Witch Ripper/_/2012 EP Review

  Witch  Reaper  are  a  band  from  Seattle,  Washington  that  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner  rock  and  doom  metal  along  with  a  touch  of  death  metal  influences  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  ep  "_".

  The  ep  starts  out  with  some  soft  acoustic  guitar  playing  and  background  synths  which  also  leads  to  some  drums  and  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  which  also  utilize  a  good  amount  of  melody  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  screams  and  melodic  vocals  are  thrown  into  the  music  which  also  lead  up  to  stoner  rock  style  guitar  leads.

  When  we  get  further  into  the  ep  the  music  starts  going  into  a  more  dark  and  heavy  direction  while  also  utilizing  some  70's  rock  style  melodies  and  mixing  them  with  some  dark  and  heavy  guitar  riffing  and the  ep  also  starts  mixing  in  psychedelic  elements  to  create  a  sound  only  they  can  call  their  own.

  Song  lyrics  cover  fantasy  and  stoner  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  dark,  heavy  and  powerful  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  ep  as  well  as  the  last  song  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Witch  Reaper  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  stoner  rock  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Space  Debris"  and  "Queen  Of  the  Green".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

Buzzherd/On Sinking Ships...Rats Down/Dullest Records/2013 CD Review

 

  Buzzherd  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "On  Sinking  Ships...Rats  Down" which  was  released  by  Dullest  Records.

  The  albums tarts  out  with  dark  and  heavy  sounding  guitar  riffs  and  drums  as  well  as  bringing  in  aggressive  sounding  sludge  style  screams  and  the  music  also  brings  in  elements  of  doom  metal  as  well  as  bringing  in  some  distorted  guitar  leads  and  thrash  influences  before  adding  in  psychedelic  elements  and  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars.

  As  the  album  moves  on  70's  influences  get  more  dominant  and  mix  in  with  the  more  modern  and  heavy  aspects  of  the  record  and  the vocals  start  adding  in  death  metal  elements  and  it  also  starts  speeding  up  during  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  album  also  starts  bringing  in  some  of  the  more  extreme  and  underground  parts  of  80's  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  90's  style  sludge  and  doom  metal  to  create  their  own  sound  as  well  as  having  stoner  and  psychedelic  rock  tinges  underneath  all  of  the  heaviness  and  towards  the  end  hardcore  and  punk  influences  are  added  into  the  music.

  Song  lyrics  cover  paranoia  and  dysentery  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  dark,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  as  well  as  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Buzzherd  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  metal  and  thrash  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Abuse  of  Despair"  "Stakes  And  Snares"  and  "Six  Pack"  which  is  a  Black  Flag  cover.  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Sleestack/Live At The Cactus Club/2013 Live album Review

  Sleestack  are  a  band  from  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  that  combines  sludge,  doom  metal,  stoner  and  psychedelic  rock  together  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  live  album  "Live  At  The  Cactus  Club".

    The  album  has  its  start  with  some  semi  clean  guitar  riffs  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  drums  are  added  into  the  music  which  then  leads  up  to  the  music  going  into  a  heavy  doom  metal  direction  as  well  as  the  bass  guitars  getting  a  lot  more  heavier  and  then  the  haunting  melodic  vocals  and  deep  death  metal  grows  start  to  kick  in,  as  the  music  progresses  it  starts  adding  in  more  dark  melodies.

  As  the  album  moves  on  clean  parts  are  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  parts  and  they  really  make  the  music  stand  out  and  the  music  also  starts  getting  more  psychedelic  in  sound  as  well  as  going  into  long  improv  jams  where  there  are  no  vocals  present  for  a  long  time  and  from  what  I  can  hear  in  the  crowd  noise  there  are  not  a  lot  of  people  there  but  the  band  and  the  crowd  do  seem  to  interact  very  well  and  the  jam  sessions  seem  to  be  the  same  jam  and  they  where  recorded  in  4  different  parts.

  You  can  hear  a  lot  of  talent  and  skill  being  utilized  in  these improv  jams  and  while  they  all sound very good  it  is not  something  I  would  listen  to  a  a  regular  basis  and  I  prefer  the  regular  albums  this  band  puts  out.

  Lyrics  are  for  the  most  part  with  the  music  being  90  percent  instrumental,  while  the  production  has  a  very  long  and  epic  sound  with  all  of  the  jam  sessions  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sleestack  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  improv  stoner/psychedelic  jams  with  touch's  of  doom,  death  and  sludge  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  live  album.  RECOMMENDED.
  

