Gothic/Demons/Loud Rage Music/2017 CD Review

  Gothic  are  a  band  from  Romania  that plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Demons"  which  will  be  released  in  2017  by  Loud  Rage  Music.

  Melodic  guitar  leads  start  off  the  album  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  doom metal  elements  in t he  slower  sections  of the  songs  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  while  clean  singing  is  also  used  at  times  and  the  music  also  adds  in  touches  of  90's  goth/doom.

  Symphonic  elements  can  be  heard  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  some  songs  also  add  in  a  touch  of  prog  rock  and  there  are  also  some  songs  that h ave  an  80's  melodic  hard  rock/metal  vibe  to  them  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  high  pitched  screams  and  blast  beats are  also  used  briefly  and  classical  guitars  are  added  onto  the  last  track.

  Gothic  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  doom  and  mixes  it  with  death  and  goth  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  anguish,  lost  beliefs,  deep  desires and  regrets.

  In  my  opinion Gothic  are  a  very great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Disillusion"  "Time"  and  "New  End".  8  out  of  10.   

 

Oksennus/Sokea Idiotti/Caligari Records/2016 Cassette Review

  Oksennus  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  dark  and  experimental  form  of  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Sokea  Idiotti"  which  was  released  on  cassette  by  Caligari  Records.

  A  very  dark, r aw  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  deep  death  metal  growls  and  they  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  experimental  and  avant  garde  elements  and  high  pitched  screams  along  with  some  morbid  sounding  melodies  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  very  dark  and  melodic.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  doom  metal  and  some  of  the  faster  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  one  of  the  songs  is  all  instrumental  and  they  also  bring  in  a  couple  of  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  one  track  also brings  in  a  brief  use  of  folk  instruments  and  avant  garde  clean  singing  is  also  used  for  a  few  seconds.

  Okseunnus  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  death  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  it  with  experimental,  progressive  and  avant  garde  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Finnish  and  cover  existentialism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Oksennus  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  and  avant  garde mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ekspulso"  and  "Ekstinktio".  8  out  of  10.

Varaha/Self Titled/2016 EP Review

 Varaha  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  plays  an  atmospheric  form  of  doom/death  metal  with  some  goth  and  dark  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  and  self  titled 2016  ep.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  direction  and  add  in  touches  of  goth  and  dark  wave  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  after  awhile  clean  playing  and  clear  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length and  when  screams a re  utilized  they  add  in  touches  of  black  metal  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  violins  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  direction  and  takes  some  traces  of  90's  influenced  doom/death  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  a  more  modern  post  metal  style.

  Varaha  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  goth  and goth  rock  and  mixes  in  some  doom,  death,  black  and  post  metal  elements  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Varaha  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  mixture  of  goth  rock,  post  and  doom/death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Ghost".  8  out of  10.   

Desteriorot/In Ancient Beliefs/Xtreeem Music/2016 CD Re-Issue Review

  Deteriorot  are  a  band  from  North  Carolina  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2001  album  "In  Ancient  Beliefs"  which  was  re-issued  in  2016  by  Xtreem  Music.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  deep  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  doom  metal  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  true  to  a  very  old  school  style  of  death  metal and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  grim  screams  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  a  couple  of  tracks  also  brings in  a  brief  use  of  synths  while  clean  guitars  are  used  on  one  of  the  songs.

  Deteriorot  played  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  was  very  old  school  for  even  2001  while  also  being  very  heavy  and  dark,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Spirits,  Death,  Ceremonies,  and  Anti  Christianity  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Deteriorot  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "In  Ancient  Beliefs"  "Fallen  Misery"  "Eternal  Darkness"  and  Vile".  8  out  of  10.

Wrath Of Echoes/A Fading Bloodline/PRC Music/2017 CD Review

  Wrath Of  Echoes  are  a  band  from  Quebec,  Canada  that  plays  a  melodic mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "A  Fading  Bloodline"  which  will  be  released  in  2017  by PRC  Music.

  A  very  hard  sound  with  tragic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  mount  of  melody  and  after the  intro  depressive  yet  melodic  guitar  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  a great  amount  of death  metal  growls  and  grim  screams  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Half  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic in  length  and  semi  clean  playing  along  with  violins  and  symphonic  elements  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  riffing  is  mostly  done  in  a  doom/death  metal  style and  some  of  the  screams  bring  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction  and  one  track  also  introduces  melodic  vocals  onto the  recording.

  Wrath  Of  Echoes  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  atmospheric  doom  metal  and  mixes  it  with  melodic  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  poetic  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Wrath  Of  Echoes  are  a  very  great  sounding melodic  mixture of doom  and  death metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres, you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Fading  Bloodline"  and  "Wrath  Of  Echoes'.  8  out  of  10.

Herem Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

After the whole process of finishing the album to be ready release meaning recording, mixing, mastering and hiring an artist to realize  our ideas for an album cover we all sort of needed to take a break from it and let it breathe on its own for a bit.


2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

We wanted to have more dynamics and different nuances so with this in mind we concentrated a lot more in the arrangements for each song. I think this comes across pretty well and listening to the album is like going on this dark and heavy journey where these feelings are represented in very different ways.


