Saturday, July 30, 2011

Abscess/Urine Junkies/Relapse Records/1995 CD Review

Abscess  are  a  band  from  San  Francisco  that  consists  of  ex-members  of  Autopsy  and  von,  which  plays  a  crusty  forrm  of  death/grind  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1995  album  "Urine  Junkies"  which  was  released  by  Relapse  Records.

Drums  range  from  slow,  midpaced  to  fast  with  alot  of  brutal  blast  beats,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  powerful  and  distorted  sound  to  it,  as  for  the  noise  effects  when  thet  are  utilized,  they  have  a  very  heavy  and  distorted  feel  to  them.

Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  midpaced  to  fast  death/grind  riffs  that  have  a  doomy  and  punk  edge  to  them,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  distorted  sounding  guitar  leads.

Vocals  are  very  low  pitched  death/grind  growls  with  a  punk  edge  and  some  high  pitched  screams,  while  the  lyrics  touch  on  perverted,  disgusting  and  hateful  themes  with  some  anti  christian  views,  as  for  the  production  on  this  recording  which  was  recorded  at  Spectrum  and  Bigfoot  during  the  years  of  1994  and  1995  has  a  very  raw  and  heavy  sound  to  it.

In  my  opinion  this  was  a  classic  album  from  Abscess,  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band  you  probably  already  own  this  album.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Horny  Hag"  "Altar  Toy"  "Suicide  Fuck"  and  "Bloodsucker".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

Fog Wizard Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band and introduce yourself for those that have never heard of you before?
Well, I'm Captain Mutherfucker, vocalist for Fog Wizard. We're a 5 piece sludge death metal band out of Boston, MA. We're not strangers to the music scene, this is just the first time that we've all gathered in this current incarnation. We're not trying to live off our past accomplishments, we just want to create great music that we'd want to listen to.

2. How would you describe the musical sound that you are pushing for?
It's sludge. We mix doom, hardcore, and death metal in a way that's pleasing to the ear. 
We're not really pushing for a "sound" we're just putting shit together that sounds good.

3. What are some of the subjects that you portray in your lyrics?
I like to write about things that interest me. Horror is a big theme for me since I've been in the haunted attraction business for about 14 years. I'm a huge horror fan. The CD that we're currently working on has songs about animal rights, phobias, a Lovecraftian story, and a song about a serial killer character a friend of mine plays at Spooky World. 
We just got back one of the tracks called "Meat is Murder" from our engineer and it's brutal.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band's name?
aaah, ancient Chinese secret.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
It's fast. We don't want to bore our audience so we don't waste any time up there.
Our goal is immediacy. I'll throw some witty banter around, but we're really out to entertain everyone. We want to give people the best show they've ever seen, but we also want the added thrill that if you're late, you'll miss us.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?
Yeah, we'll head out this summer. We're thinking Ohio, Missouri, New York, and a bunch of places like that. We're hooked up with some great venues around the country that will show us some love and support.

7. The new ep came out on Neverwipe Records, is that an actual label, or is it the band's own label?
Enter the Fog is self-released, Neverwipe is a name that our guitarist, Tone Gavone, came up with. Our new disc will be on Taboo Productions.

8. Do you have any side projects besides this band or is Fog Wizard a full time project?
No side projects musically for me, the world can only handle the Captain in one band at a time. Plus I'm going into haunt season, so I gotta stay fresh.
Some of the other members of the band are involved in other endeavors.

9. How has your music been received so far by extreme music fans worldwide?
People seem to dig it. We're getting played every Saturday night by DJ Rem on the Death To All But Metal show on metalheadradio.com and most people who hear it, think it's pretty good. You can't please everyone and like our bio says, we're only really out to please ourselves. If people dig us, then we're into it too. We really love our fans and we're really grateful for their support.

