Summon The Crows/One More For The Gallows/Southern Lord Records/2011 CD Review

  Summon The Crows are a band from Norway that plays a mixture of crust/punk, thrash and black metal and this is a review of their 2011 album "One More For The Gallows" which will be released by Southern Lord Records.


Drums range from mid paced to fast with a great amount of blast beats being utilized, while the bass playing has a very heavy sound with a lot of crust/punk style riffing.

Rhythm guitars range from mid paced to fast riffs that combine influences from thrash, crust/punk, and black metal while the lead guitars are very distorted sounding punk/metal guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly deep growls that have a black metal feel to them with some high pitched screams being used at times, while the lyrics cover everyday type themes with some songs being influenced by mythology, as for the production it sounds very heavy and raw but still professional enough to the point where you can hear all of the musical instruments.

In my opinion Summon The Crows are a very good blackened crust/punk/metal band and if you are a fan of this genre, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Slavedrivers Of Ur" "Black Hole" "Beasts Of The Night" and "The Trojan Whores". RECOMMENDED BUY

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Metalomorph/2010 Demo Review

 Metalomorph are a band from Israel that plays a mixture of black, death and thrash metal and this is a review of their 2010 demo.

Drums alternate between slow, mid paced and fast drumming with some blast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark sound which follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars alternate between slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine thrash, death and black metal together with a lot of a primitive edge, while the lead guitars are very primal sounding guitar leads.

Vocals are mostly black/death growls in the early 90's vein with some spoken word passages, while the lyrics cover dark themes, as for the production it is very primal sounding and brings a classic extreme metal feel to the music.

In my opinion Metalomorph are a very good band that brings back memories of early 90's black/death/thrash metal and if you are a fan of that style you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Great Attractor" and "Metalomorphosis". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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The Amenta/Vo1d/Listenable Records/2011 CD Review

 The Amenta are a band from Austria that mixes death and black metal together with industrial/experimental and ambient music and this is a review of their 2011 album "Vo!d" which was released by Listenable Records.


Drum programming is a mixture of slow to mid paced beats that have a very heavy and mechanical feel to them, while the samples and synths bring in some very dark and drone sounding elements to the music with a lot of remixes being done on this recording, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone which is kind of mixed down low in the mix and seems to follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow to mid paced riffs that have influences from death, black, thrash and industrial metal with a great amount of heavy riffing and there are little to no guitar solos or leads present on the recording.

Vocals are a mixture of screams and growls that have a lot of influences from any different styles of extreme metal without being limited to one genre and on one song there is a small amount of clean singing, while the lyrics cover occultism, nihilism, drugs and some hateful topics, as for the production it sounds very raw but heavy and at the same time.

In my opinion The Amenta are a very good and original sounding industrial death/black metal band, and if you are looking for something different, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Ache" "Erubus" "Junky" and "Vermin". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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The Prophecy23 Interview

Interview with Hannes (Thrash Vocals, Guitar) from The Prophecy²³

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

We are four brutal thrash maniacs from Germany, born in the 80ies and here to burn some moshpits down. After thrashing the underground for years, we've signed our first record deal with massacre records to release our debut album "...TO THE PIT".

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

It's a mix of thrash and death metal with moments of surprise and a touch of humour.
The songs are catchy. Both old school fans and those who love progressive music like our songs.


3. What is the meaning behind the band's name?

THE PROPHECY is inspired by Iron Maiden's song with the same title. But somehow, these damned "23" sneaked into the band name and nobody knows why. Unfortunately, we don't know what this number means. Since then, we all are desperately looking to find the answer. Maybe you get a couple of valuable information on the new Album "...TO THE PIT"?

4. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?

We have a couple of fun song, such as A BACKPACK FULL OF FLESHSNACKS but also very serious lyrics about the shit that happens on this world. In general, we do not want to restrict ourselves to certain themes and styles, we are quite open minded. The most important thing for us is to have fun with our songs.

5. Have you had any opportunities to do live shows yet, if so what are some of the best shows that the band has played so far, and how would you describe your stage performance?

Our stage performance is 100 percent fun and action in the pit. Thrash and death -- fast and groovy! Maybe naked girls. Watch some of your live videos on www.theprophecy23.de. During the last month playing live gigs, we learned a lot and supported bands such as "Die Apokalyptischen Reiter", "Debauchery", "Brainstorm", "Death Before Dishonor", "Dark Age" and many more. The audience was always great and celebrated a non-stop party with our songs, moshpit action and stage diving.

