Djinn And Miskatonic/Forever In The Realm/Transcending Obscurity India/2013 CD Review

  Djinn  And  Miskatonic  are  a  band  from  India  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom,  sludge,  stoner  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Forever  In  The  Realm"  which  was  released  by  Transcending  Obscurity  India.

  "7  Year  Witch"  begins  with  with  some  spoken  word  parts  about  witchcraft  which  leads  up to some  heavy  doom  metal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  as  well  as  some  bass  guitars  and  after  awhile  melodic  clean  singing  vocals  make  their  way  into  the  song  as  well  as  some  deep  death  metal  growls  which  also  leads  to  the  guitar  riffing  utilizing  some  melody  and  as  the  song  moves  on  their  is  a  brief  use  of  ritualistic  chanting  that  comes  in  and  out  before  speeding  up  in  certain  sections.

  "Book  Of  The  Fallen" begins  with  some  heavy  bass  guitars  which  lead  up  to some  drums  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  then  a  minute  later  melodic  vocals  and  death  metal growls  make  their  way  into  the  song  along  with  a  small  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  and  after  awhile  minutes  dark  sounding  melodies  make  their  way  into  the  guitar  riffing.

  "Vulcan  Forge"  begins  with  some  background  people  sounds  and  bass  guitars  and  a  minute  melodic  vocals  make  their  way  into  the  song  as  well  as  some  70s  sounds  which  also  help  out  when  the  vocals  get  slightly  more  aggressive.

  'Voice  From  The  Tomb"  begins  with  some  demonic  chanting  and  serves  as  an  intro  for  the  next  song.


  "Weird  Tales"  begins  with  some  heavy  bass  guitar  riffs  before  adding  in  some  drums  a  few  seconds  later  and   after  a  couple  of  minutes  psychedelic  guitar  solos  and  leads  become  a  part  of  the  song  as  well  as  some  melodic  guitar  riffs  and  as  time  goes  by  melodic  clean  singing  starts  making  its  way  into  the  song  as  well  as  some  growls  and  screams  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  as  well  as  some  psychedelic  sound  effects  and  the  song  closes  with  some  doom/death  metal  style  guitar  riffing.

  Song  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Witchcraft, Lovecraft  and  Alcohol  themes,  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  some  of  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Djinn  And  Miskatonic  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  doom,  sludge,  stoner  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  yo  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "7  Year  Witch"  and  "Weird  Tales".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.      

Pyramido Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Dan H: Planning a european tour and rehersing a bit. Maybe Wendel bought a new car.
Dan B: We've probably been eating tacos.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album you just recorded and how does it differ from the last recordings you have put out?
Dan B: We have worked hard with the arrangements of the songs and melodies and harmonies got more room on the SAGA album. And the vocals are more focused, maybe cuz the lyrics are in swedish .
Virre Forre: It's not as thick as the previous recordings, there are a bit more air on this release.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics the new release explores and also how would you describe your progress as song writers over the years?
Ronnie: I always write about my near and dear. It can be about averything from Love, Loss of near ones and social injustices... As long as it feels good to me I will scream about it. For this album all the lyrics are in swedish wich was just a thing I wanted to try out.  

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Pyramido?
Dan H: Just a cool name. I think we got it from bands like Sarcófago and yeah, pyramids are quite cool and mysterious. People sometimes have a difficult time prenouncing it.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
Dan H: I would describe our stage perfomance as very fucking average
Dan B: 5 guys in t-shirts, sneakers and jeans.
Wendel: The best show memory for me is our gig in Ljubljana a few years ago! Our stage performance is something like Behemoth, but without the armour, corpse paint, fire breathing, blood and synchronized headbanging. Five guys hanging out at the stage, maybe drinking some beers, playing electrified boogie rock songs.
Virre Forre: We played one amazing show in Austria, way out in the outbacks. It was some sort of crust festival in a tent, must have been 35-40 degrees in there. The whole day hade bben really sweet, relaxing in the grass and so on. We all played really good on that show, tight and intense. Was a fun evening. On stage I think we´re fairly regular, we play our music and we do it well.

