Friendship/I & II/Sentient Ruin Laboratories/2017 Cassette Compilation Review

  Friendship  are  a  band  from  Japan  that  plays  a  mixture  of  power  violence,  grindcore,  doom  metal  and  sludge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  compilation  album which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Sentient  Ruin  Laboratories  and  consists  of  their  first  2  ep's.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  power  violence  elements  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  growls  and  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  are  heavily  influenced  by  grindcore  and  when  the  music  slows  down  it  brings  in  more  of  a  sludge  and  doom  metal  style.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while the  amp  sounds  gives  the  songs  of  touch  of  noise  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  also  mixing  in  touches  of  crust  and  d  beat  and  some  of t he  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  none  of  the  songs  ever  bring  in  guitar  solos  and  leads  an d the  compilation  always  remains  true  to  a  very  heavy  musical  direction.

  Friendship  creates  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  speed,  aggression  and  brutality  of  grindcore  and  power  violence  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  slower  more  heavier  style  of  sludge  and  doom  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  violent  and  angry  themes.

  in  my  opinion  Friendship  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  grindcore,  power  violence,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "T.R.O.Y"  "Bill  Evans"  "Slaughterhouse"  and  "El Chapo".  8  out  of  10.

   

Witchapter/Spellcaster/Black Bow Records/2017 EP Review

 

 Witchapter  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Spellcaster"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Black  Bow  Records.

  A  very  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  and  a  few  seconds  later  high  pitched  sludge  style  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  riffs  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  doom  metal  elements  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Death  metal  growls  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  when  clean  guitars  are  utilized  they  give  the  music  more  of  a  70's  influence  while  the  heaviness  takes  the  songs  into  a  more  modern  direction   and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  slow  musical  direction  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Witchapter  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  sludge  and  doom  metal  together  along  with  a  touch  of  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  and  Witchcraft  from  the  medieval  era.

  In  my  opinion  Witchapter  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Veiled  Aggressor".  8  out  of  10.

  

Gothic Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
We are a very busy band, we are playing more than 30 shows a year, and we recently returned from India, where we played in a festival, along Katatonia.

2.You have a new album coming out this year, 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?
The sound is a modern way of doom death metal, combined with metalcore riffs, growls and also melodic vocals. The main change is the vocalist, who has a much more appropriate voice for our band than the previous one.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
We express our profound disgust to the human race and explore feelings like hate, disillusion, fear, pain and suffering.

4.The band has changed their name a couple of times but went back to the original name, what was the cause of this?
The band never changed its name, it was me who started other projects in Belgium, which were supposed to be named Gothic, but didn`t manage to do so because of contractual issues with the belgian record label.

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?
We played Wacken in 2012 which was an awesome performance, also big festivals like Rockstadt Fest or Ostfest and more recently we played in India, which was a one-in-a-lifetime experience.
We are a very energetic band on stage and we attract metalheads to headbang even if they are seeing our band for the first time.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
We will tour every major city in Romania to promote our new cd, and we already booked a few shows in Germany and Czech Republic. More will be booked.

7.The new album is coming out on Loud Rage Records, are you happy with the support they have given you so far?
Yes, they are quick and reliable, they take care of the promotion, very professional work.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of melodic and extreme metal?
So far we received tons on mentions over websites, blogs and radios and we did a few interviews. It seems that everybody like the album so far, even if it`s only a couple of days since the release.
We are expecting much more !

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?
Our vocalist sings in another band, Invader, and they won a lot of prizes over contests and festivals all around Romania.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We would like to explore the genre that we created, as our music is totally original and cannot be compared to other bands.

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?
Besides our main influences that were Paradise Lost, Amorphis, Crematory, we are now approaching towards a style in the vein of Soilwork and Scar Symmetry, and you can listen to riffs that sound like Metallica or Pantera over our new album.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
I am a tattoo artist and our bass player is a graphic designer, so we keep it in the arts territory.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I would like people to check out our music, and also our little movies on the road, that are very funny and become more and more professional.
Check us out on youtube : https://www.youtube.com/user/gothalin
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Gothic.Romania/

This Ends Here/Conqueror Worm/WOOAAARGH/2017 SPlit ALbum Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  the  United  Kingdom's  This  Ends  Here  and  Conqueror  Worm  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  WOOAAARGH  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  This  Ends  Here  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  crust  punk,  grindcore  and  doom  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  distorted  amp  noises  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  yet  melodic  musical  direction  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  d  beats  and  crust  style  shouts  are  added  onto  the  recording  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  are  heavily  influenced  by  doom  metal  and  their  songs  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

 When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  add  in  a  touch  of  punk  and  after  awhile  grindcore  style  screams  are  added  onto  their  side  of  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  political  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  This  Ends  Here  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  crust  punk,  hardcore,  grind  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "All  Our  Failed  Seekers"  and  "There  Is  No  Alternative".

  Next  up  is  Conqueror  Worm  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal,  grindcore,  noise,  and  doom  metal.

  There  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  distorted  reverb  before  adding  in  heavy  doom  metal  influenced  guitars  and  spoken  word  samples  and  elements  of  harsh  noise  and  after  awhile  the  music  speeds  up  and  adds  in  brutal  blast  beats  along  with  some  high  pitched  grindcore  screams  and  most  of  the  songs  are  very  short  in  length.

  Throughout  their  side  of  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  there  are  also  some  elements  of  death  metal  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  the  production has  a  very  raw  yet  heavy  sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful  and  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Conqueror  Worm  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom,  death  metal,  noise  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Seven  Days  Of  Fire"  and  "Tectonic  Ritual".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  crust,  sludge  and  doom  metal.  8  out  of  10.  

