Old Chapel/Visions From Beyond/Chaos Records/2016 CD Review

  Old  Chapel  are  a band  from  Russia  that  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  death  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Visions  From  Beyond"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Chaos  Records.

 A  very  dark  yet  heavy  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  when  the  music  speeds  up a   great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  while  also  remaining  very  true  to  an  old  school  style  of  death  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  horror  movie  samples  can  be  heard  and  classical  guitars  are  added  on  the  last  track

  Old  Chapel  takes  the  doom  and  death  metal  genres  of  the  early  90's  and  mixes  them  together  with  a  more  up  to  date  approach,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  movies  and  witching  rites.

  In  my  opinion  Old  Chapel  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Stairs  To  The  Vault"  "The  Nightmare  Room"  and  "Witchboard'.  8  out  of  10.

Shadecrown Interview

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

Saku: We are Shadecrown, melodic death/trash/doom metal band from Finland. The band was founded in 2012 and now we're about to release our debut album "Agonia."

2.You have your first full length coming out in October, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from your previous demo and ep?
Saku: Musically this album is quite unpredictable 'cause we combine many genres of metal such as melodic doom and trash metal. But I personally think that this kind of mixing just makes music much more interesting. When we started in 2012, Shadecrown was just a melodic doom metal band but then something happened. These days our songs are much more diverse than back then.

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

Saku: My source of inspiration is life itself. Our songs usually tells about loneliness, sorrow and human frailty.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Shadecrown'?

Saku: "Shadecrown" comes from the word "shade-grown". Basically we just changed one letter. But for me "shade" in this case means some kind of misfortune in life. We all know that at some point of our lives we all have to experience some kind of loss, sorrow or loneliness. And "crown" is something you have to wear for as long as it's your duty. Even through desperate times when it becomes a burden. So maybe "Shadecrown" means burden of life or something like that... But after all it's just a name of the band.

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

Saku: We always try to be very energetic on stage. Hair and sweat must fly! Maybe the best show so far was here in Finland at Pub Markus. A lot of our friends and other drunken people were there. What an awesome crowd!

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

Saku: Yeah, sure! Our plan is to tour as much as possible.

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

Saku: Well, the whole album hasn't been released yet so it's hard to say, but so far the feedback has been very positive! Let's see what future holds.

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?

Saku: Actually at the moment all the members are concentrating solely on Shadecrown.

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

Saku: Our music is going to be a little bit more progressive and technically challenching than before. But no major changes in sight.
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?

Saku: Bands that have influenced me the most as a songwriter are Sentenced, Pantera, Insomnium, Testament, Iron Maiden, In Flames, Swallow the Sun etc. Nowdays I listen to all above-mentioned and numerous other bands.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Saku: Almost all of my interests are somehow music-related, but with the band we've been playing NHL on PlayStation.

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

Saku: Huge thanks to all who have supported us, hopefully see you all on tour! Cheers!

Dead End Interview

This interview has been answered by vocalist Bryan Boorsma ( B:) and basplayer – bandleader Alwin Roes ( A:)

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

B: We've been busy planning new shows and a couple of tours to bring the album abroad, we have some great things in store!
A: and believe it or not, we are already working on our new album that’s due June 2017 hahaha

2.You have a new album coming out in September, 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?

B: Of course it differs from the stuff the band did in the past, but we wanted to keep the Dead End sound. The old death, doom, gothic sound.
A: I think the biggest ‘change’ is that we have some new influences from Arjan and Jeroen that give some songs a bit more tempo as it has been in the old days, a new writing duo as in the old days, but yeah, we aimed for the typical Dead End sound and feel, as we read in the many reviews, we succeeded in that.

3.The band was broken up for 21 years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?

A: in 1993 we left the scene with the farewell 7” Wartime in Eden, mainly because we had 2 side’s within the band, there were me and Micha who wanted the bigger plan for the band, and there were Jeroen, Eef and Gunther, we just started a higer education and were not prepared to do the touring and stuff what was on Dead End’s road to come,
‘Cause Roel ( Vic Records ) wanted to re-release our old songs ( as we did in 2015 on Forever is Not Eternal ) we got in touch with each other again, and when we made a facebook page to let the old fans know we would release this stuff we got so overwhelmed with responses that I decided to jump right back in and this time were going for the kill !!

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

B: Most of the lyrical topics are about a state of mind, feelings or experiences,
And they happen to be in the Dead End style , so also they’re all is in the line of a developed Dead End.

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

A:……… hm , a good question, all we wanted was to stand out in the crowd, so no unreadable logo like some bands have, and not some guttergorekillbloodevilsatan name, this one is loud and clear, and as we see the many posters we are on with our name and logo…. We stand out.



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?

