Decimation/Reign Of Ungodly Creation/Comatose Music/2014 CD Review

  Decimation  are  a  band  from   Turkey  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Reign  Of  Ungodly  Creation"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Comatose  Music.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  guttural  growling  vocals  and  you  can  also  hear  some  melodies  being  added  into  the  music  after  awhile  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  band  starts  bringing  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  You  can  hear  a  lot  of  90's  death  metal  influences  in  the  bands  musical  style  which  they  also  update  with  the  more  modern  and  brutal  style  and  the  way  they  bring  in  technical  parts  are  different  from  most  bands  of  this  genre  since  they  do  it  in  a  brutal  direction  and  they  also  avoid  using  any  guitar  solos  and  leads  which  also  adds  to  the  heaviness  of  the  recording.

  Decimation  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  and  technical  and  there  is  never  a  weak  or  soft  moment  in  any  of  their  tracks,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Sumerian  Mythology.

  In  my  opinion  Decimation  are  a  very  great  sounding  technical  and  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Supreme  Wisdom  Of  Blasphemy  In  The  Reign  Of  Ungodly  Creation"  "Psalm  Carnage  In  The  Ghoulish  Chapel  Of  Gehenna"  "Prophetic  Despise  Under  the  Pendulum  Of  A  Sacrilegious  Throne"  and  "Veracity  in  Relics".  8  out  of  10.    

Keep On Rotting Interview

1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
The core of the band was formed sometime around 2005 in a small town called Litoměřice in the Czech Republic. At our beginning we were trying to make a noise which hardly resembled death metal… or rather it was a mixture of trash metal, hard core, black metal, beer drinking, etc. We had been rehearsing for a couple of years before we started to appear at concerts and managed to record several demos with usage of the automatic drums. Only by luck did we find a drummer in 2010 and the band has been complete from then on. Ever since we finally got together with the drummer we’ve been focusing on rather modern form of death metal. In 2011 EP called The Beginning was released, which helped the band promote itself and make it more visible. And it wasn’t until the autumn 2013 when the full length album called Unforeseen Consequences was released.


2. So far you have released 2 albums, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do you they differ from each other?
In fact the sound on our both albums is similar, which is the result of recording and mastering in one studio but both albums keep and represent our own conception of death metal. But the new album Unforeseen Consequences was recorded more precisely and we spent a great deal of time finishing it. The sound of the new one is definitely sharper, cleaner and stricter in comparison to the first one and songs are more elaborated and compositionally matured. We wanted to do some experimental songs to spice the album up, hence we didn’t avoid guests or Czech language in a few songs. On the other hand, the songs on The Beginning are more rough and straightforward. We like the songs from the new album as well as from the old one and we mix it during our live shows.


3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
On the previous album we used poems by Charles Baudelaire and E.A. Poe. For the new one we wrote our own lyrics (except Lethe which was written by Ch.Baudelaire as well). There is a huge range of topics. From problems of modern life such as loss of meaning of life, technological progress which we are actually overwhelmed with and trapped in, to some personal interpretation of the world and reality, stories about unforeseen consequences of every single action we take or for instance a story about a towel which never dries.


4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Keep On Rotting'?
The origin of our name lies in the song by Carcass of course. The lyrics are very close to our beliefs and its reference is still noticeable in some of our themes.


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?
It‘s a tricky question and I’m really not able to think of the best ones. There have been plenty of events worth mentioning but some of our favorites are mainly Czech great open-air festivals like Brutal Assault, Czech Death Fest, Death Coffee Party, and among indoor club gigs are definitely concerts with Diphteria and many more which I just can’t think of right now. Everything for sure depends on the atmosphere, guys and on the sound. We really enjoy the parties where we go expecting nothing and then it turns out to be a great fun.
We never prepare any special stage performances. We wanna be natural, you know – the music must spread through your body and everything else comes as such.




6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Oh yes! We are going on a one-week-tour with our friends Beast Within The Sound in February 2015. We have never been on tour before, so we are quite excited. We‘re gonna turn up in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and the Netherlands. Beside this trip we are trying to work out another tour but when and with who is still in the air.


7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of technical death metal?
So far so good, unfortunately we haven’t received much of it, though. So if someone wants to leave a comment or make a review, just feel free to do so.
And honestly we actually don’t think our music is technically good enough to be categorized as technical death metal. I find Necrophagist, Beyond Creation, Gorod, Arch Spire proper technical-death-metal bands. Moreover we sometimes apply different methods which don’t belong into this category. As a result the music is touched with variety of other metal styles.