Altar Of Betelgeuze/Darkness Sustains The Silence/Memonto Mori/2014 CD Review

  Altar  of  Betelgeuze  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  doom/death  metal  with  elements  of  sludge  and  stoner  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Darkness  Sustains  The  Silence"  which  was  released  by  Memonto  Mori.

  When  the  album  starts  an  old  school  doom  metal  guitar  riff  that  is  dark  and  haunting  kicks  in  as  well  as  mixing  in  some  melodic  leads  and  the  music  takes  a  heavier  turn  once  the  intro  is  over  with  as  well  as  adding  in  more  melody  as  well  as  bringing  in  drums  and  bass  guitars  which  enhance  the  heaviness  of  the  music.

  As  the  album  progresses  death  metal  growls  start  to  dominate  along  a  heavy  background  and  there  are  times  when  the  music  speeds  up  slightly  and  the  spoken  word  parts  that  are  used  on  this  recording  bring  a  very  haunting  sound  to  the  album  as  well  as  mixing  in  a  small  amount  of  evil  sounding  Gregorian  chants.

  When  we  get  further  on  into  the  album  stoner  rock  and  sludge  influences  are  mixed  in  with  some  crushing  doom/death  metal  and  melodic  melodic  vocals  that  are  heavily  infleunced  by  70's  metal  start  mixing  in  with  the  harsher  vocals  and  when  guitar  leads  brought  in  the  really  add  a  lot  of  color  to  the  heavy  and  melodic  riffs  this  album  produces.

  One  of  the  main  strengths  the  album  has  is  the  bass  leads  and  the  haunting  atmosphere  the background  invokes  and  the  way  it  shape  shifts  into  heavy  doom/death  after  being  in  a  70's  rock  mode  is  another  strong  point  this  album  has,  this  band  can  easily  blend  in  with  the  Asphyx  and  Incantation  crowd  while  also  able  to  fit  in  with  the  Sleep  and  Orange  Goblin  crowd  as  well  that  is  how  diverse  this  recording  is   and  once  synths  are  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  music  while  not  taking  over  the  music,  it  really  brings  out  the  darkness.

  Song  lyrics  cover  space,  death  and  doom,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  dark  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  as  well  as  most  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Altar  Of  Betelgeuze  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom,  death  metal,  sludge  and  stoner  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  World  Without  End"  "Smoldering  Clouds  Above  Orion"  and  "Darkness  Sustains  The  Silence".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

TrenchRot Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

  Since finishing the album, we're taking it easy.  That means we'll just hang out, drinking and smoking without playing instruments.  Instead, we'll probably listen to records or watch horror and action movies.    We're good buddies, so the band is just something that occupies our time when we're hanging out together.  

2.You have a new album coming out in the beginning of 2014, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical sound you have taken with this album and what kind of progressions do you feel you have made since the demo, Nihilistic Holocaust put out early last year?

   Progressing was never a point for TrenchRot.  We just continued writing in the same vein as the demo.  If anything, we regressed. A re-written version of one of our earliest compositions ended up making its way onto Necronomic Warfare.  We just included more guitar solos.  

3. Can you go more in depth and detail with the song lyrics you have written for the new album?

  We think the lyrics are pretty self explanatory. Some songs are written in a historical fiction of World War I and II, with the opened gates of hell spilling on to the battlefields. 

4.The title track of the album is Necronomic Warfare, which reminds me of the Necronomicon, are you a fan of H.P Lovecraft or the novels that have been called the Necronomicon over the years?

  Absolutely.  Cthulu lore played a big role in our earlier ideas for the band, and we wanted to keep that theme and incorporate it into our war-like atmosphere.   Beyond Lovecraft, we also included a little bit of the elements from the Evil Dead fiction, the Necronomicon Ex-Mortus.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name TrenchRot?

   There's not much to the band name, other than we thought it sounded cool.  Maybe TrenchRot is a type of disease that you contract in warfare, that rots your brain. It drives you insane.  The opening song on the album, "Death by TrenchRot," could be considered an explanation of the affliction.

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 haven't played any shows yet.  We have an elaborate idea of what our live show would entail, but we've turned down most offers to play live, as they wouldn't have been worth our time.

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

   We have no plans for playing live or touring on a DIY level, especially in the States.  A couple of us have been in that scenario before, and don't feel the need to pursue that with this particular band.   

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

  The only way for us to know who and where the music has spread is by looking at our Bandcamp plays.  So far it seems like we've gotten some attention all over Europe, and the feedback has been pretty positive so far.  

9.What are your expectations once the new album is released?

   A few hundred death metal neanderthals are going to love it. We expect that the fans of old school death metal are going to get it, and people who are looking for typewriter blast beats and superfluous sweep arpeggios will probably overlook it.  It's just death metal for old school enthusiasts, not bearded posers.

