Xibalba/Tierra Y Libertad/Southern lord/2015 CD Review

  Xibalba  are  a  band  from  California  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Tiera  Y  Libertad"  which  will  be  released  on  January  27th  by  Southern  Lord.

  Deep  death  metal  growls  and a  heavy  metal/hardcore  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  the  vocals  also  mixing  in  elements  of  the  later  mentioned  genre  and  the  music  also  brings  in  melody  as  well  as  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  which  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  onto  the  recording.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  bring  in  more  of  a  90's  influenced  death  metal  sound  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  element s of  groove  metal  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections of  the  songs  and  the  last  track  is  12  minutes  in   length  and  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  while  still  having  its  heavy  moments.

  Xibalba  remains  true  to  the  death  metal  and  hardcore  mixture  of  previous  recording  and  all  of  the  songs  are  heavily  rooted  in  90's  extreme  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  violent,  hateful  and  political  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Xibalba  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Enemigo"  "Pausa"  and  "El  Vacio".  8  out  of  10.

 

Terror Empire/The Empire Strikes Back/Nordavind Records/2015 CD Review

  Terror  Empire  are  a  band  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  modern  mixture  of  thrash  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "The  Empire  Strikes  Back"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Nordavind  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some.  clean  playing  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  as  well  as  returning  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  and  after  awhile  the  music  gets  a  lot  more  heavy  along  with  some  guitar  leads  that  are  a  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  also  add  more  melodies  into  the  songs  when  they  are utilized.

  After  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavier  thrash  direction  direction  along  with  some  aggressive  vocals,  blast  beats  and  some  death  metal  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  hardcore  and  groove  metal  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  at  time s you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  in  some  of  the  tracks.

  At  times  some  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  hardcore  style  breakdowns  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  vocals  start  adding  in  more  melody  while  also  keeping  around  a  very  rough  edge  to  them  while  a  later  track  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  samples  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  

  Terror  Empire  plays  a  style  that  mixes  modern  thrash  with  groove  metal  and  the  heaviness  of  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  violent  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Terror  Empire  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  thrash,  groove  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Empire  Strikes"  "Skinned  Alive"  "Reality  Check"  and  "Break  the  Cycle".  8  out  of  10.  

Abscession Interview

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

Skaldir: We are a new old school death metal project from Sweden/Germany that formed in 2009. We released the demo tape "Death Incarnate" in 2010 and will release our first album "Grave Offerings" in February 2015.
Currently we have three members: Thomas (Vocals), Markus (Drums) and Skaldir (Guitars, Bass, Keys). We also have a guest lead guitar player called Niel that played most of the solos on "Grave Offerings".

2.You have a full length coming out in February, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the demo you had released in 2010?

Skaldir: We play death metal inspired by bands as Edge of Sanity, Entombed, At the Gates, early Death and Carcass. It's important to us to have riffs you can follow as a listener, and songs that you can remember, because they also have melodic elements. Still it should sound brutal. The biggest difference to the demo is probably that we now have a more technical drummer.

Thomas: I think we've sort of found our path. A three track cassette like Death Incarnate can't show the full range of a band's sound as well as an album. And Skaldir has worked a lot with the overall production so it all sounds great

3.This is the first release to be released in 5 years since the demo, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

Thomas: We wrote most of the songs pretty quickly once we started working on the album. But for various reasons we ended up recording and re-recording them all a couple of times. And since we all have other bands, jobs and stuff outside of Abscession time went by, and once we were finished with the production we had to find a label that wanted to release the album. Eventually we decided to go with Final Gate Records and now we're just waiting for the albums to be pressed and shipped.


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

Thomas: Well, it's death metal so we explore themes close to the heart of this style. I always try to weave short stories or imageries with my lyrics. I never liked lyrics that were just a bunch of ”cool” words mashed together. To many bands make shit like that, stuff that doesn't mean anything. I grew up listening to bands like Iron Maiden and for me the lyrics were a big part of the experience. So that's what I try to bring with me when I write lyrics.

The subjects on Grave Offerings range from the Lovecraft-inspired ”Where sleeping gods dwell” to the track ”Cabin 13” which lyrically draws heavily on slasher films from the 80's. In fact, I think many of the lyrics read like short horror stories. Hopefully the listeners will get some gruesome images in their minds when they read along to the tracks, haha.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Abscession'?

Skaldir: We wanted to have a one-word name for the band, like a lot of the old bands had. Since most of words are already taken it was not an easy task. The name also should have a classy feel. Brutal and concise. We all liked "Abscession".

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

Thomas: Since we all live far apart we're actually a studio band so far. But there may be live shows in the future, although none are planned at the moment.

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

None as of yet.

8.The new album is coming out on Final Gate Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Skaldir: Marc of Suffer Production, who released our demo tape, actually gave us the tip with Final Gate Records. It's a german label and a sublabel from Rotten Roll Rex. What we liked was that they seem to make things not too complicated. Label owner Marco is a nice bloke who looks out for us. He even told me once that if we are ever unhappy about something we can visit him and beat him up. ;)

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

Skaldir: The promotion of "Grave Offerings" just started, but so far it has been very positive. With our demo the reactions totally blew our minds. We didn't even really make promotion, but the word spread all by itself, and we even got "Demo of the year" on some blogs. It was pretty insane for having just started with the band.


