world, who know/like our music. We see in the concerts, that our fans take the band seriously and they acknowledge our persistence too. Being honest, we can't ask for more.





    8.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
I am the only member of the band, who plays in an other band too. I am the drummer of the Black Metal band Tymah, our new album will be released by Sinister Flames during the fall.
There was a project called Vulcanizer, which was actually Age Of Agony but we only played  covers of our favourite Death, Balck and Thrash Metal bands. We had only two live gigs, but now we don't really have the time for this project, so I don't know if there will be any more Vulcanizer concerts in the near future.



    9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
As long as the band exists, we play Death Metal, there's no other way. Of course it's  always going to be the old school way, in this genre and this scene we always give our best to make the best songs and albums. It can't hurt to make some minor changes sometimes but nothing radical. A good example is our new album. It's a bit different, a bit more melodic, compared to our earlier albums, there are guitar solos, longer songs but you can tell from the first sounds that it's 100% Age Of Agony. And that's the most important thing: the own style within a genre...



    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 main influences are early Death Metal classics like Massacre, Death, Autopsy, Asphyx, Dismember, Grave, Entombed and so on. An other undeniable influence is the underground band Nunslaughter, but my drumming was influenced by some Black Metal albums like Mayhem's  De Mysteriis Dom Satanas or Marduk's Nightwing. Some other favourites are Vomitory, Gruesome, Infernal War, Grave, Miasma, Funebrarum, Voidhanger, Witchcraft, Deströyer 666, Dead Congregation, Mgla and Desaster.



    11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Music is our main hobby. You didn't think we can make a living playing music did you? Hehe…
Every member is a working family man, we rehearse every Sunday. That's our hobby, it's the best way to spend our free time.


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

Thanks for the opportunity, I think your questions covered everything important.




 

Ascent/Don't Stop When you Walk through Hell/Sliptrick Records/2016 CD Review

   Ascent  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  very  modern  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Don't  Stop  When  You  Walk  Through  The  Hell"  which  will  be  released  on  June  30th  by  Sliptrick  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  modern  metal  elements  in t he  bands  musical  style  while  the  vocals a re  done  in  a  screaming  death  metal  fashion  along  with  some  growls  and  the  fast  sections  also  use  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  When guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  songs  bring  in  back  up  vocals  while  the  riffs  can  also  be  melodic  at  times  while  also  mixing  in  influences  of  prog  metal  and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  synths  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  symphonic  feeling  while  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  Ascent  plays  a style  of  death metal  that  is  in t he  more  modern  direction  of t he  genre  while  also  mixing  in  elements  of  prog  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ascent  are  a  very  great  sounding  modern  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Chaos  Bless"  "Lucifer"  and  "Useless".  8  out  of  10.

Ashcloud/Children of the Chainsaw/Xtreem Music/2016 CD Review

  Ashcloud  are  an  international  band  with  members  from  both  Sweden  and  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Children  Of  The  Chainsaw"  which  was  released  by  Xtreem  Music.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  yet  melodic sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  being  introduced  into  the  music  a  few  seconds  later  as  well  as  having  some  death  metal  growls  and screams  making  their  presence  known on  the  recording  and  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Most  of  the  music  is  rooted  in  the  early  90's  style  while  having  a  more  modern  production  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  a  couple  of  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and the  whole album  also  remains  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording. 

  Ashcloud  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  old  school  and  rooted  in  the  early 90's  1tradition  and  also manages  to  keep  everything  heavy,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  post apocalyptic  horror,  death  and  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ashcloud  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  "Children  Of  The  Chainsaw"  "Inside  the  Shame  Of  Desire"  "The  Creeping  Unknown"  and  "Written  in  Flesh". 8  out  of  10.

