Era Decay/Inritum/2016 Full Length Review

 Era  Decay  are  a  band  from  Romania  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Inritum".

  Clean  guitars  along  with  some  drums  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  leads  being  introduced  onto  the  recording  a  few  seconds  later  and  symphonic  elements  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls.

  High  pitched  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  riffs  also  get  very  melodic  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  slower  sections  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  doom  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  female  vocals  are  added  onto  the  last  track.

  Era  Decay  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  death  metal  and  mixes it  with  doom  metal  to create a sound of their  own,  the production  sounds very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover war,  politics  and  corruption  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Era  Decay  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  death  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Beyond  Delirium"  "Sharp  Words"  "Faker"  and  "Coming For  You  (The  Day  I  Die)".  8  out  of  10. 

Sulfur Emsemble/Live In Kargart 30-09-2016/Live EP Review

  Sulfur  Ensemble  are  a  band  from  Turkey  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  doom,  stoner,  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  live  2016  ep  "Live  In  Kargart  30-09-2016".

  A  very  distorted  amp  drone  starts  off  the  ep  and  after  a  minute  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  where  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording and  after  a  few minutes  high  pitched  sludge  style  screams  are  added  into  the  music  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  stoner  rock.

  At  times  melodies  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  samples  can  also  be  heard  at  times  ans  they  also  bring  in  a  cover  of  Venom's  "In  League  With  Satan"and  there  is  also  a  small  amount  of  growling  vocals  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  retro  fashion  and  all;  of  the  tracks  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction.

  Sulfur  Ensemble  takes  their  mixture  of  stoner,  doom  and  sludge  metal  to  the  stage  this  time  around  and  creates  a  live  recording  that is  in  the  same  direction  as  their  previous  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  dystopian,  satanic,  ghouls  and  Marylin  Monroe  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sulfur  Ensemble  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  stoner, doom  and  sludge  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  live  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "In  League  With  Satan'  and  "Marilyn".  8  out  of  10.   

Qaanaaq/Escape From The Black Iced Forest/Another Side Records/2016 CD Review

  Qaanaaq  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  avant  garde  and  progressive  form  of  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Escape  From  the  Black  Iced  Forest"  which  was  released  by  Another  Side  Records.

  A  very  slow  doom  metal sound  starts  off the  album  and  a  few  seconds  later  death  metal  growls  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  bring  in  a  very  powerful  sound  and  when  keyboards  are  added  into  the  music  they  bring  in  more  of  an  experimental  and  avant  garde  style.

  A  great  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  clean  singing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  mix  in  a  lot  of  prog  metal  elements  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  at  times  the  keyboards  bring  in  the  atmospheric  of  a  gothic  horror film  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  tracks  and  there  is  also  a  slight  black  metal  influence  in  some  of  the  screams.

  Qaanaaq  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  doom/death  metal  while  also  adding  in  avant  garde,  experimental  and  progressive  elements  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Qaanaaq  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  and  avant  garde  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Body  Walks"  and  "High  Hopes".  8  out  of  10. 

Eternal Deformity/No Way Out/Temple Of Torturous Records/2016 CD Review

  Eternal  Deformity  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  very  avant  garde  and  gothic  form  of  doom/death  metal  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2016  album  "No  Way  Out"  which  will  be  released  on  November  18th  by  Temple  Of  Torturous  Records.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  guitars  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  doom  metal  direction  along  with  some  symphonic  elements  and  aggressive  screaming  vocals  and  clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  lot  of  progressive elements.

  At  times  the  music  can  be  very  avant  garde  and  some  songs  also  incorporate  death  metal  growls  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  clean  guitars  also  make  a return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  classical  guitars  are  introduced  on  on a later  track  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Eternal  Deformity  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  metal t hat  is  also  influenced  by  black  metal  while  also  mixing  in  goth,  progressive  and  avant  garde  elements  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Eternal  Deformity  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde  doom/death  metal  band  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Esoteric  Manifesto"  "Reinvented"  and "Glaciar".  8  out  of  10.

     

Church Of Disgust/Veneration Of Filth/Memento Mori/2016 CD Review

  Church  Of  Disgust  are  a band  from  Texas  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  with  elements  of  doom  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Veneration  Of  Filth"  which  was  released  by  Memento  Mori.

  Horror  movie  style  keyboards  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  also  introduces  chaotic  sounding  guitar  leads  onto  the  recording  while  also  having  their  melodic  moments   and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies.