6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
Dan H: Of course! We have a european tour coming up and these are the dates:


September:
27 friday – Bremen – G18
28 saturday – Frankfurt - eXzess
29 sunday – Karlsruhe – Halle14
30 monday – Mainz – Haus Mainusch
October:
1 tuesday - Strasbourg – Molodoi
2 wednesday – Freiburg - KTS Freiburg
3 thursday - Lausanne - TBA
4 friday – Bremgarten - KuZeb
5 saturday – Winterthur - GGS31
6 sunday – Biel - Schrottbar
7 monday – DAY OFF
8 tuesday – Wien - EKH
9 wednesday - Erlangen - Jugendhaus Erlangen
10 thursday – Leipzig - Black Label Pub
11 friday – Berlin – Kastaniekeller
12 saturday - Hamburg – Störtebeker

And I would say my best show with the band was playing in England somewhere. I had some sort of nervous breakdown before the show. Saw strange shadows behind me and felt really really anxious. Then when we played I got this amazing rush. Hard to describe. Hair stood out all over my body. Mind and body sometimes works in mysterious ways together.
Dan B: Yeah and we´re always looking for shows. Don´t be shy, contact us and book us!
AND we are going to play with this amazing Finnish band FALCON (ex. Circle) in our home town in the end of October!
Wendel: Don't be shy, be different! Book Pyramido! We just want some beers, dinner, somewhere to sleep, some money, and a good time!

7. The new album came out on both La Familia and Farewell Records, can you tell us a little bit more about these record labels?
Dan B: These are German labels who only puts out vinyl. They release mostly hardcore, bands like Victims, Wolfbrigade and stuff like that.
Virre Forre: They have been really easy to work with, and the result is looking really good. Don't know what more to say about them, fine labels run by fine people!

8. What is going on with the other musical projects these days?
Dan B: Yeah, we got some musical sideprojects going on. Not that interesting. Focus is on Pyramido.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the newer music by fans of underground music?
Dan H: We haven´t heard much from the underground yet (not much from the overground either). We got a good spread in swedish metal magazine Close-Up for their october number. And a couple of nice reviews online as well. Hopefully we´ll hear more when the album is actually released (september 27th).

Ronnie:The reviews we got so far has been above average and we are happy that people like what they hear.

10. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
Dan H: Anywhere we want it to! We don´t feel limited anymore. That thought makes me really happy.
Dan B: Doing good music, not average.

11.What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Dan H: Well, sludge i guess. And then we listen to so much different music all of us so I guess that leaks into the things we create. Maybe swedish psychadelic bands such as Kebnekajse have a bit to do with some of our harmonies. I listen mostly to rap music nowadays. But I also listen to John Coltrane. If you´ve set your mind to listen to Coltrane, well then you could listen to Coltrane for the rest of your days. So much records and so many different styles.
Dan B: I think that cuz we all are music lovers, record collectors make Pyramido to a melting pot of ideas from different kind of music.
Wendel: I am inspired mainly by the classic death metal and black metal bands, but also some hardcore.

12.Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Dan H: Badminton and eating delicious food.
Dan B: Movies, travelling and beer.
Wendel: Cars, martial arts and romantic comedies with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.

Virre Forre: After work, all time is spent playing with my daughter Amira and cooking food to my lovely wife, Samantha!

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

Dan B: Thanx alot for your interest in Pyramido! And we´re looking for a label that can relesase "Saga" in the U.S. 

When The Deadbolt Breaks/Drifting Towards the Edge Of The Earth/EarOne Productions/2013 Double CD Review

 

  When  The  Deadbolt  Breaks  are  a  band  from  Connecticut  that  plays  a  very  experimental  form  of  sludge/doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Drifting  Towards  The  Edge  Of  The  Earth"  which  was  released  by  EarOne  Productions.

 "The  Woods  Are Full  of  Killers"  begins  with  some  heavy  distortion  before  going  into  a  dark and  melodic  sounding  guitar  riff  and  a  minute  later  you  can  hear  some  bass  and  acoustic  guitars  while  still  remaining  heavy  and  then  the  power  chords,  drums  and  melodic  clean  singing  vocals  start  kicking  in  and  after  a  few  minutes  there  is  a  brief  use  of  high  pitched  sludge  screams  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  towards  the  end  the  music  starts  getting  alot  more  heavier.

  "The  Scavenger's  Daughter"  begins  with  classic  rock  style  guitar  leads  and  then  some  bass  guitars  and  drums  start  kicking  in  as  well  as  some  vocals  and  heavy  guitar rhythms  and  a  few  minutes  later  the  vocals  start  adding  in some  more  aggressive  elements  while  also  not  being  too  high  pitched  which  also  takes  the  music  into  a  heavier  direction  and  the  song  closes  with  some  spoken  word  samples.