Wired Anxiety/The Delirium Of Negation/Transcending Obscurity Distribution/2016 EP Review

  Wired  Anxiety  are  a  band  from  India  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  death  metal and  this  is  a  review of  their  2016  ep  "The  Delirium  of  Negation"  which  will  be  released  in  August by  Transcending  Obscurity  Distribution.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  blast  beats  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  get  very  technical  at  times  and  the  music  also  brings  in  more  of  a  modern  style  of  the  genre.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  growls  can  also  get  very  guttural  at  times  while  the  solos  and  leads  remain  true  to  more  of  a  traditional  death  metal  style  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken word  samples  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on  the  last  track  and  it  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  side  of  the  music.

  Wired  Anxiety  plays  a style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  and  modern  while  also  having  its  technical  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  politics  and  struggles  of  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Wired  Anxiety  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  "Test  Subject  Human"  and  "Focus  22".  8  out  of  10.

 

Eteritus/Following The Ancient Path/Godz Of War Productions/2016 CD Review

  Eteritus  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Following  The  Ancient  Path"  which  was  released  by Godz  of  War  Productions.

  A  very  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  also  introduces  melodic  guitar  leads  onto  the  recording  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  start  becoming  a  very  huge  part  of the  music  which  is  also  very  old  school  and  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.

  At  times  the  guitar  riffing  can  be  very  melodic  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  some  of  the  faster  riffing  often  uses  a  decent  amount  of  open  note  tremolo  picking  and  all  of  the  songs  also  remain  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Eteritus  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavy,  traditional  and  old  school  sounding  in  the  early  90's  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  horror  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Eteritus  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  "Hellish  Imagery"  "Eye  Of  the  Storm"  and  "Mortal  prophecy".  8  out  of  10.

Embaterion/The Sound Of Charge/Crush The Desert Records/2014 EP Review

  Embaterion  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "The  Sound  Of  Chardge'  which  was  released  by  Crush  The  Desert  Records.

  Spartan  music  and  marching  starts  off  the  ep  giving  the  music  a  feeling  of  the  middle  ages  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  where  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  make  their  presence  known  in  the  music  along  with  some  thrash  influences.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  melodies  in  the  guitar  riffing and  the  solos  and  leads  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  samples  from  the  movie  '300'  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  one  track  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  melodic  chanting.

  Embaterion  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  old  school  genres  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  mixes  them  together  with  more  of  an  up  to  death  approach,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Spartan  themes  and  history.

  In  my  opinion  Embaterion  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  "The  Sound  Of  Charge"  and  "The  Fate  Of  The  Ten  Thousand".  8  out  of  10.

Denominate/Those Who Beheld the End/Inverse Records/2016 Full Length Review

  Denominate  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  technical  and  progressive  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016 album  "Those  Who  Beheld  The  End"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Inverse  Records.

  A  very  hard,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  brutal  blast  beats  and  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  while  screams  can  also be  heard  at  times  along  with  a  great  amount  of  technical  riffing  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  stick  in  that  same  direction  and  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  in  the  instruments.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  old  school  death  metal  influences  throughout  the  recording  while  the  music  still  sounds  very  modern  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  more  prog  elements  are  are  mixed  into  the  music  and  a  couple of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  also  introducing  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  recording  on  one  of  the  songs. 

  Denominate  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  technical,  progressive  and  old  school  style  of  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  my opinion  Denominate  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  and  technical  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "In  A  Chasm  Of  Stone"  "The  Demented  Scholar  Of  Abatos"  and  "Terrestral  Funeral". 8  out  of  10.

Paganizer/On The Outskirts Of Hades/Transcending Obscurity Records/2016 EP Review

  Paganizer  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep "On  The  Outskirts  Of  Hades"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Transcending  Obscurity  Records.