3.This is the first album to come out in 5 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?

Well, playing shows and writing new material mostly. We do this because of our uncompromising passion for the sound of dark death/doom and since that will not put you in the charts or sell very many records we have to deal with our day jobs and other life situations that sometimes need to take priority for a while.


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

The lyrical themes on the new album feature occultism, horror fantasies and overall desperation: Scars is about using the markings of another persons skin to summon the dead into telling their stories and secrets. Snakes tells the story of sex, death and rebirth involved an occult ceremony. Slumber honors H.P.Lovecraft with a horror story filled with ancestral curses, nameless monsters and such. Drowning Steed is a woeful story leading to hopeless death and Edge of the World explores escapism as a way to cope with reality and depression. Fun and cheerful topics, right?


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

I think our our bass player Tommi found it in the bible or something and thought it would make a good name for a band. Nothing special or mystical there I'm afraid.


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?

Umm... I don't know if we are the right people to answer this :) Sometimes you feel like a show was close to shit but the audience loved it and sometimes the opposite.  It depends on so many things. But the fact is that we love playing live and for what we hear is that we sound best live as well. Not to say that our albums sound bad but playing live always brings out something special.


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

We have a show coming up in January 14th. It's in a boat called Wäiski anchored to the harbor of Hakaniemi in Helsinki. It's with a couple of local bands Radien and Dead in the Water. Should be cool. Come see us if you can.

https://www.facebook.com/events/344519399248505/


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

Generally very positive. We seem to be receiving very good reviews from Eastern Europe and a lot of presence in US based podcasts as well. I think underground music has a strong worldwide support scene and also we seem to fit pretty well. So thank for all the zines, podcasts and especially fans who have given us support!


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

Valendis is also handling vocals in Dead Samaritan, whose style includes shades of thrash and death with hints of good ol' dirty rock'n'roll. Dead Samaritan is currently in process of writing material for their third full-length album. other members are also involved in some on and off projects of various musical styles.


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

To be totally honest I don't know. We're on the verge of releasing the physical album on December 16th in Finland and I guess we are waiting to see how it goes. In any case Herem is a death/doom band so I don't see any synths or spandex happening anytime soon.


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?

I would say that the initial inspiration for Herem came from death, doom and stoner bands: Autopsy, Cathedral, Sleep, Electric Wizard, Kyuss, Bolt Thrower, Goatsnake, Carcass, Reverend Bizarre and of course Black Sabbath just to name a few. Nowadays I think we would all just call ourselves as "fans of good music" meaning that any type of music can be good if its done right.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?

I usually spend my free time going to shows to see other bands, watching movies, playing games and trying to have a good time in general despite of all the shite happening in the world. I think its important to keep a healthy PMA despite of how dark our music is ;)


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

Thanks for hitting us up with this interview! It's been fun. Take care of each other and doom on! Cheers!

-Valendis and Patrick from Herem.

MorphiuM Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

A few days after the release of the new album the music video had over 45.000 views plus other thousands of reproductions in digital platforms, we started the tour and the first country we visited was China, after that we went back to the Iberian Peninsula where we continued the tour in the main cities. Before ending 2016 we are going to officially present the album and we will be playing around Spain to then depart towards other countries of the european continent in 2017.


2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

This album has been a significant jump in all levels, composition wise its more harmonic and atmospheric, well worked to enjoy the album at home and also with the necessary strength that characterises MorphiuM to enjoy the live shows.

To achieve this we worked with the producer Eugenio Fresco ¨Kuen¨ , the music engineer Marco Barusso and Marco Dagostino. They had worked with Lacuna Coil etc and we loved the sound they acquired. After our journey through Italy to finish off the mixing of the album and the master we can say we're very proud of the final result of the tracks composition wise as well as sound quality wise. It sounds amazing!


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

The lyrics of the album are introspective and talk about the most pure and basic emotions like love or hate. A lot of metaphors are used which enables the message to fit into a social context. Also Self-criticism and the darkest perspective of everything that makes us what we are.


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


We create contrast music, we have brutal passages followed by more melancholic and atmospheric ones. We think our music can drag you to the most primitive and uncontrolled part as well as a passive trance state where pain doesn't exist . Morphine is used to relieve the most extreme pain and also can take you to the darkest areas of oneself if used as a drug.

We like to think our music is addictive and its power is similar to Morphine.


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

I remember the Festival Hell and Heaven metal fest in Mexico in 2013, Ripollet rock festival in Catalunya, the Hifi Fest in China or the album presentations. On the following 9th of December we're doing the official presentation of The Blackout in the Blackout Fest in our home city, Girona and I'm sure it's going to be one of the best shows until the day.

 The concerts of this last tour are being insane, the crowds don't come to headbang, they come to wave their heads off their bodies. The adrenaline we transmit is contagious and the concerts quickly turn into collective craziness.
I have the sensation it's like a train which is about to derail although I like to think the situation is under control.

What we do we do with passion and it's visible. We put all our frustrations and illusions into this and lots of energy is released.

