Writhing/Ad Patres/ Nihilistic Holocaust/2012 Split Cassette Review

This  is  a  review  of  a  split  cassette  between  Detroit,  Michigan's  Writhing  and  France's  Ad  Patres  which  was  released  by   Nihilistic Holocaust  in  2012  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Writhing  which  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  death  metal.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced,  to  fast  death  metal  riffs  that  are  very  heavy  and  brutal sounding,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  chaotic  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads  in  the  old  school  vein, as  for  the  classical  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  to  add  another  dimension  of  darkness  to  the  music.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  hateful themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Writhing  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  brutal  death  metal  band  with  the  best  music  on  this  split,  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Death  Of  Yor  Dream".  RECOMMENDED.

  Next  up  is  Ad  Patres  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  death  metal.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  death  metal  riffs  that  are  more  in  the  modern vein  and  are  very  heavy  and  brutal  sounding  with  some  technical  riffing  being  thrown  in  at  times   while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  technical  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads  with  some  melody.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  powerful,  strong,  heavy,  and professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Ad  Patres  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  modern  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Scorn  Aesthetics".  RECOMMENDED.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  death  metal  fans.  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

  

Antropofagus Interview

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

(Francesco) After a short period of relax we started working to arrange new dates. We are very eager to propose new songs on stage and we can’t wait to meet people all over the world.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album?

(Francesco) AoL has a sound deeply rooted in our origins. "No waste of flesh" has marked a starting point, after many years we have transformed our roots, we have modernized our sound, but we are still linked to our personal style.

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

(Tya) Well .. The band was founded in 1998 and since then it has been inclined to treat gore and horror topics... At the reunion's time, we decided to address these issues in a way more spectral and dark, a true hell's trip. That rough approach was developed with a concept, surely more chaotic and personal.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

(Francesco) Our name comes from a devout love for horror movies of the 80’s. Lucio Fulci’s movie has given us the name Antropophagus, but we Italianized the name, excluding the letter "H"

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

(Francesco) My judgment is always strict about ourselves, I think we have yet to do our best show. So far we have only tested the band, but we want to reach a higher level.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the new release? Stiamo pianificando le nostre release Party in Italia, saranno 3 date, Pavia, Roma, Parma. successivamente promuoveremo il disco in Italia, cercando molte date. il passo successivo sarà oltrepassare il confine e arrivare nel Nord Europa

(Tya) Yes, now NeeCee Agency (ITA) takes care of our promotion in Italy and around Europe. Obviously, we would like to promote our new album at the biggest European festivals.


7. Currently you are signed to Comotase how did you get in contact with this label and how would you describe the support that they have given you so far?

(Francesco) In 2009 I decided to reform  Antropofagus, and I started to compose new songs. I quickly found new members, and we recorded two new tracks to be published as a promotion. We have received many offers from the major labels of death metal industry, but among the many proposals we have chosen Comatose Music, beacuse this label is based on the love for music and not on money profit. We have found Steve Green, the best manager and a great man! We have a very good relationship with him, we are proud and very happy with his work. Currently we could not get more.

(Tya) So fuckin' great!!! We're proud to be on Comatose Music. They've a great passion, good feedback around the world etc. In 2009, we received offers from major labels in the industry, possibly economically beneficial.. but Steve Green is the best in Brutal Death Metal!

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

(Francesco) We never thought we could reach this result. Antropofagus split up in 2002, many years have passed. In Italy we have issued "No waste of flesh" which was an innovative product for 1999, it has been well accepted even outside Italy. We did not expect this feedback, and this interest after many years, we can only thank our fans.

(Tya) Absolutely positive. In time we will develop our audience with quality albums and live performances with a great impact.

9. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full time line-up?

(Francesco) No! Antropofagus reflects my soul. For me it’s as the only girlfriend, I do not betray

10.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

(Francesco) Any Antropofagus’ album will be the same. Certainly the next release will be more mature, we will insert many open parts, exploring new ways within my own playing. I'll never change the soul of Antropofagus.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

(Francesco) Just the old school, all the bands from the 90’s. I have deep roots on Suffocation, Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel and Death. All this is mixed with a modern sound, and new techniques.

