Abysmal Grief/Reveal Nothing/Terror From Hell/2016 Compilation Album Review

  Abysmal  Grief  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  occult  mixture  of  goth  and  doom  metal  along  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Reveal  Nothing"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Terror  From  Hell  Records.

  Gothic  horror  style  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and after  awhile  the  music  starts  mixing  in  with  a  more  heavier  style  while  black  metal  screams  can  be  heard  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  clean  singing  goth  style  vocals.

  Acoustic  guitars  along  with  spoken  word  parts can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  slower  riffing  is  very  much  in  a doom  metal  direction  and  there  is  a  brief  use  of  death  metal  growls  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  they  have  a  vampyric  and  ritualistic  atmosphere  to  them  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads a re  utilized  they  are d one  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody and  the  songs also  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced musical  direction  and  as  the  album  progresses  elements  of  psychedelic  rock  can  be  heard  and  some  of  the  tracks a re  long  and  epic  in  length.

 On  this  compilation  Abysmal  Grief  plays  a  music  style  that  takes  goth/death  rock  and  mixes  it  with  doom  metal  while  also  mixing  in  black  and  death  metal  influences  along  with  a  touch  of  psychedelia  to  create  something  different,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Divination,  Occultism,  Funereal  Mysticism,  and  Horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  compilation  from  Abysmal  Grief  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  goth  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cursed  Be  The  Rite"  "Hearse"  "The  Samhain  Feast"  and  "Chains  Of  Death".  8  out  of  10.

Warcrab Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
A couple of months after the album was recorded we had to part ways with our then vocalist Kane Nelson. It wasn’t an easy decision, and it was not due to any personal reasons, however his work and family commitments meant we were unable to continue with him. He is still considered a great friend of the band and we wish him all the best in the future. Luckily we have had nothing but positive feedback regarding our new front man Martin Grant, who has slipped into the role perfectly. Since then we have played many gigs up and down the country including Incineration Festival and Thrashersaurus. Currently we are working on more new material with Martin taking over the lyric writing duties, which he has taken to like a crab to water.

2.You have a new album coming out this month, 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?
I would say certainly more progressive, the songs are longer and there is a lot more melody infused in it, however still maintaining the brutal wall of noise and heaviness that we are known for. It’s 100% still Warcrab but more mature and refined. Plus the solos are better haha!!!!

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
War, death, nihilism, apocalyptic vampires that feed off planets, lost friends and sorrow and of course Vikings. No loves songs as of yet.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Warcrab'?
It came from a road trip to Bristol to watch the mighty Crowbar. One band member (I don’t recall who at this point) suggested an anagram for Crowbar could be the word Warcrab. Shortly they were advised the spelling didn’t add up shall we say. But the image of this giant mechanical sea creature lumbering along and destroy everything in it’s path appealed to us, so the name stuck. Also it kind of fits our sound perfectly.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
For me Bloodstock in 2014 was still one of my favourite shows ever, the crowd response was incredible and the staff at Bloodstock are truly amazing. The onstage sound was crystal and the stage crew were amazing. Incineration festival and Thrashersaurus were also incredible shows. Another one I would have to say was The Anvil in Bournemouth when we toured with Diesel King. Great venue, great sound and most importantly a great crowd. With regard to our stage performance, it’s hard to say as I have only seen it from one side haha. Judging by how sweaty we are when we come off and how much our necks hurt I can only say high energy, unusual for a band that classed as a Doom outfit I know. Generally feedback tends to be “man that sound was so heavy!!!”

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
We are hitting the road for a few dates in late October and November with our buddies Warlord, and we are hoping to hit the festival circuit next year, Bloodstock again would be amazing. Hopefully another UK tour too.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of sludge, doom and death metal?
We haven’t played outside the UK as of yet, however we’re sending purchased CD’s to countries all over the world, which is awesome. We have fan bases in Indonesia, Japan, America and all over Europe, even Nepal!!. When I look at our website and Facebook page I continuously see messages from people who dig what we’re doing, from places I didn’t think we would’ve reached yet.