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

We want to return to Asia and America. If all goes well in 2017 we're going to do some shows in Europe and change continent.


7.The new album was released on 'Mass Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

The music label where I work. We had been with Roadrunner records Spain (Kaiowas Records)  and in other big labels. In the end we decided to do it with someone who could concentrate in us all their energies and that can't get better than a small label which has been working for 20 years like the one i work in where I can take control and make all the decisions.

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

We have a great feedback with United States, mexico and South America.
In Europe we have presence in Spain and we're trying to open up to the rest of countries in which we have fans but we consider we need to work more. We have very good feedback with China and we wish to head towards Japan during 2017 with a long tour around Asia.


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

I picture MorphiuM in more big format festivals on a worldwide level, we will also work hard to continue filling venues out of our country. All of this with hard work and sacrifice since nothing comes for free.

We're a hard working and ambitious band, only time will tell what we can accomplish, what we're clear about is that we're going to put all our strength to achieve it.


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

Some of the bands that have shaped us are bands like Slipknot, Korn,  Marilyn Manson, Dream Theater... we've grown up with their music but as we've gotten older as persons and musicians our musical references have also grown, Porcupinne Tree, Opeth, Meshuggah and many other are references nowadays to us. 


11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Our non musical interests are enjoying ourselves 100% with all we do, achieve objectives and see how our work is compensated. The personal satisfaction is great when nobody gives you anything for free and we continue to make our dreams come true. Get to know people and travel doing what we love makes us immensely happy.

There are a lot of hard moments and we sleep very little but it's all compensated!

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

Thank you to all the people who share our music and enjoy it, also thank you to you for dedicating a space of your media, see you soon in a live act presenting The Blackout.



Alex Bace - vocals

Ruin Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
MIHAIL: RUIN is a heavy death metal band. If you enjoy maggots spewing out of your speakers and "music" that will make you puke, you will enjoy RUIN.


2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?
MIHAIL: The sound inside of our heads is that of murder and darkness. We wish to convey those things with what we conceive in our torture chamber. The atmosphere should be suffocating and hopeless. This is how we feel inside, so this is how everyone else will feel that listens to this filth.

3.The band was broken up for more than 20 years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
MIHAIL: Many factors worked against this project/band over the years. Including but not limited to criminal incarcerations, disappearances,mental institutions and other problems that limited the progress of the
band. The hunger never left, the dark heart was always beating. Once I figured out my situation, I tried to gather the proper maniacs needed for this. D-Muerte is part of the main leadership of this cult. We also have
been able to utilize some great comrades to help us spread this plague. Now we focus on the present and the future.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
MIHAIL: The rantings are that of a murderer on a psychedelic journey past the mind and into other regions, other "worlds". Although situations that take place here on earth are also present. In so many words: Death,
Murder, Blood, Serial Killers, Mass Murder, Darkness.... Those are some topics. Over all, the death of "Mankind" as we know it is the main theme here.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Ruin'?
MIHAIL: It fit our vision of what we wanted to convey perfectly.

6.The members reside in both California and North Dakota, how does this work in the recording process?
MIHAIL: We are actually nomads. You might see the location/home base of this band change from time to time. Currently, we seem to frequent the quiet vastness of the California high desert and the rough plains of North Dakota, since we have deep roots in both locations/environs. When the recording schedule is arranged and set, we assemble and accomplish the project. No matter what the circumstances. Technology is also of great assistance with file sharing and ideas spread quickly, even though we are basically cave people that live off the grid. We have some amazing comrades that assist us with getting the process done and getting our music sessions transmitted out to those who seek it.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
MIHAIL: We have only done a handful of shows so far, the first being with our old friend Matt and his band GRUESOME in 2015. We had a set of three shows in 2016 with WARMASTER (a stop in L.A. before their Japanese tour), UNDERGANG and SPECTRAL VOICE in the summer and finally one with COME TO GRIEF(former GRIEF members who are also old friends). The stage performance is just the band, VERY loud and focused on bringing forth our version of death metal. In the future, we may plan on working on some things with the live performances(visual images, lighting, etc...)

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
MIHAIL:  We don't plan on doing very many live performances. Taking part in any type of "scene" disgusts us. So we choose wisely and patiently as far as shows to perform at. We make exceptions for comrades that come up with a good line up/situation to take part in. Once we have some more releases out there, we shall see what the interest is for us to head out to those who support what we do, are out of our direct region and get to perform for them on tour. So NO plans as of the present.

9.Recently you where a part of a split with 'Ghoulgotha', what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the recording?
MIHAIL: GHOULGOTHA is an awesome band and a perfect fit for this split and the concept of it. They approach the doom/death way a bit differently than RUIN does, but it makes for a great release in our opinion. Wayne from GHOULGOTHA is a friend of ours and we did this release as a tribute for our great mutual friend Chris "Reaper" Campbell (Martyrvore vocalist) who passed away earlier this year.

10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom and death metal?
MIHAIL: We are disconnected from most of society, so our direct communication with people is limited. What we have heard from the labels and other people who have helped us out so far is positive. And the
feedback from the live performances has been positive as well. Those who support RUIN by releasing our music, if they are happy, then we are happy. Also, those who pay money to come see RUIN live, if they are satisfied, then so are we.

