Reputdeath/Demo II/Chickenshit R.e.k.o.d/2016 Demo Review

  Reputdeath  are  a  band  from  Malaysia  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2016  demo  which  was  released  by  Chickenshit  R.e.k.o.d.

  Horror  movie  samples  start  off  the  demo  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  melodies  at  times  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  start  to  make  their  presence  known  along  with  some  blast  beats  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  and  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's.

  A  lot  of  the  music  sounds  like  it  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  more  than  25  years  ago  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  horror  movie  samples  also  return  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  and  none  of t h  songs  ever  use  any  solos  and  leads  while  also  always  remaining  heavy.

  Reputdeath  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  gore,  horror and  zombie  movie  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Reputdeath  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Corpse  Of  The  Dead"  and  "The  Graverobber".  8  out  of  10.  

Ingurgitating Oblivion/Vision Wallows In Symphonies Of Light/Willowtip Records/2017 CD Review

  Ingurgitating  Oblivion  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  dark  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Vision  Wallows  In Symphonies  Of  Light"  which  was  released  by  Willowtip Records.

  Atmospheric  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  and  the  music  also  gets  very  technical  at  times  along  with  all  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  High  pitched  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  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  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  traditional  death  metal  style  and  the  music  also  gets  very  avant  garde  and  experimental  at  times  along  with  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  samples  and  some  songs also  ad  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  jazz  elements  and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  pianos.

  On  this  recording  Ingurgitating  Oblivion  takes  their  brutal  style  of  death  metal  into  more of  an  avant  garde  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ingurgitating  Oblivion  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  either  avant  garde  or  brutal  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Amid  The  Offal,  Abide  With  Me"  and  "Vision  Wallows  In Symphonies  Of  Light",  8  out  of  10.    

Centuries Of Decay/Self Titled/2017 Full Length Review

  Centuries  Of  Decay  are  a  band from  Toronto,  Ontario,  Canada  that  plays  a  very  progressive  and  atmospheric  form  of death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  and  self  titled  2017  album  which  will  be  released  in  August.

  Ticking  sounds  and  field  recordings  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  clean  playing  is  added onto  the  album  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  melodic  guitar  leads  and  heavy  riffs  start  to  make  their  presence  known  along  with  some  death  metal  growls.

  A  great  amount  of  prog  metal  elements  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  melodic  vocals  are  also  used  at  times  along  with  some  aggressive  screams  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and epic  in  length  and  acoustic  guitars  are  added  on  the  closing  track.

  Centuries  Of  Decay  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  progressive  sounding  while  also  being  atmospheric  with  more  traditional  instruments,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical themes.

  In  my  opinion  Centuries  Of  Decay  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  and  atmospheric  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Centuries  Of  Decay"  "Odyssey"  and  "Demise".  8  out  of  10.

Satanic/Architecture Of Chaos/Brutal Records/2017 CD Review

  Satanic  are  a  band  from  Quebec,  Canada that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Architecture  Of  Chaos"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Brutal  Records.

  A  very  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  before  adding  in  elements  of  thrash  metal  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  old  school  death  metal  style  growls  and  screams  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  music  has  roots  in  the  80's  and  90's.

  While  most  of  the  music  is  mostly  rooted  in  the  past  it  still  sounds  very  modern  at  the  same  time  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  stick  to  a  very  old  school  style  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  ans  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Satanic  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  death  and  thrash  metal  together  to  create  a  very  heavy  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  war  and  Conspiracy  Theory  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Satanic  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  "Mephistophelian"  "Armageddon"  and  "Biotech  Warfare".  8  out  of  10.

NYN Interview

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

Well, the album's coming in pretty hot. I'm working on arranging promotion, release and distribution. Making videos and coordinating things. Tom ("Fountainhead" Geldschläger) has many projects, he's writing a book, making production tutorials and putting out videos on his youtube channel. He's also guesting on many projects and working on the new Amogh Symphony album. Jimmy (Pitts)'s working on some new The Fractured Dimension material. It all sounds great! I've also started writing some new material but that's far out in the future for now...


2.In August you have a new album coming out, 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?


Well, I've always struggled with defining NYN's style somewhere between tech death and prog death. With the debut, I've tried to focus more on the tech stuff, but this time around I wanted to be more progressive. Longer songs, more riffs, and of course, keys and solos. Jimmy and Tom coming on board has changed the sound very significantly, and I hope one can hear that in the singles so far. The instrumentation is different for sure, but I think the overall approach is different as well. I've tried to experiment more on this album, pull in more influences across the spectrum, be it j-rock, surf, electronica, or my background in mediterranean and middle eastern music. In a way, this is closer to my original vision for the project. It's just that I'm finally able to achieve it thanks to having Jimmy and Tom on board with me.


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


This sounds a bit cliche, but the core concept of the album is nihilism. Before you roll your eyes, let me say that it's not your typical "nothing matters, I just read Nietzsche" brand. I think one question that anyone who seriously considers this philosophy must ask themselves is what they really want out of life and how they find their purpose. The album tries to tackle these questions. Speaking in terms of physics, the universe is entropic. It will tend towards chaos. Any consistent philosophical model we try to build atop it will fail to be complete and accurate. But we can accept that, let it wash over us instead of letting the chaos spiral us out of control. Instead of trying to fit this chaotic, unpredictable and complex world into a textbook definition that surely won't fully be able encapsulate it, we should just accept that we can't define it. Through this, we can each purify ourselves of self-doubt and find purpose. That's where the title comes from. Entropy: of Chaos and Salt, where salt is the metaphor for purification. If you think that's a load of nonsense, just think about it as an exploration of meaning, one's journey to find purpose.