8. Are the band members involved with any other musical projects these days?
These days just Tom, our singer, has another band called DPK. The other members fully concentrate on Keep on Rotting project.


9. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We’re intensively working on some new stuff, because we want to make a record in the future. Our intention is to combine the style of previous albums, which means mixing the straightforwardness of The Beginning and elaboration of Unforeseen Consequences.


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?
Not only have many metal and rock bands had an enormous influence on our music, but classical and experimental music too. The bands I shouldn‘t miss out are Anata, Cephalic Carnage, Suffocation, Son of Aurelius, The Faceless, The Sikth, Textures, Necrophagist, Gorod and many many more current and former bands.
It’s quite difficult to say what exactly we‘re listening to these days because of a large amount of music and styles… we really enjoy progressive death metal, djent, grind core as well as classical and experimental music.


11. What are some of your non musical interests?
Well, some of us like hiking, some of us because of being students are supposed to like studying, doing sports, reading, but all of us are into going out on alcoholic spree.


12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Go to concerts and support music!

Bloody Harvest Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
1. BLOODY HARVEST is primarily people with different occupations and outlooks on life, even the age difference between the band members is very significant from 19 to 38 but unites us all desire to play, perform and hang out together, not without it))

2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is present on the recording?
2 Basically all threads BLOODY HARVEST is old school death with a mixture of new chips. We emphasize the fact that our Mouzon pumped listener from the first reef, that the listener did not even notice as he starts shaking his head all the hard without snot, for adults.

3.According to the metal archives page the band was formed in 1998 and in 2003 broke up for 8 years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
3 In general, it is a heavy social and economic crisis in our country that is not the ability to develop for lack of funds, the same problems in his personal life composition plus drugs, alcohol.
After a pause, the desire to play our guitarist Hans has not disappeared, and he put together a new lineup. Especially now easier for a material base for the work.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
4 At the heart of the album lyrics withdrawal negative side, we describe the use of potent drugs, about their harmful effects on the body, and the inevitable painful death. We chose this because tamatiku themselves not by hearsay familiar with it.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Bloody Harvest'?
5 This is from the days when we did not have the Internet and CDs, this phrase with some thrash horor American, that we have enjoyed looking at the videotape in the 90s.

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?
6 All shake their heads I say fuck music we have this cool under us like to come off ) ) I remember MADNESS FEST in KIEV 23 November 13 That organized our friends with ENDOCRANIAL, an auto too much))

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
7 What are the tour? Here in Ukraine musicians pay for everything, and we are not ready to do it. In addition, the war and our drummer now in the hot spot so let's wish him together hurry to go back, then, can we think about the future work of the group.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of old school death metal?
8 With the release of the album on Metal Scrap we began to receive positive feedback from the audience on the network, it is certainly pleasing but we can not perform abroad it gives us approach with a fan, we hope that in the future we will be able to fix it.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
9 We are not going to change the musical direction in which we operate now, except that there is a desire to make our music more brutal.

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?
10 We can not say exactly which groups influenced our work, as mentioned above we are people of all ages and musical preferences, we are different. But we agreed on one thing-we play death metal. Perhaps this is the style of music that fits our character and way of life 

Cemetery Filth/Screams From The Catacombs/2014 EP Review

  Cemetery  Filth  are  a  band  from  Tennessee  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "Screams  From  The  Catacombs".

  A  very  dark  and  old  school  evil  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  deep  growls  before  speeding  up  a  bit  and  adding  in  some  blast  beats  which  also  takes  the  music  into  a  more  heavier  musical  direction  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  High  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  bring  even  more  of  an  80's  death  metal  feeling  to  the  ep  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  all  3  tracks  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  are  no  modern  sounds  to  be  found  on  this  recording.

  Cemetery  Filth  go  back  to  the  80's  style  of  death  metal  and  bring  in  a  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  approach  as  well  as  ignoring  any  modern  trends  of  the  past  25  years  to  create  a  very  pure  style  of  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  dying  and  graveyard  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cemetery  Filth  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  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Gateway  Among  the  graves".  8  out  of  10.  

UnKured 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?

Well we haven't released the album yet. Were coming together again and writing for the next release just trying to get a feel for what we want it to sound like.