10.I have read that the bands members are also involved with other bands, what is going on with your other musical projects these days?

  This is true.  Two of us also play in Crypt Sermon, an epic doom and heavy metal band.  We're working on our full length right now.  The vocalist/guitarist of TrenchRot also fronts Infiltrator, a blackened speed metal band.  There should be some new music coming from them in the near future as well.  http://cryptsermon.bandcamp.com/ and http://infiltrator.bandcamp.com/respectively.

11.Where do you see your old school death metal sound heading into on future releases?

   We've already talked a bit about where we may go after this initial full length.  Seems like we all agree that we'd like to explore the death/doom territory a bit more, though it's hard for us not to keep raging at full speed.  

12.Can you tell us a little bit more about your old school death metal influences and also what are some of the other musical genres the band listens to?

   It seems obvious to us that one would say we sound a little European, influenced by Dismember, Entombed and Grave.  Asphyx, of course.  There's also the obvious influence that Bolt Thrower has, as well as early American bands like Obituary, Death and Possessed.  Aside from that, as a band, we're into crust punk, d-beat, and grindcore.  Outside the band, each of us likes various genres, from classical and soundtrack music to bluegrass and country.  

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

  BEER.  Three of the four in the band are really interested in trying new beers and consuming lots of it.  Our other member prefers his vice in the form of smoke. 

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

Thanks for giving a shit about the barbaric Death Metal we come up with while drinking on the weekends.  Have a few beers and bang your head!

www.facebook.com/Trenchrotdeathmetal
trenchrotdeathmetal.bandcamp.com

The Casket Crew/Coercion/Cimmerian Shade Recordins/2013 CD Review

 

  The  Casket  Crew  are  a  band  from  Denver,  Colorado  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Coercion"  which  was  released  by  Cimmerian  Shade  Recordings.

  The  album  kicks  in  with  some  drums  and  old  school  thrash  metal  guitar  and  bass  riffs   before  adding  in  death  metal  growls  and  when  blast  beats  are  added  in  they  only  go  into  semi  mode,  as  the  music  progresses  doom  and  thrash  metal  elements  are  mixed  together  as  well  as  screams  being  added  to  the  music.


  As  the  album  moves  on  it  goes  into  a  more  80's  style  direction  as  well  as  adding  melody  into  the  music  along  with  melodic  vocals  that  really  start  evolving  into  some  of  the  most  aggressive  growls  and  screams  this  kind  of  music  has  to  offer  and  when  guitar  leads  are  added  in  they  combine  classic  music  in  with  some  epic  doom  elements  which  are  also  added  into  the  rhythm sections.

  When  you  are  listening  to  the  album  you  can  hear  some  musicians  that  really  know  their  thrash  very  well  and  they  way  they  mix  it  with  early  90's  doom  and  death  metal  brings  out  a  sound  that  is  very old  school  while  bringing  original  at  the  same  time  and  one  of  the  main  strengths  that  this  recording  is  all  the  songs  sound  very  different  from  each  other  while  remaining  true  to  their  musical  style.    

  Song  lyrics  cover  war  and  politics,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy,  old  school  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  The  Casket  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band  and  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "They  Live,  We  Sleep"  "Watery  Graves"  and  "New  World  Chaos".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Atacama Death Experience/Wasted Times And Broken Bones/Cimmerian Shade Recordings/2013 EP Review

  Atacama  Death  Experience  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom,  crust  and blues  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  ep  "Wasted  Times  And  Broken  Bones"  which  was  released  by  Cimmerian  Shade  Recordings.

  The  ep  starts  out  with  some  blues  style  sounds  before  adding  in  powerful  bass  guitars  which  are  heavily  influenced  by  70s  metal  and  rock  as  well  as  some  melodic  vocals  which  adds  up  to  bringing  in  a  classic  rock  feeling  to  the  recording  and  then  the  heavy  guitars  really  start  to  kick  in  as  well  as  some  deep  growl  and  screams.

  As  the  album  moves  on  southern  swamp  style  melodies  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  guitar  leads  that  evoke  a  stoner  rock  feeling  and  as  time  goes  on  by  there  are  some  spoken  word  parts  that  bring  a  very  hateful  feeling  to  the  music  as  well  as  some  faster  parts  that  bring  in  crust  elements.