  "Sleeps  In  Burning  Hills"  begins  with  some  heavy  doom  metal  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  which  lead  to  some  aggressive  style  vocals  and  a  few  minutes  later  the  guitars  stop  briefly  and  the  song  adds  in some  distortion  and  acoustic  guitars  along  with  a brief  use  of  spoken  words as  well  as  some  heavy  bass  guitars  and  then  the  music  goes  into  a  heavy  and  melodic  direction  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  and  then  the  acoustic  guitars  and  nature  sounds  start  coming  in.

  "Too  Much  Perfection  Is  A  Mistake"  begins  with  some  nature  sounds  and  heavy  distortion  which  then  leads  to some  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  clean  playing  in  the background  an d this  song  is  all  instrumental  with  no  vocals.

  "California  Comes  The  Rain"  begins  with  some  dark  clean  guitar  playing  and  after  awhile  melodic  vocals  start  making  their  way  into  the  music  as  well  as  some  drums  and  then  the  heavy  guitars  and  sludge  screams  start  making  their  presence  known  as  well  as  some  deep  death  metal growls  and  the  guitars  also  start  bringing  in  some  dark  sounding  melodies  along  with  the  bass  guitars  getting  alot  more  stronger  and  heavier.

  "GunSwallower"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  melodic  vocals  and  then  the  guitars  start  adding  some  melody  into  the  riffing  and  then t he  vocals  turn  into  high  pitched  screams  which  also  leads  to  some  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  as  well  as  deep  growls  but  the  clean  singing  does  return  in  certain  parts  of  the song  and  towards  the  end  the  guitars  stop  for  a  few  seconds  and  go  into  distorted  parts  briefly  before  returning  to  being  heavy  again  and  adding  in   some  fast  bass  guitar  riffs  briefly.

  "Hide  The  Bodies  From  God"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  sludge  style  vocals  as  well  as  some  deep  growls  and  after  a  while  the  music  goes  into  a  cleaner  direction  with  some  acoustic  guitars  and  spoken  word  parts  but  also  bringing  in  some  melodic  riffing  and  pianos  and  towards  the  end  of  the  song  the  music  returns  to a  heavier  direction.

  "We  Are  the  Wolves"  begins  with  some  drum  beats  and  a  few  seconds  later  heavy  bass  guitars  and  clean  singing  make  their  way  into  the  song  which  lead  to  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  aggressive  vocals  and  then  guitar  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song  and  the  melodic  vocals  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  song  and  the riffing  also  starts  utilizing  some melody.

  "My  Coffin  Is  Loaded  With  Sand  And  Fire  Part  I" begins  with  some  heavy  bass  guitars  and  drums  and  then  some  clean  guitar  riffs  and  melodic  vocals  start  coming  in  and  after  awhile  classic  rock  style  guitar  leads  become  a  part  of  the  song  and  start  coming  in  and  out  and  towards  the  end  the  music  starts getting  alot  heavier.

  "My  Coffin  Is  Loaded  With  Sand  And  Fire  Part  II"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums,  growls  and  screams  and  as  time  moves  by  the  guitar  riffing  starts  adding  in  some  70s  style  melodic  metal   riffing  and  a  few  seconds  there  is  a  brief  use  of  clean singing  being  utilized.

  "My  Coffin  Is  Loaded  With  Sand  And  Fire  Part  III"  begins  with  some  distorted  parts  and  psychedelic  sounds  as well  as  some  drums  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  some clean  guitars  which  leads  to  some spoken  word  samples  and  towards  the end  there  are  some  melodic  female  vocals  being  utilized.

 "My  Coffin  Is  Loaded  With  Sand  And  Fire  Part IV"  begins  with  some  clean  rhythm  and  bass  guitar  playing  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  start  coming into  the  song  as  well  as  some  aggressive  vocals  and  a  minute  later  guitar  leads  start  coming in  and  out  of  the  song  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken word  parts,  around  the  5  minute  mark  the  bass  guitar  starts  taking  over  the  song  but  also  keeping  around  some  of  the guitar  leads  which  leads  to some melodic  female  vocals  being  utilized  briefly  and  towards the  end  the heavy  guitar  riffs  return  and  also  bring  in some  melodic  male  vocals.

  "My  Coffin  Is  Loaded  With  Sand  And  Fire  Part  V"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  aggressive  vocals  and  after  awhile  post  rock elements  are brought  into  the  song  along  with  some  distorted  and  psychedelic  effects  which  lead  to  some  melodic  female  vocals  and  a  few  minutes  later  the  song  goes  more  into  a  drone  direction  but  does  go  back  to  its  heavier  roots  after  a  couple  of  minutes  and  the  song  and  album  closes  with  some distorted  parts.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark  themes  along  with  the  last  5  songs  having  a  concept  to  them,  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  most  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  When  The  Deadbolt  Breaks  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  sludge/doom  metal  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Woods  Are Full  of  Killers"  "Sleeps  In  Burning  Hills"  and  "We  Are  the  Wolves".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.    
  

