Deathkings/Ex Nihilo/2018 EP Review

  California's  Deathkings  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  their  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  ep  "Ex  Nihilo"  which  will  be  released  in  December.

  Growls  and  screams  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  heavy  and  dark  sludge  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  while  both  of  their  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  post  and  progressive  rock  elements  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  Doom  metal  influences  are  also  added  into  the  slower  sections  of  the  music  along  with  some  melodic  chants  also  being  used  briefly  while  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  at  times as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  clear  vocals  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  and  the  music  always  sticks  to  a  slow  direction  and  melody  is  also  added  into  some  of  the  riffing  and  guitar  leads.

  On  this  recording  Deathkings  takes  their  mixture of  sludge  and  doom  metal  into more  of  an  experimental  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  ancient  rituals,  occultism  and  spirituality  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Deathkings  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Celestial".  8  out  of  10.

Scolex/Mortuous/Carbonized Records/2018 Split EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  San  Jose,  California's  Scolex  and  Oakland,  California's  Mortuous  which  will be  released  on  Halloween  by  Carbonized  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Scolex  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  punk  and  doom/death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  and  heavy  doom  metal  influenced  sound  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  the  faster  sections  of  the  song  bringing  in  blast  beats  and  crust  punk  elements  and  when  gutiar  solos  and  elads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  even  more  of  a  90's  style,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  fiction  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Scolex  are  a  very  great  sounding  punk  influenced  doom/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  off  the  split.

  Next  up  is  Mortuous  returning  with  their  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  the  slower  sections  of  the  song  bringing  in  elements  of  doom  metal  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  blast  beats  can  be  heard,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  futility,  existence,  technology  and  death  metal. 

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Mortuous  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  doom/death  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  old  school  doom/death  metal.  8  out  of  10.  

Unhold/Here Is The Blood/Czar Of Bullets/2018 CD Review

  Switzerland's  Unhold  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  that  continues  their  mixture  of  progressive  sludge  metal  and  post  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Here  Is  The  Blood"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Czar  Of  Bullets.

  Atmospheric  sounding  drones  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  a couple  of  tracks  as  well  as  the  riffing  also  mixing  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  also  mixing  the  atmospheric  and  heavy  parts  together.

  Post  hardcore  style  vocals  and  screams  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  solos  and  lead  being  done  in  a  melodic  post  metal  style  as  well  as  the  vocals  also adding  in  some  melody  to  its  rough  approach,  clean  playing  can  also be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  progressive  feeling and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length. 

  On  this  recording  Unhold  takes  their  mixture  of  progressive  sludge  metal,  noise  rock  and  post  hardcore  into  more  of  a  melodic  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Unhold  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  progressive  sludge  metal,  post  hardcore  and  noise  rock,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Convoy"  "Hunter"  and  "The  Chronic  Return".  8  out  of  10.      

Zatokrev/Minsk/Bigod/Consouling Sounds/2018 Split Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Switzerland's  Zatokrev  and  U.S.A's  Minsk  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Consouling  SOunds  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Zatokrev  who  return  with  a  psychedelic  mixture  of  doom,  death,  sludge  and  post  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  atmospheric  sounding  synths  along  with  some  drones  a  few  seconds  later  while  both  of  their  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  some  clean  playing  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Clean  vocals  and  growls  are  also  used  at  times  while  the  slow  and  heavy  riffs  bring  in  elements  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  as  well  as  the  music  also  bringing  in  elements  of  psychedelic  and  post  rock  and  the  riffing  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly  before  evolving  into  aggressive  screams.

  On  this  recording  Zatokrev  takes  their  music  in  more  of  a  post  and  sludge  metal  mixture,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  an  allegorical  story  of  Elijah's  fiery  chariot.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Zatokrev  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  psychedelic,  post,  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Silent  Gods".

  Next  up  is  Minsk  who  return  with  a  psychedelic  and  atmospheric  mixture  of  sludge  and  post  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  riffing  along  with  some  rough  yet  semi  melodic  vocals  which  also  use  sludge  style  screams  at  times  along  with  their  first  track  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  their  side  of  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  post  metal  along  with  some  clean  playing,  psychedelic  and  atmospheric  elements  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  and  clear  vocals  are  also  used  briefly.

  On  this  recording  Minsk  goes  into  more  of  a  psychedelic  and  atmospheric  mixture  of  sludge  and  post  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  an  allegorical  story  of  Elijah's  fiery  chariot.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Minsk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  psychedelic  and  atmospheric  sludge/post  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Invoke  Revive".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all f ans  of  sludge  and  post  metal.  8  out  of  10.    

North Of South/New Latitudes/Rockshots Records/2018 CD Review

  North  Of  South  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  very  progressive,  melodic  and  experimental  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "New  Latitudes"  which  will  be  released  on  September  28th  by  Rockshots  Records.

  Pop  music  style  pianos  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  fast  and  heavy  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  riffs  also  utilizing  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the  vocals  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  clean  singing  and  death  metal  growls.

  Elements  of  progressive  rock  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  Spanish  style  guitars  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  whispers  are  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  some  songs  bringing  in  elements  of  piano  rock  and  jazz  as  well  as  the  slower  sections  of  the  tracks  adding  in  influences  of  doom  metal  and  as  the  album  progresses  an  instrumental  is  added  onto  the  recording  and  one  track  also  adds  in  spoken  word  parts.

