Dead Dark Slide/I Am Dead/Dead Games Records/2014 EP Review

  Dead  Dark  Slide  are  a  band  from  Florida  that  plays  a  mixture  of  industrial  and  gothic  rock  with  touches  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "I  Am  Dead"  which  was  released  by  Dead  Games  Records.

  Drum  beats  and  dark  sounding  guitar  riffs  start  off  the  ep  along  with  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  industrial  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  some  keyboards  in  the  background  and  they  keep  everything  in  a  slow  to  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  the  melodies  they  use  are  in  an  early  80's  gothic  rock  direction.

  You  can  hear  some  elements  of  post  punk  in  their  musical  sound  at  times  and  on  some  of  the  alter  songs  the  keyboards  start  sounding  more  powerful  along  with  a  very  atmospheric  feeling and  the  vocals  also  get  more  diverse  while  still  having  a  very  aggressive  sound  to  them  as  well  as  sounding  more  tormented  as  well  as  having  a  melodic  edge  to  them  at  times.

  Dead  Dark  Slide  creates  a  very  interesting  musical  style  that  takes  the  heaviness  of  industrial  metal,  the  melody  of  gothic  rock  and  the  death  metal  approach  to  vocals  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dead  Dark  Slide  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  industrial,  gothic  rock  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  thos e musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "JUST  DIE"  "Watching  You  Bleed".  8  out  of  10.
   

  

Gautama Interview

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

GAUTAMA was born in 2008. Their very first show in 2009 was performed with other well known New-Caledonia bands such as ZOOL and TRIAS during « The Night of the Rock ».

Since then and until 2010, GAUTAMA performed on live stage,in NOUMEA city.

2011 was a particular year when the band shared the stage with MASS HYSTERIA during their tour in New-Caledonia.

GAUTAMA incorporates elements of various influences crafting their very own style of thrash / death metal.

In december 2012 the band recorded their very first album "ALL IS SILENCE"produced and engernired by CHRISTOPHE PLANCHE at BIGSOUNDNC STUDIO.

Mastering was done at CUTTING ROOM STUDIO in Sweden.

‘’ALL IS SILENCE’’ was released on October,31, 2013.

GAUTAMA is : Soriano Cloé Guitar/vocals, Soriano Colin Drums, verdier Alexandre Guitar, Fontebasso Bruno Bass

The passion of the band and to make some music and to play on stage!!!

2.Recently you have released your first full length album, can you tell us a little bit more about your musical sound?

We wanted an old-school sound because nowadays metal music in general seems to be too much alike. The mastering was done at Cutting Room Studio in Sweden. We are really happy of the result and it reminds us of what we used to listen when we were younger.

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

We explore human emotions and states of mind. For example, Octopus is about disease, At the gates is about madness and Dharma about awakening. We are interested about the philosophical feature.

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

Gautama is the second name of Bouddha. It explains the philosophical theme of our band.

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?

There is an event every year in New Caledonia named the Night of the Rock which is a little rock/metal festival. The audience is usually warm and intense. It’s always a great pleasure to play there. Besides, in 2011 we shared the stage with MASS HYSTERIA during their tour in New-Caledonia. It was an amazing experience.

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

In New Caledonia we are far away from the big scenes or festivals. A tour needs a lot of organization and money but we are confident about the future. We have in New Caledonia some organisations as the Poemart, that helps local bands to finance tours. Our dream would be to tour whether in the Pacific or in Europe.

7.The album was released on Bigsound-Nc, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

It’s a recent independant label which works with different styles of music from metal to reggae and rock. It is the only label recording metal bands here.

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

We’ve had some nice reviews from Italy, the UK, USA and France. We’ve almost reached the 3,000 fans on Facebook. Our first music video «Octopus» helped a lot. We are very happy that people are interested in our music. We hope it will continue.

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

Music is to us a pleasure. All four of us have their jobs and family in New Caledonia. That being said, our final goal would be to develop our musical career and to participate in a famous metal festival and tour!!!!!

