Humilation/Battalion/Deepsend Records/2014 CD Review

Humilation  are  a  band  from  Malaysia  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  death  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Battalion"  which  was  released  by  Deepsend  Records.

  Militant  drum  beats  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  some  heavy  guitars  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  for  more  of  an  old  school  death  metal  sound  along  with  some  growls  and  doom  metal  elements  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  

  You  can  hear  a  lot  of  the  early  90's  English  style  of  death  metal  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  there  are  also  some  melodic  and  guitar  leads  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  music  sticks  mostly  to  a  slow  or  mid  paced  direction  while  there  are  a  small  amount  of  fast  parts  and  blast  beats  in  some  of  the  tracks.

  Humilation  continues  the  doom/death  metal  sound  of  previous  recordings  while  also  bringing  back  some  Bolt  Thrower  influences  from  their  earlier  material  and  all  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  in  the  90's,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  war  and  violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Humilation  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Post  Aftermath"  "The  Killing  Campaign"  "War  Path"  and  "Restless  Fight'.  8  out  of  10.

      

Spiralism Interview

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

Four musicians trying to evolve musically and push the boundaries.
That's basically the thriving force.

2.You have an album coming out in December, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Psychedelic, progressive, atmospheric, from soft to brutal. Beauty % the beast ;) Gods & Demons.

3.The band has been around since 2010 but so far has only put out onefull length, can you tell us a little bit more about the first 4 years?

Well we have prepared the songs at our rehearsal studio / studios to that point that at the recording process there was basically only the need to nail them. That's taken a lot of time. The first riffs which
can be heard also in the record has been around since 2007! But we are patient folks and music takes
it's own time to form as it should be. Big step was also that we found a partner in crime (Sami Wirkkala from Hidria Spacefolk) to work with us on the album as a Co. producer & sound engineer.
His effort on the overall sound of the album is really important.

The band was formed 2010 by me and Juho. And for four years the second guitarist was Jani Marjoniemi who had to leave the band for personal reasons this year. His guitars & vocals are still heard throughout the
whole album.
I knew our drummer Oskari through our previous band where we used to play together and he decided to join the band at 2012 after our previous drummer Reko Aho decided to focus on his band Pariisin Kevät.
Tuomo joined us on 2013 summer, and we were a five peace for some time.
Now the line-up is as it should be, stars aligned. We all have a wide musical background on playing in different projects & bands.

4/Your lyrics cover some Occult topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this subject?

Well I've formed an interested to the topic since my teenager years.
Studied some comparative religion at the university also. Basically it's more interesting to write from myths, metaphors & symbolism (on this era at least) than for example whine about my personal life.
(that would be boring, "woke up this morning, took a shit, drank some coffee, orange juice versus apple juice, went to work etc.")

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

From my point of view people always follow some isms. Even if they dont admit or do it literally they relly are. Even if it's nothing itis. The spiral is a beautiful and simple symbol for life & development and positive & negative sense. So that's a pure ism to follow.

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

There are many but for me personally was a great honour to share the stage with Sleep Of Monsters whose frontman Ike Vil is a top pioneer inside the frames of occult rock in Finland.
We give our 110% and put the amps to 11.

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

We have two album release parties where we play the songs on the same order than on the album. From the beginning to the end. Then we are booking shows and hopefully get as many gigs as there is possible.

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

It's been really good and inspires us to push the boundaries further forward.

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

Spiraling

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

Good music in general. From childhood the coolest thing was Metallica & Nirvana etc. Everything goes and we drain influences from all we hear I quess. There's really no borders. From metal I've always appreciated the music of Tool, Ozric Tentacles, Isis, Hidria Spacefolk, Mastodon & many others.
The groups I've found enjoyable novadays is Sólstafir (fucking awesome group) Ghost. Tombs. But old funk and prog rock from late 60 & 70' era gets my attention also.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

 

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

Spiral up & listen to Chakras!

Desert Storm/Horizontal Life/Blindslight Records/2013 CD Review

  Desert  Storm  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  with  a  touch  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Horizontal  Life"  which  was  released  by  Blindsight  Records.

