Sordid Dogs/City Freaks/2019 Full Length Review

  Sordid  Dogs  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  crust  punk  and  d  beat  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released 2019  album  "City  Freaks".

  A very  heavy  crust  punk  and  d  beat  influenced  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  bass  guitar  leads  also  being  used  at times.  Vocals  bring  in  more  of  an  aggressive  hardcore  punk  style  of  shouting  as  well  as  adding  in  some  grim  black  metal  screams  into  some  parts  of  the  music.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  influences  from  both  the  first  and  second  wave  era's  of  black  metal.  The  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  80's  traditional  metal  style  vocals  can  also  be  heard  for  a  few  seconds  as  well  as  the  music  always  sticking  to  a  very  or aggressive  style.

  On  this  recording  Sordid  Dogs  goes  for  more  of  a  crust  punk  and  d  beat  style  while  still  keeping  the  black  metal  elements  of  their  previous  release.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  black  metal,  rock,  punk,  anarchy,  violence  and  political  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sordid  Dogs  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  metal,  crust  punk  and  d  beat,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Princess  Is  A  Punk"  "Black  Metal  Punks  Not  Dead"  "Midnight  Anarchy"  and  "Mass  Control".  8  out  of  10.

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Exoskelett/Self Titled/Dod Vag Records/2019 Full Length Review

  Exoskelett  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2019  album  Which  was  released  by  Dod  Vag  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem. Vocals  are  done  in  more  of  a  first  weave  black  metal  screaming  style  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Most  of  the  music  is very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  while  also  sounding  very  modern  at  the  same  time.  Elements  of  thrash  and  heavy  metal  can  also  be  heard quite  a  bit throughout  the  recording.  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  sticking  to  more  of  an  old  school  style.

 Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  The  fast  riffs  also  utilize  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  while  one  track  also  adds  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  onto  the  recording  as  as  the  album  progresses  back  up  vocals  and  psychedelic  sounds  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  Swedish  and  cover  violence  and  darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Exoskelett  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  thrash  and  heavy  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Born  Accursed"  "Manniskoskal"  and  "Lycanthropy".  8  out  of  10.

https://open.spotify.com/album/1VahiYtF5Ke6znzPmKcO08?si=SwKUMBK7RlOzTeVgeWF_8A

Vircolac/Masque/Sepulchral Voice Records/Dark Descent Records/2019 CD Review

  Vircolac  are  a  band  from  Ireland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Masque"  which  will  be  released  in  March  as  a  joint  effort  between  Sepulchral  Voice  and  Dark  Descent  Records.

  Distorted  amp  noises  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  Vocals  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blackened  metal  screams  while  the  riffing  is  more  rooted  in  the  death  metal  style  along  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  more  of  an  old  school  and  chaotic  style of  death  metal  to  the  recording.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  while  horror  movie  style  synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  A  couple  of  songs  also  introduces  clean  guitars  onto  the  recording  while  the  music  also  has  its  technical  moments  and  the  album  also  closes  with  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  mass  industrialized  slaughter  of  much  of  Europe's  in  The  Great  War.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Vircolac  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blackened  death  metal, you  should check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Titan"  "So  I  Hang  From  A  Wretched  Tree"  and  "The  Long  Trail".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/vircolacdeathmetal 

Bewitcher/Too Fast For The Flames/Shadow Kingdom Records/2019 EP Review

  Portland,  Oregon's  Bewitcher  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  black  and  speed  metal  mixture  of  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review of  their  2019  ep  "Too  Fast  For  The  Flames"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Shadow  Kingdom  Records.

  A  very  fast  speed  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  before  adding  in  some  first  wave  style  black  metal  vocals.  The  riffing  also  shows  an  influence  of  early  80's  thrash  metal  while  also  being  very  modern  at  the  same  time  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well as  all  of  the  instruments  sounding  very  powerful.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  remaining  true  to  an  old  school  style  and  the  close  the  ep  with  a  cover  of  W.A.S.P's  "Show  No  Mercy"  which  also  adds  in    a  small  amount  of  clean  vocals.  The  Production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  metal  and  hedonism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  from  Bewitcher  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  and  speed metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Too  Fast  For  The  Flames".  8  out  of  10.

http://shadowkingdomrecords.bandcamp.com/album/too-fast-for-the-flames

        

Basilysk Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the first full length?

We're currently rehearsing for upcoming shows, specifically the Stardust VII fest in New York City with The Ruins of Beverast and Dead Congregation on July 5 at Brooklyn Bazaar.  We also plan to hit the road for an east coast mini tour this summer.



2.Recently you have released your first full length, musically how does it differ from your previous demo's, single and ep?


Our new album Emergence is the first record with our current lineup. Previously, Basilysk released Seasons of Misanthropy in 2012 with a different lineup, aside from our frontman and guitarist Josh. You can hear the difference in quality and overall composition from the first release andEmergence, although those old school songs still shred. We really obsessed over the production process of this album to get the perfect death metal sound.


3.The band has been around since 2009 and while you have some demo's released you waited until 2019 to release the first full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the long wait?


This line up came together in late 2016 and we've covered a lot of ground since then. We have a solid team now, and we intend to keep that momentum moving forward with new tours and an EP in the near future.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with the newer music and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?