11.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
MIHAIL: "Drown in Blood" is the name of the debut full length RUIN album. As of my writing tonight, the release date will be sometime in late March2017. There will be 8 new songs of death metal on there. The CD release will be handled by Memento Mori Records. The 12 inch vinyl release will be handled by Blood Harvest Records. The cassette tape release will be handled by Nero One Records/Von Frost Records. The future will only bring more madness and absolute terror by this cult. Expect more heavy and simple death metal.

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?
MIHAIL: Influences: HELLHAMMER/FROST, VENOM, SODOM, AUTOPSY, SLAUGHTER,
REPULSION, MASTER, SARCOFAGO, DEATH, SABBATH, CANDLEMASS, DREAM DEATH,
TROUBLE, SAINT VITUS, a ton of 80s/early 90s death metal from Sweden, Finland and the U.K., even stuff like early NAPALM DEATH, IMPETIGO, MORTICIAN. Also heavy and crazy punk/hardcore like DISCHARGE, AMEBIX, MOB 47, SEPTIC DEATH, THE ACCUSED, etc... What do I listen to nowadays?: Allof my classic albums and old demo tapes of course! Also INFERNAL CURSE,
MORDBRAND, CARDIAC ARREST, MASTER OF CRUELTY, SCORCHED, CHURCH OF DISGUST, WITCHTRAP, HEXENSLAUGHT, BESTIAL RAIDS, PROFANAL, BLACK FUCKING CANCER and PUTRIFIED are some bands I have been enjoying recently.

13.How would you describe your views on Occultism?
MIHAIL: We proudly proclaim that we are practitioners in many things that are involved with the Occult and it's practices. Yet this is our personal, deep seeded way of life and our specific areas of study. It is not to
share with the public as far as where we stand and what we "believe" in faith wise. We will not bore our brethren out there, nor alienate them either. This type of personal stuff has no business in music as far as we
are concerned. The live performances can be considered a "ritual", yet that would mean we are "above" the audience and that we are performing some sort of religious experience. In reality the live performance is a
release of energy for us. Furthermore, the music that RUIN does is too dirty and raw to be part of anything sanctimonious, even sanctimony geared towards the dark arts. RUIN comes from the sewer, the under belly of this world. NEVER forget that! We have great respect for many Occult beliefs, with using some of these ancient and newer belief structures and philosophies in our lives. Yet we have an ultimate disdain for 99% of the man made religions out there. We have a complete disgust for the weak who choose to use religion as their crutch in their existence. We are wolves among sheep in that sense. More than ever, the world has become a cesspool of religious fanaticism with people shoving their beliefs down other's throats, with their precious books in hand. Religion has a set of rules to live by, mythology to understand the world, and terminology to define one's own spirituality with. The Occult, on the other hand, is a set of tools to change one's life, a method of communication to demand answers from the world and methods to take an active roll in one's own spirituality. Those who follow a religion are passive observers in their spiritual world, whereas those who practice the occult have chosen to take an active role in the spiritual world around them and within them. I don't "pray to god", I utilize the power inside of myself, communicating with the powers around me. Occultists don't say, "everything has a reason," they demand an explanation from everything. I don't sit back and hope fora miracle, I will create the miracle if needed.

14.What are some of your non musical interests?
MIHAIL: I read books voraciously, like a maniac. I'm interested in all subjects, but usually the dark side of life and history. I'm also a movie freak. From classics to modern(as long as they are good!) but here I tend
to bend towards horror and crime movies. Since I'm an older human being and have the metabolism of NOTHING I have to exercise and lift weights to try and maintain my health. I'm not really connected to mainstream type behavior and prefer to be out in the wilderness with my dogs, hang out with friends/family and of course the rest of our RUIN CULT. I have been also entertaining the idea getting into writing books. We shall see how this unfolds.

15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
MIHAIL: Salut to you Kuba and Propaganda Chaosu! "Drown in Blood" is coming. Also keep those plague infested ears and eyes ready for our other upcoming releases, in conspiracy with some great comrades: split 7 inch with VIOLATION WOUND on Fudgeworthy Records, split 12 inch with ANARCHUS on Fat Ass Records, a 12 inch 4 song RUIN MLP on Morbid Reality Records and a 14 song discography CD of what RUIN has unleashed so far on HPGD Productions. RUIN CULT ETERNAL!

Prisoner 639/Throw Me In The Crater/EveryDayHate/2016 Split Ep Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  Belgium's  Prisoner  639  and  Netherlands's  Throw  Me  In  The  Crater  which was  released  by  EveryDayHate  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Prisoner  639  a  duo  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  primitive  form  of  power  violence.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  distorted  drone  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  bass  and  drums  making  their  presence  known  in  the  song  that  also  brings  in  a  touch  of  sludge  and  after  awhile  the  music  speeds  up  and  brings  in  blast beats  and  growling  vocals  along  with  a  great  amount  of  grindcore  and  power  violence  elements  and  the  track  also  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion Prisoner  639  are  a  very  great  sounding  power  violence  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.

