Thursday, August 31, 2017

Repaid In Blood/Terra Mourning/2017 EP Review








  Repaid  In  Blood  are  a  band  from  San  Jose,  California  that  plays  a  progressive  mixture  of  death  metal  and  metalcore  to  create  a  musical sound  they  refer  to  as  'geek  metal'  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  ep  Terra Mourning".

  Acoustic  guitar  playing  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  start  off  the  ep and  spoken  word  samples  are  also  used  briefly  before  going  into a  heavier  musical  direction  which  also  introduces  death  metal  growls  and  screams  onto  the  recording  while  also taking  the  leads  in  a  more  progressive  direction.

  A  great  amount  of  metalcore  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  some  touches  of  prog  metal  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  spoken  word  samples  also  returning  at  times  and  the  vocals  also  mix  in  a  brief  touch  of  groove  metal  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  mid  tempo  direction  and  they  close  the  ep  with  a  cover  of  Salt'N'Peppa's  "Push  It"..

  Repaid  In  Blood  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  prog  and  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  metalcore  to  create  something  different, the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Repaid  In  Blood  are  a  very  decent  progressive  mixture  of  death  metal  and  metalcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Moments  Lost  In  Time  Like  Tears  In The Rain"  and  "Terra  Mourning".  7/5  out  of  10.      

Insurrection/Extraction/Galy Records/2017 CD Review


  Insurrection  are  a  band  from  Quebec,  Canada  that has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  brutal  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Extraction"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Galy  Records.

  Sci-fi  orientated  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  technical  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  with  a  few  screams  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with t he  solos  and  leads  being  done  in a   very  technical  and  melodic  fashion  and  some  of  the  riffing  also  adds  in  elements  of  thrash  and  also  mixing  in  some  of  the  east  coast  style  of  death  metal  at  times  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly.

  Insurrection  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  brutal  and  technical  style  of  death  metal  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  politics,  life,  society  and  struggle  themes  along  with  a  couple  of  the  tracks  being  written  in  French.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great sounding  recording  from  Insurrection  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  technical  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Onward  To  Extinction" "The  Eulogy  Of  Hatred"  "Misere  Noire"  and  "Data  Extracted...End  Transmission".  8  out  of  10.    

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Arkaik/Nemethia/Unique Leader Records/2017 CD Review


  Arkaik  are  a  band  from  Riverside,  California  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  technical  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Nemethia"  which  will  be  released  in September  by  Unique  Leader  Records.

  A  sci-fi  atmosphere  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  brutal  direction  where  you can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  and  the  riffing  also  gets  very  technical  at  times.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  technical  fashion  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along with  elements  of  classical  and  symphonic  music  also  being  used  on  a  few  tracks  and  at  times  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  prog  influences  and  one  of  the  tracks  is very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  there  are  also  a  couple  of  instrumentals.

  Arkaik  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  technical  style  of  death  metal  from  previous  releases  and  also  adding  in  symphonic  elements  this  time  around, t he  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  continuing  the  saga  of  Cyrix  who  goes  on a  journey  through  a  dystopian  society  and  meets  dark  occultists,  magickal  allies  and  hidden  forces.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Arkaik  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  technical  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Occultivation"  "Dweller  On  The  Threshold"  and  "Nexion  Stargate".  8  out  of  10.

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Scum/Humana/Sliptrick Records/2016 CD Review


  Scum  are  a  band  from  Italy that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Humana"  which  was  released  by  Sliptrick  Records.

  An  atmospheric  soundscape  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  small  amount  of spoken  word  samples  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  direction  which  also  uses  death  metal  growls  while  the  riffing  also  mixes  in  elements  of  djent  and  modern  thrash  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  Touches  of  groove  metal  are  also  mixed  in  the  vocals  while  the  guitar  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion  along  with  spoken  word  samples  also  being  used  briefly  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  the  main  focus  being  more  on  a  mid  tempo  style  and  on  the  last  track  the vocals  get  semi  melodic.

  Scum  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  a  modern  form  of  thrash  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Hatred,  Depression  and  Anti  Religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Scum  are  a  very  great sounding  mixture  of  death  and  modern  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Under  The  Worm"  "Collapsed"  and  "Humana".  8  out  of  10.  

Friday, August 11, 2017

Neck Of The Woods/The Passenger/2017 Full Length Review


  Neck  Of  The  Woods  are  a  band  from  Vancouver  B.C,  Canada  that  plays  a  progressive  form of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "The  Passenger"  which  will  be  released  in  September.

