Meatwound/Addio/Magic Bullet Records/2015 CD Review

  Meatwound  are  a  band  from  Florida  that  plays  an  industrial  form  of  death  metal  with  elements  of  grind,  punk  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Addio"  which  was  released  by  Magic  Bullet  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  industrial  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  hardcore  style  screams  are  added  into  the  music  and  the  songs  are  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  extreme  underground  musical  style  bringing  in  influences from  early  Earache  bands.

  All  of  the  songs  stick  to  mostly  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  at  times  the  music  also  brings  in  elements  of  noise  rock  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  are  utilized  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  grind  and  punk in  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  and  the  whole  album  also  sticks  to  a  very heavy  musical  direction  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Meatwound  creates  a  very  heavy  and  old  school  metal  sound  that  takes the  industrial  and  death  metal  genres  of  the  90's  and  mixes  them  together  along  with  a  touch  of   hardcore  punk  to  create  a  very  dark  and  retro  sounding  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Meatwound  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  industrial  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Goliath"  and  "Meat  Pack".  8  out  of  10.         

Whorion Interview

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

After we got album recorded and mixed we head back to rehearsal lair to train new set and getting ready for the As Divine Crumbles Tour 2015. Thou we already practiced a lot for the recordings, executing songs nice and tight it needs lots of playing together, especially for me since I have more vocal parts than before.


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

I continued story where we left on Atlas -EP. This time story/theme carries from the beginning to the end and stays solid. Lyrics are meant for the listener to explore make the discovery themselves. There are lots of personal ideology from my perspective but mind is meant for explore and discover.


3.The band has been around since 2008 but waited until 2014 to release any music, can you tell us a little bit more about the first 6 years?

True, first Whorion songs that I made goes back to 2008-2009 (Vortex and Suicide). My problem was my own skills. I was not happy about my executions even thou I heard it in my mind how it should be. I left W-project aside and continued to train my own skills. I had two other bands that time, which other one was touring actively, so lots of stuff going on and lack of skills pushed W-project to distant future. It was only at 2013 I was happy enough to start everything. And finding band around the visions was one hard task.


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

That’s the most common question I have had and unfortunately, meaning behind it will be revealed in self titled album, Whorion. Which I can tell that it is not the next one, yet.


5.Originally the band started out as a solo project, what was the decision behind hiring a full time line up?

It was a solo project since I’ve been playing other peoples songs so long and never had a chance to make music with my own terms. I consider myself lucky to find guys around that trust my vision 100%. Without them I could not have succeed bringing Whorion to daylight and more important, tour.


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

Shows that stained my mind forever are Hitchins club 85 in UK and Nummirock Metal Festival in Finland. Absolutely amazing.


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

We did one tour already 3 days after album was released, in central Europe. Right now we are looking new opportunities to get back on the road.


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

I have to say I’m really surprised how good the feedback has been. Of course I stand behind our music but it still stunned me how good it has been. Much gratitude for everyone for that. Though few people have asked ‘Why orchestras?’.


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?

Well our drummer Heikki is sometimes a bit busy with Finntroll along the summer and Antti is making new album with his other band Damnation Plan. Rest of the members are just doing W.


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

I see us doing our stuff as it is and growing our style, more intense but also majestic. Technicality I can’t let ever go since that’s the main reason that keeps me interested. Challenging myself along unforgiving output. If you like what we have done so far, more is coming. Of course you need to find new ways approach your own music but changing style or leaving components away, not gonna happen.


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?

Influences to mention are Decapitated, Nile, Dying Fetus, Obscura and Origin for example. Can say that I’m only guy who keeps listening them till today but not all hope is gone. Bass player Dorian is a mess, from Katy Perry to In Flames. Don’t wanna go further on this.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Astronomy and Mythology.


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

Expand your mind and discover the secrets it holds in the darkness.

Krueger 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?

Adriano Krueger: Since the release of the Return to Death album we've been playing throughout Brazil and right now we are focused on writing the next studio album, which will be a theme album, based on the cult, rites and sacrifices to Maha Kali, the Hindu goddess of death.