8.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
Me, Leigh and Rich are currently involved in a non-serious punk band know as the Population Pods. Pretty much just a bit of fun. Aside from that all focus is on Warcrab.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
At the moment we are just riding the wave and seeing what comes out. We never write with a specific idea in mind, which keeps things sounding fresh and organic. I think if the trend continues the songs may get longer haha.

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?
Personally for me as a lead player I grew up idolising guys like Dave Gilmour, Adrian Smith and Eric Clapton for their sense of melody and emotive approach to their playing. As a band we are influenced by everything from Sludge bands such as Crowbar and Conan through to early Death Metal bands like Bolt Thrower and Malevolent Creation, plus a healthy dash of Black Metal too. Lets just say anything from A to Z, or Anthrax to Zappa.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
I have many haha!!!. Outside of the band I’m training to be a blacksmith and I’m also very much into martial arts. In the next 6 months or so I should hopefully be coming up for my black belt in Ninjutsu. I also like to draw nude pictures of Fiona Bruce from BBC News.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
            Yeah, buy Scars Of Aeons it’s awesome.

Condor/Sangreal/Triton's Orbit/2016 CD Review

  Condor  are  a  band  from  Columbia  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  "Sangreal"  which  will  be  released in November  by  Triton's  Orbit.

  A very  distorted  yet  melodic  guitar  lead  starts  off  the  album  and  they  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  make  their  presence  known  in t he  music  and  the  songs  start  going  into  a  heavier  direction  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  A  lot  of  doom  metal  elements  can  be  heard  quite   bit  throughout  the  recording  and  clean  singing  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  guitars  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  later  tracks also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  a  good  portion  of  the  songs  are  very  long and  epic  in  length  and  one  track  also  brings  in a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Condor  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  doom/death  style  that  was  presented  on  their  previous  release,  the  production  sounds very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  philosophy,  identity,  and  nationalism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Condor  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  doom/death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sangreal"  "Outremer" and  "Roncesvalles".  8  out  of  10. 

Warcrab/Scars of Aeons/Black Bow Records/2016 Full Length Review

  Warcrab  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Scars  Of  Aeon"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Black  Bow  Records.

  Dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with some  drum  beats  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  takes  the  music  into  more  of  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  which  also  uses  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  deep  death metal  growls  and  the songs  also  mix  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge.

  High  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  while  the  solos  and  leads  gives  the songs  more  of  a  melodic  stoner  metal  vibe  and  mid  paced  sections  are  also  used  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Warcrab  takes  a  musical  style  that  takes  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Warcrab  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Destroyer  of  Worlds"  and  "Scars  of  Aeons".  8  out  of  10.

  

Gatecreeper/Sonoran Depravation/Relapse Records/2016 CD Review

  Gatecreeper  are  a  band  from  Arizona  that  plays  a  mixture  of  crust,  doom  and  death metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Sonoran  Depravation"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Relapse  Records.

  A  very  heavy  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodies  and  you  can  hear  a  lot  of  90's  Swedish  influences  in  the  bands  musical  style  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  and  they  also  mix  in a  great  amount  of  crust  and  d  beat  elements  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  doom  metal.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark,  melodic  and  old  school  fashion  and  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  while  the  music  is  mostly  rooted  in  the  past  the  production  gives  the  tracks  a  more  modern  feeling  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  and  the  whole  album  also  remains  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Gatecreeper  plays   musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  the  early  90's  Swedish  death  metal  genre  while  the  doom  and  crust  elements  makes  the  songs  stand  out  a  bit  more,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  substance  abuse,  apathy  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Gatecreeper  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  crust,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  the  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Craving  Flesh"  "Rotting  As  One"  "Lost  Forever"  and  "Grotesque  Operations".  8  out  of  10.     

Ruinous Interview

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

(Matt): Ruinous plays crushing and dismal down tuned death metal. Our debut album “Graves of Ceaseless Death” comes out in November on Dark Descent Records.