  Later  on  the  music  starts  adding  in  psychedelic  elements  with  the  heavier  doom  parts  and  as  time  goes  on  by  the  screams  get  even  more  sounding  having  a  black  metal  feeling  to  them  without  being  influenced  by  that  genre,  but  they  do  take  the  sludge  style  of  Eyehategod  to  a  darker  level  and  the  guitars  get  even  more  dirty  and  blues  rock  sounding  and  they  created  an  original  approach  to  sludge/doom  metal,  and  on  the  last  song  you  can  hear  some  percussion  and  the  melodic  vocals  make  a  return and  then  the  music  really  starts  getting  a  lot  more  heavier.


  Song  lyrics  cover  decay  and  anarchy,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  dark  and  heavy  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  along  with  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Atacame  Death  Experience  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom  metal,  sludge,  crust  and  blues  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Useless  Blues"  and  "Wasted  Times  And  Broken  Bones".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

TrenchRot/Necronomic Warfare/Unspeakable Axe Records/2014 CD Review

  TenchRot  are  a  band  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  death  metal  with  elements  of  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album "Necronomic  Warfare"  which  will  be  released  by  Unspeakable  Axe  Records.

  The  album  begins  with  a  very  fast  and  old  school  sounding  death  metal  sound  that  goes  back  to  the  early  90's  and  you  can  hear  some  dark  sounding  melodies,  the  growls  that  start  to  kick  in  are  in  the  early  Pestilence  and  Asphyx  vein  as  well  as  having  a  feeling  that  reminds  me  of  early  Morgoth,  the  mid  paced  parts  of  the  album  are  very  soul  crushing  and  destroy  all  the  posers  on  sight  with  their  true  approach  to  death  metal,

  Guitar  leads  on  the  album  have  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  approach  to  them,  while  the  blast  beats  are  very  heavy,  once  the  doom  metal  elements  start  to  kick  in,  the  music  starts  to  get  a  lot  more  heavier  which  you  can  hear  on  "Gustav  Gun"  and  the  song  is  a  true  masterpiece  in  death/doom  metal  while  also  bringing  back  memories  of  Obituary  ere  Slowly  We  Rot,  and  Cause  Of  Death  as  well  as  adding  a  touch  of  New  York's  long  forgotten  'Sorrow',  as  the  album  moves  on  d-beats  get  mixed  in  along  with  the  regular  blast  beats to  further  enhance  the  old  school  elements  of  the  album,

  Synths  do  finally  start  to  come  in  briefly  and  they  bring  a  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  which  also  leads  up  to  the  guitar  solos  getting more  dark  and  invoking  a  presence  of  sorrow  while  it  is  not  used  throughout  the  album  but  it  does  return  for  the  title  track  bringing  in  an  epic  feeling,  with  the   rest of  the  music  focuses  on  heaviness,  with  the  album  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  Bolt  Thrower  influences  which  really  brings  out  the  war  elements of  the  music,   once  the  album  moves  on  mid  80's  to  early  90's  Swedish  influences  become  a  part  of  the  mix,  you  can  tell  the  band  are  true  fans  of  old  school  death  metal  and  they  truly  bring  it  out  with  their  music.

  Song  lyrics  cover  war  and  violence,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  old  school  sound  with  the  bass  guitars  being  mixed  down  low  in  the  mix  and  are  very  hard  to  hear  on  the  album  except  for  a  few  seconds  on  one  song.

  In  my  opinion  TrenchRot  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  doom/death  metal band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Death  By  TrenchRot"  "Mad  Dogs  Of  War"  "Necronomic  Warfare"  and  "Dragged  Down  To  Hell".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

  

Duskburn/Atum/Cimmerian Shade Recordings/2014 EP Review

  Duskburn  are  a  band  from  Croatia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  along  with  some  death  metal  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "Atum"  which  will  be  released  by  Cimmerian Shade  Recordings.

  "Between  The  Swarm"  which  is  also  the  first  song  on  the  ep  opens  up  with   dark  sounding  synths  and  a  few  seconds  alter  drums  start  to  kick  in  along  with  some  experimental  elements  which  also  leads  up  to  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  and  as  time  goes  on  by  guitar  leads  are  added into  the  music  before  bringing  in  death  metal  growls    and  as  time  goes  on  by  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  drone  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  samples  towards  the  end

  "Atum"  begins  with  clean  guitar  playing  along  with  some  drums  and  a  minute  later  heavy  guitar  riffs start  to  get  along  along  with  some  hardcore  and  sludge  style  vocals  before  alternating  between  clean  and  heavy  parts  as  well  as  bringing  in  sound  effects  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads.  