2.A year ago you had released a new album, 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?

AK: The Return to Death album was released in 2014 with me as producer and Mauricio Cruz (Sonora Studio - Rio de Janeiro) doing the engineering, mixing and mastering. The sound consists of powerful drums, guitars recorded with real tube amps without using simulators and a Rickenbacker bass with the distinctive distorted sound in the mix. The vocals were recorded in one take, to keep sincerity in interpretations. We are delighted with this album, it contains even songs written in 1989 that were only released in our first demo tape. The cover art was signed by Alcides Burn, from Brazil, including one art for each lyric.


3.This was the first release since 2003, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time frame?

AK: We did many shows throughout Brazil as a trio, in 2006 recorded the album Return to Death, but in 2007 the band broke up because of divergence of ideas between members, right before the release of the album. In 2012 we join again, now with a new drummer, and we completed the album, released it in 2014 and went to the road again.


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

AK: Krueger main lyrical topic is death... No doubt. Everything surrounding this issue. Even when we talk about issues such as greed, hypocritical churches, or even abstract topics such as mental creations and human illusions about the things of life, inevitably we return to the topic of death. For the next album, nothing more natural than a theme album about the goddess of death, Kali.


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

AK: Krueger is a strong family name. Krieger, in German, means warrior or soldier. Krueger remember that character of horror films of the 80s hahahahaha that invited you to sleep and kill you in your nightmares hahahahaha. Remembers the old beer Krueger. Well, as I am the head of this death metal horde from the start, we kept this name. Krueger for us today, means our strength and struggle within the Metal scene, advocating ideas and sounding like an eighties old school band ever...


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?

AK: In 1989 we played at a great festival, CG Rock, in our hometown Campina Grande. Then we played in various places throughout Brazil, various places of different sizes, with insane public most of the time, sometimes playing at small pubs for a few people, but with the same vigor and dedication. We played the Black September Festival in São Paulo, with several large Brazilian bands and with Hate Eternal as a special guest. We played with Krisiun in Rio de Janeiro, we played with Chakal in Sao Paulo and several other bands. Many shows from the beginning until now, it is difficult to highlight the best ones. The public says that our performances are pure death metal with energy, humility, enthusiasm for being on stage. You can check out some of Krueger's performance at our official channel www.youtube.com/officialkrueger.


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

AK: We are right now negotiating a North American tour for 2016 or 2017. We plan to release the next album in 2016 and then also negotiate Europe, South America and other countries.


8.The last album was self released, are you open to working with another label again in the future?

AK: Release an album without a label gives freedom for the musician... sound, music, themes, cover and mainly the time to write and record with no pressure of money or non-musical interests. But yes, we are open to proposals for launching all the Krueger albums, we need to expand our borders and signing with record labels in other countries is essential for that. We are ready for talks, we believe in partnerships, this can be done, yes.


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

AK: We are working more intensely abroad now with the album Return to Death and we have received good reviews, reviews with notes so far always above 8. And the contacts are always growing and from now on we will release albums more frequently.


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

AK: No other musical projects. We're totally dedicated to Krueger.


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

AK: Our sound has naturally taken more obscure routes, increasing morbidity, but with attention to harmony, melodic solos and technical parts.


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?

AK: I personally have a lot of influences of '80s old school Metal bands. I am also a little bit influenced by the flamenco music of Paco de Lucía and others. Morbid classical music of Beethoven, Wagner and others. Blues from Mississippi, John Lee Hooker and others. I also like the oriental music, the sitar of Ravi Shankar. But mostly, my influences have always been Death, Obituary, Pestilence, Immolation, the old Morbid Angel, the old Slayer, Asphyx, Autopsy and others. I have heard a lot these bands albums... as well as the classic bands as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, AC / DC. I prefer the old bands and the oldest sound.


13.What are some of your non musical interests?

