Leukemia/love/Vic Records/2012 CD Review

  Leukemia  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  has  a  history  that  goes  back to  1989  with  a musical  style  that  mixes  melodic  thrash  with  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "love"  which  was  released  by  Vic  Reccords.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  not  much  inthe  way  of  blast  beats,  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,as  for  the  synths  when  they  are  utilized  they  bring  an  exotic, dark  and  progressive  sound  to the  music.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  thrash  with  old  school  Swedish  death  metal  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melodic  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  death/thrash  growls,  high  pitched  screams  to  clean  singing  along  with  some  brief  spoken  word  elements,  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  depressing  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  old  school  sound  while  still  sounding  very  strong  and  powerful  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording

  In  my  opinion  Leukemia  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  atmospheric  Swedish  death  metal  and  thrash  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Emotionally  Dead"  "Tearflow"  "My  Pain"  and  "Regrets".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Engulfed Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

Engulfed came out of its tomb on 2010 in Kadikoy, because the band members were hungry for true oldschool blasphemic death metal. We started working on our songs since we came together and we've just released our first EP "Through The Eternal Damnation". Now, we are working on our first full length and waiting for the vinyl which will be released from Me Saco Un Ojo Records.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?We are working on the songs with old school, rotten and blasphemic Death Metal style.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?Lyrics are all about fucked up religions, hate about all religions, chaos, destruction and the only true thing: DEATH!

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

Engulfed is about being engulfed by darkness, nothingness. That's what we want to tell whole world.

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

So far, we had only 3 shows. The first one was with Undergang and the second one was in Istanbul, June 2012. The last one with Dead Congregation in Istanbul and I must say that they are really one of the best death metal bands of all time.

6. Do you have any touring plans?

We don't have any touring plans at this moment. Our first target is to finish the writing process of our album. Maybe, after this we will be able to hit the road.

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

All reactions satisfied us. We are reading critics every day and they are all good.

8. What is going on with the other musical projects these days?

Our other projects are going well. I am working on 3rd album with my other band Decaying Purity. Our drummer Aberrant and I have an other project called Diabolizer and we're currently working hard on our first release. By the way, Aberrant's other band Impuration's first release "Sanctities We Raped" is nearly out. Highly recommended!

9.

What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?We will play the same old school shit until the band will be dead.

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

Actually this question has not a lucid answer. I can't give you any clear examples because the things I'm influenced by are not the bands that I always listened to. It could be anything. Of course the early 90's death metal had the major impact on our style. But if I have to give you some present bands names these are Maveth, Anatomia, Resurgency, Grave, Voidhanger.

11. How would you describe the underground metal scene in your home country of Turkey?

All full of shit and a lot of posers around here. Actually Turkey hasn't got an underground metal scene except Kadikoy.

12. How would you describe your views on Occultism?

Actually I am interested in our musical things.

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

Hanging with friends, trying to survive, movies, books and of course working and thinking about music.

14. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?Support only the true and qualified bands. Thanks for the interview.

Ritual Killing/New Tribe//Blacksmith Records/2012 CD Review

   Ritual killing  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  tribal  form  of  death/thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  2012  album  "New Tribe"  which  was  released  by  Blacksmith  Records.

  Drums range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  not  much  in  the  way  of  blast  beats  while  mixing  in  some  percussion  playing  at  times,  while  the  folk  instruments  when  they  are  utilized  bring  a  very  tribal  sound  to t he  music,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

   Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  death,  groove  and  thrash  metal  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  and  technical  sounding  thrash  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  to  add  more  variety  to  the  music.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  death/thrash  metal  growls  with  some  shouts  being  thrown  into the  music  at  times  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  high  pitched  screams  and  spoken  word  parts,  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  corruption  of  the  world,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Ritual Killing  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  death,  groove  and  thrash  metal  with  a  tribal  edge  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of t his  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Liar"  "My  Owner"  "Headhunter"  and  "Blood  Cops".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.   

Saratan Interview

J â Jarek Niemiec (vocals, bass)
A â Adam Augustynski (guitars)


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

J -  Itâs a really busy time for us! We are few days after the premiere of our third album, and just after that we will play a few tours. Theyâll include plenty of gigs in Poland, and few months later â in April 2013- we are going to invade Europe! Apart from that, we are working on our merch and preparing for a second video!

