Helmut Interview

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

Helmut is a blues-metal band from Geneva Switzerland. There is Simon on drums, Guillaume on bass, Florian and myself (Sam) on guitar and Peter on vocals. We started in 2006 with almost the same lineup. We had a change on drums in 2010. We released a first EP in 2007 (Mjöllnir), our first album in 2009 (12) and finally our second album «XI IX XI» on september 11th 2011 with the support of HeimatHome Records.

2.  How would you describe your musical sound?

Like a nice fat beef steak. It’s raw, juicy and it’s not adapted to vegetarians. The guitars are based on well known bluesy elements, while the drums and vocals have kept the metal feeling on which our first album was based on. Maybe, it’s simply blues the way it’s supposed to be played in 2012. It has all that power that we like in metal music but it’s very easy to listen to.

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

Pretty much nothing. It’s all in the music. It is very important for us to not be considered as a band with some kind of message. Our purpose is just about having fun, together with the audience. The lyrics are about food and drinks that we like to share, stuff like that. Actually, nothing. The only song that could have a meaning, would be «Karl Lagerfeld». He’s a fascinating character. I’m sure he would be a nice guy to share a drink with.

4.  What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

In our minds, Helmut is a stereotypical german tourist on the Costa Brava in Spain. Someone who is fat, burnt by the sun, drinks a lot of beer and disturbs everybody around with his loud and annoying laugh. That’s what our music made us think of, as we were looking for a band name.

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

Our best venue was definitely the Silence Festival 2011 in Kathmandu Nepal. We were lucky to play in front of about 7’000 people in a football stadium. One done, on the «what would you want to experience with music ?» list. We also had a wonderful time in Moudon Switzerland, in a club called The Prison. You know, one of these nights, when everything just flows, great gig. Our stage performance is all about having fun, as I said before. I’m not saying we’re funny, but we don’t pull people down with some obscure mood. Playing music live, is something we enjoy. We just want to share that pleasure with the audience, and I think it’s comes across.

6.  Do you have any touring plans for the new release?

Oh yeah, Randy and Olivier, the guys of HeimatHome Records are doing a great job. The record has a good visibility, and promoters in Switzerland get to hear it. We play mostly in Switzerland, but we would definitely want to export ourselves. Not only in Nepal, but also closer, like Germany, France, Italy, Austria and anywhere else where we’d have the opportunity to rock the crowd.

7.  On a worldwide level how has your music been received by fans of underground music?

We get to read reviews from all over the world. I’d say it’s between 6.5 and 10 on 10. Most of the journalists seem to like the record. We know that most of them are musicians too and represent the underground average population in their country. You can tell that they have really listen to the record by reading their reviews, it’s nice. On a more direct level, we get the feeling that the audience at the concerts really has a good time with us. But we only can speak  of Switzerland and Nepal so far.

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

Musically, not really. Nothing relevant so far. It’s everybody’s main musical project. But beside the music, three of us are fathers. All the parents reading this will understand my point. Even if I wanted to get involved in some other band as I am in Helmut, I just wouldn’t have the time.

9.  What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

We have started composing new stuff for what could become our 3rd album. It clearly has a link with our second that we just released. Our sound seems to get more personal and the whole efficiency of the musical elements has grown. It’s in same artistic spirit, but it’s just so much better. About half of the songs of «XI IX XI» were composed with our former drummer. Of course, his inputs would take a song into a certain direction. I think that sometimes, we (Florian and I) would have prefered to take songs to other paths, but we just let go, because it’s how it is to play in a band. Compromise. On the other hand, on those new songs, there’s no compromise. We don’t need to, everybody hears it the same way.

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

Our main musical influence is ZZ Top. Their music is so attractive. The songs, the groove, the sound, everything. We also share the taste for Van Halen, Cream, Hendrix and some of these great classics. Regarding the music of nowadays, we enjoy listening to Meshuggah, Mastodon, Gojira, Devin Townsend, Tool, Joss Stone, Christina Aguilera and so many others. It’s hard to think of a list. I discovered a great band recently, Jet. I know, they’ve been around quite a while now, but anyway...

