Undead Pandemic Interview

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

Undead Pandemic is a blackened death metal/cybergore/grind (the genre definitions have been quite varied!) hybrid solo project from the UK. Originally started in 2008, I finished and released 'The Rising' the back end of 2011 which leans predominantly towards blackened death metal and has strong Satanic overtones lyrically. I'm currently working on an upcoming 2012 release called 'NUNSLUT' which is to be pure grindcore. Expect plenty of defiled women of the cloth.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

If we are talking in terms of 'The Rising', I'd say varied. There's screams and growls, spoken word and whispers, atmouspherics and onslaughts. There are elements of grind which progresses throughout the album too which is illustrative of the route Undead Pandemic is going to carve. People have refered to the music as cybergore - there's a feeling of old-school cult horror movie soundtracks in the mix too - a Dutch reviewer refered to the music from the original Terminator films at one point. 'The Rising' was a nod towards the legends of film making Romero and Fulci and was purely a concept album to mirror the sounds of that era. There's an almost preview into what's to come within the bonus tracks on the album.

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

Zombies. Lots of zombies as well as the uprising of Satanism. 'The Rising' was intended to be a double en tendre for the rising of the dead and the rising of Satanism as a supreme overwhelming power.
4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

The name 'Undead Pandemic' was expressive of my personal interests in zombie fiction and cult films. A mid/post-apocalyptic society is very appealing to me and the word 'pandemic' seems to inspire or suggest a major global presence of the dead rising to terrorize humanity.

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

At the moment it's just a studio project. If there's a demand after the release of the second album and things kick off, I'll start thinking about doing shows, etc.

6.Currently you are unsigned are you looking for a label and if so what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for the music?

I'm definitely looking! I'm seeking a reliable label that predominantly publishes grindcore/goregrind/cybergore. A real dirty, filthy label that doesn't hold back. My main focus at the moment is on 'NUNSLUT' - two tracks of which ('Thirty Thousand Fisted Nuns' and 'The Human Centipede') have been released to give people a feel of what to expect. Somebody who can accomodate that and has a respected presense within the genre/industry would be good!

7. On a worldwide level how has your music been recieved by fans of black, death metal and grindcore?

I seem to have a lot of people from Indonesia interested in my music. They're pretty crazy over there - I've come in contact with a lot of sick and talented individuals. I love their level of brutality and the general state of 'fucked' their music expresses. My fans are generally fans of death and grindcore really. Although I suppose it's difficult to gerenalise something as ambiguous as music particularly when I myself am interested in a lot of different forms of extreme metal.

8. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full time line-up?

This is a full-time line-up. I don't have any plans of other projects at the moment.
9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

Pure fucking grind.

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

I'm a massive fan of Scott Hull and his projects, particularly Pig Destroyer and Agoraphobic Nosebleed. I have a lot of respect for the guy as a person too - he's clearly got his head screwed on. Prowler in the Yard is an album that lives in the stereo in my car - it never leaves. I'm also a big fan of raw uncompromising black metal, Sargeist probably being at the top of the list. Then again I've got massive a blood lust for brutal death metal and really depraved underground pornogrind projects... Any form of extreme metal full of power and energy gets me going really.

11. What role does Satanism or Occultism play in the music?

In 'The Rising', there's a strong Satanic theme on a serious level - I encompass my own personal beliefs in my music and lyrics. Satanism is something I live by - it's a very personal thing that flows naturally through me so it's only natural for it to flow into my music. 'NUNSLUT' has similar blasphemous connotations but in a more relaxed way - this time mocking Christianity with a more insidious approach. It's proving to be rather enjoyable to write and record - the results so far are very pleasing.

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

I'm a graphic designer by day so I'm rarely seen without a laptop or sketch pad infront of my face. I'm also a bit of a geek when it comes to gaming - many hours of my life has been lost to the virtual world.

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

Thanks for your support and taking the time to review the album and hold this interview - it's through the effort and support people like you put in that enables bands go far and get themselves heard. Brutal respects.

https://www.facebook.com/undeadpandemic

Undead Pandemic/The Rising/2011 CD Review

  Undead Pandemic are a band from The United Kingdom that plays a mixture of black and death metal that also combines noise and gore/grind and this is a review of their self released 2011 album "The Rising".

Drum programming ranges from mid paced to fast beats that also combine a great amount of programmed blast beats into the music, while the synths when they are utilized bring a very dark and atmospheric sound to the music with somewhat of an industrial edge, as for the bass playing it has a very strong and powerful sound with black/grindcore riffing that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from mid paced to fast riffs that combine black, death metal, noisecore and grindcore together to create their own sound and there are no guitar solos or leads present on this recording.