2.You have a new album coming out in November, 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?

. I would describe it as something completely new. Its been called death thrash but I never considered it to be that I think its melodic progressive and its also got some black metal parts to it. Death and thrash are in there as well but I think its a bit more than that. When I think death thrash I think demolition hammer I don't see melodies in there at all haha.

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

 Environmental issues sci-fi stuff. I'd definitely say its relevant seeing as how much we have put our globe through in the last 100 years.


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

Cody got that from Mass Hypnosis, he thought it sounded cool and he felt he could relate to it at the time.

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?

I think when we played with D.R.I. in Cleveland was probably the best show we've ever played. great crowd. and personally one of the best nights of my entire life. We do have a very thrash like stage presence. I try to headbang pretty consistently throughout the show.

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


Not just yet we are going to tour but we need to get financially ready since this album cost us quite a bit.

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


We are looking for a label or at the least distro. We had a couple of small labels that didn't seem very legitimate that we turned down.

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

We haven't gotten to much feedback yet but what we have gotten has been incredible. And I couldn't have really asked for a better reaction so far.

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

Me and Adam are starting a project write now in the vein of Type O Negative Woods of Ypres and Alice in Chains. It doesn't have a name yet but it should be interesting.

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

Honestly I don't know. We could take mutated earth and really expand on it or we could go with a totally new writing process and have something completely different. not like doom or something like that of course just a different sounding record.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Well were influenced by all true forms of metal. Unkured is a mixture of all the best in metal. I bounce between Pearl Jam ,Vader, Woods of Ypres and Disma lately. I like to keep my music diverse just keeps everything fresh.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

 I recently started taking weapons training and some other martial arts courses, I also like to work out every other day. I feel so much better afterwards


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

Support good new bands. There are so many good newer bands out there you just have to look for. Bands like our friends Gomorrah, Valdrin, Verment, and Dismemberment are all great bands to start with as far as young bands go.

Obtruncation/Abode Of The Departed Souls/Vic Records/2014 CD Review

  Obtruncation  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Abode  Of  the  Departed  Souls"  which  will  be  reelased  in  November  by  Vic  Records.

  A  very  heavy,  dark,  raw  and  old  school  sounding  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  growls  and  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  a  few  seconds  later  blast  beats  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  a  small  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  and  the  band  also  uses  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  throughout  the  recording.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  add  even  more  of  a  chaotic  and  old  school  death  metal  sound  to  the  recording  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  the  early  90's  brutality  into  the  songs  and  they  manage  to  keep  every  minute  and  second  of  the  recording  in  a  very  heavy  musical  direction  and  there  is  never  a  soft  moment  present  anywhere  on  this  recording.

  Obtruncation  remain  true  to  the  old  school  death  metal  style  they  have  been  playing  for  more  than  20  years  and  ignores  every  trend  that  has  been  around  since  the  early  90's  to  create  a  very pure and  brutal  sounding  death  metal  album,  the  production  sound s very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  death  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Obtruncation  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school  death  metal,  you  should  check out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Abode  of  the  Departed  Souls"  "slitting  16_"  "Callous  Concept"  and  "Winged  Death  Upon  Earthly  Life".  8  out  of  10.        

Convictors Interview

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

First of all thank you for the interview and greets to the underground. In 1985 -86 a group of metal heads came together with same interests on music. At that time Destruction, Slayer, Kreator, Sodom, Metallica published their album and Possessed published the legendary "Seven Churches". For four metal heads out of this group it was clear they must establish their own band. Convictors was born. Atom "drums" and Lasse "guitar" at that time had training lessons on their instrument. Based on that the roles were finally allotted (Fabian, vocals, Atom, drums, Lasse, guitar and Thomas, bass). After finding a rehearsal room the equipment was organized and the adventure of creating own metal songs could begin. After the finalization of three songs the demo tape "The last Judgment" was recorded in the rehearsal room. The demo tape was published and sold in some magazines. A few months later the band split up. Regardless of this new band situation still most of the metal heads together were visiting concerts. These metal heads are still existing and today are called: "Convictors Crew". Yeah with the band the story went on again in 2008 when Fabian and Lasse asked Atom and Zimmi to join the band for new songs. They jumped in and new songs were created. The EP "Abdication of Humanity" was recorded and mastered from Christoph Brandes in the Iguana Studios. After playing some gigs and the publication of the new EP Zimmi and Atom left due to some musical differences. That was the time when Zufi (drums) and Samuel (bass, backing vocals) joined the band. Both were good known also as friends from the Metal Maniacs in Lörrach. A new rehearsal room was found and shared with Destination Hell. New songs were created and some gigs were played. For the 25th anniversary of Convictors the song "Epitome of Decay" was recorded and published as a video. In 2014 Convictors went back to Christoph Brandes in the Iguana Studios for recording the first 8 track CD. Now it is the time that the audience should listen to the new CD. One song "Proclivity" was selected to produce the new video which was published on Youtube ---- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3otMgcKHyxo

