Saturday, July 30, 2016

Sharked/Generalized Death Drive /SepulchralSilence Records/2016 EP Review


  Sharked  are  a band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal  and  deathcore  with  a  touch  of  thrash  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016 ep  "Generalized  Death  Drive"  which  was  released by  Sepulchral  Silence  Records.

  Hospital;  sounds  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into a  very  fast  musical  direction  that  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  death  metal  growls  and  the  music  also  gets  very  brutal  at  times  while  also  mixing  in  elements  and  high  pitched  screams  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music at  times  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody.

  After  awhile  deathcore  style  breakdowns  are  added  into  the  music  and  the  songs  also  bring  in a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced and  fast  parts  and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  few  seconds  of  synths  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  and  one  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  give  the  songs  more  of  an  old  school  extreme  metal  feeling.

  Sharked  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  mixes  it  with  thrash  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sharked  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  metal,  deathcore  and  thrash  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Genocide"  and  "Homicide".  8  out  of  10.   

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Banisher/Oniric Delusions/Deformeating Productions/2016 CD Review


  Banisher  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  very  technical  and  experimental  form  of  death  metal  with  some  elements  of  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Oniric  Delusions"  which  was  released  by  Deformeathing  Productions.

  Dark  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  and  also  gives  the  music  an  experimental  feeling  and  after  a  minute  the  music  gets  very  heavy  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  technical  elements  along  with  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  lot  of  prog  influences.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  high  pitched  screams  and  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  when guitar  solos  and  leads a re  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  some  of t he  faster  sections  also  bring  in a  decent  amount  of  grindcore  elements.

  Banisher  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  can  be  brutal  at  times  while  also  being  very  experimental,  technical  and  progressive  at  times  while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  grindcore,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  insanity,  conspiracy,  mystery  and  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Banisher  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  and  technical  death  metal  band  with  some  grindcore  elements  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Axes  To  Fail"  "Notion  Materialized"  and  "The  Fatal  Parable  Of   A  Certain  Mercenary".  8  out  of  10.

Pit Of Carnage/The Rise Of The Fallen King/CDN Records/2016 Full Length Review Review


  Pit  Of  Carnage  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  technical  form  of slam  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Rise  Of  The  Fallen  King"  which  was  released  by  CDN  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along with  some  grooves  and  melodies  and  after  a  few  seconds  high  pitched  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  incorporating  more  technical  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  more  of  a  melodic  style  while  the  riffs  also  incorporate  a  great  amount  of  slam  elements  and  their  is  also  a  brief  use  of  pig  squeals  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  along  with  a  touch  of  ambient  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  tracks  bring  in  horror  movie  samples.  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  all  instrumental.

  Pit  Of  Carnage  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  technical  and  brutal  while  also  mixing  it  in  with  a  great  amount of  slam  and  deathcore  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violence  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Pit  Of  Carnage  are  a  very  great  sounding  technical  and  brutal  slam  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Feed  The  Machine"  "Pile  Of  Corpses"  "Reflection  Of  Desire"  and  "Walking  the  Shadows".  8  out  of  10.  

Monday, July 25, 2016

Dawn Of Demise/The Suffering/Unique Leader/2016 CD Review


  Dawn  Of  Demise  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  slamming  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "The  Suffering"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Unique  Leader.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  seconds  death  metal  growls  make  their  presence  known  in  the  music  while  also  getting  very  guttural at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard. 

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  groove  at  times  and  there  is  also  a  great amount  of  slam  elements  in  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  and  the  whole  album  also  remains  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Dawn  Of  Demise  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  can  be  brutal  at  times  while  also  mixing  in a  great  amount  of  groove  and  slam  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  murder  and  hate  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dawn   Of  Demise  are  a  very  great  sounding  slam  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of   this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sadistic  Gratification"  "Deride The  Wretch"  "A  Malignant  Condition"  and  "Deify  The  Outrageous".  8  out  of  10. 

Anata/The Infernal Depths Of Hatred/Kaotoxin Records/2016 Vinyl Re-Issue Review


  Anata  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  with  some  black  metal  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1998  album  "The  Infernal  Depths  Of  Hatred"  which  was  re-issued  on  vinyl  in  2016  by  Kaotoxin  Records.

  A  very  fast,  melodic  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  and   high  pitched  screams  while  you  can  also h ear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  and  chaotic  guitar  leads  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording.

  At  times  the  solos  and  leads  get  very  technical  and  melodic  bringing  in  a  style  that  was  very  common  for  Swedish  bands  of  that  era  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  some  of t he  fast  riffs  also  bring  in a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  a  cover  of  Morbid  Angel's  "Day  Of  Suffering".

  Anata  played  a  style  of  death  metal  on  this  recording  that  was  very  melodic  and  technical  for  its  time  without  losing  any  brutality  and  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  black  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Anti  Christian,  Philosophical  and  Abstract  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Anata  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  technical  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Released  When  you  Are  Dead"  "Vast  Lands/Infernal  Gates"  "Dethrone  The  Hypocrites"  and  "Day  Of  Suffering".  8  out  of  10.

 

Martyrion Interview

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

We are MARTYRION from Cologne and we play Melodic Death Metal in a post-apokalyptic style. The band was founded 2006, but there had been a lot of changes in sound and line-up to get to the actual point.


2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

The musical sound is a very atmospheric and vigorous melodic death metal. It carries away the listener to the postapocalyptic scenario in which our songs are set, even without hearing the lyrics. There are some parts where you can close your eyes and dream away but other parts that are pretty strong and build tension inside and make you want to bang your head and mosh. The variety and atmosphere are very unique and create a great symbiosis between the musical sound and the lyrical and dramaturgical content of the song.


