Ceremonia/La Existencia Humana Debe Ser Un Error/2015 Full Length Review

  Ceremonia  are  a  band  with members from France and Columbia  that  plays  an  atmospheric  form  of  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "La  Existencia  Humana  Debe  Ser  Un  Error".

  Drum  beats  and  atmospheric  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  seconds  the  music  starts  to  go  into  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  while  the  screams  have  a  black  metal  tinge  to  them  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  fashion  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  also  speeds  up  briefly on  one  of  the  tracks  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  keyboards. 

  Ceremonia  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  dark,  heavy  and  atmospheric  and  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Latin  and  cover  depression,  lonliness  and  suffering.

  In  my  opinion  Ceremonia  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  doom/death  metal  band  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Amanecer  Fallido"  and  "Existencia  Humana".  8  out  of  10.     

The Drowning Interview

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

We’ve been playing live, at home and abroad since completing in the studio. We’ve also been busy with pre promotion for the new album “Senescent Signs” as well as working on material for the next album.



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 stuff you have released in the past?

We entered a different studio from previous albums with producer/engineer Joe Thompson who has previously worked with fellow Welshmen Desecration as well as bands such as The Rotted and Overoth. We knew we were going for a whole new production. The writing being very intense leading up to this we felt was a whole new take in itself.



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

After the 2011 album Fall Jerusalem Fall and the departure of vocalist James Moore it kind of left a hole in the band. At a local show we were introduced to Matt Small who was performing that night with a local metal band. After a few rehearsals we knew that he was the man for the job. 2012 saw us performing shows across the UK still promoting the previous album (FJF).  Joe Thompson and his colleague approached us and soon we began talks of recording a new album.  We hit the studio summer 2013. The recording process was going well, and then bad news came from Joe telling us of massive technical problems with the software of which the recorded material was sadly lost along with all back up. Not only did we suffer this blow, four other bands at the time also lost their material. Morale was low for the band after this, still performing shows but with no album to promote. January 2014 saw us back in the studio to start from scratch, and this time with all technical problems behind us we hit this new recording head on.



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

Lyrically there's an overall theme of the break down of things, society, relationships the sense of self; of decay and the passage of time, the fact that you can reflect on what has gone before and the helplessness experienced when you realize you are a victim of what has gone before. The individual tracks fundamentally are based in personal experience and the artwork reflects the themes of decay and of being haunted by what has gone before.



5.      What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name “The Drowning”?

In the beginning the name came to me (Mike) in more of a ritualistic murder sense, The Drowning.  As time has gone on with the themes of the albums and lyrics alike you can use The Drowning in a wider context whether drowning in sorrow, passion, or even anger.



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

We’ve had some fantastic shows over the years, from playing our hometown to as far away as Malta and Europe. Crowd response has always played a part to how we perform. We feel as a stage band we give a lot more energy and aggression than many other bands in the genre, giving the crowd true entertainment.



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

We set off this spring for shows in the Netherlands and will be booking a lot more when the album is released to see us through the year.



8.      The new album is coming out on Casket Music, are you happy with support that thy have given you so far?

To be truthful as a label they do very little - so we become the promoters, organizers, managers etc. We have recently signed up with Imperative PR who are acting on our behalf. We have a great relationship with the guys at Imperative and are very happy with how we’ve been treated so far.



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

You will always find there are divides in genres. People who love death will only love death. People who love doom will only love doom. So being a combination of the both can get mixed reactions. Generally our music is well received as we capture not just the above but other elements of metal.



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

We always continue to work very closely as a band, and new ideas are always brought forward, enabling us to try different angles of writing but still retaining the true sound of The Drowning, which we believe will hold us in good stead for the future.



11. 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?

Ok, this is interesting, as players we come from different backgrounds, I myself (Mike) from a young age was brought up on thrash metal as well as heavy metal, which moved on in time to black metal/dark metal. Jason came from a more commercial scene even going back to American rock. Steve as a drummer was influenced by a lot of the 80’s glam rock as well as the more intricate progressive metal. These days I’m (Mike) very into the neo folk scene along with a lot of the German dark metal bands, which have influenced my writing over the years.



