Gorephilia/Severed Monolith/Dark Descent Records/2017 CD Review

  Gorephilia  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Severed  Monolith"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Dark  Descent  Records.

  A  very  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  a  great  amount of  morbid  sounding  melodies  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in a  very  dark  and  melodic  style  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on the  recording  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing.

  High  pitched  screams  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  a  brief  instrumental  and  a  few  tracks  that  are  long  and  epic  in  length  while  a  later  instrumental  is  a  sci-fi  orientated  synth  track  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  there  is  also  a  brief use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  classical  music  orientated  instrumental.

  Gorephilia  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  old  school  death  metal  of  previous  releases  while  also  adding  in  new  touches  to  their  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  inner  conflict  and  self  destruction  of  a  man  parting  from  his  wills,  value  and  life. 

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Gorphilia  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Interplaner"  Black  Horns"  and  "Crushed  Under  the  Weight  Of  God".  8  out  of 10.

Grave Plague Interview

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



   The band was formed by Anthony Biello (ex-Severed Remains - Drums) and myself. Anthony had been itching to play again and really wanted to do something raw, uncompromising, and visceral. After a number of phone calls, texts, and online messages, I finally gave in and started writing some material. Joe (ex-Severed Remains - Vocals) was the next member added and it remained just the 3 of us until all the music was essentially written, although we always knew we were going to ask Michael Wilson (Abigail Williams, Aborted) to join.  We knew what we wanted to hear guitar lead-wise and knew, absolutely, that he was the man for the job. We reached out to Caleb Bingham (Athanasia), who’s become a good friend of mine, also a Ohio native, currently living in Los Angeles, to mix the 2 song demo. Caleb ended up loving the material so much, we asked if he’d like to join in on second guitar, and the rest is history.


2.Recently you have released a demo, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording? Filthy, putrid, uncompromising Death Metal.


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


Lyrically and conceptually Grave Plague is inspired by 60s and 70s Occult horror from the likes of Hammer and Mario Bava, 70s and 80s zombie / slasher / exploitation, etc. Halls...and Arise specifically were inspired by Fulci's City of the Living Dead and Umberto Lenzi's Nightmare City respectively.


   


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



  We wanted something catchy and memorable, but obviously something that represented the music within. We named the band GRAVE PLAGUE after the Great Plague of 1665 which saw hundreds of thousands of bodies in the streets and piled into mass graves. Not only did people of this time have an epidemic to deal with, but people were dying off so quickly and in so many numbers that there was no where to put the corpses. We aren’t breaking any new ground or paving the way for any new movement, we are just writing Death Metal we want to hear, so even though the name is a little kitschy and cliché, it fits us just fine.


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


 No shows to date, we’re all old now with full time jobs and kids, the whole nine yards. To be honest, this is passion project for all of us. We are so focused on the music, finishing the album so we can have something out by the end of 2017, we haven’t all sat down to figure out the rest yet. Time will tell.


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



   I would love to get on some festival dates, but that also remains to be seen.


7.Can you tell us a little bit more about 'Caco-Daemon Records'?


  Caco-Daemon Records is a new label specializing in limited cassette runs of the gnarliest old school death metal out there. The owner, Andreas, based out of Germany, reached out to us and I’m glad he did! We couldn’t be happier with the result and more importantly, he is a good dude trying to do something a little more unique and boutique these days. He’s a collector’s collector if that makes sense. Dude gets it, and we are proud to be on the short list of releases he’s chosen to undertake thus far. The Cassette demo was released Friday Jan 13th and I believe he’s already sold out 5 days later.


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


  We have been quite stunned actually! We have gotten such an amazing response from friends, members of the “Metal Elite” who have been doing this for decades, journalists, and fans all over the world! We are even more motivated to get the full length completed and put out due to the response. Give Praise Records and my label, Redefining Darkness Records, are collaborating on a 7” Vinyl version of the EP, due in March, and I’m shocked by the number of preorders in the first 5 days alone. A big thank you to everyone who has been digging our music and for all the shares and general support - we have much more to show you!


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

  This is Anthony’s only band currently. Caleb is in an amazing band called ATHANASIA - def have to check them out! Michael is typically in high demand when it comes to guitar leads, but other than this band, he is just focusing on his own music right now - we collaborate on a lot of other projects as well - stay tuned..


 I always have a million things going - I have a grind band with Joe and Zach Gibson (Black Dahlia Murder, Phobia) called TO DUST (US) that just put out a split 12” with Dirk Verbeuren’s (Soilwork, Aborted, Megadeth) BENT SEA on Give Praise last year.  VINTAGE WARLORDS, a death/doom project whose debut release came out on Redefining Darkness Records in 2015.  Humanity is Cancer which is a super brutal death metal band with some friends that will hopefully see the light of day soon, not to mention a few more exciting things I’m not yet ready to disclose.


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


 You won’t hear much variation from us. We didn’t do this to get signed, we didn’t do this to play shows, we did this to write the sickest shit we could, the way we believe death metal should be played. We did this for us first. Everything else is secondary.


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?


  The bands that influenced what we do are too many to name, but hands down AUTOPSY is the main culprit. Death Metal has never been done better. A few others would be Death, Deceased, Immolation, Incantation, Dismember, Entombed, and Obituary.