  Next  up  is  Throw  Me  In  The  Crater  a  band  that  plays  a  very  heavy  form  of  sludge.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  drum  beats  and  distorted  amp  sounds  before  going  into a  heavier  sludge  and  doom  metal  direction  and  melodies  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  after  awhile  screams  are  added  into  the  song  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  melodies  can  also  be  heard  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Throw  Me  in  The  Crater  are  a  very  great  sounding  sludge  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  song.

  In  conclusion  I  think  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  power  violence  and  sludge.  8  out  of  10.

Herem/III/Inverse Records/Full Length Review

  Herem  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "III"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Inverse  Records.

  Distorted  amp  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  a  few  seconds  later  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  sludge  style  screams  making  their  presence  known  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Stoner  rock  elements  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  guitars  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction and  clean  vocals  are  added  onto  the  last  track.

  Herem  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  sludge,  stoner  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Herem  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  "Snakes  Of  The  Third  Moon"  and  "Edge  of  the  World".  8  out  of  10.    

Matalobos/Arte Macabro/Concetro Records/2016 CD Review

  Matalobos  are  a  band  from  Mexico  that h as  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Arte  Macabro"  which  was  released  by  Concretro  Records.

  Classical  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  violins  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  a  more  heavy  and  melodic  musical  direction  that  also  introduces  death  metal  growls  onto  the  recording  and  screams  are  also  used  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Clean  singing  vocals  can  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length and  classical  guitars  are  also  used  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  as  well  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  and  one  track  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  slow  doom  metal  style.

  Matalobos  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  melodic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  from  their  previous  release,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  depression  and  murder themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Matalobos  and  if you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  doom/death  metal,you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Macabre"  and  "Built  By  Souls".  8  out  of  10.  

 

Ghost Of Mary/Oblivaeon/Revalve Records/2016 CD Review

  Ghost  Of  Mary  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  goth  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Oblivaeon"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Revalve  Records.

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  goth  style  keyboards  a  few  seconds  later  that  also  have  a  symphonic  edge  to  them  and  stringed  instruments  are  also  used  at  times  and  after  the  intro  acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  and  all of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  After  awhile  the  music starts  getting  more  heavy  and  melodic  while  also introducing  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  onto  the  recording  while  also  mixing  the  clean  and  symphonic  parts  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  blast  beats  are  also  utilized  at  times.  and  as  the  album  progresses  elements  of  classical  music  can  be  heard  and  they  also  bring  in  an  instrumental  before  going  back  to  vocal  tracks.

  Ghost  Of  Mary plays  a  music  style  that  takes  melodic  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  goth  and  symphonic  elements  along  with  a  touch  of  doom  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  ;ife  and  death  with  a  metaphysical  touch.

  In  my  opinion  Ghost  Of  Mary  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  goth  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Moon  And  The  True"  "Nothing"  and  "The  End  Is  Only  The  Beginning".  8  out  of  10.  

Ghoulgotha/Ruin/Churning In Vertabrates/Becoming Disease/Blood Harvest Records/2016 7 Inch Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split ep  between  California's  Ghoulgotha  and  California/North  Dakota's  Ruin  called  "Churning  In  Vertabrates/Becoming  Disease"  which  was  released  by  Blood  Harvest  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Ghoulgotha  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  dark,  heavy  and  old school  sound  with the  slow  riffing  being  very  heavily  influenced  by  doom  metal  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  start  to  make  their  presence  known  and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  morbid  sounding  melodies  can  be  heard  and  the  leads  are  also  very  melodic, the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  darkness,  and  abstract  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  track  from  Ghoulgotha  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  doom/death  metal,  you  should  check out  their  side  of  the  split.

  Next  up  is  Ruin  another  band  that  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  horror  movie  style  screams  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  after  a  few  seconds  death  metal growls  along  with  some  grim screams  and  doom  metal  elements  also  make  their  presence  known  and  the  riffing  also  goes  into a   mid  paced  direction  after  awhile,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ruin  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical genre,you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.

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

  http://bloodharvestrecords.bandcamp.com/album/churning-in-vertebraes-becoming-disease-7ep   

MorphiuM/The Blackout/Mass Productions/2016 CD Review

  MorphiuM  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  gothic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "The  Blackout"  which  was  released  by  Mass  Productions.

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  some  death  metal  growls  making  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  while  goth  style  clean  singing  is  also  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the r ecoridng  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording h ave  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  female  vocals  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of t he  songs  while  the  keyboards  bring  in  more  elements  of  goth  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style and  some  of  the  riffing  brings  in a   modern  prog  metal  sound  and  black  metal  screams  are  also  utilized  briefly  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  acoustic guitars  as  the  album  progresses  while  a later  track  introduces  nu  metal  style  vocals  onto  the  recording  and when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  MorphiuM  plays  a  music  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  goth  and  death  metal  while  also  mixing  in  elements  from  black,  doom,  prog  and  nu  metal  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  madness,  rage,  love  and  society  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  MorphiuM  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  goth  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "What  Lies  Beyond  Words"  "Point  Of  No  Return"  "All  You Are"  and  "Blindfolded".  8  out  of  10.