6. What are some of the other projects besides this band?

We all live for THE PROPHECY. Beside Tobias also sings in the death metal band SKEPSIS, Hannes plays in a country/stoner/comedy project called "John Zero&Band" and Florian is a highly demanded session drummer for various bands and projects.

7. How has your music been received by death/thrash fans worldwide?

We are totally overwhelmed about the international feedback to "...To The Pit". We received very positive reviews from magazines in UK, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, France and Austria. This was a perfect surprise as we were mainly known in Germany before.


8. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

In the beginning, we had three guitarists and played very melodic music with clean vocals.
Since Tobias joined the band in 2006, we have found our very own style with the mix of thrash and death metal. It was a process for us to find ourselves and our unique music style, especially since it is one of the first band experiences for us all. At the first two demos, we were not very mature yet, and had to deal with two line-up changes. Now we are fully loaded and 200 percent motivated! Our fans say it was definitely worth waiting a couple of years for our first album.

We already have developed some cool ideas for our next album, however have no final songs yet. We will remain true to our style and of course our songs have to rock when playing live. There will be one or another funny surprise -- stay tuned.

9. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced the music and what are you listening to nowadays?

We love old school thrash and death bands as well as modern stuff. Every band member has a slightly different taste in music. Flo listen to a lot of old hardcore, Tobias is a typical death metal freak, Dennis and me love all those thrash bands. You can feel that this variety in music tastes influences our songs.

10. How would you describe the support from Massacre Records so far?

It is a stroke of luck for us as newcomer band to sign a contract with Massacre Records. Here a lot of famous bands have "their home", also those which we love since we listen to metal. Massacre is full of energy and the guys there love metal, that's why this is perfect for us.

11. What are some of your interests outside of music?

We all are big fans of comics and all the action hero stuff. Hannes is collecting Marvel comics and Dennis action figures (in original packing). Tobi and Flo are more the sportive guys. Flo is doing endurance biking and Tobi is a big wrestling fan.

12. Any final words or thoughts?

Thank you for the interview! Check out our debut album "... TO THE PIT" -- out now. We hope to see you soon in a crazy moshpit !

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Obsidian Interview

1. Can you update us with what is going on with the band these days?
At the moment there is a lot going on around the band because we welcomed two new members to the family: our bass player Gerben became a dad, and a couple of months before I did the same! So that is the main focus for some of us at the moment. But, as Candlelight released our second full length Point Of Infinity in November, we are receiving a lot of positive feedback in the press and that is absolutely great! We are planning to do some shows and touring as soon as possible!

2. Currently you are signed to Candlelight Records, what expectations do you have of the label and how do you feel about the support that they have given you so far?

Just getting picked up by Candlelight, being one of the metal label icons, is very cool. A lot of the bands that really got me into metal were also signed to Candlelight – that we might end up being label mates with them is something I never expected! As the reviews and interviews are getting in from all over the globe, it seems like they stood up to their end of the bargain concerning promotion of the record – and that’s great, because we would be nowhere if people never heard our material.

3. How would you describe the musical style and lyrical content of the new album?

Every metalhead seems to interpret a subgenre in his or her own way , so throwing around subgenres to pin down a style is mostly a futile occupation. But to give it a try: it’s a crossover between death-, math- and progmetal with a juicy tinge of trippy guitar freakery in the background. We tried to give the tracks on ‘Point Of Infinity’ a bit more consistency, as we felt that the tracks on our previous record ‘Emerging’ had a bit too much of everything in every track.
All in all the new album feels as a more solid work, still containing a lot of different elements, but more jelled together. As you can see in the beautiful artwork – done by Robbe K and Sjaak – the atmosphere is very dark and fiery - very metal indeed! The lyrics deal with images and impressions of what a human being might experience during the journey through live. It’s a mental and emotional exploration of the different sceneries too which your mind is exposed and of the way the mind works to create the world you live in. Are you a victim of circumstance or just an overwhelmed conductor in front of the biggest orchestra you ever experienced? Something like that. Anyway, in the end it’s just what you guys, the listeners, make from it. So don’t be misguided by my blabbering, just check it out for yourself and see what you find!

