Father Befouled/Desolate Gods/Dark Descent Records/2017 CD Review

  Father  Befouled  are  a  band  from  Georgia  that  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Desolate  Gods"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Dark  Descent  Records.

  Distorted  guitar  amp  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  darker  and  heavier  musical  direction  while  the faster  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  being  deep  death  metal  growls a nd  the  riffs  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies.

  Elements  of  doom  metal  can  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  remaining  very  true  to  an  old  school  style  of  death  metal  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  also  always  remains  very  dark and  heavy  and  one  track  is  all  instrumental  while  the  last  song  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Father  Befouled  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  rooted  in  the  early  90's  era  of  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  ancient  gods  of  death  and  chaos  along  with  the  darkness  that  governs  the  universe  and  the pain  that  death  creates.


  In  my  opinion  Father  Befouled  are  a  very  great sounding  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Exsurge  Domine"  "Ungodly  Rest"  and  "Desolate  Gods".  8  out  of  10.
     

Anthesis/The Age Of Self/Hibernation Release/Ancient Temple Recordings/2017 CD Review

  Anthesis  are  a  band  from  New  Brunswick,  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  grindcore  and  noise  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "The  Age  Of  Self"  which  will  be  released  in  June  as  a  joint  effort  between  Hibernation  Release  and  Ancient  Temple  Recordings.

  Aggressive  screams,  heavy  riffs  and  drums  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  riffing  a  few  seconds  alter  which  also  takes  the  recording  into  more  of  a  sludge  direction  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  deep  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  Elements  of  noise  rock  are  a  very  huge  part  of  this  album  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  grindcore  influences  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  doom  metal  and  hardcore  influences  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  music  always  remains  very  heavy.

  Anthesis  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  sludge  metal,  grindcore  and  noise  rock  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Anthesis  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge,  grindcore  and  noise  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Path  To  Enlightenment"  "Empty  Vessels"  "Decay.Digust"  and  "The  Following".  8  out  of  10.

Lodz/Time Doesn't Feal Anything/Klonosphere/Season Of Mist/2017 CD Review

  Lodz  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  goth,  doom  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Time  Doesn't  Heal  Anything"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Klonosphere  and  Season  Of  Mist.

  Clean  post  rock  style  guitars  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  doom  metal  influenced  riffing  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  while  the  clean  vocals  also  add  in  a  touch  of  goth  and  death  metal  growls  are  also  used  at  times.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  screams  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  elements  of  shoegaze  are  also  used  at  times  and  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  but  the  main  focus  is  more  on  a  slow  or  mid  paced  direction  along  with  a  few  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  acoustic  guitars  are  utilized  they  give  the  songs  a  more  progressive  touch  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Lodz  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  goth.,  doom  and post  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Lodz  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  goth,  doom  and  post  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Negligence"  "Shattered  Dreams"  and  "Everything  Is  Fine".  8  out  of  10.

   

Enemy I/Dysphoria/2017 Full Length Review

  Enemy  I  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  industrial,  goth  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Dysphoria"  which  will  be  released  in  May.

  Distorted  sounds  and  noises  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  some  grooves  and  melodies  while  spoken  word  samples are  also  used  at  times  and  the  vocals  also  add  in  a  semi  melodic  tone  while  being  rough  at  the  same  time  while the  music  also  mixes  in a  lot  of  industrial  elements.

  A  great  amount  of  goth  influences  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  death  metal  growls are  also  utilized  at  times  while  the  guitar  leads  when  they  are  utilized  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with all  of  the musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  whispers  along  with  a  few  grim screams  that  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  some  of the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  a  later  song  adds  in  a  more  symphonic  touch.

  Enemy  I  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  industrial  and goth  metal  and  adds  it  in  with  a  touch  of  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Enemy  I  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  industrial,  goth  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Twinsight"  "Placebo  God"  "Heartbeat  Decline"  and  "Spell  Cast".  8  out  of  10.   

 

Godhunter/Codex Narco/Battleground Records/Baby Tooth Records/2017 Cassette Review

  Godhunter  are  a  band  from  Tucson,  Arizona  that h as  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of    and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Codex  Narco"  which  will  be  released  on  cassette  in  May  as  a  joint  effort  between  Battleground  and  Baby  Tooth  Records.

  Distorted  amp  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  drum  beats  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  awhile  heavy  sludge/doom  metal  riffing  and  melodic  singing  is  added  onto  the  recording  and  after  awhile  the  riffs  also  start  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  Elements  of  traditional  doom  metal  can  be  heard  at  times  while  the  vocals  also  mix  in  some  aggressive  sludge  screams  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  atmospheric  synths  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic fashion  and  spoken  word  samples  are  also  used  briefly  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  and  all  of t he  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  direction.

