Monsterworks/Alternatum/Eat, Lead And Die Muisc/2017 CD Review

  New  Zealand's  Monsterworks have  returned  with  a  new  recording  that  continues  the  death,  thrash,  power  and  progressive  metal  mixture  of  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Alternatum"  which  was  released  by  Eat,  Lead  And  Die  Music.

  Atmospheric  sounds  along  with  some  melodic  guitar riffing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavier  riffs  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  When  clean  and  acoustic  guitars  are  utilized  they  give  the  music  more of  a  progressive  feeling  and  after  awhile  aggressive  vocals  along  with  some  power  metal  touches  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  growls  are  also  utilized  at  times and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  songs  also  add  in  elements  of  classic  rock  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Monsterworks  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  progressive  and  atmospheric  mixture  of  death,  thrash  and power  metal  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  and  scientific  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Monsterworks  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  death,  thrash,  power,  and  progressive  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Oracle"  and  "Divergence".  8  out  of 10.

Riftwalker Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Zan: Were an extreme metal band from Vancouver BC. Trying to aim for a different sound and image.
Miles:  We started in ournteenage years with just our drummer (zan) and our guitarist (miles), with a few comings and goings. This is our first band, and our mission has always been about technical, proggy extreme metal.
Spencer:The band was started way back in 2009 in Vancouver, BC. We were all very young when we started ( I was 13 when the band started) and kind of honed our skills with this project. We released one EP/demo in 2013 ,played a bunch of local gigs, and recorded the
 debut album... and here we are now

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?
Zan:Our sound is definitely very heavy with death and thrash influences but a lot of our influences come from outside metal which contributes to our overall sound.
Miles: A bunch of radically different elements
 evenly represented. I like to think of it as an experiment in everything from death/thrash metal to proggy psych rock
Spencer:The songs on the green and black album tend to jump around stylistically a bit, but I would describe us as either progressive death metal or extreme metal. Ripping guitar solos, crushing drums, defined bass, and brutal
 vocals!

3.The band has been around since 2009 but so far has only released one ep and one full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the gaps in between  releases?
Zan:
. In 2009 I bought my very first drum kit and started to learn. I met Miles few months later. We jammed in my buildings garage and began writing our song "Beyond" and we found Spencer a year later which completed our sound. It took a few years to write and develop the ability to perform the songs well, Which is why there is a gap between releases
Miles: We went through a great number of setbacks due to (now) former members, and trying to get good enough to make music we were proud of.
 Riftwalker is every members first band.
Spencer:From 2009 to the release of the EP/demo recording "wreckage of the old world" we spent a lot of time practicing recording, and re recording that demo. I think we recorded 3 full different versions of it. We also spent almost a year without a jam
 space. After we released the EP we played a bunch of shows and got used to gigging regularly, and then we jumped into the studio to record "green and black". The album was recorded about 2 years ago; we were holding onto the tracks waiting to make the release
 monumental, and the reception so far has been really good.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Zan: Lyric topics are all varied song to song and have relevence to our typical struggle through life through many different perspectives.
Miles: Themes include the nature of the universe, the afterlife, social dysfunction, birth defects, blowing yourself up making drugs in your house, the list goes on.
Spencer: cliche as it sounds a lot of it has to do with life and death. Some songs deal with hypnotism, nature, and one song in particular harlequin ichthyosis is about the terrible skin defect.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Riftwalker'?
Zan:. Riftwalker means "who who walks through dimensions" and we were inspired by this concept because there were many themes we could explore
Miles: It represents the variety in our songwriting. Likecrossing the rift between different planes if existence, we cross between radically different sections within (most of) our songs
Spencer: Riftwalker- one who walks between dimensions. The album cover captures the bands name fairly well. On the cover the Riftwalker is seen transcending from a heaven to a hell, walking between dimensions towards an unknown fate

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?
Zan:We've opened for some big bands such as Archspire, Fallujah, Abiotic, and Benighted. Our performance is very energetic on stage and we tend to give it our all. We constantly are evolving our image.
Miles: Our best was probably opening for Benighted (france) or Abiotic (usa) at local shows. Our stage performance is always changing,so stay tuned for live videos in the near future.
Spencer:Over the years we have had the pleasure of opening for some great acts such as, abiotic, archspire, benighted, and fallujah. Our stage show is aiming to be up front yet have an element of theatrics and mystery about it