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

That’s a good question. I like to go running. It keeps me mentally balanced, I suppose. I also work half time to spend more time with my two sons. Guillaume and Peter are parents too. Peter is really into video games, especially the ones of which the title includes the word «war». Guillaume likes Golf. Simon is studying to become a psychiatrist, and Florian just loves to drive around with his car. He does that all the time, and sometimes he will stop somewhere random to get some food.

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

I would just like to remind people to the fact that they should really actively support the bands. Especially their local scene. Lots of wonderful dedicated people put together local musical events. Get there. Buy a ticket, buy the CD of a band playing, or a shirt. Nobody will get rich, but these events will be able to survive through this support. If anybody, who’s reading this, is putting together a festival somewhere, and wants to book Helmut, go for it. We’ll be there. 

Darkseed/Astral Darkness Awaits/Massacre Records/2012 Digital Album Review

  Darkseed  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  had  a  couple  of  their  albums  reviewed  as  well  as  being  interviewed  by  this  zine  that  plays  a  musical  style  that I  would  describe  as  being  gothic  metal  and this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  digital  album  "Astral  Darkness  Awaiths" which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  drumming with  not  much  in  the  way  of  fast  playing  or blast  beats,  while  the  synths  bring  an  atmospheric,  gothic,  industrial  and  progressive  rock sound  to the  music,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  gothic  metal  riffs  that  utilize  a  great  amount  of  dark sounding  melodies,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  gothic  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  classical  guitars  which  are  only  utilized  on  the  last  song  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  enhance  the d arkness  that  is  coming  out  of  the  music.

  Vocals  on  this recording  are  mostly clean  singing  with  a  brief  use  of   growls  and screams  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  male  and  female  parts,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  poetic themes,  as for  the  production  it has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  recording  from  Darkseed  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  this  band,  you  should  check out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Black  Throne"  "Disbeliever"  "Sleep Sleep  Sweatheart"  and  "The  Demon  Within".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Toscrew Interview

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

Sűd: So we are Toscrew, formed in Budapest in 2004. Started with some cover songs, and we've recorded our first demo in 2007 with our own songs. Since that we've recorded a six-track Ep, a Bathory tribute song and a full-length album (Antiego 2011) which was nominated for as the best debut album in 2011 in Hungary.  After that we've decided to change a little bit, so we invited Pete from the band called Philosopher (also death metal) as a singer/guitarist for making something new. Now we're calling ourselves as a doom metal band with some influences. On the other side we tour around central Europe, we've been to Slovenia/Slovakia/Poland/Romania/Ukraine/Austria/Germany and some other countries are planned. All of our materials are free to download from our site: toscrew.bandcamp.com. Please feel free to do it. 

2. I have noticed that the new ep has a more different direction than the older material, what was the decision behind the style change?

Sűd: yeah, we wanted to do something different, because the black/death underground is really poor at Hungary, we can't talk about a scene even. By the way we got really good reviews for the album Antiego, we wanted to facing new challenge, so that's behind our decision.

3. How would you describe the lyrical content of the newer material and how do you feel that you have progressed as song writers over the years?

Pete:

The lyrical content is pretty diverse. A part of it is just personal stuff, whatever I felt at the moment I wrote it. The other part has a bit of social commentary and "Pete's words of wisdom". Some of them are really easy to "digest" and the message is quite clear (Answer me) and sometimes I get more philosophical (Crawl), where the good part is, that it probably means a bit different to all the people, but makes everyone think. And if you think about it, you use your brain at least for a little while, and my job is pretty much done there :)

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

Sűd: There's nothing special with our name, we used to be friends before we started the band, and this was our  "band name", so we kept it. It symbols our unity.

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

Our newest and best experience is Poland, Just arrived home, and the people really liked us, they're really into this kind of music. But we loved Austria, Slovenia, Romania and Ukraine also, love to travel+meet new people+have gig and party. :) Our stage performance is really simple but heavy as hell, headbanging all the time and shit. 

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

Sűd: For this time we only accept invitations for really important and cool gigs, so we're planning to visit some new places (for example Prague/Czech) and return to the best places where we've ever been to. 

7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label and if so what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for your music?

Sűd: Actually we have a label, which is entitled Five by five records from Canada, they're developing really quick! So hopefully they can provide us soon with everything what a band could ever wish. 

