Grave Siesta/Piss & Vinegar/2015 Full Length Review

  Grave  Siesta  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "Salt  &  Vinegar".

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  stoner  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  giving  the  music  a  retro  70's  feeling  while  having  the  modern  day  heaviness  and  after  awhile  aggressive  yet  melodic  vocals  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  more  closer  to  a  70's  style  of  doom  metal.

  Death  metal  growls,  sludge  style  screams  and  melodic  vocals  can  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  also  stick  to  mostly  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  the  music  does  speed  up  briefly  and  also  adds  in  a  few  seconds  of  blast  beats  and  you  can  also hear  a  touch  of  punk  in  the  bands  musical  style  at  times  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Grave  Siesta  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  doom,  stoner  and  sludge  metal  together  with  a  touch  of  death  metal  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  life  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Grave  Siesta  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  "Coffinborne"  "Pile  Of  Tongues"  and  "Whispers  Of  the  Worm".  8  out  of  10.   

 

Scarleth Interview

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

- Scarleth is remarkable and experienced Ukrainian metal band playing music on joint of modern heaviness and diverse melodism.
Band’s style is expanding constantly and represents mind-blowing mixture of many melodic genres – from power, folk, doom and gothic metal to modern/progressive metal.

2.In July you had 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?

- New album is much professional sounding, arrangements are also done on top level. We are really proud by the sound of the new songs. This CD is more modern sounding compared to previous one.

3.The band has been around since 2005 but so far have only released 2 albums, can you tell us a little bit more about the gaps in between releases?

- That's because of the line-up changes through the years. It is difficult to be involved in the band for a long time without getting paid for what you are doing - that is the sad reality of Ukrainian metal scene.

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

- Our lyrics are diverse as always, I think anyone will find something that touches his/her heart.

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

- We wanted simple name which can be easily remembered and not put any limitations to the sound or genre of band's music. I think this name works just great for that.

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?

- Open air festivals are usually the shows which you remember for a long time. Great crowd and many cool bands. We still developing our stage performance, so it will be surprise for our listeners when it will fit it's final form.

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

- Yes, we have some big open air festivals planned for this summer. Really waiting to see our fans there!

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

- Both CDs are appreciated quite well by listeners and reviewers. We are really happy because of that.

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

- The last CD has just been released so there are no plans or dates for the next one. We will continue to develop our style during next albums, I expect the sound and songs to became a bit
darker and heavy compared to what we did before.

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 listed to a lot of different bands and styles, but about influences... I think there was quite strong Black Sabbath influence on the first record we made.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

- Travelling, computer games, and movies :)

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

- We are really hope to see all of you on our next tours and festivals. Stay Scarleth!

Live Burial Interview

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


Aside from a few shows, we haven't been up to much. Getting the record ready for release has been our main priority. We've also used any down time to put some focus in our other musical projects. However, we've been thinking of writing new material already. We haven't got any working songs as of yet, but we've all been thinking of ideas and what future direction we're likely to take.


2.In April you have a new album coming out, 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?


The album is primarily old school death metal with some extra influences thrown in. Two of the tracks have a Mercyful Fate/King Diamond vibe to them (Sleep Paralysis and Mocata's Revenge). After the lo-fi death metal sound that we had on the demo and EP, we wanted to step things up a notch. This record is a lot cleaner sounding without compromising on heaviness. Also in comparison to previous releases, the song writing is a bit more complex. We also started playing a hell of a lot faster haha.


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


The lyrics are pretty standard fare for Death Metal. Most of the tracks were based on films and books I checked out at the time. I'm not really into trying to convey a message through my lyrics, I purely write for fun. That's why I like to go for quite silly lyrics without going too over the top. Take Forced Back to Life for instance: I love the movie Re-Animator and also enjoyed the HP Lovecraft Herbert West serials, so I wanted to do a set of lyrics based on that concept. It was also the concept that ended up influencing the direction of the artwork. Hung Above the Meat Grinder was based off a single scene in the movie The Exterminator, where a gangster gets slowly fed into an industrial meat grinding machine. If that ain't Death Metal, I don't know what is!


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


Live Burial is an alternative term for Premature Burial, i.e. being buried alive. I thought it would be cool name to use for a Death Metal band and found, much to my surprise, that no-one claimed at the time of forming the band.


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


Both Vomfests in Edinburgh and Yorkshire Riffer in Leeds were great shows. Our sets, depending on the crowds, can be pretty crazy. Lee and I have a minor disdain for being on stage. We much prefer being up close to (or in) the crowd. The Yorkshire Riffer show for instance had the crowd bouncing off the walls... With us included! I'm also not one for talking much on stage. Why hear me prattle on for ages when you can hear riffs? I know what I'd rather hear!


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


We do have a plan for a tour later in the year, but we're yet to finalise any details. We'll hopefully be hitting the road late September/early October for dates across the UK.


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


Reception has been positive. Those who like Death Metal seem to like what we're doing. The more heavy metal influenced parts have also been well received. I can't say that we've picked up any feedback from Doom Metal fans. The Doom aspect seems to be a label that we've been stuck with since the demo days. I think we've only really had one track that was Doom-like in a sense. Everything else we've done has been fast and ferocious Death Metal with the odd slow part. Of course, we'd welcome anyone and everyone to check out our music and let us know what they think of it.


8.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?


Horrified (feat Rob and Matthew) have just released their follow up album Of Despair. They're about to go on a short tour and Lee is helping out with bass duties. Plague Rider (Rob/Matthew/Lee) are working on new material and I understand it will be even more ridiculous in terms of technicality. Rat Faced Bastard (Rob/Matthew/Jamie) have been working on a few new songs too. They released an EP online late last year and plan putting it out on physical format. There are also murmurings of a new EP in the works.


