Cemetery Filth/Screams From The Catacombs/2014 EP Review

  Cemetery  Filth  are  a  band  from  Tennessee  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "Screams  From  The  Catacombs".

  A  very  dark  and  old  school  evil  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  deep  growls  before  speeding  up  a  bit  and  adding  in  some  blast  beats  which  also  takes  the  music  into  a  more  heavier  musical  direction  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  High  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  bring  even  more  of  an  80's  death  metal  feeling  to  the  ep  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  all  3  tracks  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  are  no  modern  sounds  to  be  found  on  this  recording.

  Cemetery  Filth  go  back  to  the  80's  style  of  death  metal  and  bring  in  a  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  approach  as  well  as  ignoring  any  modern  trends  of  the  past  25  years  to  create  a  very  pure  style  of  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  dying  and  graveyard  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cemetery  Filth  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  TRACK  "Gateway  Among  the  graves".  8  out  of  10.  

UnKured Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

Well we haven't released the album yet. Were coming together again and writing for the next release just trying to get a feel for what we want it to sound like.

2.You have a new album coming out in November, 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?

. I would describe it as something completely new. Its been called death thrash but I never considered it to be that I think its melodic progressive and its also got some black metal parts to it. Death and thrash are in there as well but I think its a bit more than that. When I think death thrash I think demolition hammer I don't see melodies in there at all haha.

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

 Environmental issues sci-fi stuff. I'd definitely say its relevant seeing as how much we have put our globe through in the last 100 years.


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

Cody got that from Mass Hypnosis, he thought it sounded cool and he felt he could relate to it at the time.

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?

I think when we played with D.R.I. in Cleveland was probably the best show we've ever played. great crowd. and personally one of the best nights of my entire life. We do have a very thrash like stage presence. I try to headbang pretty consistently throughout the show.

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


Not just yet we are going to tour but we need to get financially ready since this album cost us quite a bit.

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


We are looking for a label or at the least distro. We had a couple of small labels that didn't seem very legitimate that we turned down.

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

We haven't gotten to much feedback yet but what we have gotten has been incredible. And I couldn't have really asked for a better reaction so far.

9.Are any of the band members involved with any other musical projects these days?

Me and Adam are starting a project write now in the vein of Type O Negative Woods of Ypres and Alice in Chains. It doesn't have a name yet but it should be interesting.

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

Honestly I don't know. We could take mutated earth and really expand on it or we could go with a totally new writing process and have something completely different. not like doom or something like that of course just a different sounding record.

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

Well were influenced by all true forms of metal. Unkured is a mixture of all the best in metal. I bounce between Pearl Jam ,Vader, Woods of Ypres and Disma lately. I like to keep my music diverse just keeps everything fresh.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

 I recently started taking weapons training and some other martial arts courses, I also like to work out every other day. I feel so much better afterwards


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

Support good new bands. There are so many good newer bands out there you just have to look for. Bands like our friends Gomorrah, Valdrin, Verment, and Dismemberment are all great bands to start with as far as young bands go.

Obtruncation/Abode Of The Departed Souls/Vic Records/2014 CD Review

  Obtruncation  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Abode  Of  the  Departed  Souls"  which  will  be  reelased  in  November  by  Vic  Records.

  A  very  heavy,  dark,  raw  and  old  school  sounding  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  growls  and  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  a  few  seconds  later  blast  beats  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  a  small  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  and  the  band  also  uses  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  throughout  the  recording.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  add  even  more  of  a  chaotic  and  old  school  death  metal  sound  to  the  recording  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  the  early  90's  brutality  into  the  songs  and  they  manage  to  keep  every  minute  and  second  of  the  recording  in  a  very  heavy  musical  direction  and  there  is  never  a  soft  moment  present  anywhere  on  this  recording.