2.You have a new album coming out in October, 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?

The 2009 EP differs in quiet some of points to the 2014 CD. For example the guitars are tuned down, the vocals are more brutal and the drums often heavier additionally faster. Yeah it is still Old School Death Metal but with more volume and power. The production is modern comparing to the former one. All in all the CD sounds exactly how we have expected it. Let's wait and see the reaction of the fans. We move since years on this way and we still go further in this direction. Very likely that the in the future new songs will sound again more brutal with some more extreme slowdowns. Convictors is still developing…

3.This is the first recording to be released in 5 years, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap between releases?

The time in between was used to reorganize the band. That includes creating new songs and playing a few gigs and visiting festivals with friends and other metal heads, just keep on moving.

4.The band was broken up for 21 years, what was the decision behind the split and also the decision to reform? Yes the split was quite long time ago… But all in all there were circumstances like no money, different interests especially in music, missing opportunities in finding new members and last but not least the professional education. During all the years after the split the friendship of most of the members were still existent. After an interesting article about Convictors which were found on a website, the reunion was done quite fast. Zimmi joined the band as a new bassist. Since Zimmi and Atom were playing together in another band a rehearsal room was also available.

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

Our lyrics reflect the dark side of society their effects and as it mentioned on the title of the CD "Envoys of Extinction".

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Convictors'?

In 1986 the band was looking for a non-existing word. The band name should contain something with conviction and victory. So e.g a human being was sentenced to death and got after the judgment his freedom. It was a kind of "German Thinking" for contriving a new word.

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

Every show had something special, e.g one concert was in a cave and the atmosphere there was awesome.

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

Honestly the feedback differs. In some countries they really like our music in others they prefer the more brutal death metal style. But hopefully we will find some more new folks which share our fervidness for Old School Death Metal and support us in the underground with the new CD.

However, we keep our style and remain true to ourselves.

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?

Zufis Thrash Metal Band Pessimist released the last album in 2013 in the meantime they played also several shows e.g. Beastival where also Destruction, Kreator, Sodom performed their shows. One year earlier Samuels Melodic Death Metal Band Maersung released their debut album. After a few shows and a half year break they are back on stage.

10.I noticed on the album while the music was mostly old school death metal, there where a couple of tracks that had a more modern sound along with one song having pig squeal's, is this something that you plan on experimenting more with in the future or will the music be mostly in the old school death metal tradition?

That's correct, we play the old style of Death Metal mixed with new elements. All in all it was recorded and mastered in a more modern style. That's the mix of the new CD. The best example here is the song "Diabolical Female" which is a remake of the original song "Diabolic Female" from the 86 demo version or the song "Epitome of Decay" which is modern. Also brilliant is the realization of modern cover and booklet artwork with the old "end of the world" story. Altogether the complete package is straight forward.

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?

Just to mention some of the bands: Dissection, Destruction, Cannibal Corpse, Slayer, Kreator, Kataklysm, Insomnium, Sodom, In Flames, Misfits, Death, Suffocation, Possessed, Children of Bodom and many more…

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

First of all we have jobs to earn money. We also produce movies on level of trash films. Not long time ago the new movie was published to the audience. Some of us like doing sports and of course we do like visiting metal parties, festivals and underground sessions. In the border triangle (South Germany, North Switzerland and Elsass (France)) there is an active underground scene. Last but not least to mention our families and friends where we are spending our time.

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

Remain true oneself and belong to the underground metal scene. Thanks' for giving us the opportunity to communicate to you. Stay Evil and see you all on festivals and concerts! Keep a cool head.