Death Metal Pope Interview

 

 1.For those that have never heard of you before,can you tell us a little bit about the band?
1. We are three hairy men from Long Island, New York. I play guitar and sing. My name is Father Damn. Marc (our bassist) and I have been friends since a little before Kindergarten and we've been playing music together for about 12 or 13 years. Gusmo convinced us that we should let him play drums and I've been dealing with that ever since.

    2.Recently you have released an ep,how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording
2. It's a pretty varied release, I would say. We label ourselves as a doom band because we don't know how else to describe our music, but there's much more than just doom. There's a lot of Black Sabbath influences without a doubt, but there are some thrashy parts as well - we would like to think that a lot of the riffs and the songs we're presenting to you on the album cover a lot more ground than just one genre of metal.

    3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
3. Losing people you have loved to drug abuse. Struggling with your vices. The realization that all life eventually ends. Spilt milk. That feeling when you have to take a shit but the bathroom is being occupied.

    4.Originally the band was called 'Witchripper', what was the decision behind the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Death Metal Pope'?
4. The name Witchtripper was too serious. Our music is serious, but we don't want the presentation of who we are to be so serious all the time. Death Metal Pope means absolutely nothing. It's a name that I came up with for a joke band when I was 14 and it's stuck in the back of my head ever since. Whether or not you like the name, you're going to remember it.

    5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
5. We really enjoy playing in the Northeastern United States. Massachusetts and New Hampshire in particular have been extremely kind to us. They have a really awesome scene for metal up there where it seems like everyone is involved and everyone is important. You don't see that everywhere.

We don't really do anything out of the ordinary when we play shows. A lot of bands that we play with talk a lot and have crazy light setups. We don't do any of that. For now, we just keep things simple. Maybe one day we will change that. I don't know. At this point in time, keeping things bare bones is refreshing to me. I will probably get bored of that eventually, I don't doubt that at all.


    6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
6. We're on tour right now, actually, and we've been doing a decent amount since July. We will be making our way out West in January, but only as far as Texas, and then back up the Northeast. Eventually I would love to go back to Europe - I've been there with my other band, and it was an amazing experience.
We plan to tour as much as possible until people won't book us anymore.

    7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
7. If a good offer comes to us, we will look into it. I really like doing things myself and I think that given the state of the music industry currently a label is not %100 needed. We have been working with some friends who run a little DIY thing called Aggressive Rhythm. They're nice and they don't tell me what to do, so I like that.


    8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom metal?
8. We've gotten some very positive reviews from Europe and elsewhere. I'm not sure how they found us - it seems like discovering new music through Bandcamp and Facebook is incredibly easy in this day and age.

    9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
9. As a band, if you're not expanding and changing, you're stagnating. I love a lot of genres of music and I will be incorporating a lot of them into newer releases going forward, just as I have with Harvest. I have no desire to pigeonhole our music and would like to expand much further out of the world of doom. Maybe by next week we will turn into an EDM band. Who knows?

    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?
10. I try and make songs that flow and progress naturally as opposed to a collection of riffs thrown together. So, in that sense, I get a lot of inspiration in places other than metal music. Bands that you probably wouldn't expect - I listen to Kings of Leon and Band of Horses a lot. Also John Frusciante. Sue me.

I obviously get inspired by metal bands too, and I love Type O Negative. I don't think there was ever or will ever be a band like that again. Black Sabbath, of course, and I love Zakk Wylde's pentatonic style. His leads blow my mind. Anything Scott Wino has been apart of. Lunar Womb might be the greatest album ever made.

    11.What are some of your non musical interests?
11. I love reading and I love movies. Mostly science fiction and horror. A lot of inspiration draws from what I read or what. I'm obsessed with those two genres. Oh, and I also really like to whine and cry like a baby. Temper tantrums are fun. The other guys don't do anything besides sleep and complain.

I think one time Marc went outside for a walk but it didn't seem to catch on. They also eat, too. So I guess sleeping and eating would be their hobbies. I would ask them but they're both asleep with mouths full of twinkies.

    12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12. Brush your teeth. Eat your vegetables. Call your grandmother. She misses you.

Zombieslut/Massive Lethal Flesh Recovery/Zombification Media/2016 EP Review

  Zombieslut  are  a  band  from  Croatia  that has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Massive  Lethal Flesh  Recovery"  which  will  be  released  in  December  by  Zombification  Media.

  A  powerful  bass  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into a   faster  direction  that  uses  also introduces  high  pitched  screams  and  death  metal  growls  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  touches  of  grindcore  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard   and  the  music  is  rooted  in  the  90's  style.

  A  lot  of  doom  metal  elements  and  grooves can  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  none  of  the  songs  ever  use  any  guitar  solos  or  leads  and the ep  remains  very  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording

  Zombieslut  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  from  their  previous release  while  also  adding  in  more  grindcore  elements  this  time  around,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  zombies,  sex,  life,  death,  violence,  and  diseases  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Zombieslut  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  grind,  doom  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Return  Of  The  Zombie"  and  "Braineater".  8  out  of  10.

