Oracles/Miserycorde/Deadlight Entertainment/2016 CD Review

  Oracles  are  an  international  band  with  members  from  Belgium  and  the  United  States  that  plays  an  extreme  metal  of    melodic  death,  doom  and  gothic  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Miserycorde"  which will  be  released  in July  by  Deadlight  Entertainment.

  Atmospheric  synths  and  clean  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  goth  metal  style  female vocals  and  a  few  seconds  later  heavy  guitars  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  the  clean  vocals  can  also  be  very  operatic  at  times  and  the  music  also  brings  in  some  prog  metal  elements.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  a  lot  of  modern  metal  influences  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  the  riffs  also  get  very  melodic  at  times  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  stick  to  a very  melodic  style  while  also  being  very  technical  and  progressive  in  some  songs.

  As the  album  progresses  elements  of  electronic  music  can  be  heard  along  with  some  tracks  also  bringing  in  more  of  a  symphonic  style  and  closer  to  the  end  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  session  work  from  members  of  Scar  Symmetry,  The  Black  Dahlia  Murder,  and   Nevermore/Arch  Enemy  and  they  also  bring  in  a  cover  of  marylin  Manson's  "The  Beautiful  People.

  Oracles  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  death,  prog  and  gothic  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  Oracles  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  melodic  death,  prog  and  goth  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Tribulation  Of  Man"  "Scorn"  "Canvas  Of  me"  and  "We,  The  Indifferent".  8  out  of  10.  

Sulfur Ensemble/I(Four Songs About Dystopia, Satan, Ghouls, Marylin Monroe)/Morbid Syndicate/2016 EP Review

  Sulfur  Ensemble  are  a  band  from  Turkey  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  stoner  and  doom  metal  with  a  musical  style  they  refer  to  as  'doom'n'roll  and  this is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "I(Four Songs  About  Dystopia,  Satan,  Ghouls,  Marylin  Monroe)"  which  was  released  by  Morbid  Syndicate.

A very  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  ep  before  bringing  in  riffs  that  mix  sludge  and  doom  metal  together  and  after  awhile  spoken  word  parts  are  added  onto  the  recording  before  adding  in  aggressive  screaming  vocals  that  also  have  a  punk  edge  to  them  while  a  lot  of  stoner  rock  elements  can also  be  heard.

  At  times  the  riffs  bring  in  melodies  while  the  solos and  leads have  a  retro  feeling  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  death  metal  growls  are  also  used  at  times  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  yet  heavy  musical  direction.

  Sulfur  Ensemble  plays  a  musical  style t hat  takes  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  retro  side  of  stoner  rock  to  create  their  style  of  doom'n'roll,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,   horror,  dystopian  and  60's  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sulfur  Ensemble  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  "Plea"  and  "Marylin".  8  out  of  10. 

Shantak 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?
1) We're now working on a lot of new pieces and ideas and we are endeavouring some kind of non-stop rehearsing campaign in order to be perfect in the upcoming live shows.

    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 demo you had released in 2014?
2) The new album is an original mixture of melodeath and doom metal combined with southern and stoner metal. I don't know how to describe it in its simple and complex "alchemy" of sounds but I can only encourage everyone in listening it and maybe drop an opinion (positive or negative). >From the 2014 demo it differs of course in the quality and the songwriting is more complex and complete. We are still a bit "unripe" but we're developing a curious sound that, we hope, that one day it will bring us far away.


    3.I have read that the band started out as a black metal band, what was the decision behind going into the musical direction that you now play?
3) Cool question! So, playing covers is cool, of course, but is deleterious for the development of new music, new sounds, new bands. Playing covers means destroy new music. It should be only an exercise for future original productions and not a solid aim.
So, once we realised that, we decided to begin playing original music

    4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
4) Lately I'm (Nicola) reading books concerning philosophy (Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Pascal) '800 and '900 literature (Baudelaire, Eliot, Goethe, Holderlin, etc.) . The themes of the newer songs are more deep and they continue concerning literature, philosophy, death, dreams, nature and inner life. Recently I began writing short stories about unique characters (like The Unwept) giving a kind of narrative trait to all the new lyrics. They often concern stories of loss, desperation, death and titanism in a chaotic and tumultuous universe.

    5.I know that the band name came from the writings of H.P Lovecraft, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this author and also what are some of the other writers or literature that you have an interest in?