Morost Interview

 For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Tomaž (drums): Greetings from Slovenia! Morost was formed in 2010 by former members of a death/doom metal band Cold Dew. We set out to create our own kind of music with as few guidelines as we could and after 4 years of diligence, we released our debut album titled Solace in Solitude. Our music has been described as everything in between death, groove, black, progressive, aggressive and/or doom metal, but labeling doesn't really concern us – all we really want to do is create and play music.

Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
I would describe the sound of our album as very dark, deep, full and heavy, at times even a bit smudgy, while keeping the feel of a modernly produced record. All in all, I find the atmosphere serious and inviting, which I feel gives the album that little bit of distinction and uniqueness every musician is trying to express. It should also be important to note, that back in 2012, when we began recording, we had a very loose plan on how we wanted the finished record to sound. Ruž and Jay from Negligence Studio proved to be of great help in guiding us towards what is now Solace in Solitude.

The band formed out of the ashes of Cold Dew, what was the decision behind forming a new band?
When Peter (guitars), Tamara (vocals at that time, presently keys) and I joined Cold Dew in 2008, the band was playing strictly death/doom metal. Most of the later material (written by Peter and myself) began to drift away from the before agreed upon course, which created tension in the band. In 2010 we decided to split up and start anew, this time with fewer bounds and with "whatever works, works" attitude. In retrospect, it was the right decision for us.

What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
The lyrics mostly discuss ourselves as humans, as social beings, our behaviour towards ourselves and each other, as well as about our understanding of the world around us, both social and natural. The style of writing contains a tint of childlike awe, wonder and confusion, so as to give contrast to the otherwise serious mood of the music. I'd say lyrics were always written after the songs were already more or less done, like an afterthought, therefore the texts do not attempt to be too specific, they do not bear the most important message. Instead the lyrics are just something that works well enough with the music and is otherwise completely open for each listener's own interpretation.

What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Morost'?
The name is an old Slovenian word for marsh, a type of wetland. Such a place is actually close to where we rehearse which makes the name even more apt. I also think the word goes well with the kind of music we play, both phonetically and by it's meaning.

What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
The last shows we played were still as part of Cold Dew. When we formed the new band, we decided our priority was on releasing an album and now that we've done that, we're ready to hit the stages.

Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
For starters, we want to do a few shows in local clubs, to get the hang of it again. We have a gig coming up on October 23rd in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and after that we are looking to do more shows.

Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We are currently not actively looking for a label. We released our album on our own without too much hassle, but as we move forward we might change our minds.

On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death and groove metal?
I would say the feedback has been great by a rather wide range of audience, not just death/groove metal fans in particular. We are trying not to "market" our music to a specific, narrow group of people, but rather have it out there for everyone to listen to and appreciate (or not) to their heart's content.

Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I believe we are still quite willing to explore our creativity and not limit ourselves within the bounds of the music on our debut album. I cannot say for certain the direction we'll take in the future, but I can say that we do like our music to keep an atmospheric feel to it while maintaining a vivid and dynamic rhythm.

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?
Lately, I've been listening to The Contortionist. Over the years, there has been many different bands and styles that have left an imprint on each of us. If I had to name 10 bands that had been the biggest influence on me personally, I'd say Enslaved, Opeth, Exivious, Textures, Gorguts, Ahab, Virus, Vulture Industries, Meshuggah, Uneven Structure... Others' opinions on their influences would probably vary in comparison.

What are some of your non musical interests?
Some of us are finishing our university degrees, others are working their asses off and there's even an in-line hockey player among us.

Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I'd just like to put a word out to all the emerging bands out there: keep at it, the only thing that matters is the music you create, everything else is a distraction!

Annihilated/XIII Steps To Ruination/Unique Leader/2014 CD Review

  Annihilated  are  a  band  from  California  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  extreme  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "XII  Steps  To  Ruination"  which  will  be  released  on  October  28th  by  Unique  Leader.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  growling  vocals  and  a  small  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  before  the  music  starts  to  get  more  brutal  and  incorporate  blast  beats  and  the  band  also  uses  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  high  pitched  screams  and  spoken  word  parts  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  old  school  death  metal  sound  to  the  album  when  they  are  utilized  and  most  of  the  songs  present  on  the  album  stick  to  mostly  a  more  modern  and  brutal  style  of  death  metal  and  every  second  and  minute  of  all  of  the  tracks  have  a  very  heavy  sound  to  them  and  there  is  never  a  soft  moment  present  anywhere  on  the  recording.