10. What direction can we expect the band to go into on future releases?
In a slantways direction I believe. We're looking for optimum trajectory as long as the vectors line up.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and what are you listening to nowadays?
We like to sound like ourselves so we try not to be influenced by others. Of course people will always try to say we sound like one thing or another and if we remind people of a band, that's cool. 
I can't speak for the rest of the band, but I'm really into the new Yoko Ono disc with the Plastic Ono Band. The new DEVO disc is really amazing and I'm crazy about Funplex by the B-52's. I recently caught the video for "Over the Top" by White Wizzard and it's hilarious. I also really love the new Triptykon album, it's absolutely brutal.

12. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?
Again, this is just me, but I like scaring the shit out of people professionally. I'm also a poet and have been performing for over 14 years. I just became vegan this past January, I've been a vegetarian for about the same time I've been a poet. I do still eat honey though, it's the thing that keeps my voice supple. As you can tell I'm an animal rights activist, the funny thing about it is that the rest of the band (minus Tan Vovan) are rabid BBQ fans. They gotta live with my lyrics though.

13. Any final words or thoughts before we close this interview?
Be kind to each other in the pit and stay brutal my friends

Friday, July 29, 2011

Morbus Chron/Sleepers In The Rift/Pulverised Records/2011 CD Review

  Morbus  Chron  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  very  gory  form  of  Swedish  death  metal  with  a  doom  metal  edge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "Sleepers  In  The  Rift"  which  was  released  by  Pulverised  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  midpaced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  being  thrown  in  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  and  heavy  tone  with  some  brutal  death  metal  riffing  that  is  also  very  doomy  at  times.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  midpaced  to  fast  Swedish  style  death  metal  riffs  that  are  very  heavy  and  raw  sounding  with  alot  of  doom  metal  influences,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  distorted  at  chaotic  sounding  Swedish  style  death  metal  guitar  solos.

  Vocals  are  all  deep  death  metal  growls  in  the  mid  80's  to  early  90's  vein,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  gory  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  this  recording  sounding  very  brutal.

  In  my  opinion  Morbus  Chron  are  a  very  great  heavy  and  brutal  Swedish  death  metal  band  with  a  doom  metal  edge  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Creepy  Creepy  Creep"  "Red  Hook  Horror"  "The  Hallunicating  Dead"  and  "Lidless  Coffin".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

Fog Wizard/Enter The Fog/NeverWipeRecords/2010 CD Review

Fog  Wizard  are  a  band  from  Boston,  Massuchuessets  that  plays  a  brand  of  stoner/sludge/doomcore  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2010  ep  "Enter  The  Fog"  which  was  released  by  NeverWipe  Records.

Drums  are  mostly  slow  drumming  with  some  fast  playing  and  blast  beats,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  heavy  tone  that  follows  the  riffs  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

Rhythm  guitars  are  mmostly  slow  doomcore  riffs  with  some  fast  playing  that  has  a  punk/thrash  feel  while  the  lead  guitars  are  fast  sounding  guitar  solos  when  utilized.

Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  sludge/doom  style  screams  with  some  deep  growls  and  some  hardcore  inspired  yelling  vocals,  while  the  lyrics  cover  fear,  murder,  and  hatred,  as  for  the  production  it  is  very  raw  and  heavy  sounding.

In  my  opinion  Fog  Wizard  are  a  very  good  stoner/sludge./doomcore  metal  band  that  should  appeal  to  all  fans  of  this  genre.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Defenition  Of  Fear"  and  "Gone".  RECEMMONDED  BUY

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Disbelief Interview

1.Can you update us with what is going on with Disbelief these days?
OUR NEW ALBUM HEAL WAS CURRENTLY RELEASED, THE REVIEWS AND FAN REACTIONS ARE PRETTY GOOD, SO THE MAIN GOAL IS REACHED, WE DID 2 SHOWS AFTER THE RELEASE AND THE NEW MATERIAL WORKED FANTASTIC AND FITTED PERFECT IN OUR SETLIST.

2. How would you Describe your musical sound?
INTENSE AND EXTREME FORM OF METAL, VERY DEEP EMOTIONAL AND AGGRESSIVE AS WELL , NOTHING TO START A PARTY WITH, BUT PERFECT TO GET RID OF ALL OF YOUR BAD EMOTIONS AND INHALE NEW ENERGY!!