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 love Sepultura, Pantera, Tool, Meshuggah, Obituary and Lamb of Gods. But we can also like other styles as Björk, Peter Gabriel, Led Zepplin, Tori Amos and Pink Floyd. 

11.How would you describe the metal scene in your home country of New Caledonia?

It’s not easy to gig here. Usually Gautama performs in bars. We still have nice opportunities on big stage and we have a nice metal audience that supports us.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

We like all kind of sports, movies, literature and social activities. We live in this beautiful island where we can go camping, to the beach or to the river.

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

The passion that comes from playing music on stage is a great adventure.

Death Vomit/Gutted By Horrors/Xtreem Music/2014 CD Review

  Death  Vomit  are  a  band  from  Chile  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Gutted  by  Horrors"  which  was  released  by  Xtreem  Music.

  A  very  dark  and  evil  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  bringing  in  an  occult  and  ritualistic  atmosphere  to  the  recording  before  going  into  more  of  a  dark  and  old  school  death  metal  direction  as  well  as  adding  in  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goe s into  more  of  a  fast  and  raw  direction.

  There  are  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  present  throughout  the  recording  and  the  growls  go  back  to  the  mid  80's  era  of  death  metal  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  great  amount  of  raw  aggression  along  with  a  great  amount  of  influences  from  the  European  and  Brazilian  death  metal  scenes  of  the  mid  80's  and  early  90's.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  solos  and  leads  go  into  more  of  a  raw  and  extreme  metal  direction  and  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  the  ritualistic  sounds  from  the  intro  also  make  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  guitars  utilizing  more  dark  sounding  melodies  and  you  can  hear  some  of  the  more  aggressive  thrash  metal  elements  in  their  musical  sound  at  times.  

  Death  Vomit  plays  a  very  true  and  raw  form  of  old  school  death  metal  that  has  a  very  aggressive  and  evil  atmosphere,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  death,  gore  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Death  Vomit  are  a  very  great  sounding  raw  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Indestructible  Abominations"  "Devoured  By  Carcass"  "Demoniac  Hunger"  and  "Resurrection  Grotesque".  8  out  of  10.

  

Horrendous/Ecdysis/Dark Descent Records/2014 CD Review

  Horrendous  are   a band  from  the  East  Coast  that  has  been  featured before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  Swedish  style  of  old  school  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Ecdysis"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Dark  Descent  Records.

  Dark  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  before  the  guitars  start  to  kick  in  and  they  also  use  a  good  amount  of  melody  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  in  a  melodic  direction  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  an  old  school  death  metal  direction  while  some  of  the  later  tracks  also  see  the  band  bring  in  elements  of  traditional  metal.

  Vocals  use  both  growls  and  screams  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  Swedish  style  of  death  metal  really  starts  to  kick  in.

  You  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  in  the  solos  and  leads  and  they  also  bring  some  originality  into  the  bands  musical  sound  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  brief  acoustic  instrumental  before  making  a  return  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  you  can  also  hear  the  energy  of  punk  rock  in  their  musical  sound  at  times  and  some  of  the  alter t racks  also  sees  the  band  experimental  with  melodic  vocals  and  atmospheric  sounds..

  Horrendous  remain  true  to  their  old  school  style  of  Swedish  orientated  death  metal  while  also  trying  new  things  with  their  musical  sound  this  time  around  to  make  the  album  sound  more  diverse  and  interesting,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  occult  and  anti  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Horrendous  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Strnager"  "Heaven's  Descent"  "Monarch"  and  "Titan".  8  out  of  10.

 
  

Coffinborn/Beneath The Cemetery/Xtreem Music/2014 EP Review

  Coffinborn  are  a  band  from  Hungary  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "Beneath  the  Cemetery"  which  was  released  by  Xtreem  Music.

  A  very  dark,  raw  and  old  school  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  some  morbid  sounding  early  90's  Swedish  style  melodies  in  their  musical  sound  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  ep  sounds like  it  could  of  been  released  in  1991.