     

Ketch/The Anthems Of Dread/Aesthetic Death/2016 CD Review

  Ketch  are  a  band  from  Arvada,  Colorado  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Anthems  Of  Dread"  which  was  released  by  Aesethetic  Death  and  also  consists  of  bonus  tracks  from  their  2014  ep.

  Clean  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  and  after  awhile elements  of  stoner  metal are  added  onto  the  recording  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  sound  very powerful  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  adding  in  a  more  heavier  doom  metal  style  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  sludge  style  screams  with  a  few  growls.

  Melodies  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  riffing  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  add  in  more  of  a  retro  and  stoner  style  while  also  having  a  touch  of  the  more  modern  post  metal  style  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  songs  also  add  in  a  touch  of  death  metal  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  When  the  music  also  speeds  up  briefly  on  one  of  the  songs  it  adds  in  a  few  seconds  of  blast beats  and  one  track  also  adds in  a  small  amount  of  pianos  and  whispers  while  the  main  focus  is  more  on  a  slower  musical  style  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  some  of  the  ep  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Ketch  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  darkest  and  heaviest  forms  of  sludge  and  doom  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  Ketch  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fertile  Rites  By  Sacrifice"  "The  Monsters  Of  This  World"  "Detached  And  Conquered"  and  "13  Coils".  8  out  of  10.

Ghost Of Mary Interview

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

(Mauro) We are a melodic death metal band from Italy, active since the early months of 2014, when we started composing our concept album "Oblivaeon" which will be released by Revalve Records on December 2nd, 2016.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?

(Mauro) Melodic death metal with symphonic and orchestral elements borrowed from classical music. Songs  are structured with progressive architectures and immersed in a dark atmosphere. The songwriting is characterized by a heavy metal rhythm section and swedish death guitar riffs, the voice alternates different styles, from screaming and growling vocals to clean and scratched ones. We used many orchestral instruments in our recording : piano, violin, viola, cello, french horn, double bass and many more.

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

(Daniele) Our first album is based on a tale written by myself. It’a an allegory about life and death: in a timeless place there's an ancient and giant tree from which souls slip away like shadows kissed by the light of full moon. They roam in a forest or they are carried by the current of a river until they take possession of empty bodies such as stones that make up the bank. A dead soul asks to a mysterious oracle (Ghost of Mary) the meaning of its life.



4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Ghost Of Mary'?

(Daniele) Ghost of Mary is the oracle, the main character of the story. Through its words we know the memory of the soul’s past life, the realistic strength of nightmares, the tragic passage into afterlife (Oblivaeon), the affection of loved ones, the end of everything and the beginning.



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

(Daniele) We performed many gigs in the south of Italy, one of the best experiences on stage was the first edition of Breaking Sound Metal Fest in Mesagne (August 31st 2015), amazing shows also were at Metal Symposium in Bari (March 5th , 2016), the concert at Caffetteria DOC in Manduria (October 31st , 2106) and the show at T.es.l.a. in Molfetta (November 12th , 2016). We played loud and powerful and the audience was awesome from the beginning to the end! We usually take care of interpretation and stage presence, hope we improve more and more!

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

(Mauro) We will head to England on January/February 2017 plus some gigs to be confirmed. We’ll play also in Italy on January 21st  (Lecce) and  March 16th (Napoli).

7.The album was released on 'Revalve Records', are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?

(Daniele) I never worked so well with a label, Rob and all in Revalve are very professional and kind persons, we couldn’t ask for more!



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

(Daniele) We already received many opinions and reviews for “Oblivaeon”, we are glad to know it’s appreciated by not only “metal people”. This is a great cause for pride.



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

(Daniele) Hard to say, we just begun our path. We know ourselves and what we want, but the evolution, also musically, must be a quality for every band (and man). The next album will be even more obscure than this (maybe!), it’s too early to know it, we will surely play more and more, riding the blind horse of inspiration!



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?

(Daniele) I always listened to 70s rock, grunge rock and metal since my childhood, my favorite bands  were disparate, from Led Zeppelin to Black Sabbath, from Pearl Jam to Alice In Chains, from Metallica to Iron Maiden. Every band I loved has contributed  to my musical growth but today there’s also so many bands which influencing me: Anathema, Amorphis, Paradise Lost, In Flames, Opeth …



11.What are some of your non musical interests?

(Daniele) We like to pass time with our loved ones, we also like to watch horror and sci-fi TV series and films and read books sometimes but our entire life is full of music, we breath it, we do it, it couldn’t be otherwise.



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

(Mauro) We would like to thank you so much for this interview.

(Daniele) Hey metalheadz, see you on tour! Hornz up |m|

Gateway/Scriptures Of Grief/Sentient Ruin Laboratories/2017 CD Review

  Gateway  are  a  solo  project  from  Belgium  that h as  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Scriptures  Of  Grief"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Sentient  Ruin  Laboratories.

  Dark  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  and a few  seconds  drum  beats  are  added  onto  the  recording  which  also  leads  up  to  a  more  heavy  doom  metal  direction  and  melodic  chants  are  also  used  briefly  and  after  awhile  deep  yet  guttural  death  metal  growls  start  to  make  their  presence  known  in  the  music.

  A  great  amount  of  90's  doom/death  metal  influences  can  be  heard  in  the  musical  style  and  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  dark  sounding  melodies  into  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  whole  album  also  sticks  to  a  very  slow  musical  style from beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording  and   grim  screams  along  with  whispers  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Gateway  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  doom/death metal  style  that  was  established  on  the  previous  release,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding recording  from  gateway  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  doom/death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "II".  8  out  of  10.