  Atmospheric  sounds  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  prog  metal  direction  as  well  as  introducing  death  metal  growls  onto  the  recording  and  at  times  the  vocals  add  in  a  touch  of  hardcore  while  the  music  also  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  technical  fashion  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and fast  parts  along  with  the  music  also  getting  very  technical  at  times  and  a  couple  of  the  later  tracks  are  acoustic  instrumentals.

  Neck  OF  The  Woods  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  progressive  along  with  some  elements  of  hardcore  and  groove  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Neck  Of  The  Woods  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bottom  Feeder"  "Open  Water"  and  "Before  I  Rest".  8  out  of  10.  

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Sepulchral Whore Interview

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

Necrospinal: Sepulchral Whore is a Brazilian entity from Recife city, who plays a relentless death metal tethered in the classic icons of this genre, more especially from the 90s era.

2. Recently you have released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Necrospinal: Overall, I'd say "Everlasting Morbid Delights" - our debut EP - is a gathering of our longtime wishes as extreme metal fans and horror movie enthusiasts and I think that's a varied mix of each atmosphere of terror which we've possibly heard in some dark film soundtracks in our teenage years. Musically, this release is more into the Scandinavian and Austrian ways of early death metal.

3. You refer to your music as 'necrotic death metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?

Necrospinal: [Laughs] As I said, we always like horror movies, and this expression is used generically to describe this kind of tale and make people quite disgusted. Trypophobia effects, for example, may cause repulsive shifts and chills over simple minded people.

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

Necrospinal: Our lyrical content is various. All the songs flow through themes like anti-humanism, the insignificance of being, metaphysical chaos,  necrophilia, blasphemy and many other horrid acts.

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

Necrospinal: Necrophiliac! [Laughs] When I was younger (a scatterbrain), Hell Awaits' lyrics has frightened me at that time. At the same time, the fascinating riffage on that track just blew me away. Wondering about names for our new band, I thought on an opposite female to the Kerry King's necromancer character. A woman who acquired Necrophilia as a compulsive sexual behavior as the result of weird experiences lived through her entire life. I suggested the name "Sepulchral Whore" to my band mates, and they immediately approved it.

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

Necrospinal: Our stage performance is very balanced! C Le Sorcier (drums) is frenetic and technical, Nyarlathotep IV's position (guitars) demands more focus and responsibility to create the dark atmosphere for our shows (to an example of this darkened approach "In Slumber they Succumb" is the song to keep). I'm an intense guy who likes to incite people to have a bruising awakening in the morning after. We always aim to make all heads bang with us. About live gigs; not much yet, because Sepulchral Whore was born at the end of 2014 and we thought we should make our first live performance when done the whole recording process for our debut release (November 2016). Our last appearance alongside Apocalyptic Raids, Whipstriker, and the brand new black metal act called Hellishkiller were great.

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

We have some scheduled gigs within the next months, where we'll promote our debut release. Schedule a tour is impossible now, due to our duties as citizen workers. We'd like to fly overseas someday. In first, we want to take the path of the railroad to play a couple of shows at venues around the country and south American continent, in places where we haven't been played before with our past bands, but for this, we need to align our vacations.

8. The ep was released on 'Metal Ways Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Necrospinal: "Metal Ways Records" is a Mexican label, more focused on heavy/speed and thrash metal. Sepulchral Whore is the first traditional death metal act on their roster. Antonio Sánchez (the label's owner) stake on our proposal at his first sight, after to listening to our promo and launched our EP on the market worldwide (compact disc - limited to 500 copies).

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

Necrospinal: Considering "Everlasting Morbid Delights" as a debut release, we've had a very positive response at the moment. Physical copies were now launched, which could bring more exposure to the extreme metal supporters and specialized media.

10. When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Necrospinal: Our creative process for upcoming releases is already on the way. We've enough songs to fill more than 1-hour show. And of course, these recent songs should be part of one full-length album (planned for 2019) or perhaps a split album (2018 - not yet assured). We mostly prefer to not think about the future at all. Just let the blood run red [Laughs].

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?

Nyarlathotep IV: My particular influences go from classic rock to extreme metal. In a non-rock pathway, I like classical music, some MPB stuff (which means Brazilian Popular Music) and Frevo (a frenetic brass-band music from our hometown, Recife City). But the last two do not influence our composition process. I just quoted it because these local music genres are cool as fuck for me [Laughs].