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

Obsidian is a volcanic glass that through history obtained a lot of mystical and mythical characteristics – especially in the Inca and Aztec tradition. As the name of the band was already chosen before I became a member, I’m not really familiar with the initial motivation to choose the name. I think that because of the dark but translucent, mystical quality of the material and its sharp cutting properties when worked, the name suits the band very well.

5. Do you have any plans for a U.S. tour with the new album?

Touring the US is one of the things we really would like to do! We hope that the attention the album is gaining in the media will enable us to make the transatlantic jump! At the moment we are exploring ways to make it happen – the possibilities with booking agents etc. – but if anyone reading this wants to see us play in the US: help us make it happen!

6. How have extreme metal fans worldwide reacted to your musical sound so far?

Over all the reactions are very positive: some people directly and totally tap into the Obisidan vein but some are a bit more reserved. Our style is not that easy to get into if you’re not already inclined to listen too experimental and progressive acts in metal. On the other hand, fans of the really extreme stuff think we are not extreme enough and fans of math-tech stuff think we are not mind bending enough. It’s very difficult to please everyone and still do what you feel like doing – unless you are a prefab pop industry robot whore.

7. What direction would you like to take the band into on future releases?

We would like to continue to get our music out there more and more, which should be possible with the help of a label like Candlelight, providing international exposure. We all are working guys with families and what not, far from able to live from our music. So we’ll have to balance music and private live, but – as said – we are aiming to get out into the world, play and tour in Europe and hopefully the US because that’s what we really would like to do!
Music wise I have no idea what will happen. We tend to surprise ourselves with the compositions that turn up and we never know how they will develop before they end up on stage or a record. I personally think that the slower, heavier, darker groovy stuff is what we are good at. So I would like to dive into that side of the band a bit. But I can’t resist a well placed blast beat or a battering polka, so we’ll see what happens.

8. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you
listening to nowadays?

Death, Opeth and Cynic are some of the bands we almost all listen to. But we also have very different tastes and likes. Robbe and I really like the Dave Matthews Band for example, while Sjaak and Simon and Robbe too also really dig the more experimental styles of music. Gerben has a hidden lust for funk rock (Primus and the Chili Peppers) which I really share. It’s all in the mix and I couldn’t really tell you exactly how it all influences, but it does. Chilling to some Ravi Shankar on a Sunday morning might lead to a very interesting jam the following evening in the rehearsal room.

9. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

Also very different! Sjaak and I are into running, Robbe is very creative and just as Simon working in audio engineering and production. Gerben likes to travel and he has his sporty streaks now and then. Nothing special to be honest, we’re all pretty ordinary guys. Except for Simon because he is a ninja, but you can’t tell that to anyone.

10.Any final words or thoughts before we close this interview?

Thanks a lot for giving us a chance to voice ourselves! If you did not already: check us out and if you like what you hear, spread the word!

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Kvelertak /Self Titled/Indie Records/The End Records/2011 CD Review

 Kvelertak are a band from Norway that mixes black metal/rock with punk and thrash metal and this is a review of their self titled album which was released as a joint effort between Indie Recordings and The End Records.

Drums range from mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats, while the bass playing has a very heavy and distorted feel with a lot of punk rock riffing.

Rhythm guitars range from mid paced to fast riffing that mix black metal, thrash, punk and classic rock together with a lot of energy and psychedelic distortion and at times there is some 70's rock style  acoustic guitars, while the lead guitars are classic rock style guitar solos.

Vocals are a mixture of high pitched black metal screams mixed in with some punk rock style shouting and gang vocals and on a couple of songs there is a small amount of clean signing, while the lyrics are written in a mixture of Norwegian and English which cover Norse Mythology and Satanism, as for the production it has a very heavy and professional sound to it.

In my opinion Kvelertak are a very good band that mixes black metal with punk and classic rock, and if you are looking for something original, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Mjod' "Blodtorst" "Offernatt" and "Sultans Of Satan". RECOMMENDED BUY.


http://www.myspace.com/kvelertak

The Prophecy23/To The Pit/Massacre Records/2010 CD Review

 The Prophecy 23 are a band from Germany that plays thrash in the mid 80's vein with influences from death and black metal to bring the music up to date and this is a review of their 2010 album "To The Pit" which was released by Massacre Records.

