Supuration/Cube 3/Listenable Records/2013 CD Review

  Supuration  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  very  heavy  and  progressive  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Cube  3"  which  was  released  by  Listenable  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  playing  with  not  much  in  the  way  of  fast  drumming  or  blast  beats  being  present  on  this  recording,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  progressive  death  metal  riffs  that  utilize  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  in  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  dark,  melodic  and  progressive  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  death  metal  growls  to  clean  singing  as  well  as  a  brief  spoken  word  part,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy,  powerful  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Supuration  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of t his  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Introversion"  "Consumate"  "The  Delegation"  and  "The  Climax".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

Heaving Earth/Redemption Ablaze/2012 EP Review

  Heaving  Earth  are  a  band  from  the  Chezch  Republic  that  plays  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  ep  "Redemption  Ablaze".

  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  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  death  metal  riffs  that  are  very  dark,  heavy  and  brutal  sounding  in  the  old  school  tradition  as  well  as  having  some  melody  in  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  and  dark  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  all  deep  death  metal  growls,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes   with  a  touch  of  occultism,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  dark,  heavy  and  professional  sound for  being  a  self  released  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Heaving  Earth  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark,  heavy  and  brutal  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should c heck  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "I  Am  Nothing".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Okular Interview

All answers by Andreas Aubert (composition & lyrics, additional & backing vocals)

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

Besides the new album coming up, we have recently gathered a full live lineup. The rehearsals have been going very well, and we are planning to play several gigs in the near future.

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

The album features a balanced blend of technicality, melody and brutality. All presented within a framework of progressive songwriting. We also have a fairly modern approach to the sound. The sound is far from old school, although influences range from old school bands such as Immolation, to modern bands such as in example Gojira.The new album might have a slightly more organic sound than the debut, with a more balanced mix. This time, more space has been given to the drums and the bass guitar, while the guitars still provide the foundation for everything. We have also experimented further with various vocal styles, including more clean singing, plus we have added some piano, synth and orchestral parts on a few songs, which adds a new dimension to the music which was not present on our debut.

The album is more complex and varied than the first one, yet still perhaps more accessible. Although this album has some songs/parts which are somewhat “easy” to play, the songs are still quite complex in their structure. On the first album, almost everything was quite technical. On the other hand, the new album also has riffs and songs which are even more technical and crazy than what you can find on the debut album. So you have a little bit of everything.

The debut had some traces of a “Gothenburg” influence, this is less obvious on the new album. This album is perhaps slightly more groovy, and also more dissonant at times.

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

All the lyrics deal with aspects of what it means to be human. Big questions such as freedom, choice, authenticity vs conformity are among the topics discussed. The aim is to describe inner and outer struggles and victories related to these themes. The presentation emphasizes describing internal states, and weaving poetic landscapes, rather than presenting this as a purely theoretical/philosophical discourse.

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

When I was 15 years old, we had some experiments in school in the natural science class. When using a microscope, the teacher told us to look into the “okular” (the lense of the microscope). An Ocular (Okular in Norwegian) is the part of any optical instrument that is kept closest to the eye (when you see through the instrument).  I immediately thought it was a cool word, mostly because it sounded similar to the word “occult” (which might be fascinating for a 15 year old who is into metal), and I thought to myself “I will have a band named Okular”.  When we recorded our  debut album in 2010, we needed a name, and I remembered the word Okular. I had used it for a few “garage projects” previously (just for fun, nothing serious). I still thought the name was cool. I see the band name as having to do with seeing – and not only in the visual sense, but also in the sense of becoming aware of internal states, social dynamics etc. Seeing, in a metaphorical sense. The aim of the lyrics is to take an honest look at psychological, social and perhaps even spiritual issues. Like the music, the lyrics have a penetrating quality to them, as in “cutting through the bullshit”. I find that as a unity, the music and the lyrics is like an Okular which hopefully will help the listener get a deeper glimpse into themselves and connect more deeply with something which feels subjectively meaningful and true.

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

We have not played any concerts yet, but my vision is that the stage performance might instill a sense of awe in the audience. Especially considering the sheer craziness and technicality of the music, while it still has plenty of groove and melody to captivate the headbanging maniacs.