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

Pete: I have several other projects (where I play different instruments). One band could not possibly cover my huge musical appetite. :D But the most serious ones are Toscrew and Philosopher (progressive death metal). As far as I know the guys has no other project going on right now, I'm the one who's persuing the pleasures :D

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

Pete: Most probably we'll stick to this doom kind of stuff because that's what we enjoy doing at the moment. And feedbacks are mostly really positive, so that ensures us that we're going to the right direction.

 Sűd: Agreed! :)

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

Originally we're all into Death metal i can say, so mainly we listens death metal bands. Our all-time favorite is Pantera i must say. My personal favorite is nowadays are: Ghost, Candlemass, Mastodon, Red Fang, Djerv, Sahg, Satyricon, Triptykon and Kypck.

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

Pete is living for the music, making it, recording it and so on. Mátyás (bass) is intrested in making movies, writing, Sűd (guitar) is into reading, networking and traveling and Dávid (drums) likes everything what we're doing, he is a nihilist/hedonist. :) 

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

Thanks for the opportunity and the nice questions, please check out our music at: toscrew.bandcamp.com 
For contact: toscrew666@gmail.com

L' Alba Di Morrigan Interview

1.Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
We are a trio that loves to range over music: melancholic sounds, powerful breaks, sporadic jazz episodes, "classics" excerpts and texts aimed mainly to reflection on the meaning of being and the possibilities of human knowledge.


2. How would you describe your musical sound?

We are not used to label or describe our sounds. What we can say is that they are certainly thick with emotions and that we do not basically have composition schemes of any kind.


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

The message we wish to offer is basically directed toward a quick awakening of consciousness; "Silence" is a praise clearly inspired by the Zen concept of "silence", "Snowstorm" is a metaphor of the winter of life and the subsequent "rebirth" of everything, "Holy Mountain Pt.1 e 2" is our transposition in music and lyrics of the meaning of the great cinematographic work of A. Jodorowsky, "Lilith" fundamentally deals with human weaknesses, "The essence remains" tells of a man who is through a near-death experience and who re-evaluates his past experiences with different types of logic, or rather "higher" ones. Actually the only song in contrast is "The fairies' circle", a song speaking of the immense charm of the fair sex, a text which is strongly due to a woman to whom I personally owe a lot. I am particularly impressed by the thought you exposed about the "Morrigan world" as a concept of its own, and frankly there we intended to propose something innovative, well-calibrated and original, but still within the range of a few musical references already known.


4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

Morrigan represents violence and war, it's the queen of the eros as a hate disseminator and therefore, metaphorically, the Goddess of darkness. The dawn is the moment when darkness fades to make room for lightness. Well, "L'alba di Morrigan” (the dawn of Morrigan) is that short moment of equilibrium between "day" and "night"; the perfect union between the most obscure part of humanity and the most noble; the brief moment in which both harmoniously coexist in a balance without prevailing over one another, stopping, even though just for a few moments, the (ironic) dualism of which man is a slave.


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

So far the show we remember with the maximum affection is the one with the Callisto, great artists and excellent people.


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

We set some tour dates and we will shortly publish all the news about tour planning on our social networks.


7. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by music fans?

I hope fine! But I think time will answer your question. Now we can only wait and work hard!


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

Of course L’alba di Morrigan is our main activity, anyway each one of us occasionally works on other studio and live projects.


9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

We must admit that we already wrote several songs, but now our focus is aimed to The Essence Remains and to its launch.


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

We have an extensive background that ranges from the most extreme metal to the softest, a great love for jazz and blues, Celtic music, classical music and experimental progressive and, why not, for electronic music. We mainly love good music, the music that conveys emotion, no matter its genre. Actually metal is more prevailing than generic musical education, but, as I said before, we love all the different branches that music can offer.


11. What role does Paganism and Occultism play in your music and how would you describe your views on these topics?

We have different thoughts on this. Basically I (Ugo) and Alessio are really more sensible on this subject, even though I think the term occultism is in itself misleading, above all due to the wrong meaning people usually give it.