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it differs from previous releases?

J â Our music has more layers now. Itâs not only the already familiar death-thrash base, but there's also more diversity and complexity. âMartya Xwarâ is a mix of metal and some strong ethnic and classical influences. In my opinion the new album has more dimensions, and itâs a huge step forward for us. Our first albums were more consistent in death and thrash music genre. Thatâs the biggest difference.

A - This album is a huge step forward in almost every possible way! The most obvious thing you'll notice is the increased number of oriental parts. They play the role of nice introductions and give some space to calm down in the middle of the songs. This gives the album a more dynamic feel, and contrasts nicely with the heavier parts of the album. I'd say that the metal parts of the album, on the other hand, move us closer to death metal. We have recorded a faster and more demanding album, yet I believe it's much better thought through and written. For us it's simply better and we've got a hell of a lot of fun playing the new tracks!

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?

J â Itâs not a concept album, but there is a common element that some of these songs share. Lyrically, the album touches such topics as: darkness, occultism, rituals... but there are two songs that are more direct. Itâs âVerminous Diseaseâ, and âSilent Sound of Mourningâ. These two songs are written as a critique, against some topics that we do not support.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band name?
J â It means âcancerâ in Arabic and Persian language. Our first guitarist - Staszek ChorÄ…zki â and I have developed it when we were at oriental studies. Word âSaratanâ exists in both languages. It fits to our lyrics, it is mysterious, and it sounds like Satan!


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

J â We believe that our best shows are yet to come!! But if I had to choose, I would list some gigs from our polish tour with Sadist and Virgin Snatch, especially one in our hometown â Cracow. And about our stage performance? We headbang as fast as we can! Itâs so simple!

A - In terms of playing, the best show is directly related to the size of audience and the feedback they give you. In this sense my personal best concert would be Cracow's gig during our latest Polish tour in 2010. But on the very same concert, first I broke a string and then there was something wrong with the bridge in my guitar so I was rushing behind the stage, trying to borrow a guitar just to finish the concert. Now I always double check my guitars before the show. Talking about our stage performance, I think we're rather natural. We don't plan our scenic moves. We try to be energetic and to infuse our audience with this energy. Sometimes when You see how mad people can be it's even impossible not to headbang!


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

J â Yes, our touring plans grow bigger and bigger! This year we will play 8 gigs in Poland. In the beginning of year 2013 we are going to play the second leg of polish tour, and Eastern-Europe tour. Probably we will visit Western Europe next. I will be able to list more tour dates after some confirmations. For more info, check our websites soon!

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your new album by fans of extreme metal?

J â It is to early to sum up the feedback - itâs just a few days, that âMartya Xwarâ is available. But, for now, the response is more than just satisfying! We made a lot of interviews, weâve got many reviews, but the most important thing â gigs â is just to come!

8. What is going on with the other musical projects these days?

J - If You are referring to our musical projects, then I'd have to say that all of the members of Saratan are
only playing here, we don't have any sideprojects going on.

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

J â We have found our music style, the combination of death-thrash with ethnic influences. Probably we will keep playing this style, but with some new elements. Itâs to early to decide about our direction on the next album, but for sure it will be closer to âMartya Xwarâ then our previous albums.

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

J â Some of the influences are unconscious, moreover I try to not imitate other bands style. However, here are some bands that I listen to nowadays: Anaal Nathrakh, Triptykon, Motionless in White, Tasters, Shinedown, Suicide Silence. It is a little bit diverse, but I donât like to stuck into one music genre, but the songs I really enjoy.

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

J â Persian culture, literature, art and history. Also ethnic culture, religions of Middle-East, languages. Everything thatâs connected with Persian and Arabic World. Moreover I have typical interests like football, summer festivals and traveling.