 

Marianas Rest Interview

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

The band is relatively young, most of us started to play together just a few years ago. We come from a small Finnish town called Kotka located on the shore of the Baltic Sea. The place is known for its paper mills, beautiful parks and, of course, metal bands.

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

Well, our music is a gloomy mix of different kinds of death metal. There are melodies, growls and slow doomy bits to it. The main thing is the feel of it all. We try to get a got melancholic vibe into the songs.

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

Usually the topics seem to revolve around different kind of nihilistic existential ponderings. Many of us living in the western world are feeling nauseated although technically we have everything we need.
It is easier than ever to be in touch with people and still there is a lot of loneliness. When our basic needs are filled, we tend to lose focus of what is really important.
As a mankind we make mistakes, and thats okay, but we should try to learn from them. Instead we keep repeating them.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Marianas Rest'?

The inspiration is our lovely Baltic Sea and its depths. It is a variation of ”Marianas Trench”, the deepest place on our planet. That name was already taken at the time we picked our name, so we came up with this. It is supposed to reflect the cold and heavy side to our music, but at the same time its kinda pretty, as the music is supposed to be.

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 haven’t played a lot of shows yet, but hopefully that will change. The best would probably be our record releasing gig at Sam’s Pub in Kotka. The house was packed and the feeling and people were amazing. A night to remember.
On stage we are not as serious as the music is. We are easy going guys who like to have fun. The music is bleak enough, the show doesn’t need to be.

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

We sure have, but we cannot announce them right here. Have to wait until everything is clear.

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

The feedback we received has been invigorating. People seem to like the album very much, which of course is a huge relief for us. We put so much into it that it would really had sucked balls if people had thought it was total crap.

8.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

A few of us, yes. Aapo (keyboards) plays melodic death metal in Omnium Gatherum and is currently touring with them in the US. Nico M. (guitars) plays melodic metal in a band called Alcantaria and I also sing in ID: Exorcist.

We have a few side-projects as well: Pekka and the Guns of Love and Romantic Tiger. It would be best, if the world wouldn’t hear about the last two.

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

We hope to refine what we have started. Horror Vacui is just the beginning and it is too early to say where the road will take us.

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?

We listen to so many different types of music that it is impossible to list everything here. Our bassist has been listening to Top Gun soundtrack a lot lately. A bit too much if you ask me. People are getting suspicious.
Besides the clear death and doom vibes, our music has elements of black metal. Bands devoted to melancholy, such as Sentenced, Katatonia and Paradise Lost, have definitely contributed to the overall mood of the music.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Drinking, scheming, house renovating, moonlight walks and occasional nude runs. We also have a tennis team together. It is called ”Crotch pain boys”.

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

Dont be a fool, buy our album. It is not the best, but probably good enough.

All questions answered by Jaakko Mäntymaa, vocals.

Death Metal Pope/Harvest/2016 EP Review

  Death  Metal  Pope  are  a  band  from  New  York  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  ep  "Harvest".

  A  very  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  grooves  and  melodies  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  are  added  into  the  music  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  clean  singing  stoner  rock  style  at   times  while  the  slow  riffs  are  in  a  doom  metal  direction.

  Acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  solo  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  retro  orientated  style  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  briefly  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  some  elements  of  crust  and  d  beat  while  the  main  focus  is  on  a  slower  style.

  Death  Metal  Pope plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  doom,  stoner,  sludge  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Death  Metal  Pope  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  stoner,  doom,  sludge  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Harvest"  and  "Young  Graves".  8  out  of  10. 

Morality Crisis/Self Titled/Minnesconsin Records/2016 EP Review

  Morality  Crisis  are  a  band  from  Minnesota  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  grindcore  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review of  their  self  titled  2016  ep  which  was  released  by  Minnesconsin  Records.

  War  samples  start  off  the  ep  before  adding  in  reverb  as  well  as  going  into a  very fast  grindcore  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  growling  vocals  and  all  of  the  songs  are  very  short  in  length  while  also  being  very  progressive  and  melodic  at  times  and  you  can  also h ear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  Elements  of  sludge  can  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  and  high  pitched  screams  are  also  used  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  hardcore  influences  throughout  the  recording  and  melodic  guitar  leads  are  also  used  at  times.

 Morality Crisis  plays  a  music  style  that  takes  sludge,  grind  and  hardcore  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  political  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Morality  Crisis  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge,  grind  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Job  Crisis"  and  "Jupiter  Crisis".  8  out  of  10. 

Maeth/Shrounded Mountain/Minnesconsin Records/2016 CD Review

  Maeth  are  a  band  from  Minnesota  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  metal,  psychedelic  and  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Shrouded  Mountain"  which  was  released  by  Minnesconsin  Records.

  Clean  singing  vocals  start  off the  album along  with  a  powerful  bass  guitar  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  takes  the  music  into a  heavier  direction  while  also  introducing  melodic  guitars  onto  the  recording  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  and  sludge  style  screams  make  their  presence  known  on  the  album.