5) Of course. Lovecraft inspired me (Nicola) in the writing of a lot of lyrics and gave me the idea of basing the "guideline" of the band on an abyssal glimmering darkness and a never-ending chaos. It also concerns dreams and the mysterious shades of human mind and this is very important for poetry and art in general. Other authors in which I'm interested are Coleridge, Eliot, Holderlin, Goethe, Poe, Wilde, Baudelaire, Kafka, Keats, Shelley, Verne, Stoker and many more.

    6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
6) The best show, so far, was the Release Party of our album For the Darkening at Circolo Colony (BS). We played all the songs from the album plus two new recent tracks that we wrote in the last period. We saw some vids of our performance and we think that is getting better and better show after show. We are becoming more and more skilled and our performances more and more interesting and professional.

    7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
7) Unfortunately, recently, we heve sent a lot of emails and requests to venues and festivals. But no-one seems interested in leaving us play. We're still waiting for answers and requests. So, if you're searching a particular melodic death metal band for your show, we're absolutely available!

    8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of extreme metal?
8) The feedback, so far, is not really good. We hope that in the next months it will be better and more people will get interested in our music.

    9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
9) Uhm, I don't know, everything seems so uncertain so far. The world of music is changing and people who listen to metal are not so many after all. Metal music is dying and this is caused by the growing quantity of cover bands and close-minded people who only listens to the same 3 or 4 bands. I only know that we can only hope that one day we will become a great metal band and the people will be better than now.

    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?
10) Our main influences are from Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Insomnium, Black Label Society, Woods of Ypres and, why not, also Type O Negative. Nowadays we're listening to:
Nicola: Insomnium, November's Doom, Funeral, Death, Dark Tranquillity, Gojira, Swallow the Sun, A Forest of Stars, Woods of Ypres, Septicflesh, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Poets of the Fall, Massive Attack, Unkle, Huun-Huur-Tu, This Will Destroy You, Ludovico Einaudi
Federico: Obscura, Death, Beyond Creation, Iron Maidem, Insomnium; Gojira, Meshuggah, A Forest of Stars, Magenta Harvest
Matteo: Woods of Ypres, Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Parkway Drive, Swallow the Sun, Gojira, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Korpiklaani, Ludovico Einaudi
Simone: Over Kill, Death, Korpiklaani, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Airs, This Will Destroy You, Ludovico Einaudi, Judas Priest, Pink Floyd
Luigi: Ghost, Lamb of God, Poets of the Fall, Alice in Chains, Pink Floyd,

    11.What are some of your non musical interests?
11) Our non musical interests are:
Nicola: Speleology, Writing, Reading and Photography
Federico: Reading
Matteo: Tuning
Simone: Beer
Luigi: Hanging out with friends

    12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12) Don't let the music die, spread it, be open-minded!

Shantak/For The Darkening/Sliptrick Records/2016 CD Review

  Shantak  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  melodic  death  metal  with  elements  of  heavy,  thrash  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "For  The  Darkening"  which  was  released  by  Sliptrick  Records.

  Clean  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  adding  in  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  melodic  guitar  leads  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  while t he  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  doom  metal  elements  in t he  slow  guitar  riffs  while  the  lds  bring  in  more  of  a  traditional  melodic  metal  style.

  A  great  amount  of  melodies  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  some  thrash  influences and  high  pitched  screams  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  clean  playing  also  makes  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of the  songs  and  all  of  the tracks  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats.

  Shantak  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  doom  metal  to  create  a  sound  of   their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  loneliness,  Lovecraft  tales,  love,  nature,  and  literature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Shantak  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  melodic  death  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Disinterment"  "Oath  of  Shadows"  "The  River"  and  "The  Unwept".  8  out  of  10.

Merchant/Suzerain/Snake Charmer Coalition/2016 CD Review

  Merchant  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  psychedelic  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Suzerain"  which  was  released  by  Snake  Charmer  Coalition.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  style  growling  a  few  seconds  later  while  sludge  style  screams  are  also  used  at  times  and  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  When  guitar  solos  or  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  while  also  adding  in  elements  of  psychedelic  and  stoner  rock  onto  the  recording  and  clean  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  songs  and  as  the  album  progresses  some  of  the  riffs  start  bringing  in  more  melodies  and  the  whole  album  also  sticks  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Merchant  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  heaviest  styles  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  with  some  stoner,  psychedelic  and  death  metal  elements  to  create  a  sound  of t heir  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my opinion  Merchant  are  a  very  great  sounding mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mourning  Light"  and  "Black  Vein".  8  out  of  10.