  North  Of  South  plays  a  musical style  that  takes  progressive,  piano  rock,  Latin  Music,  jazz,  melodic  death  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  based  upon  the   literary,  philosophic,  existentialist  essence  and  the  writings  of  William  Shakespeare,  Orson  Scott  Card  and  Jorge  Luis  Borges.

  In  my  opinion  North  Of  South  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  progressive,  piano  rock,  Latin  Music,  jazz,  melodic  death  and  doom  metal   and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  very  original,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Human  Equation"  "Before  We  Die"  "Time  Will  Tell"  and  "Montreux".  8  out  of  10.    

Deep Memories Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
First of all, thank you for this interview!!
Well, Deep Memories is the materialization of an old goal that I had: to compose, produce and record an entire album alone. Every time I grabbed my guitar and some good riffs came up I always recorded with my cell phone and this material kept increasing. When I realized, I already had a huge amount of material but I did not have the "courage" to face the challenge of executing all the instruments. But in the end I completed this task!

2.So far this year you have released one ep and a full length, musically how do they both differ from each other?
The EP was a promotional material released only in Brazil by Heavy Metal Rock and Misanthropic labels. This EP contains 2 songs from the full-length album. This EP managed to spread the name of Deep Memories and brought me an amazing feedback from the whole Brazilian metal scene.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored with the music so far?
In the lyrical part, the first five songs of the album talk about the same subject, they tell the story of a guy who realizes he is living his last moments of life and finally ends up dying. But to his surprise, he realizes an existential continuity after life and there are several intriguing situations happening to him. The others relate to personal experiences related to times of overcoming, loss, introspection and sadness.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Deep Memories’?
When I was choosing the name for my project, I knew that it would have to be something that would involve all my knowledge as a human being, gathering all the experiences that I lived in a single name, and Deep Memories was the best one. The songs and lyrics of this project revealed my deepest inspirations and admiration for the heavy metal movement as well as my biggest psychological ghosts and an alternative post mortem view.

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover?
We will have two different covers for "Rebuilding the Future". The cover of the Brazilian and Russian versions were made by me, and the cover of the Japanese version was elaborated by the artist Caio Caldas from CadiesArt.
The cover design was aiming at the materialization of the idea of "Reconstruction of the Future". When we think about this, we naturally reflect on where we are, where we can go, and what we need to do to get there. But I believe that giving more details about these covers would "limit" the viewer's interpretation possibilities, so I would like everyone to come up with their personal interpretation of the illustrations, reflecting on: "What would you do to rebuild your own future?"

6.On the recordings you recorded everything by yourself but have worked with a full band before in the past, how would you compare the two?
When you are in a band the tasks divide, even if only in the execution of the instruments, but when you do everything by yourself, your limit is tested all the time, who questions you is your own conscience! Throughout the process of refinement of the compositions to the beginning of the recordings, mixing and mastering, many concepts that existed in my mind of how it would be to record everything alone was changing, I saw myself much more inspired and dedicated than at the time I was in a band . It was an incredible journey!

7.The new album was released through a variety of many different labels, can you tell us a little bit more about the labels you worked with on this recording?
At the end of the mastering of the album, I noticed from the comments of the friends who were accompanying the process, that the material had gotten a much higher quality than expected. So I started contacting record labels around the world to release the album, and to my surprise, four showed up interest in releasing the material on CDs: Heavy Metal Rock and Misanthropic Records in Brazil, Invasion of Solitude Records in Japan and GS Productions in Russia. The album title is "Rebuilding the Future".
In addition to being released on CD the album will also be released on all digital platforms and Bandcamp.

8. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of melodic death and doom metal?
It has been much better than I imagined! I knew the result was good, but the feedback from the media and especially the metal fans has been incredible. Every day I get messages from different countries in America, Europe and Asia. That impressed me a lot! Thank you all very much!

9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?
I see myself as a more mature musician and producer, giving a huge importance to small details and feelings. These little nuances bring a differential to music. Today we have many musical styles and what differs the metal from the others is that there is a soul behind each chord, each verse. I’m proud to be a musician who can express myself through metal.

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?
My biggest inspiration come from the bands that brought me to the metal like Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Megadeth and Pantera. These bands will always inspire me!
In the influences part I can mention the bands that I hear with great frequency as: Theatre of Tragedy, Bathory, Dark Tranquillity, Rotting Christ, Dimmu Borgir, Whitin Temptation, Katatonia and Hipocrisy.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?
If I take the music out of my life, there won’t be much left! But I really enjoy watching some videos on YouTube, I also spend good hours watching series! I'm a big fan of the TV series from NBC like Chicago PD, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Law and Order SVU.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks to Doomed to Darkness for the great interview! To the reader who wants to know more about Deep Memories, visit our official website www.deepmemories.com.br or our social networks: Facebook: @deepmemoriesbrazil and Instagram: @deepmemoriesbrazil

Brainoil/Singularity To Extinction/Tankcrimes Records/2018 CD Review

  Oakland,  California's  Brainoil  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  their  mixture  of  sludge  metal,  crust  and  hardcore  from  their  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Singularity  To  Extinction"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Tankcrimes  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  also  capturing  the  heaviness  of  sludge  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  high  pitched  screams  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  Death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  fast  and  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  elements  of  crust,  hardcore  punk  and  d  beat  along  with  some  blast  beats  also  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies.

  Brainoil  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  mixture  of  sludge  metal,  crust  and  hardcore  punk  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  introspective  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Brainoil  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge  metal,  crust  and  hardcore  punk,  you should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Preface  To  Madness"  "Singularity  To  Extinction"  and  "Halcyon  Desolation".  8  out  of  10.