Vocals range from high pitched black metal/noisecore screams, deep death metal growls and industrial style vocals mixed in with some horror film samples, while the lyrics cover satanic, occult, dark and gory themes, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion Undead Pandemic are a very great sounding black/death metal/noise/industrial/gore grind hybrid and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Scorched Earth" "Satan's Army" "Unholy Sonata" and "Z-Day". RECOMMENDED BUY.

https://soundcloud.com/pestpromo/undead-pandemic-smeared

Fester/A Celebration Of Death/Abyss Records/2012 CD Review

  Fester are a band from Norway that has had a couple of their albums as well as being interviewed by this zine with a musical style that combines black, doom, and death metal together and this is a review of their 2012 reunion album "A Celebration Of Death" which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums range from s low to mid paced drumming with not much in the way of fast playing or blast beats and on the last song they have an industrial feeling to them, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars, as for the synths which only utilized briefly they sound very dark and have the feeling of a horror film soundtrack.

Rhythm guitars range from slow to mid paced riffs that combine black, doom and death metal together with some dark sounding melodies as well as a small amount of thrash riffing as well as some industrial on the remix while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding black/death metal guitar solos and leads, as for the acoustic guitars which are only utilized briefly they use finger picking to enhance the darkness of the music.

Vocals are mostly pitched black metal screams with some deep death metal growls being used at times, while the lyrics cover dark and occult themes with one song being written in Norwegian, as for the production it has a very powerful, dark and heavy sound to it.

In my opinion this is a great comeback album from Fester that is alot more heavier and leas experimental than their last recording, and if you are a fan of this band, you should enjoy this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Rites Of Ceres" "The Black Tower" "I'll Hunt You Down" and "A Face For A Funeral". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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King Interview

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

King was forged by the same flames of hell in the year of 2005 when several musicians from different bands joined forces with the firm intention of making music full of fury, until today we have remained strong in the dark side of death metal.


2. How would you describe your musical sound?

The sound of king has different nuances, but we actually identify more with the characteristic of Death Metal sounds, this we have included you a completely anti-Christian and blasphemous lyric.

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

Topics that includes King in their lyrics generally describe situations of high dark and bizarre content, we like to explore items as Satanic, blasphemers, black magic, ancient South American cults, also we care about the reaffirmation of the true sound of Death Metal at the end of defend it with blood and fury.

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

King is only how people I knew at that time, the band began under the idea of an only one member, that is what the name was born.


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

Well King concerts are generally very intimate concerts, and something small for true fans and lovers of our music; we've played in several concerts in surrounding cities to our city, which have been very gratifying.


6. Do you have any touring plans for the new release?

Indeed until just now we are focused on the show for April 6 along with Desaster and the promotion of our CD “Forged by satan's dosctrine” as well as some events in alternate towns in Colombia, some proposals to visit countries like Bolivia and Ecuador but so far not been programmed something as tour in a concrete way.

7. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by fans of death and black metal?

In reality very well, DGR. has opened us much to the discussion and get to know the band. We as Colombian band thought not close to be in Blogs from countries such as: Italy, Germany, Sweden and is a great opportunity to Death Gasm Record has given us, we hope that these words are not only Blogs and dissemination of unclean King sound like dirty water on the ears of all the true hordes of "Metaleros" around the world.

8. What direction do you see the music heading into on futre releases?
More Hate, more anti-Christianity, more Death Metal, and more self-confirmation by respect for the genre which from the outset was conceived as allied music into the hands of Lucifer.

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

In fact there are millions of bands that have influenced the sound of King and make a list of them is very difficult, there is something very important to us and is the legacy of our bands in the 80's in our city, I speak of the legendary, Rencarnación, Parabellum and Masacre (Col), as well as the three great pillars of the metal world as Venom, Hellhammer and Bathory. It is more than a reference of heart, than purely musical, be true metalheads for us is the more important, music takes second place.

10. How would you describe your views on Satanism and Occultism?


It is the wisdom that frees us, cultivating our minds, is meet the hand of my brethren, defend them with fist and blood: honour, glory and loyalty.
A-causal psico-dimentional witchcraft. Denying Christ during your lifetime.

11. How would you describe the underground metal scene in your home country of Columbia?

Most underground scene that I know only compared to some scenes of Black and Death metal from Czech Republic, Chile, Mexico and Bolivia. They are scenes that share very similar canons, especially because of the darkness of their bands and the passion of its hordes over the years without apparent changes in fashion or fame.

12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Varied interests: movies, theatre, reading, poetry.

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

Keep your mind occupied in reading, bean cults and cultivate their ideals to the maximum, listen metal all day if possible, and disseminate the true sound of hell around all the real scenes in the world.

Thanks for support King,

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Dimesland Interview

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

Sure. Dimesland is the most recent result of my brother and me having played and written music together since we were teenagers. Both of us have always played in various heavy rock groups, but our earliest collaborations served as a sideline departure from that and afforded us the chance to experiment in a different context. After some years in that mode, having recorded three albums’ worth of material under a different name, we decided to return to our first love, metal, and to integrate our experimental tendencies with the bombast of volume and aggression.






2. How would you describe your musical sound?

Well that’s not the easiest thing to answer accurately, but we are always experimenting with unexpected harmonic and rhythmic ideas and song structures. It is a kind of mix of the unfamiliar and the mildly familiar, in terms of metal. You said it yourself in your review, we’re attempting to bring in multiple elements and make something new out of them- or at least something new to us.