3.What is the meaning behind the band's name?
THERE IS NO MEANING BEHIND IT, 20 YEARS AGO IT WAS CHOSEN BECAUSE IT IS EASY TO REMEMBER AND IT IS VERY GOOD VISUAL EFFECT!! NOWADAYS YOU COULD INTREPRET IT ALOT DIFFERENT, BUT IT WOULD NOT BE THE TRUTH ON WHY IT WAS CHOSEN !

4. WHat are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
SAME AS OUR SOUND OUR PERFORMANCE IS VERY INTENSE AND ENERGETIC, LIKE IN TRANCE WE ENJOY OUR MUSIC AND WE WANT TO INFECT THE FANS WITH THE VIBES COMING DOWN FROM THE SATAGE ! IT IS DIFFICULT TO PICK OUT SPECIAL SHOWS, WE DID SHOWS WITH SLAYER IN AUSTRIA, THEY WERE AWESOME, BECAUSE OF THE WILD AUDIENCE, SUPPORTING THE GODS OF THRASH AND LETTING A DREAM COME TRUE TO REACH THIS MOMENT !! THIS IS THE POINT OF ALWAYS MAKING A SHOW SO SPECIAL, BUT THERE ARE ALOT OF OTHERS, EVEN IN SMALLER CLUBS WITH LESS PEOPLE, BUT IT WAS LIKE MELTING TOGETHER WITH THE AUDIENCE AND HAVING THE SAME FEELINGS ABOUT THE DISBELIEF MUSIC ! ! THIS CAN HAPPEN ON ANY STAGE IN ANY TOWN !!

5. Do you have any plans to tour the U.S?
FIRST OF ALL WE NEED A LABEL IN THE US TO RELEASE OUR TOPIC ALBUM AND ALSO THE PREVIOUS ONES, SO FAR THERE ARE NO PLANS ! !

6. How would you compare being on Massacre Records to other record labels?
IT IS A SMALL LABEL, BUT A VERY RELIABLE COOPERATION BETWEEN MUSICIANS AND THE LABEL BOSSES : WE ALL WANT THE SAME : MAKING DISBELIEF MORE AND MORE SUCCESSFUL WITHOUT TO CHANGE THE TYPICAL TRADEMARKS OF THE BAND ! ! MASSACRE REC. ARE CONVINCED ABOUT THE UNIQUE DISBELIEF-SOUND AND DON"T WANT TO PUSH US IN A MORE COMMERCIAL WAY OF COMPOSING, SO THIS IS PERFECT FOR US TO WORK WITH AND BEEING FREE IN DECISIONS TO BE MADE CONCERNING SONGMATERIAL ! ! BIGGER LABEL MEANS BIGGER EXPECTATIONS CONCERNING RECORD-SALES, IF IT DOES NOT WORK YOU ARE KICKED , EVEN IF YOU ARE A GOOD AND UNIQUE BAND, BUT THIS WOULD NEED ALOT MORE TIME AND PATIENCE TO MAKE IT SUCCESSFUL, NOT EASY BUSINESS !!

7. The new album has a good amount of covers, what made you decide to cover these classic songs?
THESE ARE ALL VERY SPECIAL BANDS, KING DIAMOND AND CRIMSON GLORY WITH THEIR EXTRAORDINARY VOCALISTS AND VERY SPECIAL SONGWRITING, AND KILLING JOKE IS A BAND WHICH FITS PERFECT IN THE DISBELIEF-SOUND< ESPECIALLY THIS SONG WE DID, LOVE LIKE BLOOD ! ! OF COURSE WE ALL HAVE THESE SONGS IN OUR BLOOD, OTHERWISE OUR INTERPRETATION OF THEM WOULD NOT SOUND REAL OR AUTHENTIC , BUT I THINK WE DID A GOOD JOB ! !