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

The main topic is humanity considered as a stain in all its variations. Allthough war and especially the use of atomic bombs is a part
in most of the lyrics, the human morality and ethics are always present. All in all you find the theme of a post-apokalyptic world in all of our lyrics.


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

Many years ago, Jannik, Felix and a few former bandmembers were thinking about a name for the band.
At this time Jannik was dealing with the term "Martyr". Not because of religous reasons, but because of vested interest.
Because of that, he red about the term "Martyrion", which is a building or something on a place which is connected to the martyr.  For him, it seemed to fit in and they decided to name their band "Martyrion".


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?

It is hard to tell which were the "best" shows. There are many factors for a show to be good such as the organization, the audience or the other bands for example. Opening the last day of Metal.Frenzy Open Air was a very good and fun show to play. We arrived the night before and had a few drinks with the other bands and some of the festival visitors, while the rest of the band arrived late at night and we were very exhausted when we went up to stage. But the moment we started playing, it was like a switch has been flipped and all the exhaustion has vanished and it was a very fun show. Also everytime we played at MTC in our hometown Cologne it is a special atmosphere. Many of our friends can also visit those shows and everytime the atmosphere is on fire.

Our stage performance represents our post-apokalyptic themes, we bring a lot of action and the atmosphere from the songs on the stage.


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

Of course we want to play as much as we can and in some new cities we never played to get some new fans. So after the release a few shows are planned, especially right at the release weekend, there will be a release-concert at MTC Cologne and on the next day we will play Field Invasion Festival. We are very excited to present our new songs to our fans an really lookinf forward to what will happen in the future. Of course some nice big shows and festivals in next summer would be perfect.


7.The new album was released on 'Boersma Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

The label is based in Essen and just started a few months ago. It is really cool helping each other getting "started" and see how the label is growing and working at the beginning. Also it is very familiar and some very cool bands are signed there as well.


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

At our shows we got a lot of nice feedback. People really like our stage performance and our musical style. Unfortunately we never played aboard, we gonna change it! But also at some social media channels we got positive reactions to our music, for example from Canada oder Greece.


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

Our Rhythm Guitarist and Bassist participate in another band together while Hendrik has yet a couple of other projects. Our singer is still part of a band from his former residence. Felix has a side project with a previous bandmember of Martyrion and Jannik lives himself out in a solo project from time to time. So besides Martyrion music is a big part of all our lives.


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

It is hard to say what will happen in the future. Of course we have our own musical style and we try to keep it like this. But there is always a development in our music, for example we try some more experiments and of course want to find something new.


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?

The gothenburg melodic death metal style influenced the band a lot, especially Dark Tranquillity. Also Insomnium, Trivium and Keep Of Kalessin
were and are an influence for Martyrion from time to time. All of us like these bands, but also other influences and bands are involved, besides Melodic Death Metal. For example Hendrik also likes very brutal and technical death metal, Felix is more into progressive metal and David also listens to some heavy metal, metalcore or alternative rock bands.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

We have some normal interests like movies/series, video and table games. But also some cool things for example Jannik likes to build spaceships out of LEGO-bricks and reads fantasy novels, especially from the author "Bernhard Hennen", Marian plays lasertag, Felix is our sportsman and Hendrik builds guitars and bass guitars.


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

Go to concerts, especially in small venues with cool new bands, support your local scene!

Dissector Interview

Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album? – Well, the release of “Planetary Cancer” took place in June 2016, it’s not long ago, so I hope it is still fresh for the listeners. Dissector is not a live band, so we don’t make tour or big pr-actions to support the release. But we run active promo-work in social-web and continue working on new songs. We have already booked two studios for this autumn to record a couple of new songs and cover-version and to finish some leftovers we have after “Planetary Cancer” sessions. We also plan to release another album with new and unreleased songs next year, dedicated to our 25-anniversary. We try to raise money for it via crowdfunding-plattform, but it looks so hopelessness. I think we will paddle our own canoe as usual. Or at the best case find a label for this release.   

In June you had released a new album, 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? – Yes, the Russian label Mazzar records has released 6.6.2016 our new studio album “Planetary Cancer”. It’s thrash-metal album with some melo-death-metal, doom and rock infusions, which combines modern and big old-school sound. We spent almost half a year recording it in different studios in different cities in Russia and mixed it in Germany. I’m sure we got achievement-oriented, commercially viable album, which marks another level for Dissector. Not because every band talks about its new album as about best one, but because of some objective reasons. We have for the first time on the album a lot of great guest-musicians from all around the world, the production of “Planetary Cancer” is biggest in our history, we mixed it in a very good studio Music Factory, which is making albums for Nuclear Blast and Massacre Records, artwork of “Planetary Cancer” by Russian designer Pablo Antonov is one of his best work, first digi-pack edition by Mazzar Records is blameless. Well, so far nothing is wrong with the album, it is really one step forward for us. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNgAOs9mC6o


In  the beginning the band was in more of a thrash metal direction but have added more melodic death metal elements over the years, can you tell us a little bit more about the decision behind going into this musical direction? – I would say Dissector creates for every new album another combination of music influences. Sure we have our technical and production borders, but at the end of a day we play music we like very much and use by composing our favorite riffing or structures from all metal styles we have grown up with. In one combination / proportion or another there are Amo/German thrash, Swedish melo-death and Teutonic power metal in our songs. Material on “Planetary Cancer” is more thrashy, unreleased songs after recording of two last albums are more groovy and heavy-metalish. We already make new demos, and I have to say that next stuff follows in a greater degree fast melo-death direction.