About bands that I listen to frequently, from the golden age of death metal: I like Sentenced's first two albums, Grave, Celtic Frost, Bolt Thrower, Massacre (US), Autopsy, Morgoth, Entombed, Darkthrone's debut, Asphyx and Headhunter D.C. 1990s provided so many cool bands. Will be harder to list all here. You will need a new page to fill it up [Laughs]. Nowadays, my favorite one is Skeletal Remains! I love so much that kind of sound. They had never left my playlist! They kick ass! The Brazilian ones, Devouring, Poisonous, Inside Hatred (these are all from Bahia state - a neighbor state in northeast Brazil). Such as Belo Horizonte city was in the past (Sarcofago, Sepultura, Mutilator, Chakal, and others), Bahia state is the perfect cradle for death metal in Brazil nowadays.

From our city, I have to listen to a new death metal act called Trovador. Their characteristic sonority and mostly their lyrics, which caught my attention because the content is about Brazilian serial killers and singing it in our native language. Also our neighbor, Elizabethan Walpurga does a good mix of traditional heavy metal and black metal with vampiric themes.

Necrospinal: I have been listening to a lot of bands: Vastum, Blood Incantation, Grave Miasma, Unaussprechlichen Kulten, Nightfell, and many others. But now talking about favorite bands: Hooded Menace, Morbus Chron (parted ways), Desaster, Voivod, Razor, Enslaved, Beyond Belief (have also parted ways), Suffocation, Benediction, Pungent Stench, Asphyx, and others.

12. What are some of your non-musical interests?

Nyarlathotep IV: Keeping struggling to survive on this shitty planet, mainly in this country full of corruption, where poor people, workers as we are sweats blood, meanwhile, politicians and employers enjoy at our expense.

Necrospinal: I'm a football (soccer) fan, addicted to technology, digital design, movies and TV series enthusiast.

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

Nyarlathotep IV: We are glad because Sepulchral Whore, even a new band, has received a good response from the extreme metal audience in a worldwide scale. Perhaps this may be due to our acquired experience on the lessons of past bands. At this time we had no hurry during the recording process. A lot of quiet, by the way! More than normal. But the final result was 666% more than I expected. Thank you so much and long life to the underground.

Necrospinal: Until the end of this year, "Everlasting Morbid Delights" will also be released on cassette (via Metal Throne Recs from Greece, El Conjuro Recs from Argentina, Von Frost Recs from Canada) and LP formats (Burning Skull Records from Sweden and Flesh Vessel Records from the United States).

Metalheads, keep supporting your local scene and bands that you like. Going to the shows, acquiring any merch stuff, etc. If you discovered a cool new band via streaming or free download find a way to buy something from them. That is essential to keep the metal flame burning higher than ever.

Thanks for this interview! NECROHAILZ!!
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Saturday, August 5, 2017

Post Pulse/Halls Of The Damned/Inverse Records/2017 CD Review


  Post  Pulse  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  original  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Halls  Of  The  Damned"  which  was  released  by  Inverse  Records.

  A  very  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  90's  influences  but  keeping  it  modern  while  all  of  the  musical instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  and  angry  shouts  that  are  very  easy  to  understand.

  A  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  can  be  heard  from  the  instruments  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  be  heard  briefly  on  a  few  tracks.

  Post  Pulse  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavy  yet  different  than  most  bands  of  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Post  Pulse  are  a  very  great  sounding  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  different,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "When  The  Snakes  Are  Dead"  "Frozen  Heart"  "Halls  Of  The  Damned"  and  "No  More".  8  out  of  10.    

Requiem For Oblivion/Burning Nation/2017 CD Review


  Requiem  For  Oblivion  are  a  band  from  Eerie,  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  very  progressive  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  with  some  ambient  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Burning  Nation".

  Drum  beats  and  technical  guitar  leads  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  riffing  and  death  metal growls  a  few  seconds  later  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  after  awhile  prog  elements  and  high  pitched  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  riffs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  they  also  display  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  as  musicians  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  and  ambient  elements  are  added  onto  the  recording and  a  couple  of  songs  also  adds  in  melodic  vocals.

  Requiem  For  Oblivion  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  progressive  and  technical  while also  adding  in  touches  of  ambient  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  originality,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  inner  struggles  and  humanity  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Requiem  For  Oblivion  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  and  technical  death  metal  band  with  elements  of  ambient  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Shards  Of  Glass"  "Burning  Nation"  and  "Disguised".  8  out  of  10.      

Hostilian/Monolith/2017 EP Review


  Hostilian  are  a  band  from  India  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  groove  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  ep  "Monolith".