  Godhunter  creates  a  recording t hat  still  keeps  a  lot  of t heir  sludge  influenced  doom  metal  style  while  also  trying  out  newer  elements  into t he  songs,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  social  issues  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  form  Godhunter  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  cassette.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Like  Glass  Under  Black  Fingenails"  and  "Walking  With  A  Ghost".  8  out  of  10. 

Hteththemeth/Best Worst Case Scenerio/2016 Full Length Review

  Hteththemeth  are  a  band  from  Romania  that  plays an  avant  garde  form  of  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Best  Worst  Case  Scenario".

   Wind  sounds  along  with  whispers  start  off  the  album  while  soundscapes  can  also  be  heard  in  the  background  as  well  as  spoken  word  parts  also  being  used  briefly  which  also  gives  the  recording  a  more  ritualistic  feeling  and  after  the  intro  acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  recording.

  A  great  amount  of  progressive  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  all  of  the  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  along  with  whispers  and  laughs  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  stick  to  a  melodic  style  while  also  adding  in  elements  of  jazz  fusion  along  with  a  slight  touch  of  blues  rock  and  clean  singing  vocals  are  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  tracks.

   Death  metal  growls  and  heavy riffs  are  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  keyboards  are  also  mixed  in  with  the  heavy  parts  and  the  music  also  incorporates  a  great  amount  of  doom  metal  influences  and  black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  avant  garde  elements  and  as  the  album  progresses slide  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  one  song  introduces  psychedelic  touches  onto  the  album  and  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Hteththemeth  plays  a  progressive style  of  avant  garde  metal  which  also  mixes   in  the  heaviness  of  doom  and  death  metal  along  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  poetic  themes  along  with  a  concept to them.

  In  my  opinion  Hteththemeth  are  a very  great  sounding  avant  garde metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "They  Will  Not  Believe  What  I  Say"  "The  Romantic  Side  Of  Paris"  "Your  Are  my  Last  Girlfriend"  and  "They  Will  Not  Believe  What  I  Have  Done".  8/5  put  of  10.

Cloud Rat/Moloch/Halo Of Flies/2017 Split Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Michigan's  Cloud  Rat  and  United  Kingdom's  Moloch  which  will  be  released  on  April  1oth  by  Halo  Of  Flies  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Cloud  Rat  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  grindcore  and  punk.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy  yet  melodic  guitar  sound  along  with  some  screaming  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  grindcore  elements  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Elements  of  noisecore  can  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  the  energy  of  punk  while  elements  of  post  rock  and  prog  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  goth  style  synths  along  with  spoken  word  parts  and  melodic  singing  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  while  dark  yet  melodic  guitar  leads  are  also  used  briefly  of  the  tracks  while  touches  of  harsh  noise  are  also  used  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  women's  rights,  veganism  and  self  empowerment  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Cloud  Rat  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  grindcore  and  punk,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of t he  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Clench"  and "pit".


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

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  distorted  amp  sounds  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  yet  darker  doom  metal  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  angry  yet  high  pitched  sludge  style  screams  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  if  melody  along  with  both  of  their  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  When  growls  are  utilized  they  add  in  a  touch  of  death  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  there  is  also  a brief  use  of  cries  and  spoken  word  parts  and  both  tracks  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Moloch  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  TRACK  "Lead".

  In  conclusion I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  noise,  punk,  sludge,  doom  and  grindcore.  8  out  of  10.

  

TreyHarsh/When The Sun Sets In The East/THRecords/2017 CD Review

  TreyHarsh  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  very  dark  form  of  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "When  The  Sun  Sets  In  The  East"  which  will  released  by  THRecords.

  Atmospheric  drones  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  also  uses  a  mixture  of  growls  and  aggressive  screams  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also b e  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  slower  riffing  incorporates  a  great  amount  of  sludge  elements  while  influences  of  modern  thrash  and  alternative  metal  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  TreyHrsh  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  sludge  metal  while  also  mixing  in  touches  of  death,  thrash  and  alternative  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  TreyHarsh  are  a  very  great  sounding  sludge  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Death  At  The  Door"  "When  The  Sun  Sets  In  The  East"  "Father's  Bloodbath"  and  "All  Those  Fool  Gods".  8  out  of  10.

Prisoner 639 Interview

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

Yeah sure, we formed back in 2014 when we were both wanting to do more gigging and the bands we were involved with weren't really active (or as active as we'd have liked). I'd mentioned offhand that I was planning on starting a new band, and Brame offered his drumming services, hahah. I hadn't planned on cooperating with someone living in another country, but his interests musically were perfect and we had been friends for a while anyway so we figured yeah, may as well give it a shot. Since then we've done quite a few tours, festivals, recordings, all the stuff you'd expect a band to do really.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?

Pretty much a rip off of bands like Godstomper or Sordo, but more recently the sound has been a lot more stoner/sludge like as well.