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

Yes, not fixed plans yet, but we are working on it.

7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label and if so what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for the music?

Our sense is that unless the label is willing to commit themselves to a decent level of effort in promoting the material, there is little benefit of signing a record deal. For the time being, it seems better to be in charge ourselves, while still seeking assistance from other people for certain tasks.
This is not to say that it would not be interesting to work with a label in the future. It would be important that the label should understand the vision behind the music, and that they should appreciate and support our wish of doing something slightly different and experimental.

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

Judging from the reviews of the first album, it has been received very well. The majority of the reviewers gave scores from 7/10 all the way up to 9.5/10 (the latter happened on four webzines). The reviews have been coming from as diverse countries as USA, Turkey, Israel, Germany, Sweden, Romania, Poland, France etc. So it looks like we managed to create something which appeals to fans of progressive death metal of many different cultural backgrounds. That is very pleasing, as part of the vision behind the music, is to create something that is not confined to any particular cultural framework. The aim is rather to explore and encourage creativity as it arises spontaneously, prior to and beyond internal cencorship defined by ones cultural framework.  Thus there is a “primal” edge to the music and lyrics, but also very much an elevated and sophisticated element. The primal and the “cultivated” may not be in a state of antagonism with each other.

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

Marius Skarsem Pedersen (guitar/vocals) and Bjørn Tore Erlandsen (drums) are playing in a band called Aspherium. Although quite different from Okular, Aspherium too might fit into the label “progressive death metal”. They are laying the finishing touches on their upcoming second album. The drums were recorded at Fascination Street Studios, and will be mixed and mastered there too, by the genius Jens Bogren. I think the album will be very exciting. A release is expected around fall 2013.

Myself (Andreas Aubert), I have plenty of acoustic guitar material recorded, but it is not yet clear when and in which context this might be released in the future. Martin Berger (who plays bass on Sexforce) is busy with his band Zerozonic, and his music studio/production company “Skar Productions”.

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

It will go in many different directions. Sometimes more straightforward, sometimes even more complex. I would like to make more use of orchestral elements in the future, but also to make some songs which are simpler, with fewer layers of guitars and perhaps not as technical. I find that with Sexforce, we have managed to experiment with all of these different elements, while still having it feel as an organic unity.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Pantera was very important during my first year as a metalhead. Later, the Gothenburg style was important, after that I started listening more to death metal, also the more technical and progressive bands. Some of the bands that has been most influential to me, are: Morbid Angel, Death, Gojira, In Flames, At The Gates, Decapitated, Immolation, Pantera, Kreator, Killswitch Engage. To name a few… More recently, I have been very excited about the band Lykathea Aflame, which I would characterize as a kind of over the top progressive/atmospheric death metal/grindcore.

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

Speaking for myself, I would say yoga, meditation, psychological and spiritual growth, health and nutrition. Basically, exploring all kinds of things which I find helps me to lead a more fulfilling and meaningful life.

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

Thanks for the support!

Lifeless/Godconstruct/FDA Rekotz/2013 CD Review

  Lifeless  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  that  I  would  describe  as  being  old  school  death  metal  in  the  Swedish  tradition  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Godconstruct"  which  was  released  by  FDA  Rekotz.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  tribal  drums,  while  the  synths  which  are  only  used  briefly  bring  a  very  dark  sound  to  the  music  without  being  a  lead  instrument,  as for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  Swedish  death  metal  style  that  are  very  heavy  and  old  school  sounding  with  some  melody  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  at  times,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  they  are  only  used  briefly  and  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  add  some  darkness  to  the  music.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  sounding  death  metal  growls  with  some  Gregorian  and  ethnic  chanting  being  used  on  the  intro  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  this  another  great  sounding  album  from  Lifeless  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Godconstruct"  "Moribund"  "Blood  For  The  Gods"  and  "Sworn  To  Death".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.   

Nader Sadek Interview

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

We are currently writing finishing up writing 12 new songs, for an ep and a full length, The line up includes Flo, Rune, Novy and I. With Rune handling 99% of the writing. We have a new vocalist as well, but will have to be anounced later. 