B: We've played a couple of great shows the past year, including Metaldays, Dutch Doom Days and Lucky Rocks and we have many great ones coming up, like Veghel Deathfest with Unleashed.
A: on stage we try to give the audience a total show, sound, looks, stage setting, all is taking extra care of, everything counts if you want to make a difference…

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

B: Yes, a lot actually. We try to visit as many countries as possible.
A: there’s one coming up soon we are not allowed to tell it yet, but also we are going to do Stockholm, Karlstad and Gotenborg, and we are looking forward to that one, its kinda in the belly of the beast you know, we are pretty Scandinavian influenced, so were curious how we are received there. But also we are going back to Lithuania in a few months, we had a blast there last year, so its great to go back and see our friends again. Belgium Germany Portugal and france are also on the plan but non confirmed yet.

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

A: well, 5 out of 5, 8,5 out of 10, 8 out of 10 and so on… every single one until now was great. But also phrases like: ”best album of 2016,” “ brilliant “ and the one I liked the most:” Like a modern day Black Sabbath meets Death Metal “… all cool stuff.
Old and new fans, reviewers we don’t now personally and some of them are known as pretty critical, so we are very proud so far.
B: Pretty good, we were excited to find out what the responses of the old-school fans were and they are beyond our expectations. It blows our minds.

 9.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

B: Our drummer Harald also plays in Pictura Poesis and he is also playing together with Alwin and ex-Dead End member Jeroen R in Into The Arcane. Jeroen G sings in a Rammstein tribute band Vannstein and I play in Deathwalker.

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

B: I believe we are going to keep on doing what we do. Make music, play shows and just have a good time.
A: Dead End is reborn, and we proved with this new album, in this new line-up we are still Dead End with what we do now, I think we are ready to evolve, we got very close doing this new album and the chemistry is very good, what the next album brings us nobody knows, we were kinda looking very focused on staying in the Dead End style with this album, and we proved we could, and not even with making much extra effort, it came natural actually.
 so the new album is gonna be a challenge in many ways, but it will be Dead End. That’s for shure.

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?

B: We've mostly let us be inspired by the old death/doom metal with a bit of gothic here and there.
A: the nice thing is that we don’t even share the same likes, Arjan is more into the more brutal bands, and Jay ( Jeroen Gijsbers ) is more thrash and rock’n roll metal stuff, Harald has a very wide taste also, from symphonic to slam hahahaha, me, I have my phases, I can listen to bands like Dark Tranquility for a while and than all of a sudden I have Manowar or Candlemass spinning in my car-radio. But I think that’s a good thing, I think the variety of our likings and who we are makes this band, age’s between 26 and 44, from different parts of the country and not all having the same taste brought us were we are now, we think with an open mind, and end up like Dead End…. And so far, this seems to bring us a perfect result. And we like it !!

Krypts/Remants Of Expansion/Dark Descent Records/2016 CD Review

  Krypts  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Remnants  Of  Expansion"  which  was  released  by  Dark  Descent  Records.

  Atmospheric  sounds  start  off  the album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  also  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  doom  metal  direction.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  melodic  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  and  a  great portion  of  the  tracks  are very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  vocals  bring  in a  small  amount  of  screams  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  keyboards  can  be  heard  along  with  an  instrumental  track  before  returning  back  to  vocal  tracks  and  the  last  song  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  melodic  chants.

  Krypts  creates  another  recording  that  mixes  death  and  doom  metal  together  while  being  mostly  influenced  by  the  90's  style  but  adding  in a  more  modern  twist,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Lovecraftian  Horror,  Spirituality,  and  Ancientry.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Krypts  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  doom  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  Include  "The  Withering  Titan"  and  "Transfixed".  8  out  of  10. 

The Von Deer Skulls/The Rest Is Silence/2016 Full Length Review

  France's  The  Von  Deer  Skulls  have returned  with  a  new  album  which  shows  the  music  going  into  more  of  a  post  doom  metal  direction  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "The  Rest  Is  Silence"  which  will  be  released  in  October. 

  Powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  along  with  some  whispered  vocals  start  off  the  album  which  also  leads  up  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while t he  vocals  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  the  heaviness of  sludge  and  doom metal  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  singing  and  post  rock  elements  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  on  one  track  the  music  also  speeds  up  for  a  fe  seconds  and  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  and  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental at  times.

  The  Von  Deer  Skulls  creates  an  album  which  shows  the  music  going  for  more  of  a  post  doom  metal  style  while  still  having  some  experimental  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  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  post  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Fall  Of  The  Raven"  "The  Birth  Of  The  Freak"  and  "Swan  Song".  8  out  of  10. 

Shadecrown/Agonia/Inverse Records/2016 CD Review

  Shadecrown  are a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal with some  thrash  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Agonia"  which  will  be  released  in October  by  Inverse  Records.