  When  solos  are  added  into  the  music  they  enhance  the  chaotic  classic  death  metal  feeling  this  band  creates  with  their  musical  sound and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  decent  mixture  of  Swedish,  Finnish  and  American  influences  into  their  songs  along  with  a  very  evil  sounding  atmosphere  and  the  band  ignores  all  of  the  modern  trends  that  have  been  a  part  of  death  metal  for  the  past  20  years  as  well  as  staying  heavy  from  beginning  to  end  of  the  recording.

  Coffinborn  are  another  younger  band  that  plays  an  ancient  style  of  death  metal  and  while  the  music  is  not  completely  original  it  is  still  very  enjoyable  and  a  perfect  throwback  to  death  metal's  glory  days,  the  production  sounds  very  raw,  heavy  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  death  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Coffinborn  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Enter  the  Nightmares"  and  "Putrid  Stench  Of  Death".  8  out  of  10.        

Monsterworks/Overhaul/Eat, Lead And Die/2014 CD Review

  Monsterworks  have  returned  with  a  new  album  which  shows  them  remaining  true  to  their  mixture  of  power,  thrash  and  death  metal  while  also  gettiing  even  more  progressive  this  time  around and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Overhaul"  which  will  be  released  on  August  12  by  Eat,  Lead  And  Die.

  A  very  dark  sounding  synth  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  elements  of  ambient  and  noise  before  going  into  a  hard  metal  direction  along  with  some  vocals  that  are  melodic  melodic  yet  aggressive  at  the  same  time  and  you  can  also  hear  a  good  amount  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  some  70's  rock  style  guitar  leads.

  When  death  metal  growls  are  added  onto  the  recording  the  music  starts  getting  more  diverse  along  with  a  great  amount  of  prog  metal  elements  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  all  of  the  tracks  stick  to  mostly  a  slow  to  mid  paced  direction  as  well  as  adding  in  a  good mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  last  track  is  over  22  minutes  in  length  and  really  displays  the  progressive side  of  the  bands  musical  sound  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.  

  Monsterworks  goes  for  more  of  a  progressive  direction  this  time  around  while  still  having  a  decent  amount  of  heaviness  to  them,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Projecting  where  we  will  ultimately  end  up  by  the  time  the  Universe  ends  in  a  few  trillion  years  or  so  along  with  some  inspiration  from  Isaac  Asimov.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Monsterworks  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "To  Do  What  Must  Be  Done"  and  "Resolution".  8  out  of  10.

 

     

Bottlekopf/Absolutely Nothing/Wydawnictwo Muzyczne Psycho/2014 CD Review

  Bottlekopf  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  an  old  school  from  of  Swedish  style  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Absolutely  Nothing"  which  was  released  by  Wydawnictwo  Psycho.

  A  very  melodic  and  90's  orientated  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  growls  and  the  music  sticks  mostly  to  a  mid  paced  direction  before  adding  in  more  fast  parts  which  also  leads  up  to  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  leads  and  solos  the  band  uses  are  in  a  melodic  early  90's  Swedish  death  metal  vein.

  All  of  the  tracks  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  released  in  1992  and  after  awhile  spoken  word  parts  and  clean  singing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  clean  playing  can  be  heard  at  times  while  the  music  mostly  focuses  on  a  heavier  sound  with  the  music  being  mostly  in  a  slow  to  mid  paced  direction  while  it  also  has  its  fast  moments  at  times  and  they  also  add  elements  of  groove  into  their  musical  sound  at  times.

  Bottlekopf  play  an  old  school  style  of  death  metal  which  also  has  elements  of  groove  and  while  the  music  is  not  very  original  the  band  is  very  good  at  what  they  do,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Bottlekopf  are  a  very  decent  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  "Absolutely  Nothing"  "Carnage"  and  "Whoever  Win,  We  Lose".  7/5  out  of  10.