8. Out off all the albums that you have put out so far which one are you the most satisfied with?
PROTECTED HELL IS THE ONE , SOUND , SONGWRITING , COVERARTWORK , THE VIDEO WE DID FOR THE SONG A PLACE TO HIDE , EVERYTHING IS STILL SATISFYING ! !

9. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?
THERE ARE STORIES THAT CAN HAPPEN IN EVERYONE'S LIFE OR ALL READY HAPPENED IN REALITY ! ! MOSTLY THEY ARE EXTREME SITUATIONS DISCRIBED THAT CONTAIN ALOT OF DIFFERENT FEELINGS, ANGER , FEAR , PANIC , EVEN HATE , LOVE , DISSAPOINTMENT , DEPRESSION , BUT ALSO POWER , INNER STRENGTH AND POSITIVE THINKING IN THE END ! ! JUST LIKE IN ALL OUR LIFE IS ABOUT ! !

10. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?
WE WANT TO KEEP OUR MUSIC ALIVE BY NOT THINKING TOO MUCH ABOUT THE PREVIOUS RELEASES , JUST PERFORM WHAT IS IN OUR HEARTS ! ! SOMETIMES THE FANS HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE FACT THAT DISBELIEF DO NOT FOLLOW THE SAME WAY OF SONGWRITING AS ON PREVIOUS ALBUM , BUT IN THIS WAY WE AVOID TO REPEAT OURSELVES AND GET BORING AND PREDICTABLE ! ! IT IS THE MORE HONEST WAY TO TRY SOMETHING AND EXPRESS OUR MUSICAL IDEALS IN A DIFFERENT WAY ! !

11. How have metal fans worldwide reacted to the newer material?
ON MYSPACE WE HAVE ALOT OF COMMENTS FROMOVER THE WORLD; MOST OF THE FANS HAVE"NT EVEN HEARD ABOUT DISBELIEF , BUT THEY ARE DIGGING OUR MUSIC AND GOING CRAZY FOR IT , THIS DOES MAKE US HAPPY AND THINKING POSITIVE FOR THE BANDS FUTURE ! !

12. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and what are you listening to nowadays?
TOO MANY TO MENTION , BUT THE NEW ALBUM HEAL CONTAINS 4 NEW DISBELIEF-SONGS WHICH ARE A TRIBUTE TO THE BANDS SLAYER , DEATH , BOLT THROWER , AND CROWBAR , BUT THERE ARE ALSO NEUROSIS , KORN , DEFTONES , MORBID ANGEL , CLASSIC METAL LIKE ACCEPT , SCORPIONS , JUDAS AND OZZY, PSYCHOTIC WALTZ . . . . ANY EXTREME INDIVIDUAL METAL BAND YOU CAN IMAGINE ! ! BESIDES THIS I NOWADAYS LISTEN TO BANDS LIKE DREDG . PLACEBO , CHIMARIA, HOLLOW CORP , OR CULT OF LUNA , WE ARE OPEN MINDED AND WE LISTEN TO ALOT OF DIFFERENT GENRES ! !

13. WHat are some of your interests outside of music?
NOTHING SPECIAL , I DO HAVE HOBBIES , MEETING FAMILY AND FRIENDS , GOOD FOOD , SOMETIMES DRINKING SOME BEERS , ENJOYING EVERY SINGLE DAY OF MY LIFE ! !

14. Any final words or thoughts?
PROBABLY DISBELIEF IS NOT THAT COMMON IN THE US , SO IF YOU DON'T KNOW US , VISIT US ON MYSPACE , ENJOY OUR MUSIC AND VIDEOS AND MAKE YOUR OWN THOUGHTS ABOUT WHAT DISBELIEF IS ABOUT ! ! CHEERZ AND THANX FOR YOUR INTEREST,
JOCHEN JOE TRUNK (BASSIST

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Disbelief/Heal/Massacre Records/2010 CD Review

Disbelief are a band from Germany that plays a mixture of death and doom metal and this is a review of their 2010 album "Heal" which was released by Massacre Records.