  A  70's  style  stoner  rock  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  melody  and  heaviness  and  after  awhile  aggressive  yet  melodic  vocals  become  a  part  of  the  music  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added into  the  music  they  continue  with  the  70's  classic  rock  sound  and  you  can  also hear  a  good  amount  of  groove  metal  elements  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  At  times  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  samples  and  elements  of  space  and  ambient  music  are  added  into  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  more  of  a  death  metal  influence  at  times  and  a  few  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  after  a  few  songs  the  band  brings  in  psychedelic  elements along  with  small  amounts  of  clean  playing  and  acoustic guitars  while  they  still focus  more  on  heavy  parts

  Desert  Storm  takes  a  style  of  stoner  rock  and  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  as  well  as  adding  in  a  touch  of  death  metal,  ambient,  space  and  psychedelic  music  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Mythology  and  Metaphysical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Desert  Storm  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Shadow  of  An  Eagle"  "Enslaved  in  The  icy  Tundra"  "Lunar  Dromes"  and  "Scorpion".  8  out  of  10.

Cryptic Brood Interview

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

We are three maniacs from Wolfsburg/Germany. Because of our lust for rancid and rotten death metal, we started the band CRYPTIC BROOD at the beginning of the year 2013.


2. So far you have released a demo and a split, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings?

For the sound on both records I'm able to give you a very short answer: Mostly I would describe our sound as earthy and natural. No triggers, no samples. Just three guys playing death metal, captured by few mics in a room. Most of the songs on our demo are "fast" or somewhere in the mid-tempo-range, whereas the songs on the split with GRAVEYARD GHOUL contain more slower parts but still have those grinding eruptions.


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

Most of our lyrics are about morbid rites of black magic ending up in bloodshed and/or summoning the power of death. Some are about gore, some about zombies or just lying there and being exposed to putrefaction.


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

The “cryptic brood” are the creatures behind those nameless rituals described in your question about our lyrical topics. Creatures, acting at misty, gloomy places - evoking dark powers.


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

We played club and open air shows. Crowded shows, not so crowded shows. Local shows and shows in other countries. Every show is special in it’s own way. The smaller shows are more intense, the bigger ones impress with the huge amount of people in front of the stage. Driving far away to play shows is a great experience we hope to relive again a lot of times. We love to meet new friends and say hello to those old friends from far away, you only meet at festivals or when they are on tour with their band(s).


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

The number of played and still scheduled shows is fine. We also did some weekend tours with two or three shows in a row. We would love to play a tour for a longer time. Hopefully this will happen in the future.


7. Recently you where a part of a split with 'Graveyard ghoul', what are your thoughts on the other band and also how would you compare their musical style to yours?

I/we know GRAVEYARD GHOUL for a longer time. Great guys! Their passion for death metal is huge. Doing a split was just a question of time as our mindsets are in a similar vein. But the music still differs enough to make our split interesting.


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

We’re always looking for ways to spread our plague. There’s some interest, yes. But there’s nothing concrete. That means, we’re open/searching/whatever…


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

The feedback has been amazing so far. Our demo was re-released by Coffin Filth Records (Germany) and Chaos And Hell Productions (Greece). One more re-release gonna follow by Morbid Bastard Records (Indonesia) very soon.


10. What is going on with some of the other bands musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

Micha plays in a black metal band called PURGAMENTUM. They just released their first full-length. Check them out. I (Steffen) play in DISSOULED. We’re not playing shows right now. But there will be new stuff some day.


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

A full-length will come, when the time has come for it. We just write our music, play our songs. The growth of new material is self-explanatory. So let’s see, what will happen.


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

You will get different answers on this question, depending on who of us you’re asking. As you can read in the question about other band-projects, the musical taste is spread wide. But we all meet at Death Metal!


13. What are some of your non musical interests?

Combine one or more of the following with your favorite intoxicant: music, visiting concerts & festivals, (b-)movies, trading card games, table top games… I guess you don’t read this for the first time. Haha.


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

Uargh!!!

Eastfrisian Terror/EastfrisiaApokalypse/Rotten Roll Rex/2014 CD Review

  Eastfrisian Terror  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  brutal  mixture  of  doom,  sludge,  groove,  grindcore  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "EastfrisiaApokalypse"  which  was  released  by  Rotten  Roll  Rex.

  Sound  effects  and  synths  start off  the  album  giving  the  recording  an  epic  feeling  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  very  fast  grindcore  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  growls  as  well  as  adding  in  high  pitched  screams  at  times  along  with  the  riffs  adding  melodies  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerdul  sound  to  them.