12. What are some of your non-musical interest?

Drinking, if you count that as an interest?  Steve’s a professional Tattoo artist, I myself (Mike) am big on horror movies, cooking and collecting American made guitars. Matt seems to have an obsession with medieval weaponry, sporting an impressive collection.



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

The Drowning are here, and will be for many years to come. Pushing harder and further and continuing to fly the flag of British Doom Metal!

Leather Glove/Skin On Glass/Sentinent Ruin Laboratories/2016 Demo Review

  Leather  Glove  are  a  solo  project  from  San  Francisco, California  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  crust,  grindcore  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2016  demo  "Skin  On  Glass"  which  was  released  by  Sentinent  Ruin  Laboratories.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  sound  starts  off  the  demo bringing  in  blast  beats  along  with  some  deep  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  crust  punk  elements  throughout  the  recording  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  mid  80's  and  early  90's  influences.

  When  the  music  slows  down  it  brings  in  more  of  a  sludge  and  doom/death  metal  style  while t he  solos  and  leads  are  very  dark  and  melodic  and   while  the  first  song  was  very  fast  the  other  2  stick  to  a  slower  direction  while  also  having  its  fast  moments  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  a  brief  use  of  drones.

  Leather  Glove  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  sludge  and  doom/death  metal  while  also  having  some crust  and  grind  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  dark, raw, h eavy  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Leather  Glove  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  crust,  crust,  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Rods  of  Steel".  8  out  of  10.

  

 

Seeming Emptiness/Heavy Rain/Rain Without End Records/2016 CD Review

  Seeming  Emptiness  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  ambient,  post,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Heavy  Rain"  which  will  be  released  on  May  28th  by  Rain  Without  End  Records.

  Clean  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  riffing  and  elements  of  post  rock  a  few  seconds  later  and  once  the  drums  and  distorted  guitars  kick  in  the  music  starts  going  into  a  heavier  direction  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  A  lot  of  doom  metal  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  heavier  guitar  riffing  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  all  of  the  songs  are  instrumental  and  as  the  album  progresses  elements  of  dark  ambient  are  added  into  more  of  the  songs  and  all  of  the  tracks  stick  to  mostly  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  fast  playing  and  blast  beats  and  rain  sounds  are  also  utilized  briefly  on  the  closing  track.

  Seeming  Emptiness  plays  an  instrumental  musical  style  that  takes  ambient  and  a  modern  style  of  post  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  more  melodic  and  depressive  style  of  doom/death  metal  to  create  something  very  original  and  the  production  sounds  very  professional.

  In  my  opinion  Seeming  Emptiness  are  a  very  great  sounding  instrumental  mixture  of  ambient,  post  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dispatched  Fortune"  "Heavy  Rain"  "Heirless"  and "Enliven  The  Dust".  8  out  of  10.

Grave Siesta Interview

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


We are now in the process of writing new material. We also try to play as many gigs as possible. Gig offers are always welcome.



2.last year in June 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?


Our new material is more tight, raw, nasty and furious than the previous material.  Taito also now uses his voice in much more pronounced way.


3.This is the first album to be released in 4 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time period?


Since we all have day jobs and all, we cannot do this 24/7/365. Our next release will come out faster though. The band has been there to keep things together no matter what happens in the band members private lives.


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

Lyrical concept has been pretty much the same since the beginning. Short stories about life and death and usually fucking things up in between. Man is the scum of the earth and to deal with that we tend to fuck others up unless we get screwed ourselves. There are no happy endings but still the reality is usually more harsh than this nihilist fantasy world.


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

It has several meanings, one is related to finnish proverb which translates something like "time enough to rest when dead". It can also mean that death is just one phase in the circle.


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?

Our best show was probably at a mini-festival called Dooomstock, back in 2011, since it was sold out. We always aim to perform very loud and energetic shows. The “funniest” gig was probably a one where the police arrived because of the noise. Also it´s been a pleasure to play in Tallinn couple of times.

We like it raw and simple: to play the songs live with fury, sweat and beer!