Drums mix slow and midpaced drumming with alot of fast playing and brutal blast beats, while the bass playing follows the riffs that are coming out off the guitars and they have a very powerful sound at times, keyboards are very rarely utilized but when used they only enhance atmosphere.

Rhythm guitars are a mixture of slow, midpaced and fast death metal riffs that have alot of influences from early 90's death metal with some doom metal influences and a good amount of melody, as for the lead guitars they are mostly melodic guitar solos, as for the accoustic guitars when they are utilized they use alot of open chords that gives the music a depressive edge.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls that are very easy to understand with some high pitched screams and only a small amount of clean vocals, while the lyrics cover depressing themes, as for the production on this recording it sounds very professional and you can hear all of the instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Disbelief are a very good band and if you like death metal that has a melodic doom metal edge you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Eyes Of Horror" "Certainty Of Reality" "Welcome Home" which is a King Diamond covr and Red Sharks" which is a Crimson Glory cover. RECOMMENDED BUY.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Sarabante/Remannts/Sothern Lord Records/2011 CD Review

 Sarabante  are  a  band  from  Athens,  Greece  that  plays  a  form  o0f  crust/grind  with  a  noise  rock  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "Remnants"  which  was  released  by  Southern  Lord  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  midpaced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  being  thrown  in  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  sound  very  powerful  with  some  doomy  and  sludgy  riffs  and  at  times  you  can  hear  some  more  fast  hardcore  punk.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  midpaced  to  fast  crust/hardcore  riffs  that  also  mix  in  some  noise  rock  distorted  sounds  and  some  influences  from  sludge  and  there  are  little  to  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording

  Vocals  are  mostly  crustcore  style  yells  and  growls  that  have  a  slight  grindcore  edge  to  them  and  on  one  song  there  is  some  spoken  word  parts,  while  the  lyrics  touch  on  hateful  and  everyday  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy  and  raw  sound  to  it  while  still  being  professional  enough  up  to  the  point  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Sarabante  are  a  very  good  hardcore/crust  band  with  a  noise  rock  and  sludge  metal  edge  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Rain  Of  Shame"  "Those  That  Break,  Those  That  Hold"  "Fading  Future'  and  "Do  You  Feel  Safe".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Grief/Come To Grief/Century media Records/1994 CD Review

Grief are a band from Boston, Massachuessets that was around during the 90's that play a style of music that I would describe as sludge/doom and there are also one of the original bands to play that style and this is a review of their classic 1994 album "Come To Grief" which was released by Century Media Records.

Drums are all slow beats with no blast beats while the bass playing is all slow doom metal riffs and sounds very pwerful on this album, as for the guitars they are all slow doom metal riffs that are heavily influenced by 70's stoner metal with no guitar solos present on the album.

Vocals are in between high pitched screams in the Eyehategod style with some deep death metal growls, while the lyrics touch on very depressing themes with some alcohol and drug abuse, as for the production on this albumwhich was produced by Bill t. Miller and recorded during the month of August 1994 at the Lanes in Allston, Mass sounds very raw but maintaining a professional feel.

In my opinion this was a really good album from a classic band and if you are a fan of sludge domm or the more slower aspects of funeral doom you need to get this album for your collection since this is a classic and also a recording that is still very influential even to this day. STANDOUT TRACKS INCLUDE "Earthworm" "I Hate You" and "Stricken". RECOMMENDED BUY

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Sons Of Tonatiuh Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

The band is basically a concept I came up with some time ago that has to do with native cultures in general to which I’m particularly interested in. Over the course of a couple of years there have been several lineup changes due to people’s individual obligations and what-not. At this point though, the Sons lineup is pretty solid with me on guitar and vocals, Darby on guitar and backup vocals, Tim on drums, and Mike on bass. We are a straight up doom/sludge/crust punk band with influences ranging from Neurosis, Eyehategod, Buzzoven, Floor, Sleep…etc

2. How would you describe the musical style that you went for on the new album?

There really wasn’t a specific “style” per say we were going for other than just tunes we had been working on for the past year. Though I guess you could say we had a general taste for foreboding and doomy material which I think we concocted well. 