What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music? – Almost all lyric for this album was written by Randy Gerritse from The Netherlands. The title of the album writes itself – here in different contexts we are talking about very serious disease of our planet called human-being. This disease comes out in many ugly forms of human ego, cruelty, greed, stupidity, obscenity, ignorance and many other symptoms. Human-being is just a god damned moron with all his complex excitatory system and high or religious motives. Of course, it is not the most original theme for one thrash-metal album since 80-s, but still actual and getting more global and fatal. 

What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Dissector' – Dissector is out second name. Our first name was Distimiya, we kept it about one year since autumn 1992, and in autumn 1993 have change it to Dissector. This name has nothing special for us personally, those days it was just a cool name for a death-metal band. In 1993 after first Russian-language demo we start to play melo-death metal with Swedish influences in English, experimenting with melodies and song structures. Well, members of Dissector were fans of different bands, from AC/DC and WASP to Sepultura and Slayer. Of course we were influenced together by big wave of Swedish melodic death-metal in 90-93 and also classical American and German thrash-metal bands too. But music by Dissector was changing on every demo, becoming more song oriented, balancing between pop melodies and international thrash/death-metal heritage. We didn’t follow one fixed music formula and could play during one concert fast stuff in vein of Benediction, power-metal song with catchy chorus and something like a soft ballad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eT44vvAImI


What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance? – During its first decade Dissector played live often in its home town. We had lots of good concerts in local clubs and open-air. Most of the time we played solo concerts 2-2,5 hours long with our own stuff and several cover-versions. Enough good and bad memories and lots of experiences. After I moved from Magadan (Dissector is from Magadan, small city in North-East of Russia) to Saint-Petersburg in 2002 I played several times live with bands Tartharia and The Lust. Last ten years I make only studio music.

Do you have any touring or show plans for the future? – No, we exist as independent studio project and don’t plan any live activities for the future. All members of Dissector live in different cities and have no resources for constant rehearsing or touring together. Instead of this we compose many songs, try to do best possible records and promote our material.

The new album was released on 'Mazzar Records' can you tell us a little bit more about this label? – Regardless unfortunate financial situation in our country and current state of music business in general, we still have several labels in Russia, which bring good quality music on CD on the market and support local scene. As far as I understand they only exist nowadays thanks to unquenchable enthusiasm and big love to rock music of their owners and teams. One of the most active and noticeable labels is Mazzar Records. We are totally satisfied with quality of our release, it looks very solid. Besides selected Russian bands the label also releases some new and interesting European CD’s under license.     

On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme metal? – I have to say that our last studio albums “Grey Anguish” and “Planetary Cancer” got more positive feedback by reviewer and listeners, than negative. Reviews are getting better and better. Well, big magazine will always compare your indie-band with big names, they don’t give a shit about difficulties you had during creating you album in your country or with your conditions. Some of them have also prepossession to bands from Russia, even if the quality of reviewed record is on a very good level. Fine. However our name is getting more recognizable. Frankly speaking, Dissector as recording band wasn’t very active internationally with previous self-released albums. We still keep promoting and releasing our stuff and merch at our own cost and expense. That’s why it’s hard to support the promotion all the time on high professional level. Now we invest much more time and money in quality of recording/sound, design of albums and merchandise, production and, of course, in communicating with fans and media worldwide. New album “Planetary Cancer” is kind of exception, it was officially released by a label and is getting big support by FB community Metalheads Foundation, but we run parallel our own promo campaign so to say. For another thing, “Planetary Cancer” was released only for Russia and CIS, so we’d like to find a publisher in Europe and do the album also on vinyl. We have some great bonus-tracks for it! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGGVemGpLGU

Are any of the band members involved in with any other bands or musical projects these days? – Just a little. Bass-player Oleg Aleshin and drummer Andrey Glukhov were involved in recording of new album by another studio project called The Lust. It’s kind of gothic-metal project with female voice, very melodic and sensual but with hard hitting drums and guitars. I hope we will finish the new album “Black Dahlia Poem” this year. It’s the biggest production by The Lust so far and the first conceptual album. Besides The Lust I also record music with bands Tartharia and Satanation from time to time. All mentioned projects already have their long stories and back-catalogues, so every one of them is worth to be discussed separately. So far no other side-projects.

Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future? – I don’t think we will change our style radically. Though Dissector never kept up one specific style and can drift easily from high-speed melo-death to doom thing during one album. We just try to record many songs, as much as possible, practically everything what goes out of our minds and never know in advance which way the next studio album will develop. Maybe we will add some new elements to our music on the next album. Personally I’m satisfied so far with way we record and mix our stuff. Of course, I’d like to work with big budget, to try different producing, to work in big studios etc. We will see. Instead we don’t dip into the future too far. It would be fine if we just continue making music as we do it now.

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? – As I said before we as a band were influenced by metal music from 80-s/beginning 90-s. Those days we tried to get all albums by all biggest metal heroes from different genres, by Destruction, Overkill, Slayer, Testament, Megadeth, Sodom, Sepultura, Edge Of Sanity, Entombed, Rage, Cemetery, Paradise Lost, Napalm Death, Gorefest etc., and also many less known death-metal bands. It was time of fare type-trading, ordering CD’s, vinyl and rock-magazines per post. No Internet. We appreciated every record we were getting in our isolated living place and listened to it very closely. So we’ve got very mixed music tastes within a band, but music in general was our passion. As for me, today I don’t listen to the new bands much and prefer bands which stay my favorites for decades. Unfortunately not all of them exist today or bring good and inspiring albums, but their music still brings nostalgic feelings and memories back. I try to follow big records on the market, but spend more time with my CD collection of Paradise Lost, Haunted, Katatonia, Sentenced/Poisonblack, Nightrage and some other band, including non-metal stuff.