12. I know that the band is inspired by the writings Of Clive Barker, what is it about this author that interests you and what other authors are you inspired by?

(Tya) ...because he's a genius! Barker has created a new kind of horror.. bloody, mystical, figurative.
Meatgrinder and me decided that his works match perfectly with our music. We are very proud of this record!

13.Outside of music what are some of your interests?

(Francesco) Beside my job I'm dedicated to my private life that gives me a great joy. I like to practice body building and hanging out often.

(Tya) Death Metal, Nature, Trips, Soccer, UFC, Xbox, books etc.


14.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

(Francesco) I thank you for the interview and all our fans who are supporting our work! Who has loved us many years ago will not be disappointed by the new album

(Tya) Thanks for the opportunity.
Keep it brutal!!!

Death Metal Decapitation 2/BlacktoothMary/2012 Compilation Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  compilation  of  Canadian  death  metal  bands  called  Death  Metal  Decapitation  2"  which  was  released  by  BlacktoothMary  in  2012  and  we  will  review  the  bands  one  by  one.

  Starting  off  the  compilation  is  Derelict  a  band  that  has  had  a  few  of  their  releases  reviewed  by  this zine  as  well  as  being  interviewed,  they  bring  us  a  couple  of  songs  of  their  new  album  which  was  recently  been  reviewed  by  this  zine,  the  2  songs  which  they  bring  us  continue  on  with  their  tradition  of  combing  technical  death  metal  with  thrash  and  groove  metal along  with  a  great  amount  of  melodic  riffing.

  Next  up  is  Nephelium  another  band  that  has  been  reviewed  as  well  as  interviewed  by t his  zine  which  plays  a  music  style  that  I  would  describe  as  being  brutal  death  metal  and  the  2  songs  presented  here  continue  in  that  tradition  with  a  great  amount  of  talented  guitar  solos.

  Next  up  is  Deamon  with  2  songs  that  are  very  heavy  and  brutal sounding  death  metal  songs  that  show  some  old  school  riffs  while  having  the  heaviness  of  modern  death  metal  along  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  and  a  combination  of  deep  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams.

  Next  up  is  The  Unborn  Dead  with  a  couple  of  songs  that  I  would  describe  as  being  brutal  death  metal  with  alot  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  along  with  a  great  amount  of  heavy  vocals,  in  addition  the  guitar  riffing  displays  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  along  with  a  combination  of  old  school  and  modern  day  influences.

  Closing  the  compilation  is  Blastomycosis  with  2  songs  that  show  a  mixture  of  deathcore  and  grindcore  which  is  very  brutal  and  utilizes  porno  grind  lyrics  and  I  would  say  this  is  the  most  primitive  sounding  band  on  this  compilation.

  In conclusion  this  is  a  great  compilation that  I  would  recommend  to  all  fans  of  technical  and  brutal  death  metal  as  well  as  death/grind  and  grindcore.  RECOMMENDED>  

Six Feet Under/Undead/Metal Blade Records/2012 CD Review

  Six  feet  Under  are  a  band  from  Florida  that  has  been around  since  the  90's  and  are  one  of  the  most  well  known  bands  in  that  genre  which  also  consists  of  many  of  the  most  well  known  names  in that  scene  in  this  band  which  plays  a  really  old  school  style  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Undead"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Blade  Records.

  Drums  range from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  death  metal  riffs  that  are  more  in the  early  90's  vein  and  not  as  heavy  or  brutal  sounding  like  some  of  the  more  modern day  bands  in  this  genre  along  with  a  brief  use  of  clean  and  soft  playing  being  utilized  on  the  last  song,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  chaotic  sounding  early  90's  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads  that  use  a  small  amount  of  melody  on  a  couple  of  songs.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  with  some  high  pitched  screams  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  violent  and  hateful  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  great  album  from  Six  Feet  Under  and  while  I  have  not  heard  much  of  their  newer  material  over  the  years  I  can  tell  that  this  is  a  return  to  the  roots  album  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Frozen  At  The  Moment  Of  Death"  "Blood  On  My  Hands"  "Near  Death  Experience"  and  "Vampire  Apocalypse".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Messiah/Extreme Hymns And Ballads Of A Rotten Psycho Underground Cult/Massacre Records 2012 Digital Compilation Review