12.Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Ale loves painting and does exhibitions, and he's really a great chef and loves to read (recently George Martin is among his favorites), and he enjoys writing (in fact he's working on his first novel). Luca is fond of music and I think he's one of the most updated people I have ever known in this matter, he loves art, nature and tranquility (let's say he's the most quiet in the group), and he loves to cook, too, and does it very well.
I read a lot but I prefer reading "esoteric" books, I am very interested in domestic policy, I like martial arts and I practice them, but actually I love almost all sports, and let's say I am the most "restless" of the band; It's maybe strange but I cook for fun, too (we are Italian, aren't we?) and, about common features, all of us love the arts and cinematography and we have a great interest in psychology and human dynamics. Finally, we have plenty of dogs and cats!


13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thanks for the interview and special thanks to our fans, as they are really giving us much love and support. Hugs to you all!

Catheter/Southwest Doom Violence/Selfmadegod/2012 CD Review

  Catheter  are  a  band  from  Denver,  Colorado  that  has  a  history  dating back  to  the  mid  90's  with  a  musical style  that  I  would  describe  as  being  crust/grindcore  and  with  this  newer  release  they  have  added  some  doom  metal elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Southwest  Violence" which  was  released  by  Selfmadegod.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  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  have  a  very  powerful  sound to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  brutal  gindcore  riffs  that  are  also  heavily  influenced  by  crustcore  and  doom  metal  and  there  are  little  to  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  range from  deep  death  metal  growls,  high  pitched  grindcore  screams  and  crustcore  style  yelling  along  with  some  spoken  word  samples,  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful  and  everyday  themes,  as  for the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful  and  heavy  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  recording  from  Catheter  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  brutal  crust/grindcore  with  a  doom  metal  edge,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cant  Dream"  "Conspiracy  Control"  "Doom  To  Grind"  and  "In  This  Moment". RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Toscrew/Crawl/2012 Ep Review

  Toscrew  are  a  band  from  Hungary  that  has  a  couple  of  their  releases  reviewed  in  this  zine  which  where  more  in  the  atmospheric  doom/death  metal  vein  but  evolved  more  into  a  traditional  doom  metal/hard  rock  band  with  this  new  recording  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  ep  "Crawl".

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  drumming  with  not  much  in  the  way  of  fast  playing  or  blast  beats  on  this  recording,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  riffs  that  dominate  throughout  this  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  riffs  that  combine  traditional  doom  metal  and  70s  hard  rock  together  along  with  some  melodic  riffing  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  synths  which  are  only  utilized  briefly  on  one  song  they  bring  a  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  music.

  Vocals are  all  clean  singing  vocals  with  none  of  the  death  metal  growls  of  their  older  material  except  for  maybe  a  few  parts,  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  English  this  time  with  themes  that  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  recording  from  Toscrew  and  while  some  of  their  older  fans  might  not  be  into  this  is  much since  they  changed  their  style  around  a lot,  but  if  you  like  traditional  doom  metal  or  regular  hard  rock  you  will  enjoy  this.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Crawl"  and  "bad  trip".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Toscrew/Antiego/2011 Album Review

  Toscrew  are  a b and  from  Hungary  that  has  had  one  of  their  older  releases  reviewed  in  this  zine  with  a  music  style  that  I  would  describe  as  being  atmospheric  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2011  album  "Antiego".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  synths  which  are  not  used  as  much  on  this  release  like  the  last  one,  when they  are  utilized  they  bring  a  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  to t he  music,  as f or the  bass  it  has  a  very strong  and  powerful  tone  with  riffs  that  dominate  throughout  the recording  as  well  as  some  acoustic  bass  being  utilized  on  one  song.

  Rhythm  guitars  range from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  death  and  doom  metal  together  along  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies  that  have  a  black  metal  edge  to  them  in  addition  there  is  a  little  bit  more  groove  added  to  the  riffing  on  this  recording,  as  for  the lead  guitars  that  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  which  are  only  utilized  on  the  intro,  they  use  finger  picking  to  add  to  the  darkness  of  the  music.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  death/doom  metal  growls  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  that  have a  black  metal  feeling  to  them,  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Hungarian  and  cover  dark themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a very  dark,  powerful  and  heavy  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  recording  from  Toscrew  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  sounding  doom/death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Idobol"  "Beavatus"  and  "Elenk  Alakban  Mocorog  A  Szerenyseg".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Toscrew/Kolonc/2008 EP Review

  Toscrew  are  a  band  from  Hungary  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2008  ep  "Kolonc".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  good  amount of  brutal  sounding  blast b eats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  synths  bring  a  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  music,  as  for the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  riffs  that  dominate  throughout  the recording.