What are some of your non musical interests? – Unfortunately I don’t have much time for other interests besides music, promoting Dissector’s stuff and job. The best thing in this situation is the fact that I work as freelancer for many years, so it’s up to me to organize work to get more time for my desires: recording music and traveling. It’s just a question of playing with priorities, you know. Though I work and do many small things concerning music also during trips or recording sessions too, and I don’t know how it looks like to spend two-three days or a week without doing anything. I also like watching movies from time to time but I’m not a big fan of psychological dramas, old classic films or art-house. Prefer modern science fiction, good comedies or blockbusters. 

Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? – If you like music – support those who spend his life by creating this music. Drink less stupid coffee or alcohol and buy good music directly by musicians, without feeding majors.

Hostage Of Fate Interview

Can you give us an update on what been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
Living and working on our island of Rhodes, Greece until winter. Creating music, doing the best with the means we have to share this music with people.

Recently you have released a new album, 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?
Yes, we did on the 5th of May via tiny.cc/hof and Bandcamp.com. Shorter songs, with more things to say – much more aggressive and fast paced from “At First…”.

The first album was in a more death/thrash vein, while the new album goes for more of a death/grind style, what was the decision behind going into this musical direction?
It came natural as the songs did. Life brought it that way. I guess there’s a lot of anger hidden that needs to be cleansed. 

This is the first album to be released in 3 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
 Due to personal obligations we either couldn’t produce physical copies or do the right promotion for the album. Finding the right people to play your music when you are not living in the center of everything is a nightmare. So we have to remain a duo until the right time comes.

What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
You got to listen to the album and decide that on your own. For what I’m really sure is that we don’t get stuck into one specific subject, but you could say that the emotions that the music tries to get out have to do a lot with righteous anger, empowerment, despair of life, certainty of death and love.

What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name “Hostage of Fate”?
Life always comes. That the fate of everything in the universe. To witness it all.
Life is Hostage to death. Because if she wasn’t, life would have never been.

Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the lineup in the future or do you choose to remain a duo?
In winter we are going to find our drummer in Thessaloniki where we will be moving for at least 5 to 6 months.

Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
It wouldn’t hurt to do that when the time comes. No interest as of yet.

On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your new album by fans of extreme metal?
Very little but very good. We thank wholeheartedly every single one that has listened to our music.
Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
You will have a good listen of that in August.

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?
We listen to almost virtually everything that has a spirit to convey. From my part I listen to lots of death metal, grindcore and the likes of them. A special role to the development of our sound have played bands Narcan, Delete the Mass, Pelican, Fall of Effrafa, Converge and on top of them all Chuck Schuldiner and Death.

What are some of your non musical interests?
I draw pictures of a war made in the stars.

Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We hope our music makes you feel and move. Thank you for this interview.

Friday, July 22, 2016

Necroptic Engorgment/Realms Of Incessant Bloodshed/2016 EP Review


  Necroptic  Engorgement  are  a  band  from  New  York  that  plays  a  very brutal  form  of   death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self released  2016 ep  "Realms  Of  Incessant  Bloodshed".

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  and  if  you  can  also  hear  all  of t he musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up a   great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  vocals  bring in  guttural  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  grindcore  screams.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  and  harmonics  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion  while  also  having  it's  technical  moments  and  the  mid  tempo  sections  of t he  songs  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  slam  and  the  whole  ep  also  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal  from  beginning to  ending  of  the  recording.

   Necroptic  Engorgement  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  while also  mixing  in  some  grind,  slam  and  technical  elements  which  also  makes  the  music  stand  out  a  lot  more,  the  production  sounds  very professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,  violence,  torture  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Necroptic Engorgement  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bound,  Gagged  And  Gutted"  and  "Realms  Of  Incessant  Bloodshed".  8  out  of  10. 

Detonation/Reprisal/Vic Records/2016 CD Re-Issue Review


  Detonation  are  a  band  from t he  Netherlands  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2011  album  "Reprisal"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Vic  Records.

  Movie  samples  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  melodic  musical  direction  as  well  as  speeding  up  and  adding  in  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  which  also  takes  the  music  into  more  of  a  melodic  death  metal  direction  which  is  also  very heavily  influenced  by  thrash.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  brings  in a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  guitars.

  Detonation  played  a  style  of  death  metal  on  this  recording  that  was  very  melodic  while  also  mixing  the  modern  thrash  sound  of  2011  in  their  songs  to  create  their  musical  approach,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  politics  and  violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Detonation  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Enslavement"  "Ruptured"  and  "Insults  To  My  Heritage".  8  out  of  10.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Yarast Interview

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

The band moved its first steps into the Roman metal scene between 2010 and 2011. Ideas took shape gradually, both in terms of music and lyrics. In 2012, we recordered our first demo Due minuti d’odio (“Two Minutes of Hate") with Stefano "Saul” Morabito at 16th Cellar Studios (Rome). After some changes, we reached our final line-up in 2014 with the introduction of the new vocalist Matteo, then we started recording Tunguska 1908.


2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Well, it is not easy at all to answer this question! We have just tried to write down our ideas by conveying our individual musical influences. I think people will recognize a mixture between death/thrash influences and some melo-death styles. However, our main purpose was to give an appropriate musical representation of our concept, which should "sound" both aggresive and solemn.