  There  is  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  present  throughout  the  recording  along  with  pig  squeals  being  mixed  in  with  the  growls  and  when  solos  are  added  into  the  music  they  give  the  album  a  very  dark  and  melodic  doom  metal  feeling  and  they  also  bring  a  symphonic  sound  to  one  of  the  tracks  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  before  making  a  return  to  more  of  a  heavy  and  brutal  sound  and  towards  the  end  of  the  album a  few  seconds  of  clean  palying  are  dded  into  the  music.

  Eastrisian  Terror  add  in  more  groove  and  deathcore  elements  this  time  around  while  also  keeping  around  the  grindcore,  doom  and  death  metal  elements  of  their  previous  recording  and  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  progress  in  their  musical  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  Eastfrision  History  and  Tradition.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Eastfrisian  Terror  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Klaus  ohm"  "EastfrisiaApokalypse"  "Dospaddell"  and  "Eala  Freya  Fresena".  8  out  of  10.  

Ewigheim/24 7/Massacre Records/2014 CD Review

  Ewigheim  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  dark  form  of  gothic  metal  that  is  slightly  influenced  by  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "24  7"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

  A  very  old  school  gothic  rock  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  depressing  sounding  keyboards  and  a  few  seconds  later  melodic  clean  singing  starts  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  recording  along  with  the  music  getting  more  heavier  and  adding  in  a  metal  sound  that  they  also  mix  with  goth.

  On  some  of  the  later  tracks  a  good  amount  of  industrial  influences  are  added into  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  whispers  are  added into  the  recording  the  music  starts  having  more  of  a  black  metal  feeling  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added into the  music  they  add  in  more  of  melodic  gothic  metal/rock  sound  when they  are  utilized.

  Some  of  the  later  tracks  bring  in  spoken  word  parts  and  traces  of  neo-classical  music  and  after  the  first  half  of  the  album  which  is  all  originals  they  go  into  the  second  parts  which  is  all  cover  tunes  and  do  their  own  versions  of  songs  from  Laibach,  Sots,  Soko  Friedhof,  Neue  Weltordung,  and  Bluter.  and  they  go  for  more  of  a  goth/industrial  direction  on  these  tracks  while  also  remaining  true  to  their  metal  roots.

  Ewigheim  creates  a  very  interesting  sounding  recording  with  this  album  bringing  in  6  of  their  own  songs  that  continue  the  dark,  gothic  metal  sound  of  previous  recording  while  also  bringing  in  cover  tunes  that  also  show  their  industrial  roots,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  German  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ewighem  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tanz  um  dein  Leben"  "Gloria"  "Heimweg"  and  "Morgenrot".  8  out  of  10.

          

Spiralism/Chakras/Inverse Records/2014 CD Review

  Spiralism  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  psychedelic  form  of  post  metal  with  elements  of  doom  metal  and  this is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Chakras"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Inverse  Records.

  Psychedelic sound  effects  and  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  start  off  the  album  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  post  rock  style  guitars  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  the  music  starts  to  add  more  melody  and  metal  influences  after  awhile  along  with  a  mixture  of  growls,  screams  and  clean  singing.

  Most  of  the  tracks  on  the  recording  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  focuses  more  of  a  psychedelic  sound  that  is  heavily  influenced  by  70's  rock  but  more  up  to  date  and  at  times  the  music  also  brings  in  a  stoner  rock  vibe  to  some  of  the  tracks  and  a  few  songs  are  instrumentals  and  a  good  portion  of  the  music  has  an  improv  and  experimental  feeling  at  times.

  Spiralism  plays  a  very  heavy  form  of  psychedelic  rock  that  also  brings  in  some  of  the  heaviness  of  doom  and  post  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Spiralism  are  a  very  great  sounding  psychedelic  post  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album. RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sophia"  "Gnosis"  and  "Passages  of  Nuit".  8  out  of  10.

Graveyard Ghoul Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Shame on this people! We´re GRAVEYARD GHOUL from Germany and we play old school Death.

2.So far you have released 2 full lengths, a demo and a split, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on those recordings?
We like the old raw and dirty sound not the high production shit.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Our lyrics about horror, death and fun !