The lyrical themes have always dealt with real life atrocities and personal battles. They do not revolve around fantasy or fiction but they cover the full spectrum of non-fiction topics and human psychology. When Mike (drums) joined the band in 2015, the songwriting possibilities were endless and the music took on a more technical direction.



5.Some of your other lyrics have also covered occult themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

Josh was exposed to the occult at an early age and has been able to sprinkle the symbolism and themes from life experiences into the lyrics while keeping the messages relevant.


6.I know that the band name comes from mythology, can you tell us how this name fits in with the musical style that you play?

Just as our songs can take on different subgenres within themselves, the Basilisk is often depicted as varying combinations of reptilian, fire breathing, and feathered creatures.


7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover?

The cover art is a manipulated photograph. The original titled, "Cicada Madness" was given to us by photographer, Gene Hilton, and then recolored by Josh. The cicadas follow the album title and symbolize the "emergence" of the band with the latest lineup after a long period of underground dormancy - true to the nature of cicadas.



8.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 either remember the really great shows, or the really terrible shows, for very different reasons. Our stage show is just like our music, fast, aggressive, loud and tight.

- Our first show with our current line up was with Book Of Wyrms.
- Playing with our friends in Headrot in Providence for their hometown reunion show in 2017.
- Opening for Cannabis Corpse at the Philly Tattoo Convention
- Most recently, we played a DIY show in a school house-turned-concert venue to film our music video the song "Sad State Of The Art," which is also streaming at Kerrang right now. That video will be available soon.



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

We'll wait for the industry to come to us when the time comes. Until then, we strive to be a self-reliant unit. Josh is an incredible artist who designs our merch and album artwork. Our Emergence album might be self-released, but if you look at the packaging and listen to the quality of the product, it sounds like a band that could be on Nuclear Blast! And it definitely deserves to be, if we may say so ourselves.



11.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?

People dig it. Not just extreme metal fans either. We’ve had a lot of people tell us they don’t listen to that much death metal, but enjoy our new album.

We certainly have the speed, complexity and brutality that comes with the "extreme" spectrum of metal, but our music also has hooks and melody, without losing its hardness.

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

Most of the songs on Emergence were already penned by Josh years before this line up came together. However, the last song on the album ”Karma” was a collaborative effort that the whole band wrote together. It is by far the most complex song on the album, on top of being 15 minutes long. So that is an exciting indication of what lies ahead of us. We have a thrashy new song in the works that we'll unveil this summer at Stardust VII Fest, and that too is something the entire band has written together.

13. 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?
Our music is influenced by early death metal, Scandinavian black metal, and thrash metal from the eighties. Each member of the band listens to different styles of metal, but we can say that the next album will draw heavily from our thrash metal record collections.




14.What are some of your non musical interests?

Luke is into engineering and electronics, both by trade and by hobby, also plays in a new band called Blood Spore with an album coming out in April.  He hopes to one day have a business making guitar effects and amplifiers for a living

Mike is a family man and makes his own Kambucha tea with Josh.  Mike also plays drums in Necrosexual.

Jimmy works in the fitness industry and sometimes wears Kiss make up for entertainment.

Josh is an artist, as you can probably tell by the gnarly album cover and art work he has cranked out for Basilysk.

15.before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? 
Buy our new album at basilysk.bandcamp.com. It will shred your soul to pieces.

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Hiss From The Moat/The Harrier/M-Theory Audio/2019 CD Review

  Hiss  From  The  Moat  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  technical  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  2019  album  "The  Harrier"  which  will  be  released  on  February  22nd  by  M-Theory  Audio.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  before going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  Vocals also  bring  in  more  of  a  blackened  metal  style.

  A  great  amount  of  death  metal  elements  can  also  be  heard  throughout  all  of  the  tracks  while  the  music  also  gets  very  technical  sounding  at  times.  The  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  atmospheric  soundscapes  can  also  be heard  briefly.  A  couple  of  tracks  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  before  returning  back  to  a  more  brutal  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover religion,  politics  and  dictatorship  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Hiss  From  The  Moat  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  technical  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Harrier"  "Slaves  To  War"  "The  Allegory  Of  Upheaval"  and  "The  Decay  Of  Lies".  8  out  of  10.

www.facebook.com/hissfromthemoat
www.twitter.com/hissfromthemoat
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Basilysk/Emergence/2019 Full Length Review

  Basilysk  are  a  band  from  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  with  a  progressive touch  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Emergence"  which  will  be  released  on  February  22nd.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  along  with  some  powerful  sounding  bass  guitar  leads  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  some  heavy  riffing.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  Vocals  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  while  the  music  also  gets  very  progressive  and  technical  sounding  at  times.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads a re  utilized  they  are  also done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.  As  the  album  progresses  they  also  bring  an  acoustic  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  following  tracks.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover misanthropy  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Basilysk  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  band  with  some  progressive  and  technical  touches  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Molestor  Of  Dreams"  "Fire(In  The  Temple  Of  Sacrifice)"  and  "Clouds".  8  out  of  10.



https://basilysk.bandcamp.com/album/emergence
https://www.facebook.com/basikyskofficial/