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

All the generic stuff really, I mean anti-war, social issues, nothing groundbreaking. The lyrics aren't massively important, one of our songs is about Rutger Hauer. I just write about whatever I feel, and of course we have some lyrics about animal rights too. Veganism is important to me, as it is to a lot of people within the punk scene. If you've ever listened to a crust or power violence band before you know the deal.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Prisoner 639'?

Hahah, all I'll say is that it's from a certain Japanese cult film. I remember before being asked "what's your prison?" A prison for me is netflix.com, it may have no walls or a lock and key, but once you get settled into watching Attack on Titan there's simply no escape.

5.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?

No, no, the band was always supposed to be a duo and will always remain a duo.

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

Mmm... That's hard to say... We've had a lot of really great shows, one of the stand out ones being back in 2014 when we played Forced System festival (sadly now RIP). All of our gigs in Prague have been fantastic, we did a really sweet couple of shows at a skate park in Lublin (thanks to Olga and of course the guys at the 'Umea' vegan burger place!!). It's really hard to pick a favourite show, we had an amazing response in Palencia too with Brutologos Fest, and yeah the list just goes on and on. Sometimes gigs come up last minute and stick in your mind, for example a show we did in Brezno ages ago. There are loads of things that have happened with Prisoner which remain highlights of my life. Our stage performance is best described as 'loud.' I'm not sure what else to say about it, hah... 'Brief' might be another good word.

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

Our next show is going to be Chimpyfest in London, this August. For those reading who haven't been, it's an amazing festival which I've attended every year since it started up, and it's run by a really great team of people. It's well worth supporting and they have an awesome line up this year with bands like Birdflesh, Hellbastard, Six Brew Bantha, Pulmonary Fibrosis, it's going to be really cool.

8.Recently you where a part of a split with 'Throw Me in The Crater', what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the recording?

Ah, those guys are really good, we gigged with them at Bloodshed festival last October, and yeah they really play a good set. Super loud, super heavy, both Brame and I really like that kind of sludgy sound. I don't know how exactly the split came about, I think Luuk or Roel asked us about it. Honestly their side of the split is recorded way better than our side, hahah, so yeah, really worth checking out. We've known them for years, stretching way back before Prisoner ever formed.

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

Yeah I mean, we're not a really well known band so I don't really know how people view us the world over, but certainly within Europe I'd say people have been really supportive and in general we've had a fantastic response from everyone. We've been lucky enough to play some great shows and meet some really special people, many of whom we've been able to stay in touch with which I think makes all the time we've put into the band worthwhile. I've made great friends through touring, people like Sally from Gewoon Fucking Raggen or Herbert from Ostrava, Giorgio from Punti Scene Records or Hazree from Shitnoise Bastards, ah, the list just goes on and on, I can't name everyone but there are many really great people who I've only been fortunate enough to meet thanks to touring in the punk scene.

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

Musically speaking I'm not sure... I mean we're at a point where we're slowing down now so I really can't say. We're both busy with other projects currently, there are songs that we haven't released yet (including a seemingly ancient, well overdue cassette with Grinder Bueno and Corporeal Abuse, as well as a tape with Hooked on Christ from the UK). We'll see what happens, only time will tell.

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?

Other than the aforementioned bands, we draw influence from who you'd typically expect, stuff like Spazz, Sex Prisoner, old ENT, Cave State, mmm... A lot of people assume we were heavily influenced by MitB but to be honest they were never a band I listened to much before forming Prisoner 639, same with Crossed Out. Bands like Primitive Man and Bongripper also influence my writing quite a lot, I love anything dark and doomy sounding.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

I'm into a lot of stuff really, I mean music is a big part of my life but I'm also doing Judo when I can, visiting the gym with my younger brother, and I try to get to the cinema as often as I can. Not the usual trash that's being pumped out film after film which are generally speaking remakes of older (better) films, but I try to see screenings of more interesting films or documentaries when I can. For example a couple of days ago I went to an event organised by the Bristol Radical History Group and Bristol Antifa where they showed three different films in support of the people of Kurdistan, highlighting the efforts of groups like the PKK, YPJ, YPG. These kind of events are really important to keep people informed, but also of course I'm also going to see random stuff like old horror films or low-budget stuff. Both Brame and I are big into horror films, cannibal films, anything kind of 'nasty' I guess. I also have a site where I'm uploading my sketches, if anyone wants to see my art or animations they can look it up at: sniffingdogart.weebly.com

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

Well, of course thanks to you are in order, and also an apology for my tardiness!! The answers for this interview are long, looong overdue!! Of course as well I should thank anyone who's battled through my long, rambling answers, and to all the people who have supported Prisoner 639 over the years we've been active. I'll be touring more with my other bands, Dzhumagaliev and CxBxFxIxHxFxLxFxRxE, so if you're into grindcore/noise/gore (not rubbish tupa-tupa stuff) then come check us out. Big thanks to Every Day Hate and DoomedToDarkness!! Take care, cheers.