3.Your lyrics deal a lot with the Communist and Cold War era of Russia, can you tell us a little bit about your interest in this topic?

Our idea is to portray what is actually a fanta-political scenary, that is: how would the world look like if it had not been dominated by the Anglo-Saxon culture? What if the Soviet Union had won the Cold War? Thus our songs deal with a broad range of topics and issues, from Soviet's historical controversies and myths, to social dystopia. Obviously, there is nothing eulogic or overtly political in our lyrics.


4.I know that the bands name means 'fury' in Russian, how does this name fit in with the music style that you play?

As mentioned, we have tried to work out an arrangement among aggressive as well solemn patterns. For instance, you may listen to some tracks, such as Retaliation, Nuclear Winter and Tabula Rasa, full of marches and fast sections. Fury, to say, lies in those partes, as well as in the massive guitar sound we have tried to perform during the recordering session.

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

In about five years we have had the pleasure to share the stage with some great Italian metal band such as Fingernails, Cancrena, Helligators and Southern Drinkstruction.


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

Yes, of course. This autumn we will present the album in Italy, then we will certainly plan a European tour.

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

At the moment we have received quite good reviews and some excellent feedback by our fans. Anyway, it is too early to express judgments. The album is still hot off the press!

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?

Most of us has side-projects. We all love playing metal and rock in their different forms. Daniele and Nicola (rhythm guitar and drums) are part of Blodiga Skald (Folk Metal), Fabrizio (bass) plays in Chronic Hangover (stoner metal) while Matteo (vocals) is also the bass player of Beyond The Dark (Melodic Death).

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

Music is evolution, so I expect our ideas to be constantly reshaped by our changing influences and suggestions. Probably, Yarast's next album will head toward something darker and heavier, but this is only a sensation.

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?

We all come from quite different metal sceneries. Anyway, our main influences come probably from Hypocrisy, Death, Opeth and The Crown. We also listen to doom metal and to some very good post-metal bands, such as The Ocean and Cult of Luna.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Literature, history, soccer and beer!


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

We just want to thank all who have supported us from the beginning. See you at our release party. Be prepared for something heavy and noisy. And for liters of vodka.

Cicatrix/Suffocated Faith/Infernum Media/2016 CD Review


  Cicatrix are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  brutal  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Suffocated  Faith"  which  was  released  by  Infernum  Media.

  Dark  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  and  bring  in  the  atmosphere  of  a  horror  movie before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  along  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies  and  once  the  death  metal  growls  and  blast  beats  kick  in  the  music  starts  bringing  in  more  of  a  grindcore  style  that  has  some  90's  influences.

  At  times  the  vocals  can  get  very  guttural  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  horror  movie  samples  also  make  a  return  on  later  tracks  while  some  of  the  songs  are  very  short  in  length  and  they  also  bring  in  cover's  of  Dead  Infections  "After  Of  Accident  II"  and  Terrorizer's  "Storm  Of  Stress"  and  as  the  album  progresses  high  pitched  screams  are  added  into  certain  sections of  the  recording  and  the  whole  album also  remains  true  to  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Cicatrix  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  more  brutal  forms  of  death  metal  and  grindcore and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  very  heavy  sounding  recording,  the production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  gore,  pain  and  hatred  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cicatrix  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Unlimited  Hate"  "Suffocated  Faith"  "Sins  Of  The  Past"  and  "Despicable  Mutation".  8  out  of  10.

Monday, July 18, 2016

Martyrion/Our Dystopia/Boersma Records/2016 Full Length Review


  Martyrion  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Our  Dystopia"  which  was  released  by  Boersma  Records.

  Sci  fi  sounds  starts  off  the  album  before  adding  in  heavy  guitars  which  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on the  recording  as  well  as  some  atmospheric  sounds  and  after  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording.

  A  great  amount  of  melodic  guitar  leads  can  be  heard  throughout  the  recording  while  some  songs  add  in  spoken  word  parts  and  clean  playing  and  the  music  also  sounds  very  modern  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  as  the  album  progresses  along  with  also  adding  in  an  instrumental  and  they  add  orchestra's  on  the  closing  song.

  Martyrion  plays  a  style  of  melodic  death  metal  that  goes  for  more  of  a  modern  take  on  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  post  apocalyptic  life  and  science  fiction  themes.  

 In  my  opinion  Martyrion  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED TRACKS  INCLUDE  "I  In  The  End"  "What  We  Leave  Behind"  "The  End  Of  Eternity"  and  "No  Fear,  No  Obedience".  8  out  of  10.

Carcass/Surgical Steel/Nuclear Blast/2013 CD Review


  Carcass  are  a  band  from t he  United  Kingdom  that  has  been  around  for  a  long  time  with their  earlier  material  being  a  huge  influence  on  the  gore/grind  and  brutal  death  metal  scenes  while  the  later  material  was  a  huge  influence  on  the  melodic  death  metal  scene  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2013  album  "Surgical  Steel"  which  was  released  by  Nuclear  Blast.

  A  very  melodic  guitar  lead  starts  off  the  album  and  they  are  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  after  awhile  the  music  gets  heavier  along  with  some  high  pitched  death  metal  screams  and  the  riffing  also  brings  back  some  of  there  earlier  gore/grind  area  while  also  being  more  up to  date  with  the  modern  days.

  A  lot  of morbid  sounding  melodies  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  also  bringing  back  some  of t he  melodic  death  metal  style  of their  later material  and  as  the  album  progresses  blast  beats  can  be  heard  in  certain sections  of the  recording  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks a re  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  last  track.  