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Zan: Our Cd release show is on January 28th in Vancouver, were hoping by the end of the year to be on the road.
Miles: Too many. We are collecting ourselves, and improving/ changing our stage performance. We are putting more into this band than anything else in our lives.
Spencer: We plan to tour around Canada and play some festivals this summer and havea cd release show coming up on January 27th in our hometown of Vancouver

8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Zan: We have been self funding everything so far. Our goal is to keep pushing as much as we can on our own unless we can arrange a good deal with either one of our favorite labels.
Miles: For now we are not looking for a label, and we are trying to get the message across that we can be self sufficient and succesful without aid.
Spencer:f a established label approached us we would definitely consider it but as of right now we aren't actively looking.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of progressive and extreme metal?
Zan:9 Our support has been been overwhelming from all over. We have some decent international support from the start which we are grateful for.
Miles: 's been so cool to see people all over the world with a passion for the same thing as us; who like our music. There is aost nothing more validating.
Spencer: So far the feedback for our album has been amazing. We receivedmany kind words from people all over the world, metal injection did a write up on us and featured us in their best of 2016, as did tech death time. We have also sold merch to people as far as Russia!

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Zan: Its hard to say where our sound will be in the future, we are very comfortable with our formula for writing and our new material is definitely more of an evolution of our exisiting sound.
Miles:  We are continuing to experiment blending extreme metal elements with the other music we listen to. It does seem, however that we are going in a more "death metal" direction.
Spencer: We already have another full length completely finished.
 Just have yet to record it. The songs are still along the same lines of the ones on the green and black album except for the fact that they are a lot more concise and in my opinion a lot heavier.

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?
Zan:. Beyond Creation, Psycroptic and decapitated are a few bands that we really draw from. We also listen to alot of jazz/fusion, funk, progressive music. These days im listening to alot of snarky puppy and vulfpeck.
Miles: Lots of funk and disco is going down in our ears these days. Still tons of tech death too. I'd say Psycroptic, Ministry Obscura, and beyond creation influence our metal side a great deal.
Spencer:Quo Vadis, beyond creation, dying fetus, psycroptic, the
 black dahlia murder, type o negative, victor wooten, Marcus miller, wretched, the offspring, woods of Ypres, death, SRV, atheist, etc, were all huge influences to me. Recently I've been listening to tons of leprous, vulfpeck, wastewalker, alterbeast, abominable putridity, and the human abstract just to name a few.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Zan: As a band we like to spend a lot of time outdoors.
Miles: We all play in at least 3 bands and work. There is not much room for anything outside of music and celebrating to be honest. But we have time for movies, Drinking, and general fuck-goofery
Spencer:I like to longboard. Downhill skateboarding is something I've been doing for a long time, I just love the rush that it gives when you are soaring down the road at 60K+. Other then that not too much,I play in 2 other bands so a lot of my time is divided amongst projects and practicing bass at home for my aspirations of going to music school.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Zan: Were really excited to keep pushing forward, we have a lot of content in the works. Stay tuned to our facebook for all details. Thanks!
Miles: We are excited to see the direction that extreme metal is going these days. We hope for nothing more than being able to contribute to the same music movement that got us all through so many hard times. Cheers
Spencer:hank you, thanks to the fans, and I hope to meet and play for everyone and anyone who has taken the time to  read this!

Burn Damage/Age Of Vultures/Raging Planet/2017 CD Review

  Burn  Damage  are  a  band  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death,  groove,  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017 album  "Age  Of  Vultures"  which  was  released  by  Raging  Planet.

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  guitars  a  few  seconds  later  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  samples  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  also  introduces  death  metal  growls  onto  the  recording  along  with  screams  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Elements  of  thrash  and  groove  metal  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  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 guitar  solos  and  leads  are  only  used  briefly  while  a  later  tracks  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars.

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

  In  my  opinion  Burn  Damage  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  "Age  Of  Vultures"  "Four  Little  Pigs"  and  "Beyond  Good  And  Evil".  8  out  of  10.

