Samothrace/Reverence To Stone/20 Buck Spin/2012 CD Review

  Samothrace  are  a  band  from  Seattle,  Washington  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom/death  metal  with  elements  of  sludge  and  crustcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Reverence  To  Stone"  which  was  released  by  20  Buck  Spin.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  drumming  with  not  much  in  the  way  of  fast  playing  or  blast  beats  with  some  percussion  playing  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording,  as  for  the  sound  effects  when  they  are  utilized  they  bring  in  elements  of  ambient,  drone  and  noise  music.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  doom  metal  riffs  that  utilize  the  heaviness  of  death  metal  and  mix  in  influences  from  sludge  and  crustcore  to create  a  sound  of  their  own  as  well  as  throwing  in  dark  sounding  melodies  in  the  riffing  in  addition  there  is  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  doom/death  metal  growls  to  high  pitched  sludge  screams,  while  the  lyrics cover  dark  and  depressing  themes,  as for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording,  in  addition  the  2  songs  that  are  present  on  this  recording  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Samathrace  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style  of  music,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "When  We  Emerged".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

    

As Autumn Calls Interview

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

Andrew:  We are in the early stages of recording our upcoming album ‘Cold, Black & Everlasting’.  It’s a bit of a different process for us this time around as we now have four band members all contributing to the recording process.  We are going to try a few different things in the studio and see how they work out for us.  It has been a long time coming for this one for James and myself.  James actually started writing some of this material for this album while we were mixing the ‘Emotionless’ EP in 2009, so we’re very excited to finally start recording it with an end date in sight.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the newer material and how it differs from the older recordings?

James: The newer material is a decent mixture of our previous releases. Like the Emotionless EP the music is colder and darker with more of a black metal quality to it than An Autumn Departure. We’ve added more acoustic arrangements in the new material and there is more emphasis on creating depressive atmospheres through the keyboards and other elements. 

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

Andrew:  The lyrical topics all tend to be depressing in nature and revolve around loss and despair in some way, but there isn’t a per-determined focus or a theme to the lyrical topics and subjects beyond that really.  James does most of the writing for the lyrics and that’s just the writing style he’s always had.  On the new album, as well as the ‘Emotionless’ EP in fact, the songs actually have a storyline to them and we have found that works well for us – not just in writing lyrics, but in the mood and melody of the music  itself.  

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band’s name?

James:  The name pretty well fell into our laps. We wanted something that would reflect the style and theme of our music.  At the time we created the band Andrew and I were listening a lot the band Estatic Fear. The third track on their first release Somnium Obmutum is titled “As Autumn Calls” and we thought that name sounded good and so it stuck in our heads.   

5. Has the band been able to play out live or is this a studio project?

Andrew:  So far we haven’t played a live show.  The band started out as just James and myself and was only intended to be a studio project.  We never even entertained the idea of adding other members and playing live shows back when we first started.  Now that we have added Darren and Brendan to the lineup, playing some shows is definitely in the future.  It’s hard to say when this will happen, how many shows we might play, or how far from home we’ll venture, but we’ll turn our focus to live shows once we’ve finished recording the album.  Our label has suggested on a few occasions that we make the trip to Germany to play some shows, but I don’t think that is in the cards just yet.

6. When can we expect newer material?

James: That’s a good question. Our intention is to record and release the new album “Cold, Black & Everlasting” sometime in early 2013. At this point I guess it really depends on the release schedule of our label. 

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

Andrew:  We’ve been getting some really good feedback now from a lot of people and websites overseas.  We’re probably better known in areas of Europe and South America than we are in our home town!  We are hoping that will change when we finally play some live shows, but we really appreciate all of the great reviews and kind words we have received from people all over the world.  And we’re hoping our next album will reach even more people because we feel this will be our best release to date.

8. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?

James:  Our drummer Darren is involved (not as a drummer) with two amazing bands, Finnr’s Cane and Wolven Ancestry. He’s involved with a few more but these are the big ones. Andrew and I have a side project with a couple really talented musicians called Forodren which is a kind of depressive/folk black metal mix.  We will be releasing our debut full length sometime in 2013.

9. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

Andrew:  We haven’t really defined our musical path after ‘Cold, Black & Everlasting’.  All we have discussed is a completely different way of writing the music that will better draw from all of our different musical influences and backgrounds.  So it’s probably safe to say at this point we have no idea where any future album will take us.  We don’t want to be a band who limits ourselves to one sound or formula for albums.  Whatever we come up with, it will still be in our style and sound, but will probably even be a surprise to us!

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

James:  I think for both Andrew and I bands like Agalloch, Estatic Fear, Katatonia/October Tide, Opeth, Saturnus, Morgion, Swallow the Sun, My Dying Bride, Draconian, Shape of Despair, Anathema , Forest of Shadows and Empyrium have been a major influences on our music. I could go on and on since so many different bands of various styles have inspired or influenced us in various ways.  

For me personally I’m listening to a lot different stuff but if I must name a few I’d say Agalloch, Empyrium, Saturnus and Loss  are always within reach as well as a lot of really good underground stuff that ranges from doom, black metal to dark ambient/neo-classical.

11. Does Paganism or Occultism play any role in your music?

Andrew:  No, not at all.  The music for us is just about the music.  There is no role played by any type of belief or ideals within the band when it comes to the writing lyrics or music.

12. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

James: Not a whole lot. My family first and foremost.  I’m a huge F1 race fan, I enjoy watching the Discovery and History Channels and I enjoy drinking beer.

Andrew:  I’m also a big fan of beer!  Family is definitely first for myself.  I’m also into a variety of sports, as well as hunting and fishing.

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Andrew:  We just want to thank everyone for their support so far and we can’t wait to unleash the new album and get some feedback on ‘Cold, Black & Everlasting’.  We hope you will enjoy it as much as we do!

Process Of Guilt/Faemin/Division Records/2012 CD Review

  Process  Of  Guilt  are  a  band  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom,  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Faemin"  which  was  released  by  Division  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  drumming  with  not  much  in  the  way  of  fast  playing  or blast  beats,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  sludge/doom  metal  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  riffs  that  combine  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal  together  with  a  great  amount  of  heavy  distortion  behind  the  riffing  in  addition  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  distorted  and  noisy  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads  along  with  some  psychedelic  elements  being  thrown  in  at  times,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  full  chords  to  enhance  the  darkness  that  is  coming  out  of  the  music.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  sludge  screams  with  some  influences  from  hardcore  as well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes,  as  for  the  production  it h as  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this recording.

  In  my  opinion  process  Of  Guilt  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  sludge,  doom,  death  metal  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style  of  music,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Empire"  and  "Harvest".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Sons Of Tonatiuh/Parade Of Sorrow/Hydro-Phonic 2012 CD Review

  Sons  Of  Tonatiuh  are  a  band  from Atlanta,  Georgia  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  that  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge,  doom  and  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Parade  Of  Sorrow"  which  was  released  by  Hydro-Phonic.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  no  blast  beats  being  presented  on  the  recording,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  stoner/sludge  metal  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffing  that  combines  elements  of  sludge,  doom,  stoner,  crust  and  punk  together  with  a  good  amount  of  melody  being  thrown  into  the  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  70's  style  stoner  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  sludge/grindcore  screams  with  some  clean  singing  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressing  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful  and  heavy  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  album  from  Sons  Of  Tonatiuh  and  if  you  where  a  fan  of  their  previous  efforts,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "White  Wall"  "Colors  Run  Red"  "Seasick"  and  "Fallout".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

The Body/Self Titled/At A Loss Recordings/2012 CD Re-Issue Review

  The  Body  are  a  band  from  Rhode  Island  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  that  I  would  describe  as  being  a  mixture  of  drone,  doom,  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2004  album  which  was  re-issued  by  At  A  Loss  Recordings  in  2012.