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

I  think it turned out raw and dark, very punchy, In many ways, (and without putting the studio album down in anyway, as i was pretty happy with its sound)  the live album has more punch in the  sound of the drums, they really pop out, drum production is  always a problem for me, especially in live albums, i think it was done very well done in " Living Flesh".   Casey Smith who mixed and mastered it, is highly proffesional, he actually works in television his experience is invaluble, and i cant thank him enough for his hard work. He was also at the show, so he knew what the sound was like and successfully replicated.

 

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects that are explored with the music?

most of my work is based on themes of petroleum, how its a compound made of decomposed formerly living beings ranging from trees to dinosaurs, their bodies has transformed and become  the worlds biggest commodity. not to mention biggest source of pollution and wars. The lyrics mostly focus on a new god that the world is blindly worshiping, this new god is petroleum.

 

4. The album has a well known line-up in the extreme metal scene, how did you get in contact with these musicians?

I've known flo for a long time, i honestly dont remember how i got in touch, i think it may have been through the Cryptopsy website,  Runes contacts i got through Mayhem, when i toured with them. I was also talking to Alex Webster  to about good bassists in extreme metal, i asked him if he knew Novy and he immeditaly recommended him and gave me his contacts.  and Steve i  just emailed through Morbid Angels website. 

5. How would you describe the stage performance?

It was intense!  It was far too short of an experience, we did our best to make the songs longer in composition, when it was to benefit the song, because we knew the songs would be played faster.The guy get excited and they just go through the material,especially flo and rune,. I  try to do some interesting stuff between the songs, so while ppl are catching their breath they have something to provoke them visually.

 

6. Are there going to be any other albums in the future?

Yes with Flo Rune, Novy and I, as i meniteod there will be anew singer, and a ton of great guests. 

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

I expected alot of negative feed back from the more traditional types of metal fans, which is that they dont understand a visual artist creating a band, they want things to be as generic and traditional as possible.Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and what makes sense to them. on the other hand, there was alot of ppl who understood it immediatley, they understood the connection between the band members the concept and what my role was and truly loved it, and i couldnt be happier with this reaction. 

8. Can you tell us a little bit more about your work with other musical artists?

I'v worked with Attila in making him masks which he wears with Sunn 0)) and Mayhem,

the process for that was great. He basically,told me todowhatever i wanted,so i tried ot make something that was him, dark and abstract. Ava inferi have asked meas well, and i've made2 masks for them. 

There were a few non metal musicians who i brought  to " in the flesh?  who are not metal musicians at all, one was an amazing opera singer Guadelupe Peraza and Miles Jay,  miles played layer of string instruments for the song "of this flesh".  Incredible multi-instrumentalist.

9. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

the creative process, whether its music or video or sculpture,  just tryin to make the most out of nothing.

 

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

yeah , i want to urge anyone who loves art to go make art, by loving art it already makes you a creative person, its just a matter of beleiving it, who cares if others like it? unless your making it for money, than you have to target an audience, and thats a totally different story alltogether. So make it for yourself,  when others embrace it-be happy, but make the work for yourself above all else.

 

Blunt Force Trauma Interview

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

With the basis of the band being floated around in Andys head for many years it was in 2009 that he and Damo set out to secure our initial line up. The five members of the band set to work writing as much material as they could utilising some old riffs that Andy and Damo had. The introduction of Stumpy brought some fat bass groves to the table and Stu's vocal styles and range set us to playing the metal we loved listening to. With a drummer change in 2011 the whole dynamic of the band changed as a skillfully trained drummer was found in Robbie Sherbourne. With a new drummer came the re writing of old material allowing the band to be more creative and dynamic and to play to their full potential and the pre production for our E.P. began. Completing their first proper release "BEYOND" in 2012 the boys set to playing as many shows as possible and to pushing their new release to as many people as they could. With the recent departure of one guitar player for Financial and Personal reasons the band has moved in to it's next phase and evolution, with a massive year planned including international touring, film clips, radio play and writing the music for an indi feature film to name a few Blunt Force Trauma have many positive things a head of them.     