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects that you covered with the new release?

For the most part they’re anti-religious, sacrilegious, anti-American, pro-native, and partially historical lyrics. “Adam & Evil” is a prime example of some anti-religious beliefs I have personally with how as a kid I was brought up to believe in the myth of Adam & Eve and the creation of all things by “God”.

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

Tonatiuh is an Aztec sun god. One of the many gods to whom the Aztec’s worshipped. Tonatiuh was the protector of all the warriors that went into battle. Tonatiuh is also the god to which the Aztecs made sacrifices towards. We, as the band, are hence the “Sons” of Tonatiuh. Kind of a play on words. I know there’s a ton of bands with the whole “Sons of” thing going on in their name, but I don’t know many that actually made it past year 1 of their existence. Haha… yeah, of course that’s sarcasm.

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

Most memorable shows would have to be opening for Withered here in Atlanta Georgia, Zoroaster, Black Tusk in Birmingham Alabama, Dark Castle, Salome in Baltimore Maryland, Khann in Orlando Florida, Hawg Jaw in New Orleans, among many others.

Our stage performance is pretty much an anything goes type of scenario. Haha. We try to keep it fresh every time we get up there. No horseshit rants between songs. We just want to destroy each and every show. Pure volume and raw energy.

6. Do you have any other side projects besides the band, or is this a full time group?

For myself, Tim and Mike it is a full time group. Darby however, is currently also playing in a punk band called Whiskey Shit Vomit as well as Noble Rust.

7. How has the feedback been to your music by sludge/doom and crust fans worldwide?

We seem to get a lot of attention from Europeans. I’ve been selling quite a few albums to them this past year so far. For example there are some distros in Germany, Russia, and Italy to which I’ve sold to. So I guess you could say it’s been pretty good so far.

8. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

I don’t really believe in “progress”. There is only change. We may have gotten better as musicians if that is what you’re implying. The direction is generally for a bigger sound as I experiment with cleaner vocal styles. But for the most part, we’re just trying to get off the ground and see where it takes us.

9. What are the touring plans for the future?

Currently planning on a southern tour in Jan that will start in Florida and go all the way out to Texas and back. There is also in the works a tour of Mexico which will probably happen in March or April. Next summer we’d like to head up north again and possibly later the far West. And finally possibly much later we’d like to go out to Europe.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

See question #1 for that answer.

11. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

Anti-corporate sticker ideas, raising my 6 year old daughter right, classic literature, electrical engineering, stand-up comedy, women…

12. Any final words or thoughts before we close this interview?

Nothing is final. The infinite universe will reign supreme as humans cease to exist thousands of years from now. Our words are only meaningful within the small scope of time to which we are “allowed” to exist in. As humans we are sad creatures always seeking acceptance from other humans that are seeking acceptance from other humans. It’s a cycle of life to which we will inevitably devour ourselves until there is no more “us”. Sons of Tonatiuh can only hope to influence others to be more forward thinking even though this in of itself is futile. Enjoy what you can now and savor every last breath…

Sons of Tonatiuh
http://www.myspace.com/sonsoftonatiuh (MySpace)
http://sonsoftonatiuh.bandcamp.com/      (Bandcamp)
https://twitter.com/sonsoftonatiuh           (Twitter)

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Brainoil/Death Of This Dry Season/20 Buck Spin Records/2011 CD Review

  Brainoil  are  a  band  from  Oakland,  California  that  plays  a  sludge/crust  style  of  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "Death Of This Dry Season"  which  was  released  by  20  Buck  Spin  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  midpaced  with  some  fast  drumming  and    blast  beats,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  sound  very  powerful.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  midpaced ,  to sludge/doom  metal  riffs  that  are  very  distorted  and  have  somewhat  of  a  stoner  vibe  to  them  with  the  faster  riffing  having  a  punk  rock  feel  to  them  while  the  lead  guitars  when  utilized  are  very  distorted  sounding  guitar  leads.