  Death  metal  growls  and  groove  metal  riffing  starts  off  the  ep  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  the  riffing  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  When  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  along  with  some  touches  of  modern  thrash  while  the  vocals  also  add  in  aggressive  screams  at  times  and  the  music  always  remains  heavy.

  Hostilian  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  death  and  groove  metal  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hostilian  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  and  groove  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Culling"  and  "Warbringer".  8  out  of  10.  

Friday, August 4, 2017

Killer Refrigerator/Refrigeration Plague/2017 Full Length Review

  Killer  Refrigerator  are  a  band  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  crossover,  death  metal  and  thrash  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self   released  2017  album  "Refrigeration  Plague".

  Drums  and  bass  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  vocals  are  aggressive  thrash  style  vocals  and  the  music  also  incorporates  a  great  amount  of  crossover  influences.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  music  also  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  death  metal  along  with  a  few  growls  along  with  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  bring  short  in  length    and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  Humorous  style  clean  singing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  a  couple  of  tracks  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of spoken  word  parts  as  intros while  also  having  the  atmosphere  of  a  tv  show  and  as  the  album  progresses  keyboards  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  and  the  closing  track  is  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Killer  refrigerator  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  thrash,  crossover  and  death  metal  mixture  of  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  humorous  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Killer  Refrigerator  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  thrash,  crossover  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vacuum  Doom  (Rise  Of  The  Dirt  Devil)"  "The  Revenge  Of  Frankenstove"  "A  Salad  Named  Elizabeth"  and  "Beyond  Frigid  Horizons".  8  out  of  10.

 

Thursday, August 3, 2017

Disrepute/C9H13NO3/Defying Danger Records/2015 Full Length Review


  Disrepute  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  traditional  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album "C9H13NO3"  which  was  released  by  Defying  Danger  Records.

  Drum  beats  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  yet  melodic  riffing  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  death  metal  growls  along  with  a  few  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  while  also  sounding  very  modern  at  the  same  time  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  melodic  yet chaotic  fashion  and  the  fast  riffs  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  the  music  also  gets  more  brutal  as  the  album  progresses.

  Disrepute  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  traditional  and  brutal  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  hate,  death,  chaos, darkness,  war,  and  anti  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Disrepute  are  a  very  great  sounding  traditional  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Atheism"  "Cold  War"  and  "Gates  To  Hell".  8  out  of  10.  

Harmony Dies/Indecent Paths Of A Ramifying Darkness/Defying Danger Records/2016 CD Review


  Harmony  Dies  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Indecent  Paths  Of  A  Ramifying  Darkness"  which  was  released by  Defying  Danger  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  that  are  easy  to  understand  along  with  a  few  screams  and  at  times  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion  along  with  a  one  of  the  tracks  being  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  music  always  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal.

  Harmony  Dies  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  and  traditional  sounding  along  with  a  mixture  of  both  old  school  and  modern  influences,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violence,  death  and  pain themes.

  In  my  opinion  Harmony  Dies  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Threshold  To  Enrage"  and  "I'll  Be  Your  Master'.  8  out  of  10.

In Demise/Behold, A Pale Sky/Kings Of Decay/2016 CD Review


  In  Demise  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  progressive  and  brutal  style  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Behold,  A  Pale  Sky"  which  was  released  by  Kings  Of  Decay.

  Melodic  yet  technical  guitar  leads  along  with  some  heavy  riffs  start  off  the  album  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  music  also  gets  very  brutal  at  times  and  screams  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs  along  with  the  guitars  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  harmonics  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in a  decent  amount  of  melodies  and  prog  elements  and  avant  garde  sounds  are  also  used  briefly  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  as  the  album  progresses  and  clean  playing  is  also  used  on  the  closing  track.

  In  Demise  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  yet  progressive  and  technical  at  the  same  time,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  politics,  philosophy,  psychology  and  weird  tales  themes.

  In  my  opinion  In  Demise  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  and  progressive  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Unfulfilled  Exigence"  "An  Ode  To  Wrath"  "Passing  Through  The  Polyhedral  Portal"  and  "Slowly  Dissolving  (Ubbo-Sathla)".  8  out  of  10.  

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Backbone Interview

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

With Backbone you can expect a brutal sound, that's for sure. We practice an extreme metal that contains some technical and at the same time melodic sense. I think that, despite making use of the guttural voices that usually belong to death metal, we consider that people from different musical backgrounds can enjoy the group.