AK: We all have secondary jobs. But the main activity for us all is our band, Krueger. Thomas program and keeps our websites, including our new e-commerce website. I especially dedicate time to my 9 year old son, when I can, we have fun and play online games or go to the movie theaters. Currently I also study philosophies of India, books like The Ramayana, the Puranas (Shiva, Kali and others), The Upanishads, etc. I also like a lot of fantasy books like Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings. I still like to watch movies and series on TV. Other than that, I enjoy craft beers and have taken courses to learn how to produce beer, we will open a craft brewery to manufacture our official beer ourselves.


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


AK: Thank you very much for the interview, thanks to all who support Krueger. Please visit our channel www.youtube.com/officialkrueger and our  website www.kruegerdeathmetal.com
A toast to the Metal Brothers!

/,,/

WRTX Interview

Answers by Juhana and Tuomo

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



- To be honest, nothing much really. Every one of us is busy with day jobs or studies. The last remarkable thing we have done is a music video of the song With Love, which can be found in YouTube. However, we have bunch of new ideas and thoughts but so far nothing has happened. Almost every one of us lives in different cities so regular practice is challenging.



2. A couple of years back you had released your first full length album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?



- The first album combines pretty well, what the band has been since the beginning to the moment of releasing the album. There are songs that have riffs and influences from 2002 and also songs that have had their final forms during the recording. Despite that, it is a solid set of pretty good songs.



3.The band has been around since 2002 and while there was a decent amount of demo's in the early years, between 2007 and now there has only been one full length album, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap in between releases?



- In the beginning we all lived near each other so we practiced almost daily and of course new material came up quite quickly. Between years 2002 and 2007 we have five recorded demos, of which one has never released (but that one can be found from our website wrtxband.com, hint hint). After that, most of us moved to other side of Finland so everything got more slow. After the latest demo in 2007, we tried to market the band to labels but since nothing ever happened, we decided to do the full lenght album by ourselves. Unfortunately, that took us few years.



4. The band members come from different metal backgrounds, do you feel this makes the songs you write stand out a bit more?



- Of course. We feel that everyone gives their own touch to our songs and that makes our music quite hard to describe. Our songs include textures from different styles of metal and rock but also something softer, and we think that just makes the music very rich.



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



- At first lyrics were just something that had to be done and they were full of teenage anger and clichés. For the album A Message Left Behind. Niilo wrote the whole story for the album and new lyrics were also fitted into some older songs. This album tells about all the greediness and wickedness of the world and it is combined with a twisted and cunning way to the climate change and population growth.



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?



- Our stage performance is definitely very energetic and very amusing. We also at least try to play our songs decently. We have done ashamedly little amount of shows and probably the most memorable ones are in a little bar full of friends and crazy metal heads, and one time that the juke box actually started playing during our show. We are not sure if it sensed how bad we are.



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



- Not at the moment. Nevertheless, of course we are interested in doing some shows in the future.



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



- We have not had any contacts from labels even though we have sent our music around the world to dozens of different companies. If we can ever find a good partner for a deal, no need to say, we are very interested.



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



- Actually some of the best feedback during the album A Message Left Behind we have had from Australia. All feedback gathered, it feels like the reviewer either liked the album very much or not, or they even did not review it at all. In Finland, the feedback for the album has mostly been average. Back in the days, our demos received very good feedback and two of our demos were selected as a demo of the month in Finnish metal magazine Inferno.



10. Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?



- Our bass player Niilo plays in a bunch of different groups, mostly rock or something more mellow music, soft shit and so on. Joni, the drummer, basically just beats the steering wheel of his taxi and us, Juhana and Tuomo, we do nothing. Despite of that we are dreaming of a new rehearsal room.



11. When can we expect a new album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?



- We have been thinking about making some musical changes, not too radical though. Maybe a bit more melodies and maybe something a bit easier to listen and play. Hopefully things go well and we have chance to make our next full-lenght album soon.



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?



- The biggest influences come from different thrash metal and death metal bands from the 80’s and the 90’s. Of course the bands from the present that have given the biggest influence come mostly from Sweden and Scandinavia. However, it is quite impossible to describe it very precisely because everyone has so wide taste of music.