  Annihilated  create  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  style  death  metal  on t his  recording  and  what  the y lack  in  originality  they  make  up  in  heaviness,   talent  and  skill,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  political,  mystical  and  humanity  themes  along  with    corrupt  and  fucked  up  politics  and   government  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Annihilated  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should c heck  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Global  Enslavement"  "Eradication  Profits"  "Wastelands"  and  "Thrones  of  Eternity".  8  out  of  10.       

Convictors/Envoys Of Extinction/2014 CD Review

  Convictors  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self released  2014  album  "Envoys  Of  Extinction"  which  will  be  released  in  November.

  A  very  raw  and  melodic  old  school  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them   and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  to  speed  up  a  bit  and  bring  in  blast  beats  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  in  the  90's  while  also  having  the  musical  style  that  was  considered  brutal  for  its  time  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  death  metal  growls  start  getting  more  diverse  in  sound  and  the  band  also  starts  adding  in  more  of  a  modern  death  metal  sound  along  with  a  brief  use  of  pig  squeals  while  still  focusing  more  on  an  old  school  style  and  towards  the  end  they  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  along  with  one  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Convictors  plays  mostly  a  90's  style  of  death  metal  that  is  a  lot  more  more  closer  to  the  old  school  side  but  also  experiments  a  little  bit  with  the  modern  style  to  create  a  death  metal  album  that  stands  out,   the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  problems.

  In  my  opinion  Convictors  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 album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Epitome  Of  Decay"  "Festering  Infestation  Skies"  and  "Diabolical  Female".  8  out  of  10.      

Morost/Solace In Solitude/2014 CD Review

  Morost  are  a  band  from  Slovenia  that  plays  a  progressive  mixture  of  death  and  groove  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Solace  in  Solitude".

  Dark  sounding  synths  and  clean  playing  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  progressive  death  metal  direction  along  with  some  growls  and  screams  and  after  awhile  the  band  starts  bringing  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  acoustic  and  heavy  parts  as  well  as  having  a  very  atmospheric  sounding  background.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  very  melodic  and  add  even  more  of  a  progressive  style  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  guitar  riffing  starts  utilizing  more  melody  as  well  as  the  album  progresses  along  with  a  few  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  band  also  starts  to  incorporate  more  groove  metal  elements  while  staying  away  from  the  more  mainstream  style  of  that  genre    and  all  of  the  tracks  stick  to  a  slow  to  mid  paced  musical  direction.

  Morost  creates  a  style  of  progressive  death  metal  that  is  very  dark  and  heavy  sounding  while  also  adding  in  some  of  the  heaviest  elements  of  groove  metal  to  create  and  album  that  is  very  original  for  a  death  metal  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  human  misunderstanding  of  ourselves  and  the  societies  we  live  in.

  In  my  opinion  Morost  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  mixture  of  death  and  groove  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Human  Debris"  and  "Regret".  8  out  of  10.

Annihilation 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 currently working on the songs for the album "The Undivided Wholeness Of All Things" we had also shot a video for the song "Feeding The Void" from "The Undivided" Ep that should be released before the Ep is out.

2.Recently you have released a new ep, 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?

- We consider this songs more mature, technical but still catchy just has we like it. A signature that our fans will get used to ear on our future releases. Basically, since our first release came out in 2011 we evolved as a band and i think our fans will notice that evolution when hearing this new Ep.

3.The band has been around for 10 years but so far has only released one promo, full length and an ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap in between releases?

- That has been some line up changes since the beginning of the band, and every time a new member enters he has to learn the songs and that is the main reason why within these 10 years we haven´t release more stuff.  Now that we have a steady formation our fans will not have to wait so long between this Ep and the upcoming future releases.

4.The lyrics on the new ep are based on the writings of David Icke, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this conspiracy theorist and also do you feel there is some truth in what he has said in some of his writings?

- I´m a follower of David Icke´s work since 2008 and i do believe that some of the stuff that he has been talking are actually true and makes sense to me. There´s a lot of things going on at the background that governments had been hiding and will continue to hide from the general population. Look at all the wars and conflicts around the world and stop for a minute to think why they started, do they make sense to you..All that Monsanto GMO bulshit wanting to control the seeds and food on the world... I believe that nowadays people are getting more consciousness about what happens in the world, all the wars and conflicts manipulated in order to support an hidden agenda defined by the powers that be. The same powers that be that have always been in control of the world and day by day are being exposed thanks to David Icke and others like him.