  Vocals  have  the  early  death  metal  style  when  the  genre  was  still  evolving  out  of  thrash  while  growls  along  with  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  doom  metal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

 Blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  and  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  been  recorded  and  released  25  years  ago  and  as  the  album  progresses  horror  movie  samples  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  there  is  also  some  session  work  from  members  of  Nocturnus  A.D,  Sewercide  and  Disevered.  

  Church  Of  Disgust  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  doom  influenced  old  school  death  metal  style  of  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror,  H.P  Lovecraft,  and  The  Occult.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Church  Of  Disgust  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school  doom/death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ripping  Decay"  "Plague  Of  Punishment"  "Supine  In  The  Face  Of  Total  Death"  and  "Sunken  Altar  Of  Dagon".  8  out  of  10.

Sithter Interview

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

Hiroyuki Takano (Vocal, Guitar):

We formed in 2006 and I am the only original member now. I used to play in a doom/sludge band called PSYCHOTOBLACK but when some of the main members left I began looking for new members to continue on with the band. A song we recorded at the time was ‘Chaotic Fiend (#8 Engrave The Misery)’. As the only songwriter in the band I wanted to carry on with the same style for PSYCHOTOBLACK but unfortunately the other members wanted to play “pop music”, so we couldn’t really decide upon a direction. After several member changes, our current guitarist Hyo Kagawa joined in 2008. He was originally a member of a band called MONE¥ I$ GOD and they had played a lot with PSYCHOTOBLACK over the years. I always thought that his guitar playing was amazing so I was surprised when he contacted me and said, "I want to join Sithter".  Finally I felt like I had found what I was looking for. He also wrote all the songs for MONE¥ I$ GOD and it was totally unique and clearly different from other “heavy” bands around us. I told him my vision then we hit upon a fusion that sounded perfect.

2.You have an album coming out in December, 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?

Hiroyuki Takano (Vocal, Guitar):

We just wanted the album to sound violent. On the last one we did we recorded each of the instruments one by one, but this time we recorded it all in one take, so I think it made it sound more alive. Also the songs were made for the way we wanted to produce the album. Every one of us worked hard because preparation time was very short, so I think it gives a greater sense of power and energy to the songs. All the songs were written by Hyo Kagawa, except for ‘Engrave the Misery’. The overall concept was same with the last album. We closed it with one huge, long Doom song. Also guest players did great work too. ‘Engrave the Misery’ was originally going to be a bass number but Mako Kotama from Japanese Doom band Magadalene Junen gave a great piano in improvisation. We offered US noise artist L'eclipse Nue, who actually used to live in Japan a chance to provide the opening narration to ‘Jerusalem Axe Massacre’ and every take was great, so we used it all. The recording engineer, Shigenori Kobayashi beautifully finished it all. He’s a terrific producer.

3.While there was a demo released on 2007, there was no new material again till 2014, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap in between releases?

Hiroyuki Takano (Vocal, Guitar):

We did release a DIY 7” EP with two songs. One side with a PSYCHOTOBLACK track and the other side featuring the first song I wrote for Sithter. Since that time, the current line up was being finalized. So we did a lot of songwriting and playing live before recording this new album.

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

Hiroyuki Takano (Vocal, Guitar):

I took a lot of influence from horror films between the 1950s and 1970. Some songs are about the films themselves, for others I just took the title and tried to create a vision around them incorporating themes of sadness and fear of human beings. There are also plenty of aggressive lyrics in there for the shitty people in my life but I don’t like directing them at anyone in particular.

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

Hiroyuki Takano (Vocal, Guitar):

Since there are so many other bands out there with “Devils” and “Demon” sounding names I thought I’d try and think about film villains instead. But I couldn’t really settle on any. I’ve been a big fan of Star Wars for a long time and Darth Sidious really scared me as a child with his evil looks and evil mind. So I came up with the name from ‘Sith Master’ and changed to Sithter.

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?

Hiroyuki Takano (Vocal, Guitar):

Our recent shows in Korea and Taiwan have been some of the best shows we’ve ever done. These were the first overseas shows for us and the people there gave us a great reception. Playing live allows us to really expose the true madness, violence and evil on stage. I don’t want to be pretentious because I hate pre-established stage performances so we try to do everything on impulse. I get carried away a lot and as I’m not focused on technical playing it’s all about volume. There’s always feedback and I rarely hear my own voice so I have t shout at full power. After the show, there’s no energy left. My throat and voice are exhausted and withered. But we recover with sake.