  "Seemless"  which  is  also  the  last  song  on  the  ep  starts  up  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  a  few  seconds  later  heavy  guitar riffs  along  with  hardcore  and  death  metal  style  vocals  kick  in  and  as  the song  moves  on  you  can  hear  bass  guitars,  melody  and  spoken  word  parts  and  towards  the  end  guitar  leads  are  added  in.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark  and  occult  themes,  while  the production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  as  well  as  the songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Duskburn  are  a  very  great  sounding  sludge/doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Between  The  Swarm". RECOMMENDED  BUY.    

  

Blackwitch Pudding/Taste The Pudding/2013 CD Review

   Blackwitch  Pudding  are  a  band  from  Portland,  Oregon  that  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  album  "Taste  The  Pudding".

  "Morte'D"  which  is  also  the  first  song  on  the  album  opens  up  with  avant  garde  sound  effects  and  a few  seconds  alter  doom  metal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  kick  in  as  well  as  some  melodic  vocals  shortly  after  that  which  also  utilize  some  aggressive  elements,  as  the  song  moves  on  there  are  some  stoner  rock  style  guitar  leads  added  into  the  music.

  "Super  Sluts  From  Outer  Space"  begins  with  heavy  guitar riffs  along  with  some  drums  as  well  as  some  distorted  bass  guitars  which  also  leads  to  the  vocals  kicking  in  and  you  can  also  hear  some  guitar  effects  being  utilized  in  the  song,  halfway  through  the  song  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music.

  'Gathering  Panties"  opens  up  with  distorted  guitar sounds  before  adding  in  drums  along  with  bass  guitars  as  well  as  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  a  minute  alter  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  punk  rock  elements  before  adding  in  guitar  leads  briefly  before  going  into  a  more  doom  metal  direction.

  "Shark  Commando"  starts  up  with  guitar  leads  and  riffs  as  well  as  some  drums  before  adding  in  vocals  as  well  as  a  good  use  of  sludge  style  screams  and  growls  and  a  minute  later  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  music  and  you  can  also  hear  the  bass  guitars  in  the  music.

  "Swamp  Gas  Of  The  Nevermizer" kicks  in  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  as  well  as  some bass  guitars  which  also  leads  to  a  mixture  of  melodic  vocals  and  growls  before  going  into  a  more  doom  metal  direction  and  towards  the  end  the  guitars  get  more  melodic  along  with  a  small  amount  of  leads.

  "Crabs"  comes in  with  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  as  well  as  some  drums  and  doom  metal  guitar  riffs  and  a  few  seconds later  melodic  vocals  start  to  kick  in   as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  growls  and  screams,  as  the  song  moves  on  bass  guitars  get  more  powerful  sounding  along  with  some  psychedelic  elements  and  guitar  leads.

  "Acid  Castle  Mountain  Trip"  which  is  also  the  last  song  on  the  album  begins  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  as  well  as  some drums  a  few  seconds  later   and  a  minute  later  death  metal  growls  are  added  in  as  well  as  some  stoner  melodies,  halfway  through  the  song  psychedelic  elements  and  guitar  leads  become  a  part  of  the  music.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark  and  occult  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  dark  sound   for  being  a  self  released  recording  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  as  well  as  some  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Blackwitch  Pudding  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  stoner  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Morte'D"  "Swamp  Gas  Of  The  Nevermizer"  and  "Acid  Castle  Mountain  Trip".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.              

Albatross Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

    A. The band has been playing a lot of shows, ever since we returned from our 3 city Australian tour. We're practically playing a show every weekend, and we have visited a lot of cities within India that we've never been to previously. Our last Mumbai show, the Mumbai Zonal leg of the Mood Indigo Festival, was filmed for what will be a special DVD entitled 'Hell at D'Bell'. We're going to hit the studio very soon, and will soon be releasing our first full length album- Fear from the Skies. It's been a busy season, and will only get heavier.

2.how would you describe the musical sound of the newer material and also how does it differ from your older music?

A. Well, it's a lot more heavy metal than Kissing Flies was, but then again, if you know Albatross...the songs will end up sounding anything but traditional heavy metal. The songs are much shorter, since the music was written first, and the lyrics added later, to fit the song...unlike Kissing Flies. The songs are a lot more ambitious, more eccentric and more left-of-centre...but they're rooted in traditional heavy metal. 

3.Your song lyrics cover Horror stories, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

A. When I started Albatross, my idea was basically to rip off  King Diamond's 2nd album Abigail...so, in essence, write original horror stories told through music. I've been a Poe and Lovecraft fan ever since I was a kid, and Stephen King fan later on, so horror stories came naturally to me. Biprorshee, the vocalist, Jay, the drummer, and Vignesh, the guitarist of Albatross are huge movie fans, and hence horror is something everyone's fond of. I love the supernatural, and the idea of campfire tales being told through metal has always held a very high appeal for me!