  Drums  are  all   slow  playing  with  no  fast  drumming  or  blast  beats  being  present  on  this  recording,  while  the  synths  and  sound  effects  bring  in  elements  of  drone,  dark  ambient  and  industrial  noise  to  the  music,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  sludge  riffing  that  dominate  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  are  all  slow  riffs  that  mix  doom,  drone  and  sludge  metal  together  with  most  of  the  songs  being  short while  a  couple  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  addition  there  is  a  stoner  vibe  to  some  of  the  riffing  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording  with  the  music  being  all heavy  rhythms.

  Vocals  are mostly  high  pitched  sludge  screams  with  some  spoken  word  parts  and  samples  being  used  at  times,  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful  and  heavy  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  while  you  can  still  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  great  album  from  The  Body  which  is  alot  less  experimental  than  their  newer  material  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge/doom  metal,  you  should  check  this  recording  out.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  City  Of  The  Magnificent  Jewel"  "The  Mother  And  Tomb  Of  All  Things"  and  "Final  Words".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

  

As Autumn Calls/Emotionless/2009 EP Review

  As  Autumn  Calls  are  a  band  from  Canada  that  plays  an  atmospheric  and  melodic  form  of  doom/death  metal  ans  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2009  demo  "Emotionless".

  Drums  are  all  slow  drumming  with  no  fast  playing  or  blast  beats  being  present  on  this  recording,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them, as  for  the  synths  they  are  mostly  in  they  back  ground  and  they  bring  a  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  music.

  Rhythm  guitars  are  all  slow  riffs  that  combine  doom  and  death  metal  together  with  a lot  of  dark  sounding  melodies  being  thrown  into  the  riffing  with  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads, as  for  the  classical  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  enhance  the  darkness  of  the  music.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  death/doom  metal  growls  to  high  pitched  screams  that  have  a  black  metal  feeling  to  them  as  well  as  some  clean  singing  being  used  on  the  last  song  in  addition  there  are  some  spoken  word  parts  on  the  same  song,  while  the  lyrics  cover  depressing  and  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  powerful  and  heavy  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  As  Autumn  Calls  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  and  melodic  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  this  recording  out.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK "Resignation".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Unfold Interview

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

Elie (guitar/keys) : Well, we’ve released our new album called « Cosmogon » last September through Division Records. The vinyl version (picture disc LP), limited to 250 copies worldwide, has been released last month and looks really great. We are playing some shows and already writing new songs for a future realease.


2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it differs from previous releases?
The sound of the new album was designed to be a bit more lively and less compressed than on our previous albums. But i twas also important for us that it doesn’t sound small. We wanted a rough, dynamic and powerful sound that would fit the songs the best.


3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release?
Well, the way we use lyrics is maybe kind of untypical, as we focus more on the « resonance » of words than on a concept. However, the lyrics are a coherent entity with different meanings and levels of interpretation. We love them subtle, thoughtful and dark.


4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
There is no real meaning or inspiration. We just thought it sounded good and at the time we were really convinced that this name made sense to us.


5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
We really focus on giving intense shows. There have been a lot of good shows and great memories until now an dit would be difficult to point one out.


6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?
As we all have jobs , it has become difficult to tour, but we love to play live, so we do our best to play as many shows as we can.


7. On a worldwide level how has your newer music been recieved by fans of underground music?
Pretty well. We have had a lot of good reviews and we are happy that most of the reviewers did understand what we tried to do on this album. But inevitably some others haven’t understood anything at all. Some reviews on websites or blogs are pretty unprofessionnal and we miss good quality writers and journalists who really have a strong musical background and culture.


8. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full time line-up?
This is a full time line-up for everybody, except for our singer Danek, who also plays with Sludge and Yverdoom.


9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
I cannot really answer this question, as we haven’t written any new material, but we’ll always try to experiment and bring new ideas in our songs.


10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Common influences in the band go from metal/hardcore to indy rock, electronica or black/death metal. Some are old bands and some are new, but most of them are non-commercial bands which really bring something good and sincere on the table. We now listen to many bands. Here are some of them : Enslaved, La Dispute, Converge, Meshuggah, Andreya Triana, Melissa auf der Maur, and so on.


11. Outside of music what are some of your interests ?
Listening to music and going to concerts. When we have time…


12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Thank you very much for this interview and your interest in Unfold. We love you.