(Alex): Well myself (Alex) Matt Medeiros and Shawn Eldridge all played together in the band Funebrarum. We were all unhappy with the situation in the band and left to pursue forming Ruinous. The three of us have a great chemistry and friendship that just works. The band sound is pretty simple just a combination when the  3 of us get together. It’s a real honest and a natural process being in this band. I would say we are for sure what you would call a super pure heavy death metal band without a doubt.

2.You have a new album coming out in November, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

(Alex): Its super heavy and brutal but has a lot of diversity on it as well. We have some fast mid temp and doomy evil aspects. Im very happy with the songs and the production came out great. Very well produced but also keeps its rawness. I had the idea of how Death Scream Bloody Gore sounded when it first came out. That record had the modern sonically sounding production with the dirty rawness. So i think we got the best of both worlds.

(Matt): We definitely wanted the record to have a lot of grit and an old-school feel. I think we got that with massive heavy drums and thick guitars. The songs themselves are brutal and varied, with elements of doom, but with lots of hooks. The songs will get stuck in your head, and your head will get stuck in the wall from furious thrashing! haha

3.All of the band members are extreme metal veterans, what is it that you bring it in this band that you were not able to do with past groups?

(Alex): For me it is just the vibe we get when we get together. Everything comes out different than how i would have written for a Goreaphobia or Incantation record. And that is the magic when you are working with great people.

(Matt): Musically it’s a continuation of what we were doing together before, but now we can actually write songs and make records.

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

(Matt): Lyrically the songs are about the horrors that lie beneath the surface of the mortal world, the torment of eternal damnation and other cheery topics. I take inspiration from all sorts of supernatural horror sources, writers like Lovecraft, Poe, and Clive Barker, horror movies and tv shows.

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

(Matt): Continuing the lyrical themes, our music is Ruinous. I also wanted something that I wouldn’t have to repeat a hundred times, and then spell, when asked “what’s your band called?”

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

(Alex): We have not played live yet with Ruinous but when the 3 of us played with Funebrarum live it is full on high energy. Expect the same but times 10 now without the weak link we had in the past.

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

(Alex): We are working on stuff yes!

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

(Alex): So far it has been super awesome! People and close friends who have heard the record are all ecstatic about Ruinous. I am super pleased with the responses.

(Matt): The most important thing for me was that the three of us were happy with the record. We are, and now that people dig it, that’s a huge bonus.

9.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?

(Matt): Kalopsia has a new record, “Angelplague,” coming out in February 2017. It was recorded at the same time as “Graves of Ceaseless Death,” which meant I was doing double duty for several sessions. I’m psyched about the material. It’s simultaneously our most brutal, and our most sophisticated release. Huge moshes. Epic melodies. These two records are the best things I’ve ever done by a huge margin.

(Alex): I have a heavy metal band called Eturnus that i am hoping to release music in early 2017. I am working with some super great musicians with this. Very dark stuff but also very melodic. Completely different than anything I have done before and also something else I maybe involved with in the future.

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

(Alex): I would say the next one will be much darker and musical.

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?

(Alex): It the same stuff I grew up with 60's 70's rock and classical music. Early heavy metal like Maiden and Priest and Celtic Frost, Voivod, Bathory etc.. I really don’t like much new music at all to be honest. Lately in the record player it has been Thin Lizzy, Autopsy, Pink Floyd and David Bowie.

(Matt): I came up in the thrash and punk scene before finding death metal, so bands like Slayer, Gwar, Megadeth and the Misfits are on the eternal playlist. Then classics from Grave, Deicide, Suffocation, Malevolent Creation, etc.

I’m super fortunate that a lot of my friends are in awesome bands, so I’m jamming new stuff from Hammer Fight, Cognitive, Dysentery, Abnormality.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

(Alex): I like fishing and reading about history. Especially Russian history and early cultures. And most importantly just spending time with my wife.

(Matt): Non musical interests? Never heard of em! Haha! When not working or doing band stuff, it’s netflix, video games, books, board games and thinking about music!