  Messiah  where  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  has  a  history  that  goes  back  to the  1980's  that  played  a  musical style  that  mixed  death  and  thrash  metal  together  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  digital 2012  compilation  album  "Extreme Hymns And Ballads Of A Rotten  Psycho  Underground  Cult"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  bass  guitar  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  riffing  that  dominates  throughout the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  are  very  raw  and  primitive  sounding  with  riffing  combing  death  and  thrash  metal  together  which  utilize  alot  more  talent  and  skill  when  the  newer  songs  are  played  along  with  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  as  well  as  some  influences  from  traditional  metal,  while  the  lead  guitars are  very  raw,  primitive  and  chaotic  sounding  death/thrash  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  to  add  another  dimension  of  darkness  to  the  music.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high pitched  death/thrash  metal  screams  along  with  some  deep  death  metal  growls  in  addition  there  is  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  Gregorian  chants  being  utilized  on  one  song  as  well as  some  clean singing  being  utilized  on  another  song,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  hateful,  anti  christian  and  occult  themes,  as  for  the  production  it has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it  with  some  songs  being  recorded  live.

  In  my  opinion  Messiah  where  a  very  great  sounding  death/thrash  metal hybrid  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  this  style,  you  should  check out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Messiah"  "Extreme  Cold  Weather"  "Dark  Lust"  and  "Total  Maniac".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Moonloop/Deeply From The Earth/Listenable Records

  Moonloop  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  very  progressive  from  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Deeply  From  The  Earth"  which  was  released  by  Listenable  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  drumming  with  some  fast  playing  and  blast  beats  in  certain  parts  of  the  music,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars,  as  for  the  synths  they  are  only  utilized  briefly  and  they  bring  a  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  music.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  progressive  death  metal  riffs  that  utilize  a  great  amount  of  melody  with  the  songs  being  very  long  and epic  sounding,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  technical  and  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are utilized  they  use  finger  picking  and  exotic  sounding  scales  to add  more  originality  to the  music.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  sounding  death  metal growls  with  some  clean  singing  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  high  pitched  screams,   while  the  lyrics  cover  Mother  Earth,  Life  Experiences,  Spiritual and  Esoteric  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Moonloop  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  death  metal band  and  if  you  are  a fan  of this  style,  you  should  check  up  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Beginning  Of  The  End"  "Strombus"  "Wailing  Road"  and  "Atlantis  Rising".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

The New Jacobin Club Interview

(questions answered by Xerxes Praetorius Horde, a.k.a. The Horde) - www.newjacobinclub.com

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

We’re about to release an ep in May and play some dates around Western Canada. The ep is a 15^th anniversary release of sorts, we’ve re-recorded and re-orchestrated several of our older songs that we used to play in the 1990’s. Real death punk sort of stuff.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new ep and how it differs from the older recordings?

We were a 3 piece band from 1996 to 1999, on our last studio recording there were 7 of us. The musical DNA of the band is still the same, but over the years it has worn some different clothes. The songs on “Left Behind” were originally written when the band was only  a trio. Instead of just having 7 people play what only 3 once did, we actually expanded on the material. The electric cello and 10 string guitar lead in “My Smile” is a really cool addition that wasn’t in the original version, as is the theremin in “Demon Princess.” I don’t think I can hear these songs in my head now without those components. They really part of this band’s identity.

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

We’ve always written about a range of topics – but no matter how fantastic or occult, they often have a very social-political edge. We also like to use historical events as backdrops for our tales, especially revolutions and times of extreme political unrest. Our last 3 full length albums were tied together with unifying concepts, “This Treason” was an actual rock opera about the fate of Sir Hugh Despenser, a 14^th century warlord who was eventually executed for his part in the downfall of King Edward II.

 We very much see ourselves as aggressive defenders of the arts, we are the bitter enemies of the emerging extreme right theocracy in the Western World. It is a driving force behind our artistic intent.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

The original Jacobin Club brought down the royal family of France. We are their modern counterparts – no person should be born into power just because they are born into material wealth.