Pyramido/Saga/ La Familia/Farewell Records/2013 CD Review

 Pyramido  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this    is  a  review  of  their  2013 album  "Saga"  which  was  released  by La  Familia/Farewell Records.

  "Varje steg ar  ett  snedsteg"   begins  with some distorted  effects which  lead  to  some heavy  guitar  riffs, drums,  growls  and  screams and  after awhile the  guitar  riffing starts  adding  in  some  dark  sounding  melodies and as  the  song moves on the  riffs get  more  diverse  while  remaining  true  to  doom  metal  and  sludge.

  "Ar  Av  Onad"  begins  with  some  heavy and distorted   guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  then  lead  to  the vocals  kicking in  along  with  some    melodic  sounding  guitar  leads  a  few   seconds  later  as  well  as  some  powerful  bass  guitars  and  a  few  minutes  later  they  take  over  along with some  clean playing before getting heavy again  and  adding  some     melody  to  the  guitar  riffing.

  "Fosie"  begins  with  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  along  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies  and  then  some  high  pitched  screams  and  more  aggressive  drums  come  in  briefly  while  the  screams  remain  and  the  drumming  goes  back  to  being  slow  and  the  song  for  the  most  part  stays  in  the  same  musical  direction  until  the  end.

  "Klockrike"  begins  with  some  sound  effects  and  psychedelic  style  synths  and  after  awhile  drums  start  kicking  in  along  with  some  guitar  leads  a  minute  later  and  there  are  no  vocals  present  on  this  song  with  the  music  being  all  instrumental.

  "Ingen  manniska  ar  en"  begins  with  some  melodic  guitar  riffs,  heavy  bass  guitars  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  high  pitched  screams  kicking  in  and  a  few  minutes  later  there  is  a  brieef  use  of  melodic  guitar  leads  being  utilized  for  a  few  seconds  and  the  song  remains  slow  from  beginning  to  end.

  "Tiden  ar  kommen"  begins  with  some  heavy  bass  guitars  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  after  awhile  the  sludge  style  screams  become  a  part  of  the  song  as  well  as  some  dark  melodic  guitar  riffing  as  well  as  some  heavy  bass  guitars.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  Swedish  and  cover  dark  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  dark  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  album.

  In  my  opinion  Pyramido  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musicla  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Varje steg ar  ett  snedsteg"  and  "Ingen  manniska  ar  en".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Akris/Self Titled/Domestic Genocide/2013 CD Review

  Akris  are  a  band  from  Virginia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  experimental,  psychedelic,  noise  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled 2013  album  which  was  released  by  Domestic  Genocide.

  "Fighter  Pilot"  begins  with  some  drum  playing  and  heavy  distorted  bass  guitars  which  lead  to  some  melodic  female  vocals  and  towards  the  end  the  music  starts  mixing  in  a  small  amount  of  aggressive  elements.

  "Brown"  begins  with  some  drone  sounds  which  then  leads  to  some  heavy  bass  guitars  which  leads  to  some  psychedelic  and  experimental  elements  to  the  song  as  well  as  some  melodic  vocals  which  start   adding  in  aggressive   parts  after  awhile and  the  song  closes  with  some  noise  effects.

  "Profit"  begins  with  some  avant  garde  sound  effects  which  lead  to  some  drums  and  bass  guitars  and  after  awhile  the  vocals  start  kicking  in  and  combine  melodic  singing  and  aggressive  screams  together  and  after  awhile  the  drumming  starts  throwing  in  some  fast  playing  briefly  before  slowing  down  and  adding  in  more  sound  effects.

  "Unidentified"  begins  with  some  fast  punk  style  bass  guitars,  drums  and  aggressive  screams  before  slowing  down  and  adding  in  melodic  vocals  before  making  switches  back  and  forth  between  fast  and  slow  parts.

  "Riverbed"  begins  with  some  heavy  amplified  distortion  before  bringing  in  the  drums  and  bass  guitars  and  setting  the  mood  for  some  melodic  vocals  and  as  the  song  moves  on  the  vocals  turn  into  sludge  style  screams  before  going  back  into  a  melodic  direction.