2. Recently you have released an EP, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Musically what we try to achieve with the EP is a synthesis of the bands that preceded the formation of Backbone. Alhazred was a groove-oriented band, thrash and a bit of old-school Death Metal. Mostly influenced then by Lamb Of God and Sepultura. On the other hand was Melisma, a Melodic Death band that had a style of composition a little more orchestrated, dramatic. Making use of these elements and the musical influence of each member, we were composing the songs. Some of them were old demos that we adapted to our new sound, and other songs emerged based on the rehearsals. We believe that this mix helps Backbone to get out of the standards for each style, and try to vary without tiring the listener.


3. A lot of the lyrics you write deal with the writings of H.P Lovecraft and Geometry, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

We consider Lovecraft as an inspirational engine. The theme he deals with in his stories is very much in line with the lyrics of the band, so who better than Lovecraft to represent much of our content? In one of his stories, Lovecraft refers to a submerged city called "R'lyeh" where almost unspeakable creatures inhabit. That city is of an impossible geometry, that escapes to the reality and the laws of the physics of our world. Therefore, and more reasons, we chose it for our EP.


4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Backbone'?
The name Backbone comes after several months of having formed the band. We were sitting in a bar listening to music, looking for a name that identifies us a bit more. By that time we called ourselves "Skeptic", and there was simply something of the name that did not sound right. So after a few drinks, brainstorming, we came up with Backbone (which was a cover that we made of Gojira). We thought that song was very closely related to the sound of the band. It is a strong name, and apart from its anatomical meaning, it is like the nucleus of what makes up the different parts, and in this case, the band.





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

The best shows we had so far, we think, were at a local bar called "El Carpo". It's not a very big place, but that's why the experience of playing there is very good. People are very close to the band, and you can see that they have a good time. We all had a good time. On the other hand, on the stage, we always try to generate a dynamic on and off the stage. Move with rhythm, jump, do headbang, and that’s what makes people also catch on and participate.
Also the time we were opening for the known Argentinian metal band "Malón", when they were touring near here. It was months after our first gigs, and it was our first experience with a big stage. That was a huge surprise to us.
We prefer to have fun and enjoy, than to be completely static and trying to play everything perfectly.


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

Yes, we will play in several Argentine cities: for example on August 5th in Corrientes. We also plan to play on Misiones in September. In addition, we will present our EP in The House of Cultures in Resistencia, Chaco Argentina. Then the idea would be to continue in Buenos Aires, Rosario and even, Paraguay. We would love to be able to travel more but there are economic issues and at the moment we do not have a record company to support the tours. Everything goes out of our pocket.


7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

We do not have any deals yet, but we do not lose hope that someone might be interested in Backbone. We would love to have the support of a label.


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

It still surprises us every time we see some new followers from another country on our facebook, or when we see the statistics of our networks that indicate that in other countries they listen to us. The first time we noticed it was the day after launching the EP, when we entered bandcamp and saw that there was traffic coming from VK.com (the Russian social network). It's crazy that an emerging band goes so far in the world.
The good thing is that from what we could see, the response was mostly positive. It has a lot to do with what we said before, and is that the band is not closed in a single style, and I think it offers good doses of technical and galloping Death Metal, while using clean passages, which lead to progressive and melodic solos.


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

It is something we always talk about, precisely because we try to evolve and try to keep us always fresh and with an original sound. I could say that the groove is what we all have in common with the band, and we feel that it is the basis of the Backbone sound, so that aspect will not be lost. In the last compositions we try to incorporate more melodic elements too, even with some clean voices so as not to resort only to guttural voices.


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 had several influences since each of the members of the band has preference for different styles. Mainly, the ones we have in common, we could mention: Pantera, Sepultura, Death, Gojira, Cannibal Corpse, Lamb Of God, The Faceless, among many others. Mainly we try to move within the technical or progressive Death Metal as a reference. But outside of those styles, we listen to bands like Cloudkicker, Tesseract, even genres like Synthwave or Vaporwave. In some songs you can even listen parts of post-rock or ambient in the compositions.


11. What are some of your non musical interests?

We have varied interests outside music. Almost all members study or have university degrees. Parallel to music, we have a fairly normal and even dull life. Among our interests are: psychology, computer science, journalism, literature and even drawing. But music occupies a privileged place in our lives.


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

We want to thank everyone for their support. For these interviews that help us to promote what we do, the reviews of different portals and blogs from which we receive absolute support. To those who enjoy what we do and especially to all those people who disinterestedly believed in our work. Thank you.