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

(Alex): Thank you for your support and everyone lookout for our record November 11th and hopefully see some of you on the road. Cheers!!


www.facebook.com/weareruinous

http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/

Old Chapel Interview

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

Pavel: The recording of this album was really long because of troubles with line-up. In fact, the process of writing these songs was much shorter than recording. It was not a good period for the band. And after the last track was recorded the band split up for a year. But since spring of 2016 we try to find ways to form new line-up or gather the previous.

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

Pavel: New stuff is better arranged in comparison with our past releases. Great efforts have been put into production, and I hope it brought the results.

Sergei: We've been trying to make every song special and memorable, with unique mood and feeling in each of them.

Alexei: New sound. It's evil and powerful as it always been but now the quality is higher.

3. Your lyrics cover a great amount of horror topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this genre?

Pavel: It's a good theme for death metal. I don't want to translate any deep philosophical things through our music. That's why I write horror stories. It's a sort of amusement as for me. But sometimes something inner and sick breaks out. You can hear it in 'Towards the End', 'Leaving a Body' and 'Excommunicated from Light' for example'.

Sergei: I'm a fan of horror movies and giallo. It's a great source of inspiration for lyrics and art-works. And it goes well with metal music. For example the last track on our new album is an interpretation of Fabio Frizzi's music to Lucio Fulci's "City of the living dead".

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Old Chapel'?

Pavel: Just suitable mystical atmosphere. It forms the needed mood.

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

Pavel: Our performance history is poor. We have no line-up to play shows.

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

Pavel: We even haven't a guitar player. Alexei lives in other city now and it's difficult for us to gather and play again. I don't think that something will change in the near future. But we're still searching for people. I'm very worried of this situation lasting for years. I think of bad carma or something, seriously. Most of people we've been working with were fucking weird freaks with no ambitions. Laziness, complaints, selfishness, emotions instead of work - we're fucking tired of this. Maybe the reason is the city we live in. May be the reason is the specifics of music we play.

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

Pavel: There were some good words about our previous release 'Symptoms of Possession' from different corners of Earth.

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

Pavel: I think we should to increase the level of aggression and morbidity in our music. Now I'm trying to write new lyrics in this vein. Also we have two songs written during the creating of 'Visions from Beyond' which don't fit this release. We're about to unleash these strange bastards as a EP or something like that.

9. 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?

Sergei: Old metal, regardless of style. Now I listen to all bands with Wino, all bands with Phil Swanson, Corrosion of Conformity, Down, Pentagram, Alice in Chains, Mad Season and of course Black Sabbath.

Pavel: I can say nothing about influence, but old school death and thrash work always. Also some traditional doom as Pentagram or Gates of Slumber must be mentioned. The newest love of my life is Sweden Vanhelgd. They're motherfucking killers! Oh, yes, and Beethoven of course - that's my very speical disease.
Alexei: Probably, all bands we listen to make some influence on our music. Speaking for myself I mean classic heavy bands like DIO, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, WASP, Helloween… this list is so long, you know... I love early Skid Row so much! Certainly, there are a lot of bands that are more similar with us in genre, headed by Dismember and Entombed. I want to mention some unexpected and interesting from nowadays like Gogol Bordello. They're so cool gypsy punks. Also I listen to a lot of instrumental music like Andy James or Conquering Dystopia.

10. Does Occultism play any role in your music?

Alexei: No. I think music should not be a carrier of any ideas. Even if I would have such beliefs it must be out of music.

Pavel: Nope, it's exciting while watching movies or reading books. That's an interesting part of world culture just like religion or mythology. But it can't be taken seriously in real life, because I'm sure that the greatest force in this world is the power of your own mind, it can create and kill any god or demon.

11. What are some of your non musical interests?

Pavel: Reading.

Sergei: Wasting my life and killing time, haha)

Alexei: My job of course - digital drawing and animation. Also I feel an interest in natural sciences, but now I have no time for this little hobby.

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

Pavel: Stay metal and don't forget to check out 'Visions from Beyond'!

Alexei: Many thanks for the attention. Listen to tje new album because it's awesome.

Order the CD: http://store.chaos- records.com/old-chapel-ru- visions-from-beyond-cd/