  Obtruncation  remain  true  to  the  old  school  death  metal  style  they  have  been  playing  for  more  than  20  years  and  ignores  every  trend  that  has  been  around  since  the  early  90's  to  create  a  very pure and  brutal  sounding  death  metal  album,  the  production  sound s very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  death  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Obtruncation  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school  death  metal,  you  should  check out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Abode  of  the  Departed  Souls"  "slitting  16_"  "Callous  Concept"  and  "Winged  Death  Upon  Earthly  Life".  8  out  of  10.        

Convictors Interview

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

First of all thank you for the interview and greets to the underground. In 1985 -86 a group of metal heads came together with same interests on music. At that time Destruction, Slayer, Kreator, Sodom, Metallica published their album and Possessed published the legendary "Seven Churches". For four metal heads out of this group it was clear they must establish their own band. Convictors was born. Atom "drums" and Lasse "guitar" at that time had training lessons on their instrument. Based on that the roles were finally allotted (Fabian, vocals, Atom, drums, Lasse, guitar and Thomas, bass). After finding a rehearsal room the equipment was organized and the adventure of creating own metal songs could begin. After the finalization of three songs the demo tape "The last Judgment" was recorded in the rehearsal room. The demo tape was published and sold in some magazines. A few months later the band split up. Regardless of this new band situation still most of the metal heads together were visiting concerts. These metal heads are still existing and today are called: "Convictors Crew". Yeah with the band the story went on again in 2008 when Fabian and Lasse asked Atom and Zimmi to join the band for new songs. They jumped in and new songs were created. The EP "Abdication of Humanity" was recorded and mastered from Christoph Brandes in the Iguana Studios. After playing some gigs and the publication of the new EP Zimmi and Atom left due to some musical differences. That was the time when Zufi (drums) and Samuel (bass, backing vocals) joined the band. Both were good known also as friends from the Metal Maniacs in Lörrach. A new rehearsal room was found and shared with Destination Hell. New songs were created and some gigs were played. For the 25th anniversary of Convictors the song "Epitome of Decay" was recorded and published as a video. In 2014 Convictors went back to Christoph Brandes in the Iguana Studios for recording the first 8 track CD. Now it is the time that the audience should listen to the new CD. One song "Proclivity" was selected to produce the new video which was published on Youtube ---- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3otMgcKHyxo

2.You have a new album coming out in October, 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?

The 2009 EP differs in quiet some of points to the 2014 CD. For example the guitars are tuned down, the vocals are more brutal and the drums often heavier additionally faster. Yeah it is still Old School Death Metal but with more volume and power. The production is modern comparing to the former one. All in all the CD sounds exactly how we have expected it. Let's wait and see the reaction of the fans. We move since years on this way and we still go further in this direction. Very likely that the in the future new songs will sound again more brutal with some more extreme slowdowns. Convictors is still developing…

3.This is the first recording to be released in 5 years, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap between releases?

The time in between was used to reorganize the band. That includes creating new songs and playing a few gigs and visiting festivals with friends and other metal heads, just keep on moving.

4.The band was broken up for 21 years, what was the decision behind the split and also the decision to reform? Yes the split was quite long time ago… But all in all there were circumstances like no money, different interests especially in music, missing opportunities in finding new members and last but not least the professional education. During all the years after the split the friendship of most of the members were still existent. After an interesting article about Convictors which were found on a website, the reunion was done quite fast. Zimmi joined the band as a new bassist. Since Zimmi and Atom were playing together in another band a rehearsal room was also available.

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

Our lyrics reflect the dark side of society their effects and as it mentioned on the title of the CD "Envoys of Extinction".

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Convictors'?

In 1986 the band was looking for a non-existing word. The band name should contain something with conviction and victory. So e.g a human being was sentenced to death and got after the judgment his freedom. It was a kind of "German Thinking" for contriving a new word.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Every show had something special, e.g one concert was in a cave and the atmosphere there was awesome.

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

Honestly the feedback differs. In some countries they really like our music in others they prefer the more brutal death metal style. But hopefully we will find some more new folks which share our fervidness for Old School Death Metal and support us in the underground with the new CD.