  Elements  of  post  and  progressive  rock  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  flutes  and  acoustic  guitars  along  with  some  clean  playing  while  a  good  portion  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic in  length  and  a  great  amount  of  psychedelic  elements  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  samples  and  tribal  beats  while  all  of  the  tracks  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction  and  one  song  is  all  instrumental.

  Maeth  creates  another  recording  that  takes  their  sludge  and  doom  metal  style  and  mixes  it  with  post  rock,  experimental  and  psychedelic  music  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  goblin  battles,  loss  and  tattered  hope  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Maeth  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge,  doom  metal,  psychedelic  and  noise,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Verne"  and  "Mammoth  God".  8  out  of  10.   

Qaanaaq Interview

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

Of course! This band is the result of the passion for metal and progressive music of three brothers (Luca, Mattia and Nicola Togni). The desire to mix these two genres together led us to Qaanaaq, who sits right in the middle. We started jamming in 2011 as an instrumental band, then in 2012 we were joined by Dario Leidi’s rhythm guitar. It took a little bit more to find the right singer and after a while we found one in Enrico Perico, who also writes all the lyrics and has a more distinct death metal style, with his growl voice that contrasts with the melodies of the keyboards.

2.Recently you have released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

As we were saying, the first thing that you note is the juxtaposition between the melodies of the keyboards and the roughness of the growl voice. We wanted a warm sound, more common in progressive music, even though the compositions are more metal oriented. The songs are long, with different riffs and many changes, and with a horror aura and a sinister vibe other all of them.

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

Our lyrics are usually allegorical, we like to tell stories, sometimes inspired by movies, books, or history, but always with a deepest meaning that can be detected fitting the words to everyday life. When we write, the mood of the song evoke us the tiny pains that apply to everybody, then we try to imagine the same thing in a different place, period or situation. As our music is made on different layers, so the lyrics have to be realized on different levels of sympathy. The effect we want to pass on is a theatrical vision of human condition, filtered by irony and masked as a tale. Consequently Greenland becomes the stage on which we represent our tragicomic vision of life, a chilly land of loneliness despite his name.

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

Qaanaaq is the name of a city in Greenland, one of the northernmost towns in the world. The inspiration came to Nicola and we all liked it, because is a palindrome, and so is graphically pleasing, and also because it represent an isolated and solitary land.

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

One of our favorite shows was when we opened for our friend XPUS and the Swiss death metal band All Life Ends. It was fun and very satisfying! We play a very direct, simple show, like we are as persons: no particular dressing or masks, just us and our instruments, trying to do our best.

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

Nothing planned right now, but we want to organize a release party for the new record and we’re working on it.

7.The album was released on 'Another Side Records', are you happy with the support they have given you so far?

Yes, we are really satisfied by the work of the label and we’re very thankful for it and for all the support that we’re receiving. We sure have reached more people and increased the number of our followers thanks to the label!

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

Our name has just started to circulate. We don’t have a big budget to spend, so we can’t have a big exposure like the big names, but we’re not complaining and we keep working for the band knowing that it’ll be hard. You have to consider that this is not our main job, we’re not that young anymore, so we all have regular jobs and we need to take care of our families. We do this in the free time and sometimes it’s hard, but as long as we’re having fun, we’ll continue. On the other hand, thanks to the internet and facebook, nowadays it is possible to reach a broader exposure with less effort.

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

We don’t know yet actually, because it’s not something that we plan. We don’t have limits or frameworks to follow. We just follow the flow of our feelings, because we like to express ourselves and our emotions of the moment with the music, and so we don’t know now where this will lead us in the future. We don’t have anything planned, usually we start jamming other ideas brought by Luca, Mattia or Dario, and then connect what we think works good together and discard what we think is too weak. There is an idea of what “sounds” as Qaanaaq and what not, but it came naturally and it is something that may change in the future. Recording “Escape…” was a very formative experience, now we are more aware of different details we didn’t know about before and this will definitely help us while writing new songs for a new album.

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?

The main influence for us is Opeth for sure! Then some elements of Ghost. But everything that we listen to can inspire us, from progressive rock to jazz, death and black metal, or also hard rock and blues. It may not be obvious in our songwriting, but we think that the more diverse music you listen to, the less limits you have while trying to express yourself by playing music. We like to discover new music and new bands that inspire us, Karnivool being one of them in recent years. We obviously have different personal tastes, but it is interesting to process and reunite all these different influences while playing together as Qaanaaq.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

We all like to read books and comics, watch movies or listen to podcasts, some of us like to play a sport while others prefer to watch it on television. We’re not party people anymore since we all have family and kids! Having said that, we think that also when speaking of non musical interests you can say that it is good to be open to different things, from a physical to an intellectual level. It is always good to challenge yourself in a sport, or to deepen the knowledge on a specific matter that you like, even better if you can do both since mind and body works together and are influenced one another.

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

First, we want to thank you very much for this interview! Then we thank Another Side Records and especially Anatoliy who is helping us promoting our music with passion and dedication. In the end, we advise your readers to listen to our album because we think it is something original that can satisfy many listeners with different musical tastes.

You can find us on facebook as Qaanaaqmetalband.
Thank you!