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


I know Rob and Matthew would like to see more King Diamond-esque riffs in the songs. I know the pair of them have also been listening to Morbid Angel's Gateways of Annihilation quite a bit recently as well, so there may be some Gateways inspired riffs in the works. In all honesty, I can't really say until we all meet up for practice and see what we jam out. While some of the songs have been pre-written in the past, others have been the result of riffs jammed out on the day and we've gone from there.


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 following bands have had an impact on us one way or another: Obituary, Bolt Thrower, Autopsy, Asphyx, Morbid Angel, Death, Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, old Sepultura.


At the moment, we're all listening to all sorts. At the moment, I've been listening to a lot of Slough Feg and making my way through tape backlog, featuring the likes of Dungeon, Nightmare City and Aggressive Perfector. Lee goes to all manner of different gigs so he talks about many weird and wonderful bands all of the time.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?


Nothing really out of the ordinary. Aside from hitting up ale pubs in Newcastle and other parts of the UK, a bunch of us love watching movies... Whether they're of artistic merit or not hahaha. I think I've talked about Ninja Terminator constantly for the past two weeks.


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


Cheers for the questions and we hope everyone enjoys the album!

Scarleth/The Silver Lining/The Leaaders/2015 CD Review

 

 Scarleth  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of power,  doom  and  gothic  metal  with  some  folk  and progressive  touches and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015 album  "The  Silver  Lining"  which  was  released  by  the  Leaders  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  symphonic  sounding  synth  starts off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  riffing  that  also  mixes  in  with  the  symphonic  elements  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  the  synths  also  mix  in  elements  of  neo  classical  and  progressive  rock  at  times.

  Vocals  are  mostly melodic  female  vocals  that  bring  a  touch  of  power  metal  onto  the  recording  while  also  mixing  in  aggressive  screams  that  are  more  closer  to  black  and  death  metal  and  the  slower  riffing  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  doom  metal  elements  and  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  a  very  melodic  style  of  metal  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  elements  of  both  folk  and  Indian  music  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  tracks and  some  of the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Scarleth  plays  a  style  of  symphonic  gothic  metal  that  is  very  diverse  mixing  in  the  heaviness  of  black  and  death  metal  along  with  the  melody  of  power  metal  and  elements  of  progressive  and  folk  music  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Scarleth  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic  gothic  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Double  Memory"  "One  Short  life"  and  "Last  Hope".  8  out  of  10.

       

Inner Blast/Prophecy/Nordavind Records/2016 CD Review

  

  Inner  Blast  are  a  band from  Portugal  that  plays  a  gothic  form  of  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Prophecy"  which  was  released  by  Nordavind  Records.

  A  very  dark,  epic  and  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  choir  vocals  in  the  background  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  heavier  goth  metal  sound  where  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  they  also  mix  the  symphonic  and  heavy  parts  together.

  Elements  of  traditional  metal  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  vocals  can  also  be  aggressive  yet  operatic  at  the  same  time  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  along  with  a  great  amount  of  female  vocals  also  being  utilized  and  clean  playing  along  with  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  songs  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  briefly  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  one  track  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars    and  one  track  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  Eastern  ethnic  music.

  Inner  Blast  plays  a  style  of  gothic metal  that  is  very  melodic  and  symphonic  sounding  while  also  mixing  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  an  aggressive  edge,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Inner  Beast  are  a  very  great  sounding  gothic  metal  band  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band. RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "insane"  "Legacy"  and  "Wings  Of  Freedon".  8  out  of  10.  

Hadal/Painful Shadow/2016 Full Length Review

  Hadal  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  self  released  2016  album  "Painful  Shadow".

  Clean  guitars  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  along  with  all  of t he  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  more  of  a  melodic  yet  depressive  style  and  they  also  use  a  great  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts.

  Vocals  start  out  in  more  of  a  clean   singing  direction  while  also  using  death  metal  growls  quite   a bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  high  pitched  screams  bring  in  a  touch of  black  metal and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  90's  goth  doom/death  influences  throughout  the  recording  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction.

  Hadal  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  melodic  doom/death  metal  style  of  previous  recordings  while  also  mixing  in  a  touch  of  goth  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  depression,  death,  loss,  grief  and  despair  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from   Hadal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic doom/death  metal,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Painful  Shadow"  "Slow  Violence"  "Nocturnal"  and  "White  Shade".  8  out  of  10.

Live Burial/Forced Back To Life/Dunkelheit Produktionen/2016 CD Review

  Live  Burial  are  a  band  from  the United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal,  doom  and  sludge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016 album  "Forced Back To Life"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Dunkleheit  Produktionen.

  Horror  movie  soundtrack  music  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  atmospheric  synths  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  an  old  school  death  metal  direction  along  with  some  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  as  well  as  having  screams  and  growls  being  added  onto  the  recording.

  Guitar  solos  and  leads  remain  true  to  an  old  school  death  metal  style  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music has  a  lot  of  roots  in  the  mid  80's  to  early  90's  and  all  of  the  musical instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  doom  and  sludge  metal.

  Live  Burial  plays  an  old  school  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  80's  and  early  90's  while  also  mixing  in  a  touch  of  sludge  and  doom  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Live  Burial  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school death  metal  band  with  a  touch  of  sludge  and  doom  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should c heck  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Forced  Back  To  Life"  "Beyond  Death"  and  "Enter  the  Chapel  of  Splatter".  8  out  of  10.