13. What are some of your non musical interests?



- Fishing, sports, relaxing, flowers, photo/video graphing and other quite normal things.



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



- Just listen to our music, watch the new video, and whether you like it or not, tell about it to your friends. And when the time is right and we have some shows to do, please be there and check us out.

Continuum Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?- continuum is a progressive technical death metal band from Northern California with members of a bunch of other Bay Area death metal bands who love to write record and perform forward thinking death metal tunes.

2.You had your first album come out in April, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?- when writing songs for the hypothesis I tried to not set any rules or boundaries and just write anything I thought pushed my creative and technical limits. Writing riffs is one of the funnest things in the world for me so we had alot of fun putting the album together.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?- "the hypothesis" record is a concept album based on the continuum hypothesis which is basically a theory that involves different sizes of infinity that could potentially tell us alot about how the universe works. It's really interesting stuff I recommend looking it up online and checking out the lyrics to the album if that kind of thing interests you.

4.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?- my favorite show with continuum was probably when we played with obscura, abysmal dawn and Fallujah at the DNA lounge in San Francisco. It was awesome playing with obscura especially when Christian and Hans were in the band. And it's always great playing with our good friends in abysmal dawn and Fallujah. The lineup was killer, the crowd was great, the sound was good, definitely a cool night for continuum.


5.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a a part off?- son of Aurelius came out with an incredible new album that I'm a huge fan of called "under a western sun" that I really recommend to anyone that likes epic metal, decrepit birth is in the process of recording a new album this summer, Arkaik is gearing up for the bloodletting tour this summer with psycroptic, the Kennedy veil, and ovids withering, our drummer spencer Edwards recorded drums for an awesome project called attic arcade that you can check out on bandcamp, and our singer Riley Mcshane just recorded vocals for a really cool genre blending electronic/live project called stereo stereo so there's a bunch of stuff going on this summer.

6.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?- honestly I just see us going the same direction we've been going in which is trying to push ourselves musically and trying to make riffs that we enjoy playing for years to come. That's really the most rewarding part of the whole thing anyway.

7.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?- I listen to a wide range of genres but I definitely have to say as far as bands that have really influenced continuum I would definitely say epitaph by necrophagist is one of my favorite albums, as well as scepter of the ancients by psycroptic, both very influential to me I can't help but be inspired when I listen to those albums. As far as new records I love all the soreption albums and really admire their songwriting and the amount of talent in that band. Also alkaloid is a very cool new band with members of obscura necrophagist aborted and other bands and I've been really into their new album lately, awesome mix of classic death metal with boundary pushing guitar acrobatics and an overall atmosphere denser than a black hole.

8.What are some of your non musical interests?- I love traveling almost as much as I love music which is a great perk of being in a touring band. meeting new people and seeing different cultures is a really cool thing to get to do.

9.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?- not much just thanks so much for the interview and your interest in the band! Check out "the hypothesis" on unique leader records available online and in stores now, also check out a brand new unreleased song guitar playthrough at: Facebook.com/ContinuumDm
Seeya next time!

Voron Interview

VORON
Style: Death-Industrial-World
France - Paris
Line up:
Voron – vocals, guitars
Yannoux – bass
Pierre - drums
Links
Website: http://www.voronstudio.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/voronmusicstudio
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ArgentumMori
Official videos:
VORON - "Kill This Day" feat. Mus - "Arkan" [OFFICIAL VIDEO]:
https://youtu.be/BFnC2QFk5EY

VORON - “Propaganda” feat. Nils Courbaron [OFFICIAL VIDEO]: 
https://youtu.be/J-Nt2xXtFTs



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

VORON was created in late 2013 as a solo project but it quickly became a real band. It’s some kind of an extreme metal power trio with additional ethnic instruments. I’m doing all vocals and guitar parts, Yannoux plays the bass and Pierre is on drums and percussion.

2.Recently you have released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

We simply blended all our influences and ended with a mix of death, industrial and world music. We all play different instruments so we added any instrument we thought was necessary. And it works extremely well. With this album, “Propaganda”, we want to show that all cultures can coexist with no problems. The use of different ethnic instruments like Mandole, Darbuka, Duduk, Erhu and Guzheng reinforces this idea of different styles and cultures mixed in one album with no limits in music.