4.The band originally started out as a solo project but evolved into a full band, what was the decision behind hiring a full line up?

A. I was in a band called Workshop at that point, and the then Workshop guitarist Rajarshi suggested that the songs we were writing as solo compositions, deserved better and hence, a full fledged band had to be formed. I loved the idea, and Albatross was born.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Albatross?

A. The Albatross is a seabird, which features prominently in a poem called 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. My brother Rono suggested the name to me. The bird is seen both as a sign of good luck, and more often, a sign of bad luck...a bad omen, a hex. Of course, Iron Maiden made a song around the poem, and since we're all influenced by Maiden, this name stuck.

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?

A. Too many to count, really. Sharing the stage with Kreator in Bangalore Open Air was intense; and Wolf (Sweden), my favourite new band and us played a festival (again in Bangalore) last November. I guess the show we played in Melbourne was very special to me, as it was our first overseas visit, and yet the response was fabulous. Sydney was pretty cool as well. Haha, too many to choose.

Our stage performance is very energetic, like any metal band should be; and also very eccentric like few metal bands are :). There are soaring vocals, blistering leads, pounding drums, thunderous basslines and crushing riffs on stage, and an army of metal warriors pounding their fists in the air offstage. </Exit Manowar Mode>

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

A. We just conclude our 'Cannibals on the Road' India tour this saturday (the 14th of December, 2013) in Pune, India. This tour was put together to promote our new range of 'Among the Cannibals' tshirts, released by our label Transcending Obscurity. We have a one off show in February, in our home city- Mumbai, in February next year, and are working on a few outstation shows as well...so let's see how that goes.

8.A year back you released a split album with Vestal Claret, what are your thoughts on the other band that participated?

A. It was a huge honour when Phil Swanson approached me for that Split, because to me Phil is the Ozzy Osbourne of the heavy/doom underground. I've been a huge fan of a lot of his bands over the years, and of course Simon has become a very good friend online. I think Black Priest is a monumental piece of art, and we're privileged to have had been a part of doom metal history with this release. I just wish Simon would get the band on the road, because music this good deserves to go live, in my honest opinion.

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

A. Fantastic. We can't believe how we have fans in far flung countries we've never even been to. When we arrived in Australia, there were people who knew our music beforehand. We have fans calling us to Europe, and South America, and Japan, and everywhere else. Members of Mercyful Fate, Wolf, Judas Priest and Manilla Road have had nice things to say about our music. It's like living in a dream, really.

10.Are there any other musical projects besides this band?

A. I play bass for a band called Primitiv, and we make our live debut this Saturday. Nishith plays for Reptilian Death, a very popular death metal band. Vignesh is the vocalist and guitarist of Orion, a progressive metal band. Bipro and Jay also make regular guest appearances with bands from the scene.

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

A. What has kept us fresh, in my mind, is heading to the jamroom without any preconceived idea about the music that's going to be written within. I'd always like this to be the mantra for Albatross. If we're all excited about the song, I believe the audience will like it too. At the same time, the overall Albatross sound will never change, because if one has to experiment, he has other projects for it. 

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

   A. Hell- Curse & Chapter and the new Avatarium EP. Can't get enough of both these releases. I've been listening to both a lot. I guess both Vignesh and Nishith, the two guitarists, are writing the bulk of the new material, and together they're writing some incredibly shreddalicious music. Biprorshee is widening his horizons both as a vocalist, and an entertainer too...he's been owning every stage we ever play at. Jay's become a monster on drums, and he's bringing it consistently, show after show. I've taken on a more supporting role as a bassist, and I just let these maestros make the music. The new music sounds like Iron Maiden, Nevermore, King Diamond, Slayer, Candlemass and Iced Earth; and yet, nothing like anything you've ever heard before.

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

A. Just books, I guess. I am an avid fantasy buff, and love to devour fantasy collections. Music is my primary passion though. When I'm off work, I love to attend concerts and listen to new music.

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

A. Thank you for all your support. We hope to see you in your hometown, very soon!

Church Of Disgust/Unworldly Summoning/Memento Mori/2014 CD Review

  Church  Of  Disgust  are  a  band  from  Texas  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  with  elements  of  doom  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Unworldly  Summoning"  which  was  released  by  Memento  Mori.

   "Intro(The  gate)"  starts  off  the  album  with  distorted  noise  sounds  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  that  utilize  finger  picking  and  full  chords.