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

In 2009 we did a concept stage show at a few places in Western Canada called the Cannibal Circus Roadshow.  It was the most elaborate and involved stage show we’d ever done – beginning with Rima doing a stately Victorian ballroom dance with Firecrotch Jones while wearing a halo of fire. She climax of the show was a cannibal act involving a bed of machetes, a nasty bit of stage theatrics that even surprised some of the band members the first time we rehearsed it.

I heard our show described once as “if Gwar performed the Rocky Horror Picture Show,” I guess that’s close. I think we have more in common with circus sideshows than shock rock like Gwar since what we do on stage is real – the swords are real, the fire is real, the costumes are real – no rubber or plastic crap. It’s a stressful amount of work to arrange and plan, but in the heat of the moment on stage we always fly through it. It can definitely look very natural to the audience, almost chaotic, but it’s a very carefully planned chaos.  When someone is swinging a sledgehammer on stage to break a cinderblock on someone’s chest while lying on a bed of knives, you must be attentive and on the ball.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the new release?

We are hitting a few cities in Western Canada during the second half of May. The first show in our hometown of Saskatoon will be the decadent kick off with the large group on stage. On the road we’ll be cutting it down by a couple heads to accommodate some of the places we’ll be performing at.

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer material by music fans?

We noticed a huge increase in people from the UK and Scandinavian countries picking up the album or downloading it online. I think the orchestrated aspect of our last album attracted a lot of the gothic symphonic metal fans.  Our Canadian supporters will always look at us as the punk band we secretly are, but our expansion and elaboration over the years has not lost any of them. We’ve never stopped performing our older material live, and I think many of our fans appreciate that.

8. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?

Musically speaking, yes, there are a number of other groups members of the NJC contribute to – none of them are remotely anything like what the New Jacobin Club is. Our bassist/keyboard/synth wizard Vitruvius fronts his own trippy pop group The Friends Electric, who have done very well on national college radio. Other bands you might catch NJC members in from time to time include Slow Down Molasses, Spade the Shovelhead, Sliver and Troubadours du Bois (playing authentic Medieval and Renaissance music).

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

After the incredible complexity of the instrumentation and music on This Treason, we feel we’ve been there and done that…and it’s definitely hard to sustain and do well at the same time. A noticeable chunk of that album was so difficult to play live that we started to look back at how effective some of our older material was. That’s what led us to record “Left Behind” in the first place – to show off the current line up performing studio versions of older songs. We already have a handful of new songs we’ll be playing live this spring. I believe they will be the best ever representation of everything this group excels at, the end result of everything we’ve dabbled in over the years – from 3 chord garage rock to orchestrated concept album. I promise that nobody who already likes what we do will be disappointed.

10. What are some band or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

What a complicated question! How about I answer it in this way – when the band started, the common interest between the founding members was spooky garagy stuff like Forbidden Dimension and Nick Cave, even Dick Dale, and really bizarre things like Rudimentary Peni. The metal influence was more of a performance thing – we’d write a fairly rock ‘n roll tune, but then belt it out with more speed, chugging and growling than it probably needed.

Over the years newer members would bring more definite elements of that to the band –some of us are big fans of bands like Celtic Frost, Voivod, Killing Joke, Kreator etc, 80’s progressive death metal. I think it’s the way we deliver our songs that puts us in that metal realm, but not the way we write them.

Right now I’m really into things that use really colorful instruments, like Dr. Steel and Murder by Death, as are most of the others in the NJC. Something else I picked up very recently that blew me away because of it’s artistic achievement as a formidable concept album is the album by Evelyn Evelyn.

11. Does Occultism play any role in the music?

It does indeed, in almost everything we do. We’re not childish about how we deliver it, though.

12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

I collect interesting instruments, especially instruments from the middle ages (replicas, of course), and I own an unhealthy number of vintage horror & monster movies, mostly from the 1930’s-1960’s. I am also obsessed with different ways of cooking meat outdoors. The fascination with food extends throughout the band, and we recently filmed a couple cooking show segments for an American program that will hopefully air this fall.  A cooking show with hard rock and metal bands as guest chefs.

13.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

It has been more than a pleasure answering your questions. Thank you for your interest in our work!