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

The whole album is a story about a guy who realizes that his mind is being controlled, that he is being manipulated into thinking the same things as everybody else. He decides to fight against it, starts thinking himself and understands that he has been lied to for his entire life.
I think we live in dark times and it’s important that everybody understands what is at stake but the mass media keeps distorting reality and hiding facts. Nowadays if you are curious you can find enough different sources of information to forge your own opinion.

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

Voron is my nickname and it has been for a very long time. It means raven in Russian. Since it started as a solo project it had my name and some of the music and lyrics were very personal, plus it sounded good and had a powerful meaning. When we were looking for a band name with Pierre and Yann we decided to keep it, which is cool because it is kind of a pain to find a name for a band.

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

We have yet to play a show as VORON. All three of us are professional musicians and we have played many many shows with different bands. Pierre and I have played live together already but as Argentum-Mori. We have been rehearsing a lot before and after the recording and we are now eager to play the album in front of our fans. We are pumped up and ready to give you all one hell of a show.

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

Booking has started and we will be touring shortly. France and Europe at first but we have surprise plans. We will keep you posted of course.

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

Nowadays you don’t necessarily need to be signed to publish music and reach your fans. By using all the power of social networks like Facebook and YouTube and worldwide digital distribution via iTunes, Spotify and Deezer you can do the same and stay independent.
If a label can propose something really interesting for us it may be the way to go, but being signed just to be a part of  some label’s roster is not for us.

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

Just great! We released our first video “Kill This Day” on YouTube about a year ago and it worked quite well so we had fans and medias waiting for the album. Since its release it has already been reviewed a few times and critics are positive. We’ve also released our second video “Propaganda” recently. You should go check it out!

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

We have an instrumental album coming out soon. It will be a series of short but very imaged songs and an introduction to our second album that we already started composing. Now that we have gained people’s attention we will continue in our direction, keep our minds open and continue to blend different influences and cultures.

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 listen to any good music from classical and world to modern extreme metal. We aren’t focused on a particular style and I think it reflects on our music.

11.What are some of your non-musical interests?

For me it’s video production and martial arts.  Pierre travels a lot. And I know Yannoux is a pretty solid gamer and reads a lot of graphic novels.

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

Just want to say to your readers: “Be open to new experiences, listen to good music and support the bands you like!”

Thanks a lot for your support and this interview!

Graveyard/The Coffin Years/Black Seed Productions/2015 CD Review

  Graveyard  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  very  traditional  and  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  compilation  album  "The  Coffin  Years"  which  was  released  by  Black  Seed  Productions.

  A  very dark,  raw  and  filthy  90's old  school  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  compilation  along with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  morbid  sounding melodies  and  a  few  seconds  alter  growling  vocals  make  their  presence  known  in  the  songs  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  blast  beats  and  Swedish  influences.

  Throughout  the  compilation  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  vocals can  also  get  very  guttural  at  times  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  in  a  melodic  musical  direction  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  synths.

  All  of  the  songs  sound like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  in  the  90's  and  while  the  band  is  from  Spain  the  music  sounds  mostly  Swedish  while  some  riffs  also bring in  a  touch  of  thrash and  they  also  bring  in  Bolt Thrower,  Motorhead,  Celtic  Frost,  Carcass,  Darkthrone  and  Sodom covers  and  also  closes the compilation  with  a  few  live  tracks.

  Graveyard  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  and  has  a  very  vintage  Swedish  sound  to  them  and  they  also  pay  tribute  o  their  influences  with  a  great  amount  of  cover  tunes,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  horror  and  the  writings  of  H.P  Lovecraft.

  In  my  opinion  Graveyard  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  style  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  compilation.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "One  Of  Them"  "What  Dwells  Within"  "Silent  Whispers  Of  The  Graveless"  and  "Riding  A  Pale  Horse".  8  out  of  10.