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


It's really as simple as it sounds. I just removed the vowels from my name. I went through many iterations of names for the band. Clad in Apathy, Reborn in Apathy, The Anachronist, but in the end this name was simple, unique, and made for a cool logo.


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


The band has never played live, so I can't really answer here. I myself have played live in many other bands. I try to prioritize energy over being super precise when I play live. Usually, due to the live sound setup and the mood of the audience, minor technical mistakes kind of get lost when playing live, but conveying a stage presence makes a huge difference. So I go nuts. Move all around the stage, go into the audience, all that stuff. I'd like to be able to do a NYN show one day, but real life and distance gets in the way for now.


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


See above.


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


Actually NYN isn't unsigned! We're in Vmbrella, Tom and Jimmy's label, among with other amazing and creative artists like Amogh Symphony. I've been in talks with labels before but in the end I value independence and I have all the freedom I want here.


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


The feedback to NYN has always been quite positive. It's really heart-warming. I think having a sound that's a bit off the beaten path helps define a unique niche for the project, and that is attractive to people. I've heard feedback from people all over the metal spectrum. The most common criticism I hear is that the material is too complicated or varied, but that's something that I take pride in, and many others have praised that as well, so I'm fine with that. Production was a criticism for the debut album since I self-produced it, but Entropy was mixed and mastered by Tom and it sounds amazing thanks to him. So I hope this album will make everyone even happier!


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?


I think I mostly answered this with question #1. Tom is also in Defeated Sanity, and they're looking to tour again I think. Hopefully that happens soon!


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


I think I want to experiment even more with genre-bending and progressive writing. More elements from different styles, more complex songs that integrate motifs throughout, and more technical playing. It's ambitious, but I feel like there's no point in making a new album if I'm not going to try to one-up myself.


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?


Nile is one of my biggest influences. Them and Psycroptic were my go-to when I was writing earlier material. These days, I take influence from a large variety of artists. For Entropy, there's a bunch of bands that I've specifically drawn from. A Sense of Gravity (two members are on the album!), Keep of Kalessin, Dream Theater, Dodheimsgard and Gods of Eden were bands that really inspired me. I think I have enough of a core sound at this point that I can keep writing in my way and have somewhere to go, but adding elements from different bands and genres helps the sound evolve. Speaking of different genres, flamenco, surf rock and j-rock were some other styles that directly influenced me here.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?


Well, I'm a computer scientist so anything programming interests me. Yep, I'm a nerd. Of course, I play video games, on all systems and across all genres. As it's clear from some of my lyrics, I'm into sci-fi reading and anime as well. I devour a lot of books, sometimes multiple in a week. Finally, I'm a huge cinephile. Everything from schlocky horror to pretentious indie movies or blockbusters. It just fascinates me to see how people behind the camera tell a story using framing, pacing, editing and more. A plain narrative can be made much more interesting through visual mastery.


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


I hope everyone enjoys Entropy as much as we enjoyed making it. I'm also releasing an instrumental version that you can get on bandcamp, and I heavily recommend checking that out as well. Jimmy has a lot of intricate key work that becomes a lot more apparent that way. We at Vmbrella also have some exciting post-release plans for the album, coming up with different interpretations of the material, so keep your eyes peeled for that as well! I know that sounds cryptic, but I promise it will be interesting!

Superbeast/A New Future/2017 EP Review

  Superbeast  are  a  band  from  Tokyo,  Japan  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  ep  "A  New  Future".

  A  very  heavy  thrash  influenced  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  melodic  riffing  a  few  seconds  alter  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  after  awhile  deep  death  metal  growls  are  added  into  the  music.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  part  while  there  is  a  mixture  of  both  old  school  and  metal  influences  and  the  music  also  always  remains  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Superbeast  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  death  and  thrash  metal  together,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Superbeast  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  "Hidden  Truth"  and  "Revenge  Of  The  ANger".  8  out  of  10.


  

Obrij/Altar Of Utopia/2016 EP Review

  Obrij  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  a  mixture  of  old  school  death  metal  and  death'n'roll  and  this  is  a  review  of  their self  released  2016  ep  "Altar  Of  Utopia".

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  music  also  incorporates  elements  of  groove  metal  and d eath'n'roll  while the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion.

  A  great  amount  of  90's  influences  can  be  heard  throughout  the  recording  while  still  having  a  very  modern  touch  and  a  touch  of  hardcore  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  always  keeping  everything  very  heavy  and  aggressive.

  Obrij  plays  a  style  of  old  school  death  metal  which  also  adds  in  touches  of  groove  metal,  death'n'roll  and  hardcore  to  stand  out  a  little  bit,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording while t he  lyrics  are  written  in  Ukrainian  and  cover  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Obrij  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  metal  and  death'n'roll  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fields  Of  Cambodia"  and  "Echoes  Of  The  Great  Battle".  8  out  of  10.