  Rhythm  guitars r ange  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  the  heaviest  elements  of  doom  and  death  metal  together  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies  that  bring  a  black  metal  feeling  to  the  music,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos and  leads,  as  for the  acoustic  guitars  which  are  only  used  on  the  intro  they  use  finger  picking  to  add  to  the  darkness  of  the  music.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  that  have  a  black  metal  feeling  to  them  along  with  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  vocals  on  the  last  song,  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Hungarian  and  cover  dark themes,  as  for t he  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  powerful  and  heavy  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Toscrew  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  doom/death  metal  hybrid  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE   "Seherezade"  and  "Kolonc".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Korrigan/Thy Art, Lament/2010 CD Review

  Korrigan  are  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric  form  of  melodic  gothic  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self released  2010  album  "Thy  Art,  Lament".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times, while  the  synths  when  they  are  utilized  bring  a  very  dark,  gothic  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  music  along  with  a  brief  use  of  violins  as  well  as  some  psychedelic  sounding  sound  effects,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  doom  death  metal  riffs  that  utilize  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  some  influences  from  traditional  metal,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar solos  with  a  brief  use  of  clean  and  soft  playing  and  leads  that  utilize  a  great  amount  of  skill  and  talent  with  some  slide  guitars  being  utilized  on  the  last  song, as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  to  enhance  the  darkness  of  the  music.

  Vocals  range from  deep  death  metal  growls,  high  pitched  melodic  death  metal  screams,  clean  singing  male  and  female  vocals,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Korrigan  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  melodic  death/gothic  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Venus  Sun"  "Urges"  and  "Tonight".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Bloodgorge/Imperial Death/Dis-Organ-Ized Records/2010 Ep Review

  Bloodgorge  are  a  band  from  Alamba  that  plays  grindcore  mixed  with  sludge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2010  ep  "Imperial  Death"  which  was  released  by  Dis-Organ_ized  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  grindcore  riffs  that  have  a  great  amount  of  influences  from  riff  along  with  some  melodic  riffing  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Vocals  are  all  deep  guttural  death/grind  burps  and  growls  with  some  samples  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful  and  gory t hemes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Blodgoarge  are  a  very  great  sounding  grindcore/sludge  metal  hybrid  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Infernal  Demise"  "Arrow  Valley"  and  "Maggoted".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Lauderdale/Lifes A Beach/Ghetto Blaster Recorings/2008 CD Review

   Lauderdale  are  a  project  from  Canada  that  has  members  of  Fuck  The  Facts  with  a  music  style  that  mixes  doom  metal,  sludge,  grindcore  and  noise  rock together  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2008 album  "life's  A  Beach"  which  was  released  by  Ghetto  Blaster  Recordings.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  in  at  times,    while  the  synths  bring a  very  dark  avant  garde  and  noise/experiemental  sound  to  the  music,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and powerful  tone  with  riffs  that  dominate  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  influences  from  doom  metal,  sludge,  grindcore  and  noise  rock  together  along  with  some  dark sounding  melodies  to  create  a  sound  of their  own, while  the  lead  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  are  very  noisy, primitive  and  chaotic  sounding  guitar  leads  and  solos.

  Vocals  range from  clean  singing,  spoken  word  parts  and  high  pitched  sludge/grindcore  screams  along  with  a  great  amount  of  samples,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  hateful  themes  with  the  song titles  being  named  after  bands,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Lauderdale  are  a  very  great  sounding  doom/sludege/grind/noise  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Better  Than  Ezra"  "Seven  Mary  Three"  "Tonic"  and  "Gin  Blossoms".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

Black Ephinany/Mocking The Death/2008 CD Review

   Black  Ephinany  are  a  band  from  an  unknown  location  in  the  United  States  that  plays  a  style  that  combines  industrial,  experimental,  gothic,  doom  and  death  metal  together  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2008  album  "Mocking  The  Death".