Drums are a mixture between mid paced drumming and fast playing with some blast beats being used on occasion, while the bass playing is all rhythm bass with some fast playing mixed in with some death metal influences that follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly mid paced to fast thrash riffing that contains a good amount of melody and death metal influences that makes the retro music sound more modern, while the lead guitars are melodic sounding guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly thrash style vocals with some deep death metal growls, high pitched black metal and grindcore screams thrown in to keep the music from being stuck in the 80's, while the lyrics cover thrashing and everyday type of situations, as for the production it sounds very professional and all of the musical instruments have a good sound.

In my opinion The Prophecy 23 are a very good band that brings the classic thrash sound of the 80's to the modern day and gives it a modern update, if you are a fan of retro thrash and want something that is a little bit different you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "B.T.M Brutal Thrash Maniacs" "Mind Your Own Shit" "23 Thrash B.C" and "Avoid Dull People". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Korpius Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

We are a death metal band hailing from Sherbrooke, Quebec. Our musical style is very broad, with influences ranging from classic death metal to black metal and even progressive music. We started as a band in 2003 and previously released 2 EPs. Our last effort was released in 2007 on Cryogenic Records and is entitled 'Apocalyptic Vision'. We are releasing our first full lenght album 'Shades of Black' this year on Maple Metal Records.



2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album, and how does it differ from previous releases?

We have been working on 'Shades of Black' for the last 4 years. Some songs were completed 3 years ago and some have been composed in the past year or so. The new compositions follow kind of the same vibe than the 4 songs off 'Apocalyptic Vision' but we took the time to develop the song structures alot more and we made sure the whole record flows very well this time around. Apart from the production which is a huge improvement over our first releases, the playing also reflects the experience we acquired as a band, playing together for the last 8 years. We also worked hard on the lyrics, to which almost every members of the band have contributed.



3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects that the new releases explores?


The new album is entitled 'Shades of Black' because it represents the topics of most of the songs on the record. The lyrical topic in general is very dark and the social message we are trying to pass is usually portrayed in short stories or metaphorical passages.




4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

Korpius just sounds really good to us, and there is no meaning to this word. Funny fact, there is a 'George Korpius' that seems to have worked at the White House at some point in the 1990's... You can Google that.



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

The best shows we played were in our hometown with bands like Cryptopsy or Belphegor and Krisiun. However, we had the chance to hit Rouyn-Noranda a few times and that city has always been awesome for us. We played a few times with Despised Icon and these guys have always been a very good sport. On stage, we are an energic act and we are there to fire up the stage!



6. Out off all the bands that you have done shows with, which one did you enjoy the most?

We always enjoy playing gigs with local buddies in Archons or Derelict. These guys are awesome and down to earth.



7. Do you have any touring plans for the new releases?

We will be doing week-end shows in April, May and June.Check out our website for the official dates, they will be updated on a regular basis.




8. On a worldwide level, how has your music been received by death/black metal fans worldwide?

Up to now, our releases have mostly been sold locally. However, the 'Apocalyptic Vision' Ep has been available on the internet for a while and the response about it has been great. With the new album, we hope to attract the attention of people worldwide.



9. Are there any side projects besides this band, or is this a full time line-up?

This band is our full-time project but almost every member of the bands has other side projects in order to play different music styles. We have all studied music at some point and we all feel the need to explore different styles of music. This helps us bring fresh ideas to the music we make. However, Korpius remains our priority.



10. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

I think with this new release we started making good songs with killer riffs, instead of songs which have good riffs in them. We worked hard on the structures and since both guitarists are also lead singer, we made sure the vocal lines really fit the music. We haven't started the composition process for future releases but we are not planning any major style change.



11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music, and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Some bands every one of us enjoys are Opeth, Cephalic Carnage, Martyr or Dimmu Borgir. This draws in a huge variety of influences and shows that we don't limit ourselves to any style in particular.



12. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

We all enjoy good food and wine, we regularly gather up for dinner.



13 Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?


Thanks for your time, and be sure to check out our new album 'Shades of Black' out April 4th on Maple Metal Records. To get the info about the band you can head to:

www.korpius.com
www.reverbnation.com/korpius
www.myspace.com/korpius
www.facebook.com/korpius
www.twitter.com/korpius

Die Hard/Evil Always Return/Abyss Records/2008 CD Review

  Die Hard are a band from Sweden that mixes thrash, death and black metal and this is a review of their 2008 e.p "Evil Always Return' which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums are very fast abd brutal with alot of blast beats, while the bass playing is very fast and primal with riffs that follow the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are very fast with alot of brual death/thrash riffs that contain a small amount of a black metal influence, with some very fast guitar leads and solos being thrown in.