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

Not really. Since we're not a name band we just cannot plan these things ahead. We will play any gig that we can get. At this point there is one gig booked in June, at Helsinki at Lepakkomies (one day before Tuska-festival, if you’re coming..)

8.The last album was self released, are you open to working with another label again in the future or do you prefer to be independent?

It depends. We really don't want go into details with our previous deal. But let's just say, that if we could get at least semi decent deal from some label, then of course we would take that. Otherwise we stay independent.

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

Mainly very positive. Actually the worldwide feedback has been much more positive than the feedback from Finland. Local metal media has labelled us as some sort of Reverend Bizarre copy band, which is not the case at all, if you have heard the music. Some of our songs are heavily influenced by Pentagram though, maybe it comes from that.

10.What is going on with 'Rite' these days, a band that also shares a couple of the same members?

Sami ja Juha also plays in Rite, though Rite has been on some kind of hiatus past years. But there have also been rumours that Rite will hit the stage next autumn. You never know...


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

The general direction will be pretty much the same as in Piss & Vinegar. But of course there will some changes. For example some of our new songs do not sound doom metal at all, while still being really heavy and abrasive.


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

Our main influences are doom metal, sludge metal, death metal and even some black metal. (Who would have guessed?). And bands like Pentagram, High on Fire, Celtic Frost, Entombed and even some Primordial.

Taito: I listen to a lot of non-metal music as well and try to keep up with new releases at least those available on streaming services. Generally not top-40 chart stuff but spanning different genres.


13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Mikko: Hitting the gym and sitting in seedy bars.

Taito: Food, beer and running.

Juha: Family, TFW Helsinki

Sami: Staying alive

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

Spread the word of Grave Siesta, dig into the new stuff and get us playing near you! And if you want to order the awesome  “Piss & Vinegar” vinyl, send us mail: gravesiesta@gmail.com !!

Funeral Mantra/Afterglow/Sliptrick Records/2015 Full Length Review

 Funeral  Mantra  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner  and doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Afterglow"  which  was  released  by  Sliptrick  Records.

  Avant  garde  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  distorted  yet  melodic  guitar  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  after  the  intro  the  music  gets  a  lot  more  heavier  and  starts  to  mix  in  elements  of  doom  metal  while  the  vocals  are  done  in  more  of  a  groove  metal  direction  while  still  being  melodic  at  times.

  Death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  stick  to  more  of  a  dark  doom  metal  direction  while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  blues  rock  at  times  and  when  clean  playing  is  utilized  it  gives  the  songs  a  psychedelic  edge  and  there  are  also  a  lot  of  stoner  rock  elements  being  mixed  in  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  last  song.

  Funeral  Mantra  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  stoner  rock  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  along  with  a  touch  of  death  and  groove  metal  which  makes  the  songs  stand  out  a  bit  more,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  introspection,  death,  afterlife,  reincarnation  and  dreamy  substance  induced  scenarios  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Funeral  Mantra  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  stoner  and  doom  metal  with  some  touches  of  death  and  groove  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dimensions  Onward"  "In  These  Eyes"  "Counterfeit  Soul"  and  "Afterglow".  8  out  of  10. 

Ghoulgotha/To Starve The Cross/Dark Descent Records/2016 CD Review

  Ghoulgotha  are  a  band  from  San  Diego,  California  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "To  Starve  the  Cross"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Dark  Descent  Records.

  Horror  move  samples  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  melodic  guitar  leads  which  also  takes  the  music  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  doom  metal  elements  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  screams  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording and  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released more  than  20  years  ago.

  A  few  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and one  track  also  brings  in a brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  also  mixes  it  in  with  the  heavier  riffing  and  some  of t he  fast  riffs   also  use  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  a  couple  of   later  songs  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  classical  guitars  and  atmospheric  synths.

  Ghoulgotha  remain  true  to  the  old  school  mixture  of  doom   and  death  metal  of  previous  recordings,  the  production  sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  darkness  and  abstract  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ghoulgotha  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Village  Of  Flickering  Torches"  "Abyssic  Eyes"  "Visceral  Eyes"  and  "Holy  Book  Scribed  by  Wolves".  8  out  of  10.