  "Part  Of  Me"  begins  with  some  drums  and  melodic  vocals  which  set  up  the  mood  for  some  heavy  bass  guitars  and  after  awhile  screams  start  making  their  way  into  the  song  and  after  a  few  minutes  it  goes  into  a  more  silent  direction  for  a  minute  before  returning  with  psychedelic  drone  sounds,  bass  guitars  and  melodic  vocals

  "Row  Of  Lights"  begins  with  some  heavy  bass  guitars  and  aggressive  screams  which  leads  up  to  some  powerful  drumming  and  after  awhile  starts  switching  back  and  forth  between  slow  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  bringing  melodic  vocals  into  the  mix.

  "Vomit  Within"  begins  with  some  bass  guitars  and  distorted  effects  and  a  minute  later  drums  and  melodic  vocals  start  making  their  way  into  the  song  and  after  a  few  minutes  aggressive  screams  start  becoming  a  part  of  the  song  along  with  some  male  vocals  and  spoken  word  parts  which  lead  to  the  song  speeding  up  a  couple  of  steps  and  adding  in  some  distorted  effects  and  a  few  minutes  later  you  can  hear  more  of  them  in  the  background  behind  the  bass  guitars.

  "Redeemer"  begins  with  some  heavy  bass  guitars  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  melodic  vocals  and  the  song  stays  in  the  same  direction  for  its  entire  5  minutes  but  there  are  some  aggressive  sounding  screams  towards  the  end.

  "Suffocate"  begins  with  some  heavy  bass  guitars  and  drums  and  a  minute  later  aggressive  screams  become  a  part  of  the  music  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  as  the  song  moves  on  the  bass  playing  gets  more  diverse.

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

  In  my  opinion  Akris  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  experimental,  noise,  psychedelic  and  sludge  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fighter  Pilot"  "Unidentified"  "Part  Of  Me"  and  "Suffocate".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.    

Blind To Faith/Under The Heptagram/A389 Recordings/2013 EP Review

  Blind  To  Faith  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  death  metal  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  ep  "Under  The  Heptagram"  which  was  released  by  A389  Recordings.

  "Intro"  begins  with  some  distorted  guitar  effects  and  after  awhile  the  guitar  riffs  get  alot  heavier  in  the  doom  metal  direction  and  the  drums  start  kicking  in  and  you  can  hear  some  synths  in  the  background  and  towards  the  end  it  goes  more  into  a  faster  more  punk  sounding  direction  along  with  some  guitar  solos.

  "Under The Heptagram"  begins  with  some  heavy  hardcore  punk  style  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  aggressive  sounding  vocals  and  it  stays  in  an  old  school  direction  for  its  2  minutes.

  "Burial  In  Mankind"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs,  distorted  guitar  leads  and  drums  which  set  up  the  mood  for  some  aggressive  vocals  and  a  minute  later  it  goes  into  a  more  slow,  dark  and  heavy  direction  before  switching  back  and  forth  between  slow  and  mid  paced  parts  as  well  as  bringing  whispers  into t he  mix.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  with  the  bass  guitars  being  mixed  down  low  in  the  mix.

  In  my  opinion  Blind  To  Faith  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  sludge,  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Burial  In  Mankind".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.       

Gnaw/Horrible Chamber/Seventh Rule Recordings/2013 CD Review

 

  Gnaw  are  a  band  from  New  York  that  plays  a  mixture  of  industrial,  harsh  noise,  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album "Horrible  Chamber"  which  was  released  by  Seventh  Rule  Recordings.

   "Humming"  begins  with  some  sound  effects  and  background  noises  which  start  getting  more  harsh  as  the  song  moves  on  setting  up  the  mood  for  some  high  pitched  screams  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  some  background  demonic  vocal  sounds.

  "Embers"  begins  with  powerful  drums,  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  high  pitched  screams,  staying  int  that  direction  for  a  few  minutes  and  after  a  few  minutes  the  guitars  vanish  and  the  song  goes  more  into  an  ambient  noise  direction.

  "Water  Ride"  begins  with  drone  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  industrial/noise  sound  effects,  whispers  and  high  pitched  screams  and  you  can  hear  some  powerful  bass  playing  in  the  background  and  a  few  minutes  later  the  music  slows  down  a  bit  and  goes  more  into  bass  playing  and  industrial  sounds  while  also  keeping  around  the  vocals  and  towards  the  end  it  goes  into  a  more  pure  noise  direction.