10.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?

Thomas: For my part, I'm working with blackened death/thrash band Throne of Heresy to record and release a full length album during 2015. We've got all the songs written and are entering Endarker Studio (run by Marduk bassist Devo) in March. After that we'll likely go on to play as many gigs and shows as we can fit into our busy schedules!

Skaldir: I'm involved in a lot of projects with different musical styles. I played in the Pagan Metal Band Hel and I am also in Elane and Over The Hill.

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

Skaldir: We wanna continue with a more epic concept and break out of the 3 - 4 minute songs maybe. We have spoken about a lyrical concept and a lot of new music already has been written.

Thomas: Yeah, this ”epic” concept is something we all would like to explore and we will likely devote one album to it. Then I think we'll dive right back into making grisly death metal again, just to stir things up a bit. We like doing the stuff we like so I guess we'll see where it ends up though!

12.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?

Thomas: Well, I find it intersting to mix things up a bit and I like lots of different music. My death metal influences are mainly from swedish style death like EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH etc but I also enjoy more progressive stuff like OPETH. I always like stuff that has hooks in it but which also grows on you with every listen. I think maybe that's where our death'n'roll-style influences come from, since I really like that kind of stuff when it's done in moderation. But then there's a whole range of bands outside the realm of death metal that influence me in different ways. Everything from classic IRON MAIDEN to FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM have had a huge impact on the way I write lyrics for example.

Skaldir: For me there are always some records that never get old. The first stuff I liked as a teenager, like DEATH, HELLOWEEN, EDGE OF SANITY. But I listen to a lot of different music from AOR, Progressive Rock to Death metal. And even if I have a lot of favs from the early 90s, there are gladly also some new albums that can excite me from time to time. Right now there is HAKEN - The Mountain in my CD player, I also enjoy DIRE STRAITS and classic heavy metal like IRON MAIDEN and MANOWAR.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Thomas: Haha, I've never been asked this in an interview before. Anyway, I do lots of stuff. Movies, gaming, reading, brewing beer, drinking beer... etc!

Skaldir: I like to do walks with my dog, and also like to watch TV series and movies. Mostly supernatural kind of stuff. I was never a big gamer in the past, but I found a game that I played a little bit too excessive and now found myself at rank 48 of all PS3 players in the world. :-P
Time to spend more time on playing guitar and becoming a world's top 50 death metal band rather...

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

Skaldir: The new year just started and we are very excited what the death metal fans will think of our new album. So far only the press got it, but next month hopefully the fans can also hear it. We wanna thank you for the interview and wish you and your zine all the best for 2015!

Ingurgitating Oblivion/Continuum Of Absence/Willowtip Records/2014 CD Review

 
  Ingurgitating  Oblivion  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays a  very  dark  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Continuum  Of  Absence"  which  was  released  by  Willowtip  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  after  a  minute  and  a  length  the  music  gets  a  lot  heavier  along  with  some  guitar  leads  that  have  a  very  haunting  presence  to  them  and  a  more  heavy  death metal  sound  that  brings  in  growling  vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  At  time s high  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  with  the  faster  sections  utilizing  some  brutal  sounding  blast  beats.

  When  sound  effects  return  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  they  add  in  more  of  a  ritualistic  and  occult  sound  to  the  bands  musical  style  which  also  gets  more  brutal  as  the  album  progresses  and  some  of  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  a  heavy  Morbid  Angel  influence  to  the  tracks  they  are  utilized  on  while  the  band  still  has  their  own  approach  to  death  metal.

  Ingurgitating  Oblivion  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  dark,  atmospheric,  brutal  and  ritualistic  sounding  as  well  as  demonstrating  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  as  musicians  and  bringing  in  a  very  epic  style  of  this  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ingurgitating  Oblivion  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  and  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Antinominion  Rites"  "Descent  To  The  Temple"  and  "Offering".  8  out  of  10. 

Heaving Earth/Denouncing The Holy Throne/Lavadome Productions/2015 CD Review

  Heaving  Earth  are  a  band  from  the  Czech  Republic  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  dark,  blasphemous  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Denouncing  The  Holy  Throne"  which  will  be  released in  2015  by  Lavadome  Productions.

  Dark  and  evil  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  which  leads  up  to  some  morbid  sounding  melodies  that  start  taking  the  music  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats,  fast  riffs  and  deep  death  metal  growls  and  the  songs  have  an  early  Florida  feeling  but  updated  for  the  modern  day  with  the  music  having  more  of  a  brutal  and  technical  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  guitar  leads  displaying  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melody  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  and  there  are  also  some  dark  and  atmospheric  parts  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  a  few  brief  instrumentals  one  which  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  before  returning  back  to  vocal  tracks  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Heaving  Earth  creates  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  Florida  and  Polish  tradition  but  brings  in  enough  melody,  brutality  and  technical  playing  that  also  makes  their  songs  have  more  of  a  modern  day  feeling,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  blasphemous  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Heaving  Earth  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dark  and  blasphemous  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Final  Crowning"  "Worms  Of  Rusted  Congregation"  "Into  The  Depths  Of  Abomination"  and  "Jesus  Died".  8  out  of  10.