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Graveyard Ghoul'?
The inspiration is from old horror movies from 50´s to 1980´s. But the name is from the same song “Graveyard Ghoul´s” from the Swedish band Tribulation.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Some awesome shows. The best gigs was with our friends from REPUKED. And the gig in our hometown with the mighty Sadistic Intent…awesome. Pure Death Metal.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Yes, a short tour with CRYPTIC BROOD and we want to play on Festivals in 2015.

7.Recently you where a part of a split with Cryptic Blood, what are your thoughts on the other band that participated on the album?
First, the band called BROOD not Blood, sorry. So, CB are good friends of us and we think that was a good way to make a split with the guys…buy and die!

8.Currently the band is signed to Final Gate Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
No. It´s a very good label. Enough said!

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?
Ohh, the feedback was very good, I think the people love the old metal…again. That´s great!!!

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
At the moment  we are satisfied. We hope we recorded more records and play more shows.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Sooo many bands. A big influence is Autopsy and some other bands with Reifert. Other bands like Old Pestilence, Cancer, Necrophagia, Repulsion, Death…are a big influence too. But we still listen to other (not metal) music.

12.How would you describe your views on Occultism?
Occultism is ok, but all religion stuff is shit. The better way is – drink beer and worship music!

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
Me and Disgracer are biiiig Horror Movie Fans…we damn fuckin maniacs about that!  We still collect all from our favorite movies.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks for the interview…and listen/buy our music.
Uuuurrrghh….

Edge Of Haze/Illumine/2014 CD Review

  Edge Of  Haze  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  progressive  and  gothic  form  of  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Illumine".

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  progressive  rock  style  keyboards  and  you  can  also  hear  some  clean  playing  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  elements  of  prog  metal  and  a  great  amount  of  clean  singing  vocals  and  when  growls  are  utilized  they  bring  in  a  heavy  death  metal  influence  to  the  bands  musical  style.

  A good  portion  of  the  tracks a re  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  on  some  of  the  songs  evil  sounding  whispers  and  screams  are  utilized  and  bring  in  more  of  a  black  metal  feeling  when  they  are  utilized  and  there  are  also  moments  on  this  recording  where  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  and  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.

   When  acoustic  guitars  are  utilized  they  bring  in  even  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  to  the  tracks  that  they  are  utilized  on  and  some  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  that  also  bring  in  a  melodic  death  metal  influence  to  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  spoken  word  samples  along  with  female  vocals  can  be  heard  at  times.

  Edge  Of  Haze  plays  a  melodic  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  they  also  mix  in  with  prog  metal  and  goth  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own  as  well  as  making  this  genre  have  a  wider  appeal  with  the  way  they  structure  their  songs,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  loosely  based  on  the  book  "Escape  From  Camp  14".

  In  my  opinion  Edge  Of  haze  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  progressive,  goth,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Drawn"  "Crushed"  "Unlearn"  and  "Rainfell".  8  out  of  10.


        

Heavy Death/They Had No Names/Caligari Records/2014 Cassette Review

  Heavy  Death  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  that  continues  theirs  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  cassette  "They  Had  No  Names"  which  was  released  by  Caligari  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  distorted  drone  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  melodic  riff  which  leads  up  to  a  very  heavy  doom  metal  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  are  added  into  the  music  and  at  times  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  screams.

  Most  of  the  tracks  on  the  recording  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  bring  in  even  more  of  a  dark  and  melodic  sound  and  on  a  couple  of  the  tracks  melodic  clean  signing  is  brought  into  the  music  and  they  also  give  the  recording  a  stoner  metal  vibe  when  they  are  utilized  while  the  man  focus  remains  on  a  very  heavy  doom/death  metal  direction.

  Heavy  Death  continue  their  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  on  the  recording  while  also  updating  their  sound  a  bit  and  bringing  in  a  touch  of  stoner  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Heavy  Death  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  doom  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  cassette.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "They  Had  No  Names"  and  "Phase  Collapse".  8  out  of  10.

Graveyard Ghoul/Cryptic Brood/The Graveyard Brood/Final Gate Records/2014 Split EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  Germany's  Graveyard  Ghoul  and  Cryptic  Brood  called  "The  Graveyard  Brood"  which  was  released  by  Final  Gate  Records  in  2014  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Graveyard  Ghoul  a  band  that  plays  a  very  old  school  and  rotten  form  of  death  metal.