  "Worm"  begins  with  some  drum  playing  which  leads  to  some  powerful  bass  playing  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  background  power  electronics  which  also  set  up  the  mood  for  some  melodic  vocals  and  after  a  few  minutes  you  can  hear  a  brief  use  of  distorted  guitar  leads  as  well  as  the  vocals  getting  alot  more  aggressive.

  "Widowkeeper"  begins  with  some  noise  effects  and  after  a  minute  spoken  word  parts  start  kicking  in  and  as  the  song  moves  on  drums  make  their  way  into  the  mix  which  leads  to  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  which  in  return  sets  up  the  mood  for  some  high  pitched  screams  and  deep  growls  and  the  song  stays  in  the  same  direction  till  the  end.

  "Vulture"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  amp  distortion  and  drone  style  riffs  which  leads  to  some  drums  and  after  awhile  powerful  bass  playing  and  high  pitched  screams  make  their  presence  known  and  as  the  song  moves  in  power  electronics  make  their  way  into  the  mix  briefly  and  the  bass  takes  over  as  the  lead  instrument.

  "This  Horrible  Chamber"  begins  with  some  clean  guitar  riffing  which  leads  to  some  whispers  and  after  awhile  noise  loops  and  guitar  amp  distortion  make  their  presence  known  and  takes  the  music  into  a  darker  direction  setting  up  the  mood  for  some  high  pitched  screams  and  harsh  power  electronics  and  as  time  goes  by  drums  start  making  their way  into  the  mix.

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

  In  my  opinion  Gnaw  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  noise,  industrial  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Embers"  "Worm"  and  "This  Horrible  Chamber".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

Arcade Eyes/Self Titled/2013 CD Review

  Arcade  Eyes  are  a  band  from  France  that  includes  members  of  Crown,  Earthship  and  Smokin  44  with  a  musical  style  that  I  would  describe  as  being  a  mixture  of   psych,   sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  and  self  titled  2013  album.

  "Circles  Of  Black  Shadows"  begins  with  some  psychedelic  style  guitar  riffing  along  with  some  drums  and  sound  effects  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  and  adding  in  some  growls  along  with  heavy  and  melodic  riffing  which  leads  to  some  melodic  clean  singing,  after  awhile  powerful  bass  guitars  make  their  presence  known  along  with  more  sound  effects  before  going  back  to  the  heavier  parts  while  also  keeping  the  psychedelic  sounds  around  and  towards  the  end  you  can  hear  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  leads.

  "Tales  Of  greed"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  growls  in  the  Southern  sludge  style and  as  the  song  moves  on  you  can  hear  some  acid  trip  style  effects  while  also  remaining  heavy.

  "Waves  Of  Flesh"  begins  with  some  drum  playing  along  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  setting  up  the  mood  for  some  melodic  vocals  and  death  metal  growls  and  as  the  song  moves  on  it  gets  more  psychedelic  sounding  along  with  the  heavy  riffing.

  "Iron  Tongue"  begins  with  some  distorted  effects  before  kicking  into  drums  and  70's  style  guitar  riffing  which  also  sets  up  the  mood  for  some  growls  and  the  song  is  less  than  2  minutes  long.

  "Into  The  Veil"  begins  with  some  distorted  bass  playing  and  growls  which  also  lead  to  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  as  well  as  some  drums  and as  the  song  moves  on  it  starts  mixing  in  some  melodic  riffing  and  vocals  while  focusing  mostly  on  growls  as  well  as  a  brief  guitar  lead.

  "Fragments"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  growls  before  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  noise  rock  style  leads  along  with  some  psych  effects  before  returning  to  the  heavy  sludge  and  doom  which  also  leads  to  some  clean  singing  and  melodic  guitar  riffing  and  as  the  song  moves  on  it  starts  mixing  in  more  70s  rock  elements  with  the  metal  parts.

  "Soundtrack  For  Salvation"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  growls  which  also  set  up  the  mood  for  some  melody  getting  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  riffing  and  as  the  song  moves  it  gets  even  more  heavy  and  diverse.

  "Embrace  The  Fire"  begins  with  some  clean  guitar  playing  along  with  some  percussion  and  after  awhile  heavy  bass  guitars  make  their  presence  known  as  well  as  some  melodic  style  post  guitar  style  parts  along  with  some  background  ambient  sounds,  as  the  song  moves  on  melodic  vocals  start  kicking  in

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on t he  album.

  In  my  opinion  Arcade  Eyes  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  psych,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Circles  Of  Black  Shadows"  "Into  The  Veil"  and  "Embrace  The  Fire".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.