 Armospherric  synths  and  acoustic  guitars  which  are  also  used  on  other  tracks  start  off  the  album  and  after  awhile  melodic  yet  melancholic  sounding  guitar  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  heavy  riffs  that  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound   to  them.

  The  songs  also  alternate  quite  a  bit  between  the  heavy  and  soft  parts  throughout  the  recordings  and you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of doom  metal  elements  in  the  songs  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal growls  along  with  some  whispers  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  some  of  the  later  tracks  also  bring  in  elements  of  thrash  while  some  songs  also  bring  in  clean  singing  and  touches  of  goth  metal as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  high  pitched  screams and  there  is  also  a  great mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  faster  sections  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.   

 Shadecrown  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  melodic  styles  of  doom  and   death  metal  and  mixes  them  with  some  goth  and  thrash  elements  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Shadecrown  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Led  Astray"  "Walk  Through  Hell"  "Tear-Stained  Heart"  and  "Drown".  8 out  of  10. 

Skeleton Of God Interview

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

We're psyched for the re-release to be in our hands and contemplating releasing a couple new songs in the near future.
>
> 2.Your last album was released in 2008, 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 consider it a progression, it's similar to the original vision but evolved.
The newest stuff has more of a death metal, psych, doom vibe. The early 90s stuff has more of a straight up "brutal" death metal vibe. We consider both psychedelic and weird variations of those styles.

>
> 3.There has been no new material in the last 8 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
We've been busy with our personal lives and other musical pursuits.
We're both creative, motivated people; there are many more interests we pursue.
>
> 4.The band was broken up for more than 10 years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
We broke up because we had other goals to pursue , Erik was working on Napalm America, I moved to Arizona to work on my BFA. I Can't recall what Tim and Joel were up to.
We just couldn't keep it together. I regret not being more serious at the time.
After not really communicating for years we just happened to cross paths again. As soon as we stared hanging out we decided we should work on a new recording. It was great, we got to know each other again and realized our chemistry was still there. After the recording was under way we contacted Joel and and he flew out to Colorado to lay down the bass tracks. Was great to have everyone (sans Tim) back in the studio.
Joel passed away in 2015, the re-release is dedicated to him!


>
> 5.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explored on the last album?
>
The lyrics are based on the visions / hallucinations I experienced on a Salvia Divinorum trip. It was frightening and enlightening; you literally see "inside" yourself. Trying to put the experience into words was a challenge but it worked out fairly well, they were close to interpreting the visions I experienced.
The themes deal with personal perspectives on spirituality, paranoia, failure, success, family/friends, enlightenment, politics etc...


> 6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Skeleton Of God'?
When I came up with the name it just rolled off my tongue joking around.
At this point it represents the "remains" of naïveté, I guess, ha.
>
> 7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
>
The best shows were with Carcass (on their Necroticism tour) and Anal Cunt (on the Morbid Florist tour).
Stage performances were energetic and straight forward, no bullshit or gimmicks, most of the time anyway.

> 8.The last album is getting re-issued on 'Everlasting Spew', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
>
It's a new label, we're the first release. We're very honored to be involved with an upstart with such a clear, professional vision.

> 9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to you music by fans of death metal?
>
We've alway received a lot of great feedback!
Primordial Dominion was a bit challenging for death metal purists who were hardcore Urine Garden fans but most people have warmed up to it. We've always included "psychedelic" and progressive elements in the music, we never wanted to repeat ourselves.


> 10.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

I have a band called Devil Worshipper, it's a heavy, "psychedelic rock" project. Erik has helped me out with some drumming and recording so it has some SoG "soul".
Erik has a studio and records bands from time to time. He also works on music of his own, more in the electronic realm.
>
> 11.Are there any plans to release new material in the future?
Yes. Hopefully a couple new songs early next year.
>
> 12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your current music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
My influences are all over the place and always have been, it's hard to nail down any primary influences as they relate to SoG but here are some that were and have continued to be interesting and or influential to some degree: Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Pentagram, Kiss, Devo, Iron Maiden, Hellhammer, Bathory, Slayer, Mercyful Fate , Dark Angel, Destruction, Death, Autopsy, Morbid Angel, Fatal, Napalm Death, Immolation, Godflesh, Cathedral, Entombed, Suffocation, Carcass, Dark Throne, Satyricon ,Can,  Melvins, Sleep , The Cows, Soundgarden...

Some the stuff I've been listening to on repeat lately: Jex Thoth, Autopsy, Disma, Thee Oh Sees, Dead Moon, Om, Brian Jonestown Massacre, old Megadeth (Killing..., Peace), Wooden Shjips, Zeke, Fungal Abyss, Satyricon, Godflesh, Black Sabbath, Pentagram , Trypticon blah, blah.....


>
> 13.What are some of your non musical interests?

I make art = illustrations, sculptures, paintings etc....

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

Thanks for the interest and support! \m/