  A  very  dark  and  melodic  90's  style  doom/death  metal  riff  starts  off  their  side  of  the  split  before  speeding  up  a  bit  and  adding  in  blast  beats  as  well  as  grim  vocals  that  seem  to  be  influenced  by  black  metal  while  they  still  also  bring  in  a  1988  style  of  death  metal  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  hear  both  the  American  and  Swedish  style  in  the  bands  musical  style  but  done  in  more  of  a  raw  and  primitive  manner.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  their  side  of  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  all  3  of  their  tracks  stick  to  an  old  school  style  of  death/doom  metal  along  with  a  production  that  captures  a  very  pure  and  vintage  80's  still  sound  and  the  lyrics  cover  death,  darkness,  evil,  blood,  occultism  and  classic  horror  film  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Graveyard  Ghoul  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  death/doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Castle  Freak".

  Next  up  is  Cryptic  Brood  a  band  that  plays  an  early  90's  influenced  form  of  doom/death  metal.

  There  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  and  slow  open  note  sound  before  getting  more  heavy  and  going  into  a  doom  metal  direction  and  a  few seconds  later  death  metal  growls  are  added  into  the  music  as  well  as  speeding  up  and  adding  more  rawness  into  their  musical  style  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.

  After  awhile  the  music  starts  using  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  they  also  have  a  few  high  pitched  screams  coming  out  of  the  vocals  at  times  as  well  as  traces  of  melody,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  retro  while  you  can  still  hear all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording  on  their  3  tracks,  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Death  And  Dying  themes.

 In  my  opinion  Cryptic Brood  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  doom/death  metal band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should c heck  out t heir  music.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Rancid  Sorcery".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  death  and  doom  metal.  8/5 out  of  10.    

Midnite Congregation/Verse II/Midnight Collective/2014 Compilation Review

  This  is  a  review  of  the  second  volume  of  the  "Midnight  Congregation"  albums  which  was  released  by  Midnite  Collective  and  consists  of  the  stoner,  doom  and  sludge  metal  bands  that  are  signed  to  the  label  and  we  will  review  each  track  one  by  one.

  1.Shroud  Eater  brings  us  "Monolith"  a  song  that  starts  out  with  some  acoustic  guitars  before  going  into  a  heavier direction  along  with  some  clean  singing  stoner  rock  vocals  and  the  music  also  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  as  well  as  having  a  very  powerful  tone  on  the  bass  guitar  and  after  awhile  whispers  and  melodic  vocals  are  added  into  the  track

2.The  Haunting  Green  brings  us  "Blind  Me  Night"  a  10  ten  track  that  starts  out  with  psychedelic  sounds  along  with  some  drones  after  a  few  seconds  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  clean  playing  is  added  into  the  track  and  also  brings  in  a  post  rock  feeling  as  well  as  setting  up  the  mood  for  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  along  with  some  heavy  growls  and  screams.

  3.INVDRS  brings us  "Into  Your  Grave"  which  starts  off  with  a  powerful  bass  guitar  as  well  as  being  8  minutes  in  length  and  a  few  seconds  later  high  pitched  screams  kick  in  and  the  music  goes  into  a  slow  sludge/doom  metal  direction  which  it  sticks  to  

 4.Ladybird  brings  us  "Dim"  a  song  that  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy  and  distorted  doom  metal  sound  and  high  pitched  sludge  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  melody  in  the  bands  musical  style  in  both  the  riffs  and  leads.

 5.Trapped  Within  Burning  Machinery  brings  us  ")"  a  very  heavy  and  melodic  sludge  metal  sound  that  uses  a  great  amount  of  aggressive  high  pitched  screams  and  as  the  song  progresses  the  song  starts  incorporating  70's  style  doom  metal  leads  and  solos.

6.Cough  brings  us  "Fuck  Up"  a  song  that  starts  out  with  a  great  amount  of  reverb  and  distortion  before  gong  into  more  of  a  heavy  sludge/doom  metal  direction  along  with  some  angry  and  hateful  growls  adn  screams.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  compilation  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge,  doom  and  stoner  metal,  you  should  add  this  album  to  your  collection.  8  out  of  10.