However, we keep our style and remain true to ourselves.

9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

Zufis Thrash Metal Band Pessimist released the last album in 2013 in the meantime they played also several shows e.g. Beastival where also Destruction, Kreator, Sodom performed their shows. One year earlier Samuels Melodic Death Metal Band Maersung released their debut album. After a few shows and a half year break they are back on stage.

10.I noticed on the album while the music was mostly old school death metal, there where a couple of tracks that had a more modern sound along with one song having pig squeal's, is this something that you plan on experimenting more with in the future or will the music be mostly in the old school death metal tradition?

That's correct, we play the old style of Death Metal mixed with new elements. All in all it was recorded and mastered in a more modern style. That's the mix of the new CD. The best example here is the song "Diabolical Female" which is a remake of the original song "Diabolic Female" from the 86 demo version or the song "Epitome of Decay" which is modern. Also brilliant is the realization of modern cover and booklet artwork with the old "end of the world" story. Altogether the complete package is straight forward.

11.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?

Just to mention some of the bands: Dissection, Destruction, Cannibal Corpse, Slayer, Kreator, Kataklysm, Insomnium, Sodom, In Flames, Misfits, Death, Suffocation, Possessed, Children of Bodom and many more…

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

First of all we have jobs to earn money. We also produce movies on level of trash films. Not long time ago the new movie was published to the audience. Some of us like doing sports and of course we do like visiting metal parties, festivals and underground sessions. In the border triangle (South Germany, North Switzerland and Elsass (France)) there is an active underground scene. Last but not least to mention our families and friends where we are spending our time.

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

Remain true oneself and belong to the underground metal scene. Thanks' for giving us the opportunity to communicate to you. Stay Evil and see you all on festivals and concerts! Keep a cool head.

Morost Interview

 For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Tomaž (drums): Greetings from Slovenia! Morost was formed in 2010 by former members of a death/doom metal band Cold Dew. We set out to create our own kind of music with as few guidelines as we could and after 4 years of diligence, we released our debut album titled Solace in Solitude. Our music has been described as everything in between death, groove, black, progressive, aggressive and/or doom metal, but labeling doesn't really concern us – all we really want to do is create and play music.

Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
I would describe the sound of our album as very dark, deep, full and heavy, at times even a bit smudgy, while keeping the feel of a modernly produced record. All in all, I find the atmosphere serious and inviting, which I feel gives the album that little bit of distinction and uniqueness every musician is trying to express. It should also be important to note, that back in 2012, when we began recording, we had a very loose plan on how we wanted the finished record to sound. Ruž and Jay from Negligence Studio proved to be of great help in guiding us towards what is now Solace in Solitude.

The band formed out of the ashes of Cold Dew, what was the decision behind forming a new band?
When Peter (guitars), Tamara (vocals at that time, presently keys) and I joined Cold Dew in 2008, the band was playing strictly death/doom metal. Most of the later material (written by Peter and myself) began to drift away from the before agreed upon course, which created tension in the band. In 2010 we decided to split up and start anew, this time with fewer bounds and with "whatever works, works" attitude. In retrospect, it was the right decision for us.

What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
The lyrics mostly discuss ourselves as humans, as social beings, our behaviour towards ourselves and each other, as well as about our understanding of the world around us, both social and natural. The style of writing contains a tint of childlike awe, wonder and confusion, so as to give contrast to the otherwise serious mood of the music. I'd say lyrics were always written after the songs were already more or less done, like an afterthought, therefore the texts do not attempt to be too specific, they do not bear the most important message. Instead the lyrics are just something that works well enough with the music and is otherwise completely open for each listener's own interpretation.

What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Morost'?
The name is an old Slovenian word for marsh, a type of wetland. Such a place is actually close to where we rehearse which makes the name even more apt. I also think the word goes well with the kind of music we play, both phonetically and by it's meaning.