  "Immemorial  Lunacy"  which  is  also  the  first  official  song  on  the  album  opens  up  with  heavy  death/doom  metal  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  as  well  as  some  dark  sounding  melodies  before  speeding  up  to  a  more  old  school  direction a long  with  some  deep  growls  and  blast  beats  and  then  the music  starts  alternating  between  slow  and  fast  parts  and  as  time  goes  on  by  sound  effects  and  thrash  influences  are  added  into  the  music.  

  "Rotting  Above  Ground"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  before  speeding  up  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  deep  death  metal  growls  and  after  awhile  the  music  slows  down  a  bit  and  adds  in  melody  before  speeding  alternating  between  fast  and  slow  parts  along  with  a  brief  use  of  high  pitched  screams.

  "Writhing  Dominion"  opens  up  with  melodic  guitar  leads  which  leads  up  to  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  along  with  some  deep  death  metal  growls  and  dark  sounding  melodies  and  the  song  sticks  to  a  slower  doom/death  metal  direction.

  "Bound  And  Cast  Into  The  Depths"  kicks  in  with  fast,  dark  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  blast  beats  from  the  drums  as  well  as  some  deep  death  metal  growls  and  then  the  music  starts  to  alternate  between  slow  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  demonic  voices  as  well  as  a  brief  guitar  lead  towards  the  end.

  "The  Great  Chamber"  hits  it  off  with  ritualistic  sounds  along  with  avant  garde  sound  effects  and  chanting  which  also  uses  spoken  words  which  then  leads  up  to  some  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  as  well  as  some  drums  and  deep  death  metal  growls  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  few  seconds  of  guitar  leads  being  utilized.

  "Interlude"  which  is  an  instrumental  begins  with   avant  garde  sound  effects  and  synths  and  the  song  is  short  and  under  2  minutes.

  "The  Opener  Of  The  Way"  comes  in  with  deep  death  metal  growls  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  before  going  into  a  fast  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  melodic  guitar  riffing  and  then  the  song  starts  to  alternate  between  slow  and  fast  parts  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  leads  and  high  pitched  screams.

  "Unworldly  Summoning"  which  is  also  the  last  song  as  well  as  title  track  opens  up  with  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  and  drums  which  leads  up  to  some  dark,  melodic  and  heavy  sounding  guitar  riffs  and  drums  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls  and  after  awhile the  music  goes  into  a  faster  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  before  alternating  between  slow  and  fast  parts  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  avant  garde  style  sound  effects  beign  utilized.

  Song  lyrics  are  based  on  the   writings  of  H.P  Lovecraft  and  Brian  Keene,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,   powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it  in  the  old  school  90's  direction.

  In  my  opinion  Church  Of  Disgust  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  death/doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Immemorial  Lunacy"  "The  Great  Chamber"  and  "Unworldly  Summoning".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.      

    

Ewigheim/Nachruf/Massacre Records/2013 CD Review

  Ewigheim  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  gothic  form  of   doom  metal  along  with  small  amounts  of  black  metal  influences  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Nachruf"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

  "Zwischen  Menschen"  which  was  the  first  song  on  the  album  opens  up  with  keyboards  and  melodic  clean  singing  vocals  before  adding in  heavy  doom  metal  guitar  riffs  that  also  utilize  some  melody  along  with  some  bass  guitars  and  guitar  leads  and  after  a  minute  there  is  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  "Die  Augen  Zu"  begins  with  80's  style  gothic  keyboards  before  adding  in  heavy  guitars,  bass  and  drums  which  also  lead s up  to  some  melodic  vocals  and  towards   the end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  leads  along  with  some  clean  playing  in  the  background.

  "Am  Meer"  opens  up  with  dark  sounding  keyboards  before  adding  in  the  gothic  vocals  and  a  few  seconds  later  heavy  guitars  make  their  way  into  the  music  along  with  some  drums  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  melodic  guitar  leads  make  their  way  into  the  song.

  "Heimweh"  starts  up  with  clean  guitars  before  getting  heavy  as  well  as  bringing  in  drums  and  keyboards  which  also  leads  up  to  some  vocals  and  you  can  also  hear  bass  guitars in  the  background  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  "Ein  Nqachruf"  kicks  in  with  keyboards  before  adding  in  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums    and  a  few  seconds  alter  the  vocals  kick  in  and  the  music  goes  more  into  a  gothic  metal  direction  along  with  some  guitar  solos  and  leads  that  come  in  and  out  of  the  song.

  "Himmelfahrt"  comes in  with  keyboards  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  then  the  vocals  start  to  kick  in  along  with  some  gothic  and  80's  new  wave  elements  and  the  guitar  riffing  gets  more  melodic  towards  the  end.