  Drum  programming  are  all  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  mechanical  beats  which  brings  the  industrial  into  the  music,  while  the  keyboards  bring  a  very  dark  and  atmospheric  gothic  sound  to  the  music,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  elements  of  industrial,  gothic,  doom  and  death  metal  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  with  some  brief  use  of  a  black  metal  riff,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  and  talented  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads,  as  for  the  classical  guitars  which  are  only  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  to enhance  the  darkness  that  is  coming out  of  the  music..

  Vocals  are  all  deep  death  metal  growls  that  offer  a  great  amount  of  diversity  with  a  brief  use  of  high  pitched  black  metal  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  hateful  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  for  a  self  released  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Black  Ephinany  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental/industrial/doom/death  metal  hybrid  and if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style  of  music,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Twilight"  "Siren  Song"  "Burden"  and  "Body  Prison".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Pest Lives Interview

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

Pest Lives is my solo act which I use to create extreme minimalist music. It was formed in late 2010 and in early 2011 I had the chance to release a split album with Depriver under the net label, Drowning.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

Bleak, dark, minimalist. I'm a huge fan of minimalist art and I think this is my take on that form of art through a metal genre point of view. Basically it's just guitar through and through, no other instrument is involved. Played slowly and monotonous in order to create that trance state, more akin to an act of worshipping something unseen.

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

Urban decay. My songs are my homage to the victim of urban life everywhere, voiceless people looking for a way to be heard as everyday they're forced to conform to the consumptive and bourgeois lifestyle. And I think the best way to explore this is by not using any vocal or lyric at all. Sort of learning to appreciate the beauty of having none. 

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

It was a result of some late night thinking. Again, I was looking at how the life in big city destroys the humanist in it's inhabitants. I think we all live like pests at some point. Thus the name Pest Lives was chosen.

5. Has the band had any oppurtunities to do any live shows, if so what are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

I'd rather not perform live at this point. For me Pest Lives is something extremely personal, so unless I can find a perfect gig/platform to perform, I'd rather release more songs through internet. I do want to perform a free gig in a public space or in an art gallery though.

6. Currently you are signed to Drowning, how did you get in contact with this label and how would you describe the support that they have given you so far?

Adyth from Depriver had a contact with Drowning. He then contacted me to do a split with him. I have to say, Danny, the head honcho of Drowning, has been really positive and helpful. Even though he lives in a different continent from me, he's able to communicate efficiently through internet. I guess he really loves music that he released through his label and for me, that's the best value a label owner can have.

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

Well, you came to contact me (actually you're the first one to do so) that's a good beginning. Matter of fact I haven't heard much of feedback from others so I can't give you anything on this one.

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

Yep, I've just started a band called Rawa (it means swamp in English) which is basically a bit like Pest Lives only I do use more instruments on this one such as synth, gamelan (a traditional Javanese instrument) and I have a drummer with me. I'd like to keep Pest Live minimalist with guitar only approach and Rawa as the opposite, which consists of broader elements such as free jazz and blues.

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

I haven't finished exploring the power of this guitar-only music, so I think I'll keep on tinkering on that one.

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

The usual drone metal suspect, Sunn O))), KTL, early Earth. Also old Brian Eno stuffs have been really influential. Lately, I've been listening to Painkiller, Napalm Death and the new The Mars Volta album. I'm a big fan of them and it's nice to see they finally made a good album after one or two mediocre releases.

11. How would you describe the underground scene in your home country?

It's very healthy. More bands are releasing amazing material. I remember regularly coming to a local metal/hardcore gig and 9 times out of 10, bands who performed blow me away. If you want a piece of Indonesian underground scene, check out these bands: Komunal, Cranial Incisored, Tengkorak, Tcukimay. Those are my all time favorites.

12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Well I make a living creating interactive art installations and that really is my main interest. I also enjoy watching football (or soccer) and watch horror and avant garde movies.