Cortez/Initial/WOOAAARGH/Get A Life!/2016 12 Inch Review

  Cortez  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  noise,  post  hardcore  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  "Initial"  which  will  be  released  in  September  as  a  joint  effort  between  WOOAAARGH  and  Get  A  Life!.

  A  very  heavy  and  aggressive  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  high  pitched  noisecore  screams  while  you  can  hear  some  post  hardcore  style  melodies  in the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  heaviness  of  sludge  metal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  add  in a  touch  of  djent.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  on  a  couple  of  the  tracks  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  heavier  style  which  also  mixes  in  more  post  metal  influences  as  the  album  progresses  while  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  atmospheric  elements.

  Cortez  creates  another  recording t hat  takes  noise  rock, g rind,  post  hardcore  and  sludge  metal  and  mixes  them together  to  create  a  very  heavy  yet  dark  sounding  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  their  native  tongue  and  cover  dark  and  melancholic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Cortez  and  if  you are  a  fan  of  noise  rock,  post  hardcore  and  sludge  metal  and  if  you are a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should c heck  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mine  de  rein"  "Marasme"  "Notice"  and  "Patriarche".  8  out  of  10.  

Sadhus, The Smoking Community/Agnes Vein/Vault Relics/2016 Split 7 Inch Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between Greece's  Sadhus  the  Smoking  Community  and  Agnes  Vein  which  was  released  by  Vault  Relics  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Sadhus  The  Smoking  Community  a  band  that h as  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  drum  beats  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  that  are  done  in  a  doom  metal  fashion  while  the  vocals  are  high  pitched  sludge  style  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  some  dark  sounding  melodies  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  song  also  sticks  to  a  very  slow  yet  heavy  musical  direction,  the  song  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  alien  abduction  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  track  from  Sadhus  The  Smoking  Community  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.

  Next  up  is  Agnes  Vein  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy  doom  metal  sound  along  with  some  sludge  style  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  you  can  also  hear  some  melodies  being  utilized  at  times  and  the  guitar  leads  are  also  done  in  a  dark  yet  melodic  direction and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Agnes  Vein  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.

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

Chronobot Interview

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

We're a cosmic doom band from Saskatchewan, Canada. We like our music fuzzy and spaced-out, just like our heads.


2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

We felt like the sessions for this split went really well, and we were able to showcase the different elements of our sound really well. We recorded live off the floor and we were able to pair the slow fuzz-guitar riffs with the eerie organ and synth taking off to outer space while the riffs hammer down.


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

Outer space, time-travel, but of course also our main inspiration, weed and psychedelics. We give tribute lyrically to the love of getting fucked up together that got us making music as a band in the first place.


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

It's a similar thing with the name, Dave (guitar) came up with it years before the band ever really existed – 'the Chronobot' is a dope-smoking, time-travelling robot from the future, here to lay waste to the present and rain hazy destruction upon us all.


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

describe your stage performance?

Our performances are high volume, and high energy. We like to come out and crank it, and give it all we've got. Playing live is a hell of a feeling and it feels like we connect with audiences the most when we're all fucked up and banging around together.


We were lucky enough to play with Weedeater a couple years ago, so that show is up there in terms of our best. On tour in Lethbridge, Alberta in 2013 was one fucking hell of a show, too, and playing Kamloops with our buds in Hemptress for the first time, in late 2013, was incredible. The parking lot party that night was insane and by the time everyone played we were all trashed as one, but everyone just layed it down. Then in 2014 on our eastern Canada tour, when we met the AlgomA guys, actually, that show was fucking nuts. It was a destroyer. Quebec city on the same tour as well... there's more but I guess if we had to pare it down those are some of the standouts!


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

We've got a couple shows here in city, in June and in September – we'd like to get back out on the road but we're also focusing on getting our next full-length written after these back to back splits so the immediate focus is on that.


7.in the last year you have shared split's with both 'Hemptress' and 'AlogomA', what are your thoughts on the other bands that had participated on the recordings?

We don't have enough good things to say about those bands. Hemptress from Kamloops, BC are the best guys you could ever meet, and they know how to play rock and roll. Greasy fuzz jams, and motherfucking sick guitar playing. And just some of our best bros in the world as people besides rocking so hard as a band!