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

- The name Annihilation came from Nile´s "Annihilation Of The Wicked". When we started the band in 2004 we were looking for a strong name for the band and in 2005 when Nile released "Annihilation Of The Wicked" we thought that "Annihilation" was the perfect name for the band. It is a strong word that means total destruction or obliteration and back then we thought it was the perfect name to associate with our music.

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?

- We don´t play too much live therefore every time that we play we like to give it 100% at the stage. Over the years we had the pleasure to play in some of the best metal fests in Portugal with lots of good bands such as Skinless, Cock & Ball Torture, Gorod, Fleshgod Apocalypse, just to name a few. All of those shows were awesome and we do prefer to play in fests since there is more audience than on regular gigs.

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

- Our plan is to play less in Portugal and to be able to get more gigs abroad. We have nothing planned as for shows since we are now focused on finishing the songs for our upcoming album "The Undivided Wholeness Of All Things"


8.The new ep was self released but the band has worked with labels before, are you open to working with another label again in the future, or do you prefer the DIY approach?

- The idea to release the Ep was to get a proper label that would be able to support us on our upcoming releases. So lets see what the future reserve to us. IMO the DIY approach has is advantages for bigger bands that already has their fan base to support them.

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

- We had and continue to have a good feedback around the world. Our first album "Against The Storm" had awesome reviews and we cannot wait to release our Ep and the upcoming album in order to get even more fans.

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

Our bass player also plays bass on Bleeding Display which is an also very known band from Portugal. As for the rest of us at the moment we are only focused on Annihilation.

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

- We intend to head in to studio during the beginning of 2015 so our fans can expect a full length before the Summer of 2015. At this point we consider that we have already our own style of Death Metal, so we will continue on exploring the catchiness and dissonant guitar parts that have been a part of our music.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

- As the main composer for Annihilation i try to listen to as many bands from different styles as i can.
I can say that Gorguts and early Morbid Angel are and will always be an influence on our music.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

- I like to travel, to read and go to the beach in order to relief some of the stress accumulated from work.

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

- We would like to thank our fans throughout the world and we would like to ask them to help us on spreading our sound to as many people as they can. A band without fans is nothing so your support is very important to us. We do this for the passion of extreme music and we would like to continue on doing it for as long as we can, so spread the word, share our facebook page, buy our music!!

Keep On Rotting/Unforeseen Consequences/MetalGate Records/2014 CD Review

  Keep  On  Rotting  are  a  band  from  the  Czech  Republic  that  plays  a  very  technical  form  of  death  metal  and  this is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Unforeseen  Consequences"  which  was  released  by  MetalGate  Records.

 Operatic  sounding  female  vocals  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  dark  sounding  drones,  programmed  beats  and  nature  sounds  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  brutal  death  metal  sound  along  with  some  growling  vocals  as  well  as  some  high  pitched  screams  and  a  more  modern  sound.

  There  are  plenty  of  melodic  and  technical  parts  in  both  the  guitar  riffing  and  solos  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  some  of  the  songs  also  add  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  into  certain  parts  of  the  tracks  and  throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  towards  the  end  one  of  the  tracks  utilizes  power/thrash  style  vocals.

  Keep  On  Rotting  plays  a  style  of  technical  death  metal  that  sounds  very  brutal  and  modern  while  having  some  90's  influences  and  while  the  music  is  not  very  original,  I  still  feel  the  band  is  very  good  at  what  they  are  doing,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violence,  death  and  psycho  analysis  themes.

    In  my  opinion  Keep  On  Rotting  are  a  very  decent  sounding  technical  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Freud's  Secret  Desire"  "To  Die  On  Time"  and  "Unforeseen  Consequences".  7/8  out  of  10.       

UnKured/Mutated Earth/2014 CD Review

  UnKured  are  a  band  from  Ohio  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Mutated Earth"  which  will  be  released  in  November.

  A  very  old  school  and  heavy  thrash  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  blast  beats  and  death  metal  style  growls  and  death/thrash  style  screams  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  a  touch  of  technical  playing  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  few  long  and  epic  in  length  songs  that  demonstrate  their,  talent,  ability  and  skill  as  musicians.