  "Falsches  Herz"  is  introduced  by  80's  style  keyboards  and  drums  before  adding  in  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  which  then  leads  to  some  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  along  with  a  mixture  of  clean  and  heavy  sections  and  during  the  last  minute  of  the  song  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  "Liebes  Lied"  is  brought  in  by  keyboards  and  vocals  before  adding  in  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  there  is  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  before  the  end  of  the  song.

  "Glueck  Im  Ungluek"  makes  its  way  in  with  keyboards  that  utilize  elements  of  synth  pop  and  new  wave  which  also  leads  up  to  heavy  and  melodic  sounding  guitar  riffs  and  leads  along  with  drums  before adding  in  vocals  and  during  the  last  minute  the  guitar  solos  make  a  return  for  a  few  seconds.  

  "Wenn  Es  Am  Schoensten  Ist"  brings  its  way  in  with  heavy  guitar  riffs,  keyboards  and  drums  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  some  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  and  halfway  through  the  song  guitar  leads  and  solos  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song.

  "Sanctum  Imperium"  which  is  also  the  last  song  on  the  album  begins  with  keyboards  and  a  few  seconds  later  melodic  vocals  start  to  kick  in  along  with  some  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  which  utilize  melody  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  black  metal  vocals  which  also  leads  up  to  some  melodic  guitar  riffing  along  with  some  violins  and  guitar  leads.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  suicide,  murder  and  death,   while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Ewigheim  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  gothic  and  doom  metal  with  small  amounts  of  black  metal  influences  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Zwischen  Menschen"  "Heimweh"  "Glueck  Im  Ungluek"  and  "Sanctum  Imperium".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.    

Albatross/Vestal Claret/The Kissing Files/Roadcrew Records/2012 Split CD Review

 

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  India's  Albatross  and  Connecticut's  Vestal Claret  called  "The  Kissing  Files"  and  was  released  by  Roadcrew  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Albatross  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  heavy  and  doom  metal  along  with  some  thrash  and  death  metal  influences.

  "Wither"  which  is  also  the  first  song  on  their  side  of  the  split  opens  up with  distorted  synths  and  spoken  word  samples  as  well  as  some  melodic  vocals  and  serves  as  an  intro  for  the  album.

  "Uncle  Sunny  At  the  Tavern"  begins  with  heavy  and  melodic  old  school  metal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  along  with  some  hard  rock  style  guitar  leads  that  come  in  and  out  of  the  song  which  also  leads  up  to  clean  singing  vocals  that  also  utilize  some  aggressive  screams  as  the  song  moves  on  before  returning  back  to  a  melodic  direction.

  "Kissing  Flies"  opens  up  with  clean  guitars  and  melodic  vocals before  adding  in  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  drums  as  well  as  some  power  metal  style  singing  which  also  utilize  some  aggressive  thrash  elements  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  there  is  a  brief  bass  solo  along  with  sounds  of  flies  before  adding   in a  regular  guitar  solo  and  you  can  also  hear  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  which  leads  to  a  brief  use  of  death  metal  growls  after  a  couple  of  minutes  and  a  mix  in  with  thrash  screams  and  melodic  vocals.

  'From  Ashes  Comes  Life"  which  is  also  the  last  song  on  their  side  of  the  split  begins  with  clean  guitar playing  and  melodic  vocals  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  bass  guitars  in  the  background  which  leads  up  to  drums  and  heavy/melodic  guitar  riffs  take  takes  the  music  into  an  epic  doom  metal  direction  and  then  the  aggressive  screams  kick  in along  with  brief  a  guitar  solo  that  starts  coming  in  and  out  shortly  after that   which  also  leads  up  to  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing before  getting  heavy  again  and  bringing  in  death  metal  growls.

  Song  lyrics  cover  horror  and  gothic  literature  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,.  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  as  well  as  most  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Albatross  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  heavy  and  doom  metal  with  thrash  and  death  metal  elements  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  ""Uncle  Sunny  At  the  Tavern"  and  "From  Ashes  Comes  Life".  RECOMMENDED.

  Next  up is  Vestal  Claret  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  traditional  doom  metal  and  occult  rock.

  "Black  Priest"  opens  up  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  you  can  hear  bass  and  clean  guitars  coming  in  along  with  some  melodic  clean  singing  vocals and  then  going  into  a  heavy  doom  metal  direction  as  well  as  utilizing  melodic  guitar  riffing  which  also  leads  to the  song  alternating  between  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  guitar  solos  and  leads  also  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song.

  Song  lyrics  cover  Occultism  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording.      

  In  my  opinion this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Vestal  Claret  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  traditional  doom  metal  and  occult  rock,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  doom  metal.  RECOMMENDED  BUY.