Meeting AlgomA was one of the best moments of our entire trip East, and they treated us so well. And honestly, they crush. Holy fuck they're devastating live, going on after them was one of those moments where you're watching them, thinking “how the fuck do we play after these guys, they're so fuckin heavy”. Like smashing your face into a brick wall, sonically. Love it!! And we've talked about doing a split release with them ever since.


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

Pretty good so far! No crazy breakout success or anything, but that's the norm obviously, and not why we got into this kind of music. But we've shipped out some records and our debut CD to all over Europe and the support online seems really good. It's rad to know that people outside of our immediate area at all are listening to what we're doing!


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?

Scott (bass) is in Hashfiend, with Quinton, our former bass player, who actually played on the split haha. Which is rad cause they're both our bros and we all like to play together! Cody (drums) is in Hexensabbat, a black metal band gearing up for their first release, and Darius (organ/synth) is in Ave Sol.


10.When can we expect another full length and also where do you see the band heading into

musically during the future?

Hoping by next year!! We'd like to keep pushing the envelope of comfort, of how fucked up and spaced out we can get and what different elements of rock and doom we can meld together.


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?

Sabbath and Hawkwind are what we built this band on haha. Obviously we're fans of Sleep and the Wizard too, and all the rest – there's some real hard-tripping bands out there these days. Currently digging Causa Sui, Electric Moon, Papir... but that's just me, we all listen to different stuff too so I know the other guys are rocking some other rad bands.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Cody's pretty into farming, I think he's actually seeding right now honestly. He's all about vintage tractors. I'm into books, lately sci-fi; I just finished the Dune series. Scott digs his football, I know he's already counting down til the season, Dave's been in on the beta of the new Doom. We all got some different shit going on haha.


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

Yeah, thanks for having us guys, as always, smoke weed, drink beer and have yourselves a fuckin time

The Von Deer Skulls/Bitches Of The Wood/Wraith Productions/2016 EP Review

  The  Von  Deer  Skulls  are  a  band  from  France  that h as  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  post  rock,  industrial  doom  metal  and  sludge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Bitches  Of  The  Wood"  which  was  released  by  Wraith  Productions.

  Experimental  and  avant  garde sounds  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  a  few  seconds  later  before  adding  in  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  sludge  style  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  a touch  of  post  rock  in  the  bands musical  style  while  the  songs  also  alternate  between  the  more  experimental  and  heavy  parts.

 You  can  hear  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  in  the  songs  and  industrial  along  with  hip  hop  elements  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  into  the music at  times  along  with  some  clean  electric  guitars  and  when  drum  beats  are  utilized  they  are  mostly  programmed.

  The  Von  Deer  Skulls  goes  into  more  of  an  experimental  direction  this  time  aorund  while  still  mixing  in  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful w hile  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  The  Von  Deer  Skulls  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  experimental,  sludge,  and doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Way  To  the  Shadow".  8  out  of  10.

 

Za la Thu/Psychotronic Generator/2015 EP Review

  Za  La  Thu  are  a  duo  from  Alabama  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  occult  mixture  of  experimental,  goth,  death  metal  and  avant  garde  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  ep  "Psychotronic  Generator".

  A  very  heavy,  melodic  and  progressive  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  technical  death  metal  style  guitar  leads  while  the  vocals  are  clean  singing  occult  rock  and  goth  vocals  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  synths  bring  in  a  very  symphonic  style.

  At  times  the  music  can  be  very  avant  garde  and  experimental  and  when  th e music  speeds  up  briefly  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  main  focus  remains  on  mostly  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  the  songs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  psychedelic touches  and  the  riffs  also  display  a  great  amount  of  doom  metal  influences  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  industrial  sounds.  and  acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  last  track  which  is  also  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Za  La  Thu  creates  a  recording  that  takes  technical  death  metal,  doom,  goth  and  occult  rock  and  mixes  them together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording,  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  and  Left Hand  Path  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Za  La  Thu  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  occult  mixture  of  industrial,  goth,  death  metal  and  avant  garde  music,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Star  Chamber".  8  out  of  10.