  Carcass  creates  an  album  that  goes  back tot he  melodic  death  metal  style  that  they  started  establishing  in  the  early  90's  while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  their  early  style  to  create  a  heavy  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,  pathology,  medical,  society  and political  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Carcass  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  their  melodic  material,  you  should  check  out t his  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cadaver  Pouch  Conveyor  System"  "The  Mater  Builder's  Apron"  "Unfit  For  Human  Consumption"  and  "Mount  Of  Execution".  8  out  of  10.

 


Sunday, July 17, 2016

Krylithsic/Beast Of The Northern Hemisphere/2016 Demo Review


  Krylithsic  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  with  some  slam  and  deathcore  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  demo  "Beast  Of  The  Northern  Hemisphere".

  Violent  samples  start  off  the  demo  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier,  brutal  and  technical  direction  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  the  vocals  also  get  very  guttural  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  mid  tempo  sections  bring  in  slam  elements.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  are  intros  before  every  track  and  all  of  the  music  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  deathcore  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  the  last  track  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  guitar  leads.

  Krylithsic  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  technical  and  brutal  while  also  adding  in  some  slam  and  deathcore  elements  to  create  a  very  heavy  sounding  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Krylithsic  are  a  very  great  sounding  technical  and  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Strive  For  My  Throne"  and  "Spread  Eagle".  8  out  of  10.

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Neurogenic Interview

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

Hey everyone, my name is Vlad, I'm a guitarist and founder of Neurogenic! These guys are also playing with me in the band: Matteo Bazzanella - (Indecent Excision) - Vocals  Anton Zhikharev (Fleshbomb) - Bass, Marco Pitruzzella (Six Feet Under) - Drums. We play fast and technical Death Metal! The band had started in 2012 and recorded the demo  that was released via Permeated Records, now we are close to releasing our debut full album "Ouroboric Stagnation" via Comatose Music.

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

I like the sound that I made for the album. I think all instruments sound clear in the mix, and the mix is thick and powerful.

3.This is the first release since 2012, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?

The writing and guitars were finished in the beginning of 2013, it took few more years to record the instruments of the other band members and guest vocalists. It was a long process.  After all that was done, I mixed and mastered the album.

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

The lyrical themes are displayed through the artwork and the music itself. The album is soaked in darkness, the world beyond, and unknown otherwordly forces.

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

It means "dysfunction of a nervous system". I took a long time to make up a name but in the end I think the result is very fitting, cuz our music will destroy the nervous  system of unprepared listener, haha.

6.Most of the band members live in different parts of the world, how does this work when it comes to the recording process?

It's easy. When I wrote and recorded the tracks, I sent the stuff to my band bros. The guys had recorded their parts at the local studios and sent me their stuff back and made the rest.

7.Are there any plans for any live shows in the future?

We would really like to play live, but first we need to practice this stuff together.

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

The feedback was very positive! We got lots of great reviews and comments about our music from all around the world. Lots of people had bought our demos and tshirts and we are very grateful  for their support!

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?

Marco is actively touring with Six Feet Under, me Matteo and Anton are working on the new material for our bands. Recently I have created a new band called Imprecated that is more about unholy slam.

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

I would like to add even more atmosphere and darkness into our forthcoming new stuff but keep that insane speed and technical riffs.

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?

While writing and composing I was influenced and inspired by my favorite bands like: Disgorge (USA), Defeated Sanity, Enmity, Putridity and many more. I don't just listen metal,  I listen to a lot of different stuff cuz there are so many great music outside this genre. I highly recommend to everybody do the same, cuz you're missing lots of awesome.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

I like sports, cars, traveling, but music is still my main hobby.

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

I want to say "hello" to all the fans and supporters from around the globe! Listen to great music and keep yourself in a good shape!
Pre-order the CD here: http://www.comatosemusic.com/store/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=neurogenic+stagnation&search_in_description=1&x=2&y=11

www.facebook.com/Neurogenicmetal


Thursday, July 14, 2016

Axsem/La Tierra de los Sacrificios/Sepulchral Silence Records/2016 Full Length Review


  Axsem  are  a  band  from  Argentina  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  death  metal  with  some  elements  of  grindcore  and  this  is  a review  of  their  2016  album  "La  Tierra  de  los  Sacrificios"  which  was  released  by  Sepulchral  Silence  Records.

  Puking  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  seconds  the  music  goes  for more  of  a  brutal  direction  along  with  some  morbid  sounding  melodies  and after  awhile  guttural  death  metal  growls  make  their  presence  known on  the  recording  and  elements  of  slam  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times.

 Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  also  brings  in a  great  amount  of  grindcore  elements  and  high  pitched  screams and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  style  while  also  having  its  chaotic  moments  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  and  horror  samples  also  return  on  later  tracks.

  Axsem  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  with  some  grind  and  slam  elements  and  while  some  of  the  vocals  are  not  my  style  i  still  very  this  band  is  very  good  at  what t hey  do,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  ciolence  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Axsem  are  a  very  decent  sounding  brutal  death  metal  band  with  some  touches  of  slam  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cronica  de  la  Repulsion"  "Cirugia  de  Union  Humana"  "Regressive  Evolution"  and  "Perversion  Obscena".  7  out  of  10.     

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Hostage To Fate/II/2016 Full Length Review


  Hostage  To  Fate  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "II".

  Distorted  amp  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  grindcore  direction  that  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash  elements.