  A  very  hard  yet  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  great  amount  of  heaviness  and  the  music  brings  in  an  early  90's  Swedish  style  along  with  a  more  modern  production  and  once  death  metal  growls  are  added  onto  the  recording  the  music starts  to  speed  up  a   bit  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  an  old  school  style  of  Swedish  death  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  guitar  riffing  also  gets  very  raw  at  times  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  high  pitched  screams  and  the music  also  remains  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Paganizer  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  old  school  style  of  Swedish  death  metal  from  previous  recordings,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  anti  Christianity,  death,  murder  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Paganizer  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school  Swedish  death  metal,  you  should  check  out this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Adjacent  To  Purgatory"  and  "On  The  Outskirts  Of  Hades".  8  out  of  10.   

Pokerface Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Dedmoroz: Couple of weeks ago we've returned from our eurotour and now we have a rest to recover. In few days after that we will go to studio for making our third album. At the end of summer we will take part in METAL CROWD open air fest in Belarus. Also, we have some plans for autumn but its too early to announce them.

2.So far you have released an ep 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?
Doctor: The first release was raw and fast as we wanted. We like to play simple but aggressive and the second album was still aggressive and almost zero-technical. But "Divide and Rule" is a bit slower and heavier.
Whitevad: Well, it was the first experience for the band of making something serious, so I would say that both of recordings sound how they should to sound. As for me, EP has more aggressive songs, and LP is a bit more conceptually considered.

3.Some of your lyrics cover Satanism and Anti Religion themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?
Doctor: We are not satanists at first, we just use Satan as symbol, as a method of human punishment. Actually all members in band are atheists and we are not so fanatic as our religious "friends".

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Pokerface'?
Doctor: From the first day we planned to play proto-metal and tried to copy other cult bands like Motorhead, Judas Priest etc. So Pokerface as name was introduced by our ex-leader Dietrich as a reflection of Motorhead "Ace of Spades" song. Lemmy is a legend and we will love him forever.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Doctor: We played with Sodom several shows and all shows with them were great especially in Minsk (2014) and Brasov (2016). Circle pit, stagediving, slam. I think we are close with Sodom in music and metalheads on these gigs were on one wave with us.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Dedmoroz: Yeah, we are confirmed on METAL CROWD open air fest in Belarus. Other announcement still in progress, but we have couple of offers.

7.The new album was released on 'Molot Records', are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?
Dedmoroz: Molot Records was the only label who can fulfill our conditions. But there were no actual promotion or support from them. And now we are looking for the label who will release our third album, but also can help us with promotion and tours.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death and thrash metal?
Doctor: It depends. For newfags we are a bit raw and simple, these guys like groove, high-speed blasting and math beats. For old school metalheads we are OK and they love our music and shows. We have good marks in reviews and catalogs.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Whitevad: We don't like to define our music style, giving names or calling it somehow. We just make the music that we like to play. We have a plan to make our next album a bit more complex and we are open for some experiments. I also wouldn't exclude the appearance of some melodic parts and fills in our future songs. I don't even know, will we play thrash or death or something else in the nearest future, but let me assure you: Pokerface will always play music that has drive.

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?
Whitevad: You may hear Slayer, Kreator and Sodom influences in our music, maybe some other thrash metal bands too. I think it's good when people find in your songs something that sounds familiar to the music of 'fathers', and it becomes a real tribute to the thrash legends) Besides thrash, all band members listen very different styles of music - electronic/trance, melodic death metal, doom metal, deathcore, metalcore etc..

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Doctor: In non-music life I am IT engineer and videogame player, but as I am going deeper in music - touring, concerts etc this part of my life seems more boring and empty.
Whitevad: Cunnilingus, Elves and Formula 1
Delirium: I like to watch funny videos with cats
Dedmoroz: I like to travel a lot, so it's my biggest interest.


12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Doctor: At fist thank you so much for interview! I just want to say: Your life is boring if you don't have a dream. No matter what It can be - the greatest band in the world, 10-children in your family or first starship called your name. Please think about you dream, don't lose the focus on it and all will be done as planned. Don't worry.