     

Yeti On Horseback Interview

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

We just went through a change on the throne. Our long time drummer and friend decided to take the path of least resistance so we scrambled to find a worthy replacement. Knowing we had this album ready we needed to find the right fit. It took some time but we eventually found found E.T .E.T is an out of this world being who has brought a stable backbone to our brand of noise and misery. Couldn’t be happier. Other then that we were also searching for a home for our debut album “The Great Dying”. Medusa Crush Recordings has taken us in and has been nothing but supportive. Album will be released September 23rd 2016.

This album has been a labour of love. For a band of gypsies that started in a dank basement drinking and smoking we never would of thought we would be here. You can hear the emotion pour through on this album. We have always felt like outsiders. Enjoying music that others couldn’t grasp. So we set out to polarize the audience. We want lifers not joiners. The album Crushes and remains evil throughout. Pulverizing the audience until they beg for more.

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

R.P is the sole lyric writer. So he writes about what he loves, hates and his experiences. A lot of the songs have a miserable theme to them. We identify with misery more so then happiness. The album touches on everything from religion, drugs, death, life, freaks, Satan. The world is a horrible place we just tell its story.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Yeti On Horseback'?

The name isn’t anything other then spending countless hours thinking of both good and bad names. All we cared about was sticking power and heavy imagery. A friend of the band said YETI ON HORSEBACK and we felt that captured our sound and would make ears perk up. One thing we know is it captures attention. Also High on Fire was already taken so the best band name was off the table.

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

As a young band we have already played some shows that we would never believe. Opening up for Doom gods Sons of Otis is maybe the highlight of our miserable lives. We spent a good portion of our youth drunk and stoned listening to OTIS. So to play with them is unreal. Our stage performance matches our sonic delivery. Deliberate with no frills as we CRUSH, KILL, DESTROY.

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

As for touring you never know. Since the bands inception everything has snowballed out of our control. We all have human responsibilities that weigh us down and make us sick. We look up to bands like Yob who did as much as they could while remaining crippled by life and it’s responsibilities until the time was right. So the future will tell

7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the deal you have signed with 'Medusa Crush Recordings'?

When we first sent our album out we didn’t know what to expect. As a little band from London Canada what could we expect.  We received a legal contract from a certain label… and it scared us. We don’t want to be bound. Everything We have done in this band has been family oriented. The brotherhood is something that has made this more then we would ever imagine. So when MCR approache us with the laid back metal breathren vibe we jumped at the chance. HEs a lifelong metalhead who cares about the bands he works with. He wants everyone he works with to reach hieghts beyond there wildest dreams. HE’s family now.

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

Worldwide and even in our little bubble of Canada the feedback and the reception has been staggering. The metal world accepts all and that’s what we love most about it, to have a guy write kind words from Argentina is unbelievable. To have an artist from the Czech republic offer us his talent all for the “independence of our sub-culture. Blows us away.

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

Musically we will not falter. What we have done with or debut we will build upon. We are doom we will always be doom. We will leave the 3 min songs and clean singing to air supply.

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?

Our listening is so eclectic. A lot of people say they listen to everything but do they really mean it? I think if all we listened to was AHAB we would just be another shittier AHAB, But one day you're listening to Ahab and the next day you are listening to elp.

11.How would you describe your views on Satanism?

Satanism is freedom from the flock. Embrace yourself and your passions; don't feel like you are out of place for liking something. We are all out of place and no one truly matters.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

DRUGS, ALCHOL, SEX

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

We just want everyone to know that this comes from the heart. Doom/sludge has garnered a lot of popularity nowadays but to us it’s a way of life. MISERY AND DEATH WILL ALWAYS RULE.

TUNE LOW PLAY SLOW

Anion/Fractions Of Failure/No List Records/2016 EP Review

  

  Anion  are  a  band  from  Vancouver  B.C,  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  hardcore,  noise  rock  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Fractions  Of  Failure"  which  was  released  by  No  List  Records.

  A  very  hard  yet  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  growling  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  high  pitched  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  mid  80's  to  early  90's  noise  rock  elements  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  fashion.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  while  also  mixing  in  the  raw  energy  of  hardcore  and  the  music  also  speeds  up  in  certain sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  heavy  musical  style.

  Anion  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  sludge,  doom  metal,  hardcore  and  noise  rock  and  mixes  it  together  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Anion  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  noise  rock,  hardcore and  sludge  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "God'S  Day  Off"  and  "Work  Ethic".  8  out  of  10.