  Vocals  are  all  high  -pitched  sludge  metal  screams  with  some  ocassional  deep  crust/grind/hardcore  growls,  while  the  lyrics  touch  on  dark  and  hateful  thmes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  heavy  and  raw  feel  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Brainoil  are  a  very  good  crust/grind/sludge  metal  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Death  Of  This  Dry  Season"  "To  Bury  The  Pages  Of  Existence"  and  "The  Beauty  Of  Death".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Sons Of Tonatiuh/Self Titled/Hydrophonic Records/2010 CD Review

Sons  Of  Tonatiuh  are  a  band  from  Atlanta, Georgia  that  plays  sludge/doom  metal  with  a  crusty  punk  edge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  album  which  was  releases  by  Hydrophonic  Records.

Drums  are  mostly  slow  beats  with  some  midpaced  parts  and    fast  playing,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  heavy  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  guitars  and  at  times  has  a  sound  of  its  own.

Rhythm  guitars  are  mostly  slow  doom/sludge  metal  riffs  with  the  midpaced  riffing  having  a  crusty/punk  edge   while  the  lead  guitars  are  stoner/doom  sounding  guitar  solos  when  they  are  used.

Vocals  are  all  high  piched  sludge/doom/crust  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  some  dark  sounding  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  heavy  sound  that  gives  all  of  the  musical  instruments  a  very  good  sound.

In  my  opinion  Sons  Of  Tonatiuf  are  avery  good  sludge/doom  metal  band  that  should  appeal  to  all  fans  of  this  genre.  RECEMMONDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "To  The  Throne"  "Adam  And  Evil"  and  "Oracle".  RECEMMONDED  BUY.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Prophecy Of Doom Interview

1. Can you update us with what has been going on with the band since the break up?
1) Our drummer Mark runs a rehearsal studio in Cheltenham which is doing well; Jim is in a band called Warprayer; Shrew and Shrub spend some drunken time in Alehammer.

2.What was it that caused the split and do you have any plans on reforming in the future?
2) The main reason we stopped the band at the time was that it was becoming increasingly hard to find gigs and the slow metallic grindy sound that we loved to play wasn't seen as fresh. This didn't really bother us as we just enjoyed making a racket but in 1996 I (Shrew) had a serious motorbike crash which took a long time to get over so everything was put on the backburner. There are no plans to reform and play live but if i'm honest I would like to do another 7" sometime as I do miss doing vocals and writing lyrics.

3. Your early since was more grindcore and then your later stuff was more doomy, what made you decide to go into a slower more heavier direction?
3) I think the later material changed into a slower and heavier direction mainly because Shrub had more free rein to write songs so it was not really a conscious decision to change, just a different person's writing style. I like both styles.

4.What where some of the bands that you enjoyed playing with the most?
4) I've really no idea and I can never answer this question.
What where some of the best shows that the band has played?

5) Some of my favourite gigs of the past were playing at The Dome in London with the Cromags which was also filmed for the video magazine Hard & Heavy. That was a lot of fun. Also playing the Planet X in Liverpool (part of UK tour) with Deviated Instinct stands out.

6. What is the meaning behind the band's name?
6. The meaning for the Band's name was and still is, the direction humanity is heading towards. We must collectively stop and turn back or it will no longer be a prophecy it will be our DOOM!!

7. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?
7) This is connected to the above question really, the lyrical content tries to wake conditioned sleeping robots from their egotistical slumber.

8.Out off all the releases that the band put out, which one where you the most satisfied with?
8) Overall musically and lyrically we were quite satisfied with our last studio recording of 1996 which was released on Agipunk Records (Italy) called Tri-Battle Thought Form Engagement. Some of the riffs are devastating.

9. Out off all the record labels, that the band worked with which one did you feel did the most to support the music?
9) Again I've really got no idea.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and waht are you listening to nowadays?
10) I'm still listening to the stuff i've always listened to, I do like Tyrant from Sweden a lot, Extinction of Mankind and Bulletridden to name a few.

What are some of your interests outside of music?
11) We are just old gits who like to have a drink. Drinking, motorbikes, green spaces and friends.