Last Rites Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
 We spent last year recording Unholy Puppets…

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?
Our sound is a mixture of thrash and death metal…heavy  rhythmic patterns, tempo changes, screaming vocals alternating witho growl, a mix of power and aggression…never forgetting about the melody. Now our music is more technical, we take care of details... we try to not fall into the common solutions, usual riffs... we try to be as original as possible ...

3.This is the first album to be released in 7 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
We are very critical about what we compose, so we are very slow. Plus, we had different line-up problems in the past years...

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
The lyrical themes are those typical of Death Metal: death, madness…recently we have taken inspiration from some novel or movie…

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Last Rites'?
We are big Megadeth’s fans…you know?

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?
Recently we have taken part in a local festival called “Machete Fest”. We played at the last edition (2014) that featured Primal Fear as headliners; big stage, good organization ... an excellent experience! On stage we are very aggressive! We try to play as compact as possible to create a powerful sound wall!

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
There are not many places where you can play in our region. You must move further north or south, but the answer is so high and it is very difficult to arrange a date. We recently played a couple of times, hopefully in the fall it will get better…

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death and thrash metal?
The thrash metal is going through a good period right now, we're an underground band ... hopefully it can give us some visibility ...

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
we are already working on new material, we have some ideas to be developed. We plan to record something new during the next year, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the band. I think that the new songs will be a bit more technical than those from Unholy Puppets, closer to "Future World"

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?
The roots of our music are Thrash Metal…Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Exodus…but also bands like Death, Atheist, Cannibal Corpse, Carcass, Dimmu Borgir and recently Revocation have a big influence on us… in general, we hear different things, from progressive rock to punk and hardcore, from alternative rock to  grind... everything except for hip hop, rap or pop commercial music...

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
 Music is our only interest!

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Listen to Unholy Puppets and let us know whether you like it! Follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/lastrites0) and Bandcamp (lastrites0.bandcamp.com) where you can find a lot of download material for free!

Coldblood/Indescribable Physiognomy Of the Devil/Satanath Records/Metallic Media/2016 CD Review

  Coldblood  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  plays  a  very  satanic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Indescribable  Physiognomy  Of  The  Devil"  which  will  be  released  on  June  16th  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  Records  and  Metallic  Media.

  Horror  movie  samples  starts  off  the  album  going  going  into  a  heavier  direction  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  vocals  are  all  done  in  a  death  metal  growling  fashion  while  high  pitched screams  can  be  heard  at  times.

  A  small  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  some  of   the  guitar  riffing  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  bring  in  a  very  dark  style  of  death  metal  while  also  having  its  melodic  moments  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  while  also  having  a  more  up  to  date  take  on  the  genre  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

   Some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  atmospheric  sounds  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts,  and one  song  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  classical  guitars  which  also  comes  down  the  chaos  for  a  few  seconds  while  one  of  the  songs  is  long  and  epic  in  length  and  they  close  the  album  with  3  instrumental  tracks. 

  Coldblood  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavy  and  satanic  and  bring s in  a  lot  of  influences  of  the  90's  band  in  the  same  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Anti  Christian,  Occultism  and  Left  Hand  path  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Coldblood  are  a  very  great sounding  satanic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tetragrammaton"  "Cocoon  Of  Neophyte"  "Sulphur"  and  "metaphysical  Evil".  8  out  of  10.

Crematory Stench/Self Titled/FDA Rekotz/2016 EP Review

  Crematory  Stench  are  a  band  from  California  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2016  ep  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  FDA  Rekotz.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  a  few  seconds  later  death  metal  growls  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  while  some  of t he  riffing  brings  in  elements  of  thrash  and  the  music  sounds  like  it  could  of  been  recorded  and  released  25  years  ago.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow, mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  an  old  school  style  of  death  metal  and  the  ep  also  remains  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Crematory  Stench  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  80's to  early  90's  style  of  the  genre  while  ignoring  every  trend  of  the  past  20  years,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Crematory  Stench  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  style  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Desolate  Grave"  and  "Resurrection".  8  out  of  10.