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

A  hybrid  of  death  metal,  groove,  thrash  and  hardcore 

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

We try to talk about our own personal experiences, it keep things close to the heart and make you passionate about your music, we have songs that talk about relationships, suicide and the train wreck that it leaves behind, the complexity of the mind, anxiety and lots of other real world topics. Nothing is off limits in this band either musically or lyrically and that's what draws us to it, a lot of bands will find a style that they want to play and not stray to far from it but we are all about the exploration of music and if we like it we play it. 

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

We were looking for something that was like the way we like our music, hard hitting and straight to the point Blunt Force Trauma seemed to fit the bill.

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

The best shows we have played so far would have to be supporting Forbidden (USA) In Perth and Adelaide and Macabre (USA) in Perth both shows were, how ever sometimes the little shows can be so much fun we played an all ages show recently that was awesome heaps of fun and the kids reaction was worth every minute of effort we put in. We play each show as if it the biggest we have ever played we don't care how many people are in the room be it 300 hundred or 50 we get in and belt out our tunes with passion and force.

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

One word YES, we are heading off around Australia in March for 13 shows and then again in May, we are playing in India in April for a two day Festival in Darjeeling then shows around Calcutta and then we are supporting Origin and Japan for a 7 day tour in July. Its our main goal this year to be touring constantly.

7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label and if so what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for your music?

We would be happy to be with any label as long as they supported our music and creativity and worked as hard as we do to push it out to the world, not every one is going to like everything you do but we want as many people as possible hear our music and to have the chance to make that decision. We will work as hard as we can we just need some one else that wants to do the same, until then we will do what we always do and work, work, work. 

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your ep by fans of extreme Metal?

We have been overwhelmed by the support we are receiving, we have only had positive feed back even being played on the Radio in America and other stations around the world. 

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

This is the full time line up for all of us, we would all like to have side projects and other projects but we have so much invested in this band we are giving up everything to make this succeed, each of us have made huge sacrifices and we intend to see this through. 

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

With becoming a four piece comes a new direction and format to how we write, Stumpy is having a much bigger say in the musical writing and his ability as a bass player is shining to the forefront. As a group we seem to be more in tune and connected with the writing process and we have already felt the affect it has had on our new additions to our set list.  The songs are coming out sounding thick and crushing with lots of grove and speed, we have really taken on our challenges and are ready to explore the new Blunt Force Trauma to see where it takes us on the way to recording our first full length album later this year.

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

We all have a vary wide variety of musical tastes we are all influenced by many bands across many genres and I think that's why it works and how we get our own sound, apart from most recognizable and influential bands like Sabbath, Metallica, Pantera etc etc that most would associate with we all have our own external influences Stumpy is into the more extreme side of Metal, Robbie loves Funk and Jazz, Andy pulls influence from the entire musical genre pool and Stu appreciates signers from classical to pop to brutal we all appreciate music as a whole there is so much of it and people should look outside of their own genre to get inspiration. 

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

We all have many interest outside of music however unfortunately pursuing those things aren't on the cards at the moment but if we had the time we are all into any thing fast moving and adrenaline fueld. From Snowboarding to Motor sports to jumping out of planes if it gets your heart racing we are in.  

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

We would like to thank all of our supporters and tell the world to watch this space as we are coming for you. 

Nader Sadek/Living Flesh/2013 Live CD Review

  Nader  Sadek  is  a  visual  artist  from  New  York  that  has  worked  with  Mayhem  and  Sunn 0))) and hired some of the most well known musicians for his  musical  project  which  I  would  describe  as  being  death  metal  in  the  Florida  vein  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  live  2013  album  "Living  Flesh"  which  was  self  released.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  good  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  drum  solos,  while t he  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  Florida  style  death  metal  riffs  that  are  very  heavy  and  brutal  sounding  along  with  a  good  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  at  times,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  old  school  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  with  some  female  opera  vocals,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  the  whole  album  was  recorded  live  and  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Nafer  Sadek  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Nigredo  In  Necromance"  "Soulless"  "Of  This  Flesh"  and  "Petrophilia".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.