  Most  of  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  80's  to  early  90's  era  of  the  genre  and  also  sounds  like  it  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  during t hat  time frame  while  the  songs  are  very  short  in  length  and  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  while  some  of  the  songs  also  get  very  brutal  and  there  is  also  an  instrumental  that  introduces  clean  playing  onto  the  recording  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  guitar  leads.

  Hostage  Of  Fate  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  mid  80's  and  early 90's  styles  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  mixes  them  with  a  touch  of   thrash  to  create  a  musical  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  Hostage  Of  Fate  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  old  school  death  metal  and  grindcore  with  a  touch  of  thrash  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Deathbed"  "Skydive"  "Red  blue  black"  and  "Stardust".  8  out  of  10.


Beansidhe Interview

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

Beansidhe as a band was founded in 1999. From the original members, only the drummer and the guitarist have remained, carrying forwards the Beansidhe collective as it is today - more as a project than as a band in standard terms.
For the recording of Mónt and for the subsequent release gig we engaged a singer, a bass player, and a second guitar player. All people we already knew very well and pretty close to us. This has worked extremely well and we plan on keeping this collaboration alive in the future.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

There’s an abyss between Beansidhe’s Everlasting Cry (2004), De Mortis Eloquentia (2010), and Mónt (2015). They were recorded quite far apart in time, and as we are constantly growing and evolving both as composers and as performers it is quite natural that they do not really compare.
Mónt was even a more different story. It was composed and rehearsed in its entirety by two individuals who had been sharing their musical influences for 15 years. It was complicated and time consuming because we are perfectionists - there are far more riffs and songs we trashed than we recorded. But in the end it was a great achievement. I don’t think we’ve ever been as satisfied with anything we did before. As for “musical descriptions”, we don’t really believe in such a thing - the tracks are out there and you can even stream them for free. Go find out!

3.The band has been around since 1999 but so far has released released a demo,an ep and a full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap in between releases?

There have never been the same individuals recording two discs with Beansidhe. We recorded the first demo in one live session as a standard 5-members band. By the time of the EP, we had lost one guitar player. The process of recording Mónt was described above. In addition, the tree discs were recorded and mixed in different settings. It took us a very long time to find the correct formula for what Beansidhe would be. And it took us a very long time to figure that we wouldn’t be a standard two-rehearsals-per-week kind of band. We simply couldn’t do it. Experience taught us that we need time to be creative, focused, and in the right state of mind to put the required effort into the project. We don’t want Beansidhe to be an ok thing. We want it to be something we are 100% proud and satisfied of.
This kind of explains why it took us so long to come out with a new disc: we needed time off and we needed to be able not to get back until we were sure we were ready to do it. For example, we didn’t meet for months after the release gig for Mónt. It took us a huge effort and a long time to prepare that show, and we needed to cut for a while. By the way, the show was amazing!

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

Mónt is about nature, man, and their spirits. The lyrics - and the music as well - tell stories about our mountains, our people, and our mind. We wanted it to be something we could relate to and feel very close. That’s also the reason why the lyrics were written in our typical dialect. We have used English in our previous releases, but we feel somehow at a distance with it. Mónt is something we really feel ours.

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

Beansidhe is a fairy in northern mythology. She screams to announce the death of a householder. We took it from a comic back then, we liked the idea.

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?

We never played big shows or big festivals. In our early years - when we had a stable lineup  - we used to play a reasonable amount of gigs in Switzerland, and we also touched Italy. Nowadays we are more focused on composition, rehearsal, and studio work. It’s not that we don’t like to play live or that people didn’t receive us well enough. Performing live is ok - but we feel that it simply doesn’t pay off. There’s too much time involved in preparing a good show, and we kind of get bored at rehearsing the same songs for months.

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

No, not really. We might do an occasional gig here and there, but we don’t plan on concentrating our efforts into it.

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

That’s a tough one. As you might have noticed, we’re not really into promoting ourselves and advertising what we are doing. There are occasional feedbacks, they’re more than welcome and they usually are positive. But we don’t keep stats.

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?

We are involved in a number of different projects. You are welcome to check some of them out. Just search online for Heavy Demons, Kupid’s Kurse, Parole Perse, Doomed Timeline Theory, Despising Age.

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

It appears that our sound is somehow softening with the years. We are smoothing the edges, our music is becoming less intrusive and more meditative. We are also playing fewer notes - pondering better on the few we do play. Drumming is still intense though. We like pounding drums below eerie arpeggios a lot.
Of course, that’s how I perceive it as I try to listen to what we do as an external. Your mileage might vary.

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?

I won’t call names, but if you listen to our discs I think it’s pretty clear that influences that were dominating ten years ago are no more today. Also, we do have quite different tastes for music, and every one of us listens to a wide range of genres - by far not limited to metal. We do not have heroes and we do not try to mimic anybody else. Or we would have fifteen discs out by now!

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

We all have private lives outside the project. We are very jealous about the project, and you can imagine how secretive we might be about ourselves outside of it.

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

First off, if you’ve read up to here, thank you! We appreciate that you are spending your time on getting to know what we do. We mean it!
If you feel like it, take your time also to listen to our album, Mónt. Don’t be hasty. It will get you eventually, and you’ll realize in wonder how much of yourself there is in it! Thank you!

Dissector/Planetary Cancer/Mazzar Records/2016 CD Review


  Dissector  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Planetary  Cancer"  which  was  released  by  Mazzar  Records.

  Movie  samples start  off  the  album  before  going  into more  of  a  heavy  and  melodic  musical  direction which  also  utilizes  thrash  style  vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts. 