         

In The Company Of Serpents/Merging In Light/2014 EP Review

  In  The  Company  Of  Serpents  are  a  band  from  Denver,  Colorado  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  stoner  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "Merging  In  Light".

  A  very  dark  and  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  bass  guitars  and  a  more  heavy  sound  which  also  brings  in  some  melodies  mixed  in  with  the  heaviness  at  times  and  the  music  goes  for  more  of  a  slow  sludge/doom  metal  direction  while  also  having  a  touch  of  stoner  and  70's  rock  in  their  musical  sound.

  When  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  mostly  grows  and  screams  that  have  a    stoner  metal  feeling  to  them  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  remain  in  a  very  slow,  dark  and  heavy  musical  direction  while  also  bringing  in  more  of  a  90's  approach  to this  genre  and  when  solos  in  leads  are  added  into  the  music  you  can  hear  elements  of  both  proto  metal  and  classic  rock  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  In  The  Company  Of  Serpents  plays  a  very  slow,  dark,  heavy  and  slow  mixture  of  sludge,  stoner  and  doom  metal  that  can  also  be  very  melodic  at  times  while  never  having  a  soft  moment,  the  production  sound s very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  In  The  Company  Of  Serpents  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge,  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "A  Union  Of  Opposites".  8  out  of  10.  

Gangrened Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
well, we started in sept. of 2012, we were 4 guys living in kokkola and forsby (west center coast of finland) and our first bass player was living between there and turku (south of finland). the idea of the band was to play heavy sludge, which still continues. and well, after that we have changed bass player twice, drummer, the original, left but we've found a solid replacement now, though was hard. and now also we will have a new bass player soon. we have released till now a split tape with the spanish band hipoxia and now we have a new record coming out, which i think is a definite step beyond from the tape.

2.Recently you have released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
really heavy and also dirty. theres a quite slow and long song, and a cover of black flag's "six pack", but we kind of made a new song, only the beginning is like the original. we are really proud of it. once smoking weed i played it and sounded fucking amazing so i guess it's good stuff :).

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
title, lirycs (except kontti) and artwork of the record refers to how many of the most influential members of the worlds economic and politic elites gather togheter, high on the concience of their privilege condition,  in secret societies (Free Mansonry, Skull and Bones, not fucking Iluminatti that is an invention to distract the attention from the real ones) unleashing their most pervert and occult desires while they are designing and imposing a "fenced" life in a "fenced" society for the rest of the common population. We are nothing.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Gangrened'?
we were looking for a dirty and ugly name for the band and it's the best we came up with, haha.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
best gig till now maybe was in turku in sept. of 2013. our gigs are really loud, that for sure. we have problems in some venues or bars. heavy and loud i would say. songs like "lung remover" sounds really evil, so with the heavyness and the loudness it becomes pretty cathartic.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
we play in the end of the november some gigs to present the new record. then also one in our hometown with the band callisto, to present their and our records. this in february. then in march we go to russia, and then we want to play more in finland and do some small tour around sweden and norway in spring or summer. that for now.

7.The ep was released on Bad Road Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
well, they are really fans of sludge metal, so for us is perfect that they put our record out. we like to work with entusiastic people that likes for real what we do.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of stoner, sludge, and doom metal?
well, considering that we are still really underground its being just fine, but this record is much better sounding than the tape so i guess it will have much better response. still it's too early to say cause it just came out.

9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
when the new line up is solid we will start putting togheter songs. the last year has been difficult to make songs cause members were coming and going, not having a solid drummer etc. but now will be time for that. i have many riffs and ideas that i want to put together. so i dont know, maybe around next summer or in a year we can maybe put together a full length. the musical direction the band would go? well, still heavy and dirty but  maybe more personal and more twisted riffs, for example i really like the band unsane, heavy noise rock etc, so wait for loads of feedback heaviness and roughness mixed with fat and heavy low and fuzzy guitars.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
black sabbath, eyehategod, unsane, bongzilla, sourvein and electric wizard, and some bands we have liked lately could be for example cough, windhand and grime.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
well, i personally care about politics. we say a lot with the title and artwork of the album, so clearly there is a lot to "clean" and to change about this situation.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
i dont know what i could add, contact us if u want the cd the tape or shirts wwww.gangrened.org. we are in facebook also.
and of course thanks a lot to you   for your interest in gangrened :) 

Plague Of Stars/When Morning Came/ZeroBudget Records/2014 CD Review

  Plague  Of  Stars  are  a  band  from  Minnesota  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom,  death  and  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "When  Morning  Came"  which  was  released  by  ZeroBudget Records.