Heavenwood/The Tarot Of The Bohemians Part One/Massacre Records 2016 CD Review

  Portugal's  Heavenwood  have  returned  with  a  new  album  that  continues  the  gothic  and  doom  metal  style  of  previous  recordings  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "The  Tarot  Of  the  Bohemians  Part  One"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

 Choir  vocals  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  melodic  musical  direction  a  few  seconds  later  awhile  also  mixing  it  in  with  symphonic  elements  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in a   great  mixture  of  both  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams.

  When  clean  singing  is  utilized  it  gives  the  music  more  of  a  goth  metal  feeling  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain true  to  a  melodic  yet  extreme  style  of  metal  and  most  of  the  songs  stick  to  mostly  either  a  slow  or mid  paced  musical  direction  while  also  speeding  up  briefly  and adding  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  melodic  ritualistic  chanting  while  one  of  the  tracks  towards  the  end  brings  in  female  vocals  and  there  are  also  a  few  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  classical  guitars  are  also  utilized  on  the  last  track.

  Heavenwood  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  tp  the  goth/doom  metal  style  of  previous  recordings  while  also  mixing  in  a  touch  of  black  and  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  deal  with  the  tarot  and  occultism  along  with  all  of  the  tracks  being  named  after  a  card.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Heavenwood  are  if  you  are  a  fan  of  gothic  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Juggler"  "The  Emperor"  "The  Chariot"  and  "The  hanged  Man".  8  out  of  10.

     

Methra/Acolyte/Battleground Records/2016 Full Length Review

  Methra  are  a  band  from  Tucson,  Arizona  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016 album  "Acolyte"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Battleground  Records.

  Distorted  amp  sounds  start  off  the  album before  going  into  a  heavy  yet  melodic  doom  metal  direction  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  that  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  stoner  vibe  and  the  music  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  Clean  playing  can  be  heard  on  some  of  the  songs  and  high  pitched  screams  along  with  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  elements  of  crust  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  either a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  mixing  in  a  lot  of  different  style  and  one  track  brings  in  spoken  word  parts.

  Methra  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  stoner,  sludge,  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  it  with  crust  and  death  metal  to  create  a  style  of   their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes

  In my  opinion  Methra  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  "Silverbar"  "Meridian"  "Pike  Warship'  and  "Organ  Trial".  8  out  of  10.

  

   

Grotesque Ceremonium Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
Grotesque Ceremonium formed as one man old school death metal Project in 2014 Ankara Turkey , this project created by me as passion and love for playing 90 s obscure and dark death metal with putrid sound,i always liked the early 90 s real death metal and influenced by bands like Incantation and Autopsy much , and i tried to keep the spirit alive , raw and true to old school roots of death metal in this Project.

2.You have a new album coming out in June, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the ep you had released in 2014?
Debut album is coming on 15th of June this year from Satanath Records and More Hate Prod co – release. Musically its pure death metal , with a lot of doomy parts , blasting parts with gloomy atmosphere , traditional death metal growls and screams , fast and catchy parts sometimes and even some crust , d beat sections in general music.it has more better production quality from the first ep which i recorded in 2014 ‘Blasphemous Goat Observance’ and song structures are more better way in this upcoming debut album.

3.Your lyrics cover a lot of satanic, luciferian, occult and blasphemus topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these subjects?
All those stuffs are main influences in Grotesque Ceremonium s music,in this album Demonic Inquisition i influenced and read much articles about   witch burnings and brutal inquisitions methods of dark  medieval times ,normally which performed by the church and christians , but i changed the classic topic to more evil way in my lyrics, that all those demonic tortures and inquisition methods are performing against all beleivers of god and christians by baphomets evil army in satanic temple of undead priests,in lyrics also listeners can read some of my personal descriptions about depts of hell , levels of hell , torture pits  and stuffs like that.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Grotesque Ceremonium'?
As you can see on the ep and this debut album artwork , some satanic rituals and Ceremoniums going on always main figure Satan and baphomet and hooded priest and monks on my artworks,this name  exactly fits what i imagined and created in my head . so it fits the main concept ,music ,lyrics and darkness of the band.