  A  lot  of  old  school  extreme  metal  influences  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  music  still  sounds  very  modern  and  while  the  songs  are  in  mostly  a  melodic  death  metal  direction  the  vocals  go  for  a  different  direction  while  sometimes  adding  in  a  more  death/thrash  approach  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  keyboards  on  a  couple  of  tracks  while  the  main  focus  is  more  on  a  heavy  and  melodic  metal  style  and  female  vocals  are  added  onto  the  last  track.

  Dissector  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  melodic  style  of  death  metal  and  adds  it  in  more  with  a  thrash  vocal  style  which  makes  their  music  stand  out  a  bit  more,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dissector  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  melodic  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fallen  One"  "Perfect  Smile"  "The  Shape  Of  Things  To  Come"  and  "Invisible  Lives".  8  out  of  10. 

Friday, July 8, 2016

Reincarnation/The Beginning Of The End/Xtreem Music/2015 CD Review


  Reincarnation  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  brutal  and  slamming  form of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "The  Beginning  Of  The  End"  which  was  released  by Xtreem  Music.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  samples and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  very  musical  direction  along  with  blast  beats  and  growls  that  get  very  guttural  at  times  and  the  mid  paced  sections  bring  in  slam  elements  while  the  vocals  also  incorporate  pig  squeals  at  times.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts and  some  of  the  riffs  also  use  a  small  amount  of  melody  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  very  melodic  and  samples  are  also  used  in between  some of  the  songs.

  Reincarnation  creates  another  album  that  remains  very  true  to  the  brutal  and  slamming  death  metal  style  of  previous  recordings,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  hatred  and  marijuana  themes.
 
  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Reincarnation  and  if  you  are  a fan  of brutal  and  slamming  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Streets  Never  Sleep"  "Reincarnation"  and  "Memories  Of  A  Lifetime".  8  out  of  10.

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Human Devastation/Condenacion/Kukulkan Records 666/2013 CD Review


  Human  Devastation  are  a  band  from  Mexico  that  plays  a  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Condenacion"  which  was  released  by  Kukulkan  Records  666.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  and  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  music  also  brings in  a  touch  of  grindcore.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  high  pitched  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  some  of   the  growls  get  very  guttural  and  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  and  the  album  also  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal  from  beginning to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Human  Devastation  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  always  on  the  brutal  side  of  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  madness,  anti  religion,  destruction  and  misanthropy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Human  Devastation  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Temple  Of  Molay"  "Human  Stupidity"  and  "Perverse  Brutality".  8  out  of  10.     

Lelahell/Al Intihar/Goressimo Records/2016 EP Review


  Lelahell  are  a  band  from  Algeria  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  melodic  form  of  death  metal  with  some  black  metal  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012 ep  "Al  Intihar"  which  was  released  by  Goressimo  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  as  well  as  adding  death  metal  growls  into  the  music  while  some  old  school  thrash  elements  and  black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  melodic sounding and  spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  songs  bring  in a   great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  some  pig  squeals  can  be  heard a t times  and  they  add  in  a  touch  of  deathcore  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  synths  which  also  add  symphonic  elements  onto  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  which  gives  the  music  more  of  a  middle  eastern  style  and  they  close  the  ep  with  a  cover  of  Mayhem's  "Freezing  Moon".

  Lelahell  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  brutal  and  melodic  style  of  death  metal  and  adds  in  some  thrash,  black  metal  and  deathcore  elements  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophy  and  society  themes.

  In  my opinion  Lelahell  are  a  very  great  sounding  death  metal  band  with  elements  of  thrash,  black  metal  and  deathcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Emperor"  and  "Into  The  Past".  8  out  of  10. 

Estampida/Crowd Control: The Jaws Of War/Nadir Music/2012 CD Review


  Estampida  are  a  band  from  Argentina  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Crown  Control:  The  Jaws  Of  War"  which  was  released  by  Nadir  Music.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  screaming  style  vocals  that  are  more  close  to  death  metal  while  the  riffs  bring  in  more  of  a  modern  thrash  style  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  while the  faster  sections  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  there  are  also  some  old  school  thrash  elements  also  being  mixed  into  some  of  the  riffs  and  when  solos  and  leads a re  utilized  they  bring  in  a  very  classic  yet  melodic  metal  sound  into  the  songs.

  Some  of  the  fast  riffing  also  brings  in a   touch  of  black  metal  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melodic  singing  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  along  with  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  other  songs  bring  in  back  up  gang  shouts  and  there  is  also  a  power  ballad  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction.

  Estampida  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  both  the  old  school  and  modern  styles  of  thrash  metal  along  with  a  touch  of  groove  metal  to  create  a  sound  of their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  life,  fantasy,  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Estampida  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Crowd  Control"  "Is  there  Anybody  Out  There"  "We'll  Wait  Together"  and  "Jaws  Of  War".  8  out  of  10.

Neurogenic/Ouroboric Stagnation/Comatose Music/2016 CD Review


  Neurogenic  are  an  international  band  with  members  from  Russia,  United  States  and  Italy  that  plays  a  very  guttural  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Ouroboric  Stagnation"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Comatose  Music.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  that  get  very  guttural  at  times while the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  elements  of  slam  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  can  also  get  very  technical  at  times  along  with  solos  and  leads  that  are  more  in  that  direction  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  guitars  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  all  instrumental.

  Neurogenic  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  and  guttural  while  also  mixing  in  some  technical  and  slam elements  to  create  a  very  heavy  sounding  album,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Neurogenic  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  and  guttural  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Subdural  Breeding"  "Endless  Outrage"  "Soul  Enthralled"  and  "Eternal  Path  Of  The  Enslaved".  8 out  of  10.