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Much appreciated for coming with these questions. I'll make sure that I follow your webzine regularly. Horns up!

www.adityo.net

Solitude Productions/2010 Compilation Review

  This  is  a  review  of  compilation  released  in 2010  by  Solitude  Productions  a  label  that  specializes  in  doom metal  and  we  will  review  the  songs  one  by  one.

  Opening  up  the  compilation  is  Who Dies  In  Siberian  Slush  with  "Leave  Me"  a  very  slow  funeral  doom  song  with  atmospheric  keyboards,  depressive  guitar  riffs  and  deep  doom/death  metal  growls  along  with  a  melodic  sounding  guitar  lead.

  Next  up  is  Revelations  Of  Rain  with  "Our  Cathedral"   another  sloe  funeral  doom  song  with  heavy  growls  and  funeral  like  ambient  keyboards  along with  a  very  melodic  sounding guitar  lead  along  with  a  brief  use  of  a  spoken  word  part,  in  addition  there  are  some  high  pitched  screams  that  have  a  heavy  black  metal  feeling to them  as  well  as  some  clean singing.

  Next  up  is  Funeral  with  "The  Poison"  a  more  melodic  sounding  funeral  doom  metal  song  that  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  influences  from  traditional  doom and  gothic  metal.

  Next  up  is  Ea  with  "Aullu  Eina"  a  more  slow  and  melodic  sounding  occult  funeral doom  metal  song  with  melodic  leads,  ambient  keyboards  and deep  doom/death  metal  growls.

  Next  up  is  Shattered  Hope  with  "Enlighten The  Darkness"  a  more  atmospheric  and  symphonic  sounding  funeral  doom  metal  with  some  brutal  sounding  deep  growls  as  well  as  some  melodic  guitar  leads.

  Next  up  is  Heavy  Load  with  "Fear  The  Beard"  a  more  traditional  stoner  doom  metal  song  that  has  a  very  influenced  70's  hard  rock/heavy  metal  sound  to  it  with  a  more  modern  day  approach  where  they  combine  clean  singing  stoner  doom  metal  vocals  with  deep  death  metal  growls.

  Next  up  is  Ophis  with  "suffering Is  A  Virtue"  a  very  heavy  and  slow  sounding  dark funeral/doom  metal  song  that  has  some  brutal death/doom  metal growls  to  it  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  riffing  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  harsh  clean singing  towards  the  end  of the  song.

  Next  up  is  The Sullen  Route with  "Gates"  a  more  traditional,  melodic  and  atmospheric  sounding  doom/death  metal  song.

  Next  up  is  Stoned  Jesus  with  "Occult"  a  more  traditional  stoner  style  doom  metal  song  with  satanic  lyrics  and  a  70's  hard  rock/heavy  metal  vibe  to  it.

  Next  up  is  Angel  Sleep  with  "Angel  2"  a  saw  that  brings  the  compilation back  into  funeral  doom  mood  with  some  heavy  sounding  deep  doom/death  metal  growls  and  slow  melodic  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams that  bring  a  black  metal  feeling  to  the  music  as well  as  some  clean singing  that  brings  back  the  early  90's  UK  doom  metal  sound,  in  addition  there  is  a  brief  use  of  classical  guitars.

  Next  up  is  Hellight  with  "The  Light  That  Brought  Darkness"  another  slow  and  atmospheric  sounding  funeral  doom  metal  song  with  ambient  keyboards  and  deep  doom/death  metal  growls  along  with  some  black  metal  sounding  screams  in addition  there  are  some  melodic  clean  singing  being  utilized  in the  middle  of  the  song.

  Next  up  is  Septic  Mind  with  "Beginning"  a  very  slow  ambient/funeral  doom  metal  song  with  dark  riffing  and  some  evil  and  guttural  sounding  growls  and  some  high  pitched  screams.

  Next  up  is  The  Howling  Void  with  "Shadows  Over  The  Cosmos"  a  very  atmospgeric  and  melodic sounding  doom/death  metal  song  with  a  great  touch  of  ambient/funeral  doom  being  added  to  the  song.

  Closing  the  compilation  is  St  Erik  with  an  unreleased  version  of  "Closer"  a  more  traditional  sounding  80's  style  doom  metal  song  with  a  great  and  dark  atmosphere  behind  the  song.