 Wow, man….I listen to so much shit it’s ridiculous. While I do find myself still listening to a lot of heavy shit, it’s mostly the shit I grew up with. Otherwise I’m all across the board from Post Punk, Old Punk and Hardcore, 90’s Hip Hop, Motown, Soul, Jazz, to strange avant garde shit - pretty much anything I think is worth listening to.




12.What are some of your non musical interests?


  Spending time with my family, watching sports, particularly American Football, Hiking, enjoying excellent food and quality libations… pretty normal shit.


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


 Thanks for the support and everyone be on the look out for our full length!

Xibalba/Diabolo, Con Amor...Adios/Close Casket Activities/2017 EP Review

  Southern  California's  Xibalba  have  returned  with  a  new  recording t hat  continues  the  death  metal  and  thrash  influenced  form  of  hardcore  from  their  previous  recordings  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Diabolo,  Con  Amor...Adios"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Close  Casket  Activities.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  and  after  awhile  death  metal  elements  and  hardcore  style  growling  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences  in  the  bands  musical  style  while  also  being  very  modern  at  the  same  time  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  thrash  elements  and  the  songs  never  use  any  guitar  solos  and  leads  while  the  ep  remains  heay  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Xibalba  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  hardcore,  thrash,  and  death  metal  mixture  of  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  occult  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  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Diablo".  8  out  of  10.

I Am/Life Through Torment/2017 Full Length Review

  I  Am  are  a  band  from  Texas  that  plays  a  death  metal  influenced  form  of  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Life  Through  Torment"  which  will  be  released  in  February.

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  a  mixture  of  growling  and  hardcore  style  vocals  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  music  also  brings  in  elements  of  modern  metalcore  and  melodic  guitar  leads  and  solos.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  high  pitched  screams  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  riffing  also  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  also  introduces  clean  playing  onto  the  recording.

  I  Am  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  hardcore  while  also  mixing  in  the  heaviness  of  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  I  Am  are  a  very  great  sounding  death  metal  influenced  hardcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre, you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Life  Through  Torment"  "C.O.S.L"  "Mortality  Hangs"  and  "Forgive  Me".  8  out  of  10.

Corps-sans-Organes Interview

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

We are Corps-sans-Organes, a Death Metal band from Colombia. Jeisson G. Ospina on guitar and vocals; Camilo Castañeda on bass guitar; Nelson Socha on drums.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

As pure Death metal, only faster.

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

On the first record, Deleuze Edition (Hateworks, 2016), we worked around the ideas of french philosopher Gilles Deleuze and phychoanalyst Félix Guattari, specially those regarding the Body without Organs, invented by Spinoza.

4.I know that the bands name means 'Body Without Organs' in French, how does this name fit in with the musical style that you play?

Besides the strong influence in our music by french bands like Trepalium and Gojira, french philosophy is also a strong interest for us, being Deleuze at the center of everything. He offers a new reading of Spinoza's theory and the concept of 'potency', how it should be performed by every single human being in order to scape from capitalism, in order to live free. 

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

After releasing the record we went on a tour around Colombia for a couple of weeks. Although we played on several shows for free, only few people showed up. We sold no merchandising at all. But people liked the band, and that was the whole idea. 

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

Nowadays, we've been working on new music. We have the intention of releasing a new short-length album in Spanish.

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

Hateworks is one of the best labels in Colombia. We are proud to work with them. The will continue supporting us for at least one more album.

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

It's been great so far. There is a fun fact though: We've received support from many countries except from our own. No reviews at all.

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?

Our new drummer, Nelson, works in a great band called Hedor. The rest of us is consecrated to the band.

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

We'll try to play a little faster and we'd love to play abroad. We'll see if that's possible.

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?

There are many bands. All the way from Death to Deadborn.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Literature and cinema, mostly.

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

No. Thanks a lot for supporting the band.

Antizen/The Comsumer/2016 EP Review

  Antizen  are  a  solo  project  from  the  Czech  Republic  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  groove  metal  and  this  is a  review  of  his  self  released  2016  ep  "The  Consumer".

  A  very  heavy  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  ep  and  a  few  seconds  later  death  metal  growls  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  groove  and  some  of  the  riffing  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  thrash  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  lot  of  90's  death  and  groove  metal  influences.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  the  one  of  the  tracks  also  adds  in  a brief  use  of  clean  guitars  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction.

  Antizen  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  death  and  groove  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own,  the  production sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark themes.

  In  my  opinion  Antizen  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  and  groove  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Psychotic  Overdrive"  and  "Night  Walk".  8  out  of  10.

Hate Unbound/Plague/Inverse Records/2017 CD Review

  Hate  Unbound  are  a  band  from  Detroit,  Michigan  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death,  groove  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Plague"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Inverse  Records.

  A  very  heavy  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  thrash  metal  direction  that  also  uses  blast  beats  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  groove  metal  screams  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  even  more  of  an  extreme  metal  style.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  later  track  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  guitars  before  returning  back to  a  heavier  direction.

  Hate  Unbound  plays  a  musical  style  that takes  death, thrash  and  groove  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hate  Unbound  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death, groove, and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Baptized  In  Lies"  "Burn  Your  Idols"  "I,  Martyr" and  "The  Fallen".  8  out  of  10.