5.With this musical project you record everything by yourself, how would you compare that to working with a full band?
İ have other full bands like Cenotaph , its brutal death metal band also active since 1994 , but when it s one man band like this you are totally free , this musical freedom gives you a lot possibilities to write and create the exact music in your head , in full members bands a lot other things you have to deal with , with each member wishes , ideas and moods and stuffs like this but in Grotesque Ceremonium i m totally free i dont need to hear anybodies opinion and shit , i just write  , create and record the music which i wanted with the sound i like , in full band like my main band Cenotaph , everybody has different ideas in music and music writing process , so i dont need to deal in this one man Project with anyones ego or problems , i really enjoy to create the music which i like alone as one man band


6.On the album you did a cover of Incantation's  "Profanation", what was the decision behind during your own version of this song?
İ m huge fan of early incantation albums , especially 1992 onward to golgotha and 1994 mortal throne of  nazarene . those albums influenced me since the early days i started listening death metal , they are for me undying death metal classics,so i choosed to cover profanation song  from the  onward to golgotha album , i hope all listeners and incantation fans like me enjoys my version.

7.So far you have worked with 'Gunebacken productions' 'Satanath Records' and 'More Hate productions', are you happy with the support these labels have given you so far?
Gunebakan prod and American line prod mexico made limited tape versions of the 2014 ep , and with more hate prod i m also working for my other Project band Drain of ımpurity , its  brutal death metal one man Project, both satanath and more hate prod very dedicated labels and supportive to their bands and so far they are doing their job killer , i m glad to work such cool labels.check out their other releases also.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?
So far just  album promos sending around by labels and we just put 1 new song promo from upcoming on youtube and bandcamp pages of satanath records , you can check it out , reactions and feedsbacks are nice , after the 15th june album release i m expecting more feedbacks also , hope you guys like it if you are into old school death metal .

9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that you are a part of?
As i said before my main band is Cenotaph , and we ll gonna release our 6th full lenght album with cenotaph this year hopefully , we have 8 new songs to record , and my other one man Project beside grotesque ceremonium is drain of impurity , it also released its 3rd full lenght album from more hate prod this year , name of the album is – the seventh planet of the infected cygnus system -  more sci -fiction space theme brutal death metal and also grotesque ceremonium i m dealing with now a days.

10.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?
i like to create and playing music , its main part of my life , i ll continue to write music which i like in the future too , if people enjoys it its cool also if not enjoys its also ok , i can handle good and bad reviews , its good for my musical developement and journey.i want to continue music as long as possible in this short life.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on the project and also what are you listening to nowadays?
İ have a lot influences , for grotesque ceremonium main influences are incantation , winter , autopsy , morgoth , disembowelment , tyranny  and bands like this , i listen a lot of 90 s demos eps and cds, also i listen a lot other styles like brutal death metal , grindcore,doom , black metal and stuffs like that,now a days i m listening Funest from italy osdm band with swedish sound , a lot of dismember i m listening also  , old unleashed albums across the open sea era , burial from holland 1993 album relinquished souls very underrated band but killer if you like old death  and massacre style ,slaughterday from germany and coffin lust from australia i can advice,  beside this a lot of swedish crust punk bands i listen skitsystem and such stuffs and primitive man from usa i listen now a days , also a lot of brutal death metal albums are daily in my playlist.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks a lot fort his interview ,hope you guys enjoy my debut album grotesque ceremonium – demonic inquisition , check those pages and support ug.
https://grotesqueceremonium.bandcamp.com/releases
http://www.satanath.com/
http://morehate.com/

Heavenwood/Redemption/Massacre Records/2016 CD Review

  Heavenwood  are  a  band  from  Portugal  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  style  of  goth/doom  metal  which  also  has  elements  of  death  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2008  album  "Redemption"  which  was  re-issued  in  2016  by  Massacre  Records.

 A  very  heavy,  melodic  yet  depressive  goth  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  after  awhile  clean  singing  vocals,  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  operatic  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  on  one  track.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  while  also  sounding  modern  enough  for  2008  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  keyboards.

  Some  tracks  also  bring  in  elements  of  traditional  goth  rock  while  the  riffs  bring  in  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  long  and  epic in  length  along  with  one  song  bringing  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars.

  Heavenwood  played  a  style  of  goth/doom  metal  on  this  recording  that  was  very  melodic  and  atmospheric  while  also  having  the  heaviness  of  black  and  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  sorrow,  darkness,  and  love  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Heavenwood  and  if   you  are  a  fan  of  goth  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "13th  Moon"  "Fragile"  "Obsolete"  and  "Slumber".  8  out  of  10.