  In  conclusion  this  is  a  great  compilation  that  has  a  little  bit  of  everything  for  all  fans  of  doom  metal,  and  if  you  are  into  this  genre,  you  should  add  this  compilation  to  your  collection.  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

BadMoonManMusic/2010 Compilation Review

   This  is  a  review  of  a  compilation  put  out  by  BadMoonMan Music  in  2010  which  specializes in doom metal  and  we  will  review  the  songs  one  by  one.

  Letargy  Dream  brings  us  "Saturn"  a  slow  doom  metal  song  in  the  vein  of  early  Cathedral,  with  a  good  amount  of  influences  from  80's  style  traditional  dream,  with  a  mixture  of  screaming  vocals  and  clean  singing,  along  with  some  acoustic  guitar  work  in  the  middle  of  the  song.

  Next  up  is Taphble  Cne3bl  Amber  Tears  "Infinity  Grey  Days"  a  more  atmospheric  sounding  gothic/doom/death  metal  song  with  a  great  amount  of  depressing  melodies  as  well  as  a  mixture  od  spoken  word  parts  and  deep  death/doom metal  growls.

  Next  up  is  As  Light  Dies  with  "Le  Nebuleux  Sentier"  a  gothic  doom  metal  song  with  atmospheric  keyboards,  depressive  violins  as  well  as  some  clean  singing  behind  the  heavy  guitars  with  a  great  amount  of  acoustic  guitars being  thrown  in .

  Next  up  is  Cebran-Khal  with  "The  Lunar  Tragedy - Act 2. Mourior,  Mourior, Suis-Je Plus Mort"  another  melodic  gothic  doom/death  metal  song  that  combines  a  mixture  of  clean singing  and  deep  growls  as  well  as  a  mixture  of  soft  and  heavy  riffs  and  you  can  hear  some  black  metal  influences  in  the  song.

  Next  up  is  Sideris  Noctem  with  "Binary"  a  very  melodic  and  atmospheric  sounding  doom  metal  song  with  some  depressing  melodies  and  heavy  guitars  along  with  a  mixture  of  clean  singing  male  and  female  vocals  along  with  some  heavier  growls  in the  middle  of  the  song.

  Next  up  is  Helevorn with  "From  Our Glorious  Days"  another  slow  atmospheric  doom/death  metal  song  with  depressive  keyboards,  melodic  guitar  riffs,  and  a  mixture  of  deep growls  and  clean  singing.

  Next  up  is  On  The  Edge  Of  The  Netherrealm  with  "Day  And  Night"  a  very  slow  and  atmospheric  funeral/doom  metal  song  with  a  good  mixtures  of  keyboards,  slow  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  deep  growls,  along  with  some  whispers.

  Next  up  is  Kamlath  with  "Dawn  Of  Credence"  a  very  slow  and  melodic  sounding  doom  metal  song  that  utilizes  a  great  amount of  clean singing.

  Next  up  is  Raventale  with  "Gone"  a  very  slow  funeral  doom  metal  song  with  some  depressive  melodic  riffing  and  deep  growls that  have  somewhat  of  a  black  metal  influence  to  it.

  Next  up  is  Wedding  In  Hades  with  "Safety"  a  song  that  combines  melodic  black  metal  with  atmospheric  doom/death  metal  with  some  clean  singing  gothic  vocals  being  included  in  the  song.

  Next  up  is  S.C.A.L.P  with  a  demo  version  of  "Missed  Shot"  a  more  melodic  and  slow  sounding  doom  metal song  that  has  the  classic  90's  atmospheric  doom/death  sound  to  it  along  with  a  mixture  of  deep  growls  and  clean  singing.

  Next  up  is  Floodstain  with  "Slave  To  The  Self  Feeding  Machine"  a  song  that  combines  stoner  doom  with  groove  metal.

  Closing  the  compilation  is  Re123+  with  "Gold,  Laden,  Mirra"  a  mre  slow  and  soft  instrumental  song.

  In  conclusion  this  is  a  great  compilation  that  has  a  little  bit  of  everything  for  fans  of  all  styles  of  doom  metal,  and  I  would  recommended  this  to  all  fans  of  doom  metal.  RECOMMENDED  BUY.