      

Johansson & Speckmann/Mask Of The Treacherous/Vic Records/2015 CD Review

  Johansson  &  Speckmann  are  a  duo  of  2  death  metal  legends  that  have  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  play  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Mask Of  The  Treacherous"  which  will  be  released  in  2015  by  Vic  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  old  school  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  growling  vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  is  in  more  of  an  80  and  early  90's  traditional  style  of  death  metal  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Elements  of  thrash  can  be  heard  throughout  the  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  and  the  guitar  riffs  also  bring  in  a  good  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  songs  remain  true  to  an  old  school  death  metal  sound  and  ignore  all  of  the  modern  trends  of  the  past  25  years.

  Johansson  &  Speckmann  create  a  death  metal  album  that  takes  the  American  sound  of  the  mid  80's  and  mixes it  in  with  the  Swedish  death  metal  sound  of  the  early  90's  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  violent  and  the  more  negative  part  of  everyday  and  real  life.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Johansson  &  Speckmann   and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Inhuman  Lust"  "The  Bringer  Of  Pain"  "Within  Reach"  and  "A  Grave  To  The  World".  8  out  of  10.  
    

Obduktion 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 ep?
We are still promoting “Mors Janua Vitae” EP, working on new material and rehearsing for some gigs in the near future and probably a Balkan mini tour. After that we’ll keep composing and enter the studio once again for the 4th album, hopefully released in the fall of 2015.

2. Recently you have released a new ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is present on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
It sounds 100% Obduktion for sure! We tried to keep the main elements of our tunes, the aggressive riffing, catchy melodies, brutal vocals and solid rhythm section with fast and mid tempo parts. For once more we worked hard on production, combining the old school death metal feeling with fresh sound. Compared to our past releases the new EP is a more in your face work and still has the high level standards of our previous album “Pain Chronicles”.

3. The band was broken up for a year, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
We really needed a break at that time due to some individual personal reasons but never buried the reunion thought since our personal relations were always extremely good. Recharged our batteries, the idea of reforming came up and here we are again!

4. Some of your lyrics have covered Occultism and Masonic Rituals, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?
I can’t say that Obduktion refers to occultism lyrically. Perhaps some words and phrases but not in general. The track “Lordship of Superior” of our new EP is about Masonic Rituals and scripted words and actions that are spoken or performed during the degree work in a Masonic Lodge. I was fascinated by the perceived secrecy of a Masonic Ritual and the vows and oaths that are taken but I was never really a fan of Masons or into it. Just an interesting subject and that’s all.

5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Obduktion'?
Obduktion originates from the german word meaning autopsy. Our guitarist Obduktor came up with the name since he had to changed it to that, cause at first, the name was Obduction, but already taken by other bands. I think this is what we do all these years, an autopsy of extreme metal music and then bringing out the results through our tunes. Don’t forget to mention the death metal legends Autopsy!

6. 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 will always remember the ones supporting Asphyx, Absu and Belphegor but our first time playing in Thessaloniki was really awesome too! Crazy crowd, great gig! We try to do our best on the stage doing our job with passion, banging our heads and I believe that’s appreciated by the audience.

7. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We are planning some live shows in Greece including a special one, celebrating the band’s 20 years and preparing a Balkan mini tour in the spring of 2015.

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?
Considering that Obduktion is an underground Greek death metal band, the feedback we get is more than just satisfying. All the good words we receive from friends and listeners are one of the main reasons we will keep on playing.

9. When can we expect another full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
According to our schedule we’ll probably enter the studio in the summer of 2015 to record some brand new tracks of pure death metal and hopefully release a new album the fall of the same year. Our musical roots will remain the same and always close to old school death metal but as our main goal is to become better and better, as a band and musicians, we’ll never stop experimenting to achieve the best results with higher and higher professional standards.

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?
It’s easy for someone into extreme metal music to find out our main influences when listening to Obduktion. 90’s European and US death metal scene and bands like Bolt thrower and Obituary have surely affected us but gaining experience through the years brought us to our own unique sound and musical identity. I listen to all bands that have something to offer to the metal scene and I sure dig Fleshgod Apocalypse! I also like a lot the growing Indonesian death metal scene, many kickass bands there.

11. What are some of your non musical interests?
I am a huge fan of soccer, basketball and watch lots of series and movies, mostly horror ones. Reading about any historical period or subject is one of my interests too. And drinking cold beers!

12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I’d really like to thank you for the interview and interest and wish you good luck and much success! Tones of respect to our friends out there and keep supporting the underground!
Cheers,
Takis V.O.T.
Obduktion.