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

J â Thanks for the interview! Check our latest album âMartya Xwarâ, watch our video âBaâal Zevuvâ and of

Sinister/Years Of Massacre/Massacre Records/2012 Digital Compilation Review

  Sinister  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  that  I  would  describe  as  being  heavy  and  brutal  sounding  old  school  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  digital  compilation  album  "Years  Of  Massacre"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  good  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being thrown  into t he  music,  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 v ery  powerful  sound  to them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  old  school  style  death  metal  riffs  that  are  very  heavy  and  brutal  sounding  with  a  good  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  early  90's  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  sounding  death  metal  growls  with  some  spoken  word  parts  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  violent  and  blasphemous  themes,  as  for  the  production  it h as  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can hear  all  of t he  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  compilation  from  Sinister  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this band,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Summit Of  Sacrifice"  "The  Sin  Of  Sodomy" "Transylvania(The  City  Of  The  Damned"  and  "The  Grey  Massacre".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Saratan/Martya Xwar/Massacre Records/2012 CD Review

  Saratan  are  a  band  from  Poland  that plays  a  mixture  of  death  and thrash  metal and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Martya  Xwar"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  folk  instruments  that  are  used  on  the  into  and  a  few  songs  bring  an  exotic,  ethnic,  and  Arabic  sound  to  the  music  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  pianos,  as  for the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  ranged  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  Polish  style  death  metal  with  modern  day  thrash  metal,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  chaotic  sounding  death/thrash  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  mostly  thrash  style  vocals  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  screams  as  well  as  a  brief use  of  clean  singing  female  vocals,  while  the  lyrics  cover  occult and  anti christian  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Saratan  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  death  metal  and  modern  day  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mastema"  "Silent  Sun  Of  Mourning"  and  "God  That  Disappears".  RECOMMENDED  BUY. 

Plector Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?I can see that the question is not up to date with current events. The band was disbanded now in September 2012.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it differs from previous recordings?More solid arrangements and better effort on the vocals for sure. The album has a clean yet heavy sound which I dig.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?I guess that the entire album is a tribute to the bitter failure of the band (laughs). It's a very dark album compared to the last one indeed.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?Vilhelm (drummer) suggested a Latin dictionary due to lack of inspiration for a band name in 2006 and I found the word Plector which means "to be punished". An epic tale indeed (laughs).

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?As far as I can remember even a bad Plector show was a good show even if we fucked everything up (laughs). We were kind of casual in that way or maybe just acted like it in order to hide our flaws. We certainly had an entertainment value without any stiff moments besides maybe tuning the occupational guitar in between songs.

6. I have read that the band is splitting up, what is the reason behind it and is there going to be a final tour?So you are up to date? Forget what I said (laughs)! On a more serious note though, as a struggling underground band we have our reasons. When you have to finance everything for yourself (logistics, recordings, distribution etc.) and there's no or very little improvement in the booking department it gets harder and harder to stay motivated in the long run. Plector is just as underground as any other local band as we've done everything by ourselves through these years. Therefore our decision to quit after 6 years as a band but it's more like 4 years as the last 2 barely count besides releasing 'Punishment Day'.
About a final tour I must say hell no! We refuse to put any more of our own money into this already dead project. Make no mistake, Plector is indeed fucking dead.

7. The new album came out on Discouraged Records, how did you get in contact with this label and how would you describe the support that they have given you so far?We've known Kristoffer from the band Moloken for some time before he introduced us to his label which was a natural step for us. They have shown great faith in our music and perhaps too much to be honest. We didn't want to make a regular release with the new album at first, just releasing it on Spotify or something would be sufficient for us but they nagged us for weeks offering compromise after compromise until we gave in. The label try to make do with what they got and we do appreciate it as it's just an Indie label. If they think that this album will get a lot of attention I say let them promote it. We don't necessarily agree on that part.

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your new album by fans of thrash and death metal?As of now the new album barely existed out there, some kind of delay of some sort which really pisses me of so it's hard to tell. That I can say however is that fans seem to like the preview we linked on Facebook. Naturally some fans thinks we are dicks for giving up and others are more understanding to our situation. As far as critics go with their reviewing and opinions, the album gets either great or mediocre points. However I'm kind of skeptical regarding a "massive" impact with this album. As long as the people that wants to hear our music has an easy access to it I'm satisfied.

9. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?There's no denying that we are Pantera fans and myself being the biggest nut of them all but they aren't the only inspiration. We got, Sepultura, Slayer, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Gojira, Eddie Meduza, Dr. Bombay and many more. I'm so boring when it comes to music so I'm just listening to the good old stuff and occasionally something newer.

10. Outside of music what are some of your interests?Besides wearing flannel and being retarded in general I've been making videos with Standard Film Team for almost 13 years so I recommend that people check that shit out on Youtube now when Plector being gone and all.

11. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?Support your local Wal-Mart flannel.