12. Any final words or thoughts?
12.) Thanks to anyone who's still interested in POD, we really did try to be sincere in what we did and still carry those feelings with us today. Cheers for the questions.

Heinali And Matt Finney Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the prject for those that are not familiar with your music?
1. this is a project that started in early 2009. we've put our 4 albums and we're currently working on 2 new songs plus our 5th album for Handmade Birds Records. our music is a mix of ambient/classical/doomgaze/drone/spoken word. Heinali is from the Ukraine and Matt is from America. we've never met in person.
2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new release and how it differs  from previous recordings?
2. it's definitely our most fully-realized work. we've been striving for a darker and darker sound with each album and Ain't No Night is like black on black. that was the idea. a seedy portrait of people and places and the awful things we do to each other. there's elements of noise and drone metal and blues. we're in love with it and we hope you will be too.
3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?

3. it's all over the place. addiction, lack of money, lack of faith, loss, rape, nostalgia, the death of America, the deaths of friends, the death of Matt's father. some of them are pulled from stress dreams. some of them are stories pulled from people close to me. most of them are things that happened specifically to me (Matt) though. the big picture would be coming as close as you can to giving up completely but still stepping back a little. it's been really tough lately and i wanted to paint that picture as brutally honest as i could.
4. One of the members lives in the US and the other in Ukraine how did you get in contact with each other and which route do you use to record music?

4. we met through a mutual friend. he used to post music from Heinali's solo stuff and Matt's old band. he recommended us to each other and we hit it off instantly. we haven't looked back. since we can't record in person for right now we do it by sending stuff to each other. we work through email and chatting online.

5. Currently you are singed to Paradgisms Records, how did you get in contact with this label and how would you describe the support that they have given you so far?
5. they contacted us through our myspace. they said they really enjoyed our music and they would love to re-release our album Conjoined. we said sure and since we were already working on a new album they said they'd like to release that as well. they've been great to us. really supportive and helpful. we feel great about working with them.

6. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by ambient/shoegaze/drone/ doom fans?
6. it's been amazing. more than we can ask for. it's always awesome to hear that people enjoy what you do and that your work connects with them.  we're grateful for the response and word of mouth that our listeners have been generating. thanks guys!

7. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?
7. our music started out with a lot of electronic/post-rock/classical influence. that's still all there and it will remain but we've progressively gotten heavier and darker. that was the idea. we wanted to make music that would punch you in the stomach. it will probably only get darker but there will be some twists and turns in there as well. we're constantly listening to different things and pulling influences from them so it's always changing and the ideas keep morphing. it makes it exciting for us.

8. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full ime line-up?

8. Heinali still does some of his solo stuff but this is the main project for both us.

9. What are some band or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
9. both of us have tastes all over the map, as cliche as that sounds. but we do share a lot of similarities. Nirvana, The Angelic Process, The Cure, Explosions in the Sky and Joy Division are the foundation. Heinali loves classical composers and you can hear it in the way that he writes music. it's incredible. we've mentioned them in past interviews but it could go on for a while. right now, i've been listening to Omega Cen by Alrakis, Tunnel Blanket by This Will Destroy You, and Blackberry Belle by The Twilight Singers.

10. Your music is very poetic, what are some poets that have had the most impact on your music?
10. thank you so much! i don't read anywhere near as much as i used to but i've never read a whole lot of poetry to begin with. i started doing that because i could never force myself to write anything long. short bursts of anger and catharsis seemed to work best for me so i stuck with it. Raymond Carver is a huge influence on the way i write. i started writing lyrics when i was younger by listening to Nirvana and being obsessed with Cobain's words so those are the big two.

11. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?
11. there's nothing outside of music. we like to read, watch movies/tv, but music is what keeps us together. it's our hearts completely and we'd be lost without it. again, that's really cliche but sometimes only a cliche can say what you mean. music is what keeps us going.

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
12. thank you again for wanting to speak with us and we hope that if you're reading this you enjoy our music. thanks!