  The  solos  and  leads  that  the  band  plays  are  very  melodic  and  technical  in  the  mid  80's  to  early  90's  meaning  of  the  term  and  the  band  also  uses  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  during  the  years  of  88  and  89  and  they  also  bring  in  a  perfect  balance  between  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  as  well  as  a brief  instrumental  and  the  faster  parts  display  more  of  a  raw  80's  style  of  death metal.

  UnKured  go  back  to  the  mid  80's  style  of  thrash  when  it  was  starting  to  get  more  technical  and  progressive  sounding  with  some  of  the  later  bands  and  they  also  combine  it  with  the  true  death  metal  style  of  the  mid  80's  to  create  some  very  heavy  and  old  school   metal,  the production  sounds  very  old  school  while  also  being  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  and  th e lyrics  cover  science  fiction  themes.

  In  my  opinion  UnKured  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  and  technical  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genre,s  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mutated  Earth"  "Cells"  and  "Twisted  And  Warped".  8  out  of  10.  

    

Diskord 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?

Hey! We have been busy rehearsing the songs from Oscillations, in order to prepare for a string of live gigs this autumn. Other than that, we have been slowly working on some new material as well, but don't expect anything soon; we do not rush stuff.

2.Recently you have released a new ep, 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?

We had an aim with this recording to make it sound more "direct", or more "live", if you will, and I think we have succeeded with that. The recording and mixing were done over a few weekends, and I think that you can hear a certain immediacy in the sound (as well as the music).

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

The lyrics, in general, deal with topics such as fear and anxiety, confusion, emptiness and alienation.

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

The spelling "diskord" is Norwegian, and it means the same as the English "discord". In other words, it deals with lack of harmony (concord). This can be interpreted concretely, as relating to our musical expression, which often lacks harmony, at least in the traditional sense of the term, or more abstractly, as for instance a state of mind in which conflicting ideas or emotions play out. I think both interpretations fit well with both our music and our overall lyrical theme.

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?

I think that to this date, the best show for me, personally, was our appearance on the Kill-Town Death Fest in Copenhagen in 2011. It was a great experience. The festival organizers were very friendly and helpful, everything was professional, and the crowd and the other bands playing were great. Sadly, I hear that this year is the last time the festival is organized, which is a shame, really. Hopefully, something new and beautiful will surface from Daniel and the rest of the KTDF crew next year.

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

We have just now played a few shows around Norway to celebrate the release of Oscillations, and that has been great! Apart from that, our only booked gig in the near future is a gig with our buddies in Obliteration and Execration in Kolbotn (home of Darkthrone!) here in Norway. Other than that, we are open to any suggestions!

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

It has been received very well, and we are humbled by the positive reception from fans and press alike. I'm happy that people still take the time to sit down and listen to music that at first might appear complex or chaotic, but still devote the time and energy to really penetrate the matter, so to speak.

When it comes to fans of tech death, specifically, I wouldn't really know. I guess we somehow fit into that category, but on the other hand, I think there are many things that set us apart from your typical tech death band. I guess you could call us old-school doomy retro-futuristic tech-but-not-very death, haha.

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

No, with the exception of Hans Jørgen running the No Posers Please! label and distro, our musical focus is fully on Diskord.

9.When can we expect another full length album and also where do you see the band musically during the future?

I cannot tell you when the next full-length will be out, as I have no idea. We are constantly working on new stuff, though, so hopefully something will emerge in a not too distant a future.

I have some ideas about where I would like to take the band, musically, and I'm sure the other guys have thoughts on this as well. However, we have not discussed this, so I guess we'll all just have to wait and see.

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 are influenced by the classical bands of our genre, of course, like Autopsy, Gorguts, Demilich, Sadus, Death, Atheist, etc. These days, I find myself listening a lot to the latest Gorguts album, in fact, it just keeps on growing on me. Also, I'm a great fan of the latest Morbus Chron record, to me it is a damn-near perfect album; everything works, the tunes, the sound, the atmosphere, the coverart, the booklet, the lyrics, the instrumentation, the vocals, everything!

Furthermore, the Execration album is soon upon us, and I'm sure that it will be amazing; be sure to check it out!

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I myself am quite interested in computer programming languages (in fact, I recently completed my PhD in the subject). Håvard is diving head-first into linguistics, while Hans, thankfully, keeps us in check, holds the metal flag high and is a full-time death metal connoisseur and collector.

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

Thank you for your interest in Diskord, and a big cheers from us for supporting the underground metal scene! Look us up on Facebook or Twitter for the latest news and events.