What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
The last shows we played were still as part of Cold Dew. When we formed the new band, we decided our priority was on releasing an album and now that we've done that, we're ready to hit the stages.

Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
For starters, we want to do a few shows in local clubs, to get the hang of it again. We have a gig coming up on October 23rd in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and after that we are looking to do more shows.

Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We are currently not actively looking for a label. We released our album on our own without too much hassle, but as we move forward we might change our minds.

On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death and groove metal?
I would say the feedback has been great by a rather wide range of audience, not just death/groove metal fans in particular. We are trying not to "market" our music to a specific, narrow group of people, but rather have it out there for everyone to listen to and appreciate (or not) to their heart's content.

Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I believe we are still quite willing to explore our creativity and not limit ourselves within the bounds of the music on our debut album. I cannot say for certain the direction we'll take in the future, but I can say that we do like our music to keep an atmospheric feel to it while maintaining a vivid and dynamic rhythm.

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?
Lately, I've been listening to The Contortionist. Over the years, there has been many different bands and styles that have left an imprint on each of us. If I had to name 10 bands that had been the biggest influence on me personally, I'd say Enslaved, Opeth, Exivious, Textures, Gorguts, Ahab, Virus, Vulture Industries, Meshuggah, Uneven Structure... Others' opinions on their influences would probably vary in comparison.

What are some of your non musical interests?
Some of us are finishing our university degrees, others are working their asses off and there's even an in-line hockey player among us.

Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I'd just like to put a word out to all the emerging bands out there: keep at it, the only thing that matters is the music you create, everything else is a distraction!

Annihilated/XIII Steps To Ruination/Unique Leader/2014 CD Review

  Annihilated  are  a  band  from  California  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  extreme  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "XII  Steps  To  Ruination"  which  will  be  released  on  October  28th  by  Unique  Leader.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  growling  vocals  and  a  small  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  before  the  music  starts  to  get  more  brutal  and  incorporate  blast  beats  and  the  band  also  uses  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  high  pitched  screams  and  spoken  word  parts  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  old  school  death  metal  sound  to  the  album  when  they  are  utilized  and  most  of  the  songs  present  on  the  album  stick  to  mostly  a  more  modern  and  brutal  style  of  death  metal  and  every  second  and  minute  of  all  of  the  tracks  have  a  very  heavy  sound  to  them  and  there  is  never  a  soft  moment  present  anywhere  on  the  recording.

  Annihilated  create  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  style  death  metal  on t his  recording  and  what  the y lack  in  originality  they  make  up  in  heaviness,   talent  and  skill,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  political,  mystical  and  humanity  themes  along  with    corrupt  and  fucked  up  politics  and   government  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Annihilated  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should c heck  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Global  Enslavement"  "Eradication  Profits"  "Wastelands"  and  "Thrones  of  Eternity".  8  out  of  10.       

Convictors/Envoys Of Extinction/2014 CD Review

  Convictors  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self released  2014  album  "Envoys  Of  Extinction"  which  will  be  released  in  November.

  A  very  raw  and  melodic  old  school  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them   and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  to  speed  up  a  bit  and  bring  in  blast  beats  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  in  the  90's  while  also  having  the  musical  style  that  was  considered  brutal  for  its  time  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  death  metal  growls  start  getting  more  diverse  in  sound  and  the  band  also  starts  adding  in  more  of  a  modern  death  metal  sound  along  with  a  brief  use  of  pig  squeals  while  still  focusing  more  on  an  old  school  style  and  towards  the  end  they  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  along  with  one  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Convictors  plays  mostly  a  90's  style  of  death  metal  that  is  a  lot  more  more  closer  to  the  old  school  side  but  also  experiments  a  little  bit  with  the  modern  style  to  create  a  death  metal  album  that  stands  out,   the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  problems.

  In  my  opinion  Convictors  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  "Epitome  Of  Decay"  "Festering  Infestation  Skies"  and  "Diabolical  Female".  8  out  of  10.