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

What we tend to do lyrically is present stories or scenarios that involve characters who are experiencing the unraveling of their psyche. It is more interesting to us to look at the possible effects of things that are wrong with the world on a single entity in a very specific set of circumstances rather than to vent about the larger, more general problems. Of course by the time we are finished with the words, the stories are very deeply abstracted. We’re not so keen on literal storytelling, I suppose.





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

We don’t really have a classic story for how our name came about. It is a mutation of the name of a former project we had. It functions simply as a moniker for our little musical world.






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

We really enjoyed our most recent show on a bill with Hammers of Misfortune and Giant Squid at The Uptown in Oakland. Good music, good venue.
Our stage show is dense and a bit frantic. We are a tight band with an element of chaos.





6. Do you have any touring plans for the new release?

We are currently putting together dates in Southern California and the Pacific Northwest.





7. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by underground metal fans?

The Creepmoon EP has only been around for about five minutes so there isn’t much to go on yet. We did recently get a nice review from a German ‘zine.





8. What is going on with the other bands these days?

I take it you are referring to the other groups with whom the people in Dimesland are affiliated?
The Residents’ new album, Coochie Brake, has just been released on MVD Entertainment Group and can also be had through the group’s website, www.residents.com. The debut album by Wild Hunt will come out on April 24th on Kemado Records. Mighty fine albums, both.





9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

The material subsequent to Creepmoon continues to move in unusual directions and is even perhaps more fully realized. We have been performing a bunch of newer tunes in the live show, blended with soundscapes, and are currently working on the pre-production for our full-length debut.



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

I would have to say that my and the other guys’ influences are far too numerous and varied to try and mention here. But we all share a great appreciation for musicians/bands who try to push the boundaries of their given genre and not lean on tired conventions.



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

Thanks for listening and stay tuned for more from Dimesland.

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Legion Of The Damned/Malevolent Rapture-In Memory Of/Massacre Records/2012 CD Re-Issue Review

Legion Of The Damned are a band from The Netherlands that has had their previous recording reviewed as well as being interview by this zine that plays a mixture of black, death and thrash metal and this is a review of their 2006 album "Malevolent Rapture" which was re-issued in 2012 by Massacre Records as a tribute to one of the band members on the recording that commited suicide and the album is re-named "Malevolent Rapture-In Memory Of" that also contains a good amount of bonus tracks.

Drums range from mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of blast beats being thrown into the music, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from mid paced to fast riffs that combine death, thrash and black metal together and there are little to no guitar solos or leads present on this recording.

Vocals are a mixture of deep death metal growls and high pitched black/thrash metal screams, while the lyrics cover dark and violent themes wi9th an occult edge, as for the production it has a very heavy, powerful, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion this was a great album from Legion Of The Damned and I would recommend this to all fans of death/thrash and black metal. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Legion Of The Damned" "Werewolve Corpse" "Malevolent Rapture" and "Demonfist". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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King/Forged By Satan's Doctrine/Deathgasm Records/2012 CD Review

  King are a band from Columbia that plays a very brutal form of Satanic Blackened Death Metal and this is a review of their 2012 album "Forged By Satan's Doctrine" which was released by Deathgasm Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a good amount of brutal sounding blast beats being thrown in at times, while the bass playing has a very strong, powerful and heavy tone with brutal death metal riffing that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast brutal death metal riffs that add in a good amount of black metal influences while the lead guitars are very chaotic and distorted sounding death metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are a mixture of deep death metal growls and high pitched blackened death metal screams with a brief spoken word ritual passage being used on a couple of songs as well as some samples, while the lyrics cover Lovecraft, Satanism, Occultism and Anti Christian themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, heavy and professional sound to it.

In my opinion King are a very great and brutal sounding Satanic blackened death metal band and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Kill The Posers Like Fucking Christians" "Evil Evangelization" "The Ruthless Attitude Of Evil Sobervia" and "Macabre Satanas". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Dimesland/Creepmoon/Vendlus Records/2012 CD Review

  Dimesland are a band from Oakland, California that plays a style that mixes black, death and thrash metal with their abstract/hyper metal to create their own sound and this is a review of their 2012 album "Creepmoon" which was released by Vendlus Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being thrown in at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars, as for the sound effects when they are utilized their bring a very dark avant garde/noise feeling to the music.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine influences from death, black, thrash and progressive metal to create a style they describe as being abstract/hyper metal which is very original sounding mixed in with some clean playing and there are little to no guitar solos or leads present on this recording.

Vocals are mostly thrash style growls and screams that also have death and black metal influences, while the lyrics cover weird and dark themes, as for the production it has a very strong, dark and powerful sound to it.

In my opinion Dimesland are a very great and original sounding hyper/abstract metal band and if you are looking for something that is different but still heavy, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Trophy Wives Under The Influence" and "Burnt Orange". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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