Vocals are mostly death/thrash style grunts with some deep death metal growls, while the lyrics cover Satanism, death, and hate, as for the production it sounds very heavy and primal with all of the instruments coming out with a brutal sound.

In my opinion Die Hard are a very good band that any true fan 0f death/black/thrash should enjoy and they bring back alot of memories of the death and black metal bands of the 80's. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Black Mass" and "The Weak Lead The Blind". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Korpius/Shades Of Black/Maple Metal Records/2011 CD Review

 Korpius are a band from Sheerbroke,Quebec,Canada that play a very technical form of black/death metal and this is a review of their 2011 album Shades Of Black" which was released by Maple Metal Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a lot o technical parts and brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has a very strong and dark tone with some strong riffing that is easy to hear at times.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that are very technical with some melodic parts that combine death and black metal together and on one song there is a small amount of soft playing being used for a few seconds on a couple of songs with some finger picking style classical  guitar, while the lead guitars are very technical sounding death metal guitar solos that are also very melodic at times.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls with a great amount of high pitched black metal screams being thrown in, while the lyrics cover everyday life type of situations, as for the production it  has a very strong, heavy and professional sound to it, with all of the musical instruments sounding very brutal.

In my o-pinion Korpius are a very good technical/death/black metal band and if you are a fan of this genre, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Shades Of Black' "Stigmatixed" "Awekening Terror" and "Six Feet Deep". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Preludium/Impending Hostillity/Diabolical Conquest Records/2010 CD Review

 Preludium are a band from Poland that plays a blackened form of death metal and this is a review of their 2010 album "Impending  Hostillity" which was released by Diabolical Conquest Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a lot of brutal blast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark tone which is mixed down low in the mix and seems to follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast death metal guitar riffs that are very black metal influenced, while the lead guitars, while the lead guitars are very chaotic and technical sounding death metal guitar solos.

Vocals are mostly deep death metal growls with some high pitched black metal screams being thrown in, while the lyrics cover blasphemy, war and desecration, as for the production it has a very heavy raw, and yet somewhat heavy production sound to it.

In my opinion Preludium are aver good blackened death metal band, and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Legacy Of Destruction" "Blessing Of War" "Death Of Campaign; and "Warfare". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Angrepp/Warfare/Abyss Records/2010 CD Review

  Angrepp are a band from Sweden that mixes together black metal, thrash and punk and this is a review of their 2010 album "Warfare" which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums are mostly fast with a lot of blast beats being thrown in, while the bass playing follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars and it is all rhythm bass and at times it has a very powerful sound.

Rhythm guitars are mostly fast black/thrash riffs that mix in a punk as well as a rock 'n' roll attitude with some slower riffs being used at times that have some death metal influences, while the lead guitars are primal 80's sounding guitar solos.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams with some deep growls being thrown in on occasion, while the lyrics murder, hate, death and melancholy, as for the production which was recorded at Unisound with Dan Swano producing, sounds very heavy and all of the instruments sound brutal.

In my opinion Angrepp are a very good black/thrash metal band that should appeal to all fans of that genre.RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Five Horded Formation" "Rape Kill Rock'n'Roll" "Firebrand" and "For Now I Have Risen". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Morbid Carnage/Night Assassins/Pulverized Records/2010 CD Review

  Morbid Carnage are a band from Hungary that consists of some members of the Hungarian black metal and they play a style that I would describe as retro black/thrash and this is a review of their 2010 album "Night Assassins" which was released by Pulverized Records.

Drums are mostly fast throughout the album with some occasional blast beats, while the bass playing is all fast rhythm bass that follows the riffs that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars are mostly fast thrash rhythm's that also have some black metal influences, while the lead guitars are chaotic sounding guitar solos in the 80's thrash vein.

Vocals are mostly thrash style screamy vocals with some deep growls being used on occasion and there are also thrash style back up vocals on some songs, while the lyrics deal with gore, death and hatred with a small amount of occultism as well as a dose of anti Christianity, as for the production it sounds very powerful and makes this 80's sounding thrash band sound modern with all of the instruments having a very heavy sound to them.

In my opinion Morbid Carnage are a very good black metal influenced thrash band that brings the classic sound into the modern day without sounding weak or generic and id you are a fan of this style of metal you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Warlust" "Funeral Pyre" and "Castle In Pain". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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