Dark Phantom/Nation Of Dogs/Symbol Of Domination Productions/United By Chaos/2016 CD Review

  Dark  Phantom  are  a  band  from  Iraq  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  2016  album  "Nation  Of  Dogs"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Symbol  Of  Domination  Productions  and  United  By  Chaos.

  Middle  Eastern  style  flutes  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  thrash  metal  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  start  to  make  their  presence  known.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  a  very  chaotic  yet  melodic  style  of  extreme  metal and  while  the  music  has  a  lot  of  old  school  influences  it  still  sounds  very  modern  at the  same  time  and  clean  vocals  are  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  the  songs  also bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  their  is  also  a  brief  use  of  high  pitched  screams  and  a  later  track  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  classical  guitars.

  Dark  Phantom plays  a  music  style  that  takes  death  and  thrash  metal  and  mixes  them  together  with  a  touch  of  traditional  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  violent,  and  political  themes.

  In  my opinion  Dark  Phantom  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "New  Gospel"  "Unholy  Alliance"  "Confess"  and  "State  of  War".  8  out  of 10.

 

Conceived By Hate/Death & Beyond/Satanath Records/Morbid Skull Records/Deathgasm Records/2016 CD Review

  Conceived  By  Hate  are  a  band  from  El  Salvador  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Death  &  Beyond"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  Records,  Morbid  Skull  Records and  Deathgasm  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  thrash  influences  while  also  mixing  in  the  raw  aggression  of  South  American  extreme  metal.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  solos  and  leads  also stick  to  a  very  old  school  style  of  extreme  metal  and  while  the  music  is  rooted  in  the  past  the  production  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  modern  feeling  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  synths  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  guitar  driven  style  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length..

  Conceived  By  Hate  remains  true  to  the  death  and  thrash  mixture  of  previous  releases  while  also  updating  the  genre  for  modern  days,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  metal,  solitude,  society,  revenge,  darkness,  revenge  and  emptiness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Conceived  By  Hate  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  death  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Crossroad  Of  Fire"  "The  Underdog"  "Below  A  Pale  Sky"  and  "Death  &  Beyond".  8  out  of  10.

Antrophagus/Methods Of Resurrection Through Evisceration/Comatose Music/2017 CD Review

  Antropofagus  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  an d plays  a  very  technical  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Methods  Of Resurrection  Through  Evisceration"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Comatose  Music.

  Epic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats while  the  vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  high  pitched  screams  are  also  used  at  times.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  and  after  awhile  the  riffing  starts  mixing  technical  and  brutal  parts  together  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  add  in  a  very  dark  style  of  death  metal  and  keyboards  also  return  briefly  on  a  later  track  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Malevolent  Creation's  "Living  In  Fear".

  On  this  recording  Antropofagus  focuses  less  on  the  technical  side  and  go  for  more  of  a  brutal  style  of  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  life,  death,  resurrection,  and  the  descent  into  the  darkest  depths  of  self.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Antropofagus  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Whirlwind  Of  Initiation"  "Praise  To  A  Hecatomb!"  " Quintessence  Of  Suffering"  and  "Living  In  Fear".  8  out  of  10.

Trepid Elucidation/Upcoming Reality/Mosher Records/2017 CD Review

  Trepid  Elucidation  are a  band  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  very  progressive  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2017  album  "Upcoming  Reality"  which  will  be  released  on  February  24th  by  Mosher  Records.

  Synths  and  distorted  guitar  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  that  lead  up  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  where  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  instruments  that  are  presented  on  the  recording  and  the  riffing  also  incorporates  a  great  amount  of  progressive  elements  and  melody.

  Most  of  the  guitar  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  technical  style  while  high  pitched  screams  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs and  some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic in  length  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  bass  leads  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  o  brutal  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  clean  playing  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  synths  also  return  on  some  of  the  later  songs.

  Trepid  Elucidation  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  technical  and  progressive  sounding  while  also  having  its  brutal  moments,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Trepid  Elucidation  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  and  technical  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Unquestionable  Death"  and  "Corpse  That  Breeds".  8 out  of  10.