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

Hiroyuki Takano (Vocal, Guitar):

We’re going on tour with Serbian doom rockers Heretic Rites. Here are the date for November…

23 Nov – Sendai Bird Land w. Magdalene Junen, Bergrabnis + More

25 Nov – Higashikouenji 20000V w. Magdalene Junen, King Goblin + Zothique

26 Nov – Oosaka Sengoku-Daitoryou w. Magdalene Junen, Necromantics, W.D.L.K. + Hemipenis

27 Nov – Nagoya Red Dragon w. Magdalene Junen, Vomit Monster, Viollante + Stone Banquet

29 Nov – Yokohama El Puente w. Dunwitch No Inu, Su19b + Floaters

30 Nov – Shibuya Ruby Room w. Khola Cosmica + Dhidalah

8.A year ago you where a part of a split with 'Gonguri', what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the recording?

Hiroyuki Takano (Vocal, Guitar):

I think it’s great to share our work with foreign bands. It might be a good opportunity to listen our songs for the people who didn’t know us. We want to put out a split with more variety of bands. A country band would be cool.

9.The new album is coming out on 'Bonten', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Hiroyuki Takano (Vocal, Guitar):

Bonten is Tokyo based doom/stoner/sludge/psychedelic label, focusing Japan’s underground bands. They releasing the bands like King Goblin, Solar Anus…etc.
https://bontenrecords.bandcamp.com/

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

Hiroyuki Takano (Vocal, Guitar):

We’ve had a lot Russian doom/sludge fans contact since we started out with PSYCHOTOBLACK. They invited us to contribute to a compilation and wrote an article for a webzine there. The owner of Bad Road Records, who released our first album was very kind to us. We’ve also had fans from across Europe who’ve ordered our T-shirts and music and some have contacted us to say that they’re really excited about the new album. That’s always really great.

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

Hiroyuki Takano (Vocal, Guitar):

I don’t think we’ll ever change musically. We will keep playing punk rock with doom/sludge vibes. I don’t consider ourselves as metal.

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?

Hiroyuki Takano (Vocal, Guitar):

Sex Pistols and Japanese punk legends STALIN have really influenced me. And then tehre’s 70s, 80s dark punk rock like The Damned, Dead Kennedys, The Misfits, Discharge. Japan’s Kikeiji, Aburadaco is my foundation. As a band, our biggest influences are Black Sabbath, EYEHATEGOD, GRIEF, Iron Monkey, Sleep, Melvins and Saint Vitus. I’m also always keen to dig out obscure doom bands across the world. We also like Hawkwind, Sonic Youth, Napalm Death, Voivod, Pop Group, Ash Ra Tempel, CAN, Einstürzende Neubauten, Suicide, David Bowie, The Doors, Alien Sex Fiend, Slayer, Kenji Sawada, Stone Roses, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, New Order, the Verve, and of course, Horror soundtracks. We also listen to Japanese “major” bands and we go to their shows often.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Hiroyuki Takano (Vocal, Guitar):

We love the films, especially classic horror, gore, psychedelic, freaks films. I have a personal interest in the ancient Japanese culture. Recently, I’m keen to Rakugo, it’s like Japanese old school standup comedy.　I have been practicing story not only to watch or listen. Also I’m practicing Japanese instruments little by little. Now I have the koto and shamisen.

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

Hiroyuki Takano (Vocal, Guitar):

I want people to listen to the album in a so many different countries as possible. We’re really proud of this album and we want to play more gigs overseas so if you’re interested in buying a CD or Tshirt, feel free to contact us at Sithter@msn.com.

Doomed/Anna/Solitude Productions/2016 CD Review

  Doomed  are  a  band  from  Germany  that h as  been  featured  before  in this  zine  and  plays  an  atmospheric  form  of  doom/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Anna"  which  was  released  by  Solitude  Productions.

 Atmospheric  synths  start  off  the  album  and  clean  singing  samples  can  also  be  heard  in  the  background  briefly  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  and  the  solos  and leads a re  also  done  in a   very  melodic  direction  and  the  vocals  are  deep  death  metal  growls  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  clean  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  there is  also  a  brief  use  of  black  metal  screams  and  a  few  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  most  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction.

  Doomed  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  atmospheric  style  of   doom/death  metal  of  their  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  the  corruption  of  political  and  religious  fanaticism.

  in  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Doomed  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric   doom/death  metal, you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Anna"  "Withering  Leaves"  and  "The  Frozen  Wish". 8  out  of  10.