 Clean  guitars  and  keyboards  which  also  are  a  huge  part  of  some  of  the  alter  songs  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  to  go  into  more  of  a  heavier  direction  along  with  some  melodic  female  vocals  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times  and  the  guitar  riffs  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  at  times  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  growls  screams  are   added  into  the  music  which  are  only  briefly  on  a  couple  of  the  tracks  and  they  bring  a  death  and  black  metal  influence  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  band  also  mixes  the  clean  and  heavy  parts  together  to  add  more  diversity  to  the  music  and  the  slow  heavy  parts  are  very  much  in  a  doom  metal  direction,  when  the  music  speeds  up  the  music  starts  to  have  more  of  a  melodic  death  metal  feeling.

  Plague  Of  Stars  plays  mostly  a  melodic  style  of  doom  metal  that  brings  in  the  vocals  of  goth  and  the  heaviness  of  death  and  black  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Plague  of  Stars  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  gothic,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Succumb  To  Darkness"  "When  Morning  Came"  "Lady  Lazarus"  and  "Drown".  8  out  of  10.

   



    

Trigger/Start Our Revenge/EveryDayHate Records/2014 CD Review

  Trigger  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  noise,  grindcore,  power  violence,  punk,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Start  Our  Revenge"  which  was  released  by  EveryDayHate  Records.

  Drum  beats,  distortion  and  high  pitched  screams  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  brutal  grindcore  direction  that  also  utilizes  blast  beats  and  growling  vocals  and  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  with  the  longest  one  being  a  little  over  a  minute  and  the  band  also  bring s in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  in  the  slower  sections  of  the recording  you  can  hear  a  very  heavy  sludge  and  doom  metal  influence  and  some  of  the  alter  tracks  see  some  more  angry  hardcore/crust  style  vocals  while  the  main  focus  remains  on  high  pitched  screams.

  Trigger  takes  the  heaviest,  brutal  and  rawest  elements  of  punk,  grind,  power  violence,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  combine  them  to  create  a  very original  sound  that  is  very  primitive  and  brutal from  beginning  to  end  of  the recording,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent,  angry  and  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Trigger  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  noise,  grindcore,  power  violence,  hardcore  punk,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Silence  Sucks!"  "Selfmade  GOds  of  Nothing"  "Allday  Hell"  and  "Massacres  Of  Religion".  8  out  of  10.

  

Vihaan/Invicta/2014 CD Review

  Vihaan  are  a  band  from  Detroit,  Michigan  that  plays  a  very  progressive  form  of  death/doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Invicta".

  Acoustic  guitars  and  a  heavy  yet  dark  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  few  seconds  later  deep  death  metal  growls  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  acoustic  and  heavy  parts  as  well  as  a  good  amount  of  melody  being  added  into  the  guitar  riffs  and  solos.

  You  can  hear  a  good  amount  of  synths  and  atmosphere  in  the  bands  musical  sound  at  times  along  with  the  clean  parts  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  progressive  elements  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you  can  hear  a  lot  of  jazz  fusion  being  mixed  in  with  the  clean  parts  a  great  amount  throughout  the  recording  and  they  also  add  in  a  couple  of  instrumentals  later  on  during  the  recording.

  On  some  of  the  tracks  the  synths  bring  in  a  very  dark  and  haunting  sound  to  the  recording  which  also  brings  in  a  70's  occult  rock  feeling  at  times,  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  a  slight  black  metal  influence  as  the  album  progresses  and  after  awhile t here  is  a  brief  use  of  melodic  clean  singing  vocals  being  utilized  briefly  and  the  heavier  parts  stick  mostly  to  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  as  well  as  adding  in  the  melancholic  feeling  of  doom  metal.

  Vihaan  plays  a  style  that combines  the  darkest  and  heaviest  elements  of  death  and  doom  metal  with  progressive  rock,  experimental  and  jazz  fusion  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  melancholic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vihaan  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  progressive  rock,  death  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Inflection"  and  "Valor".  8  out  of  10.