Nuisible/Inter Feces Et Uiinam Nascimur/Deadlight Entertainment/2016 CD Review

  Nuisible  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Inter  Feces  Et  Uiinam  Nascimur"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Deadlight Entertainment.

  Avant  garde  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  words  in  the  background  and  torturing  sounds  and  after  the  intro the  music  goes  into  a  faster  black  metal  direction  that  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  along  with  some  d  beats  and  angry  crust  shouting  and  screaming  vocals.

  Melodies  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  guitar  leads  are  also  done  in  a  melodic  fashion    and  some  songs  also  bring  in  back  up  shouts  and  90's  hardcore  influences  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  death  metal  growls  and  spoken  word  parts  while  the  music  also  always  stick  to  a  very  heavy  musical  style.

  Nuisible  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  crust,  grind  and  hardcore  genres  of  the  90's  and  mixes  it  with  black  metal  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  violent  and   political  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Nuisible  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  crust  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Proletarian  Hung"  "Night  Wanderer"  and  "Forest  Fire".  8  out  of  10.

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Vhol/Deeper Than Sky/Profound Lore/2015 CD Review

 Vhol  are  a  band  with  members  from  both  Oregon  and  California  that  plays  a  psychedelic  form  of  black  metal  with  elements  of  crust,  thrash  and  power  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Deeper  Than  Sky"  which  was  released  by  Profound  Lore.

  A  very  melodic  guitar  lead  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  riffs  that  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  a  great  amount  of  old  school  thrash  influences  and  after  awhile  female  vocals  are  added onto  the  recording  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  A  great  amount  of  d  beat  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  drumming  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  aggressive  shouts  at  times  and  they  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  psychedelic  sounds  and  80's  influences  and  some  songs  see  them  adding  in old  school  hardcore  and  crossover  along  with  male  style  power  metal  vocals.

  A  lot  60's  and  70's  progressive  rock  sounds  can  be  heard  throughout  the  recording  and  some  of  the  screams  are  in  more  of  a  black  metal style  while  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  few  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  is  also  an  instrumental  that  also  introduces  pianos  to  the  recording  and  all  of t he  songs  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  diversity  and  sound different  from  each  other.

  Vhol  creates  a  recording  that  takes  thrash,  black  metal  and  crust  and mixes  it  with  power  metal  and  psychedelic  rock  to  create  something  very  original  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  science  fiction  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vhol  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  thrash,  power  metal,  crust  and  psychedelic  rock  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  very  original,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "3AM'  "Red  Chaos"  and  "The  Tomb".  8  out  of  10.   

http://www.facebook.com/vholisvhol

In Mourning/Afterglow/Agonia Records/2016 CD Review

  In  Mourning  are  band  from  Sweden  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  goth/doom  metal,  progressive  death  metal  and  black  metal  and  this  is a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Afterglow"  which  was  released  by  Agonia  Records.

  Nature  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  riffs  and  melodic  guitar  leads  being  introduced  into  the  music  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  awhile  black  metal  screams make  their presence  known  on  the  recording  along  with  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  prog  metal  elements  in  the  songs.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  clean  playing  and   melodic  vocals which  also  adds  a  touch  of  goth  metal  onto  the  recording  while  the  slower  riffs  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  doom  metal and  all  of  the  songs  stick  mostly  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  fast  playing  and  blast  beats.

  In  Mourning  creates  another  recording t hat  is  mostly  rooted  in  progressive  doom/death  metal while  also  having  some  goth  and  black  metal  elements  as  well  as  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  their  musical  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  thoughts,  feelings,  dreams,  memories  and  oceans.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  In  Mourning  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fire  And  Ocean"  "Below  Arise  To  Above"  and  "Afterglow".  8  out  of  10.   

https://youtu.be/ex8ufngkKrA

 

Exoskelett Interview

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

Exoskelett is the wicked siren beckoning your lonely boat to the profane shore. We are a five piece hell-black thrash metal band from Stockholm, Sweden.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?

I guess that’s up to the listener. We play metal. Maybe it’s black, maybe it’s thrash, but it is – and forever will be – metal.

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

We explore the sour ground that we walk upon.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name ’Exoskelett’?

Like crayfish we rise at night.

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

We have never played live but we will do so in Stockholm, the third of June. It will be rememberable.

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

Except for the third of june we don’t have anything planned. But we will play live for sure. Everywhere.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and thrash metal?

So far we’ve only got good reviews, except for some Russian guys that really hated us.

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

I actually like it the way it is, with us recording ourselves and so forth. (Maybe our guitarist that are mixing and mastering our tracks disagree). But of course, a label makes everything easier, so yeah, if someone asked us we happily would lay the dirty work in their hands so we could focus on the songwriting part.

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

I don’t know about a full length album, that’s kind of dull in a way. I like shorter releases. But that’s just me. Where we are heading? To an even darker and more grim place.

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 listen to a lot of different music. Of course it’s a lot of metal that all of your readers already know about. But the Swedish act called Rein is fucking awesome, and she’s angry as hell. Check that out!

11.Does Satanism or Occultism play any role in your music?

That also differs in the band. I guess we all can agree that we think that satanism is just like all of the other religions – a bunch of rules and ideas made up by some dude that probably made a lot of money from it. And he, LaVey that is, is just a neo-liberal asshole, like any other neo-liberal asshole. Fuck him! Some of us in the band worship what we believe in, some don’t. But none of us is a part of any religion.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Beer.

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

Stay tuned, we will come back – we always do!

Greetings
Exoskelett

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Hellspawn/There Has Never Been A Son Of Me/Old Temple/2016 CD Review

  Hellspawn  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "There  Has  Never  Been  A  Son  Of  Me"  which  was  released  by  Old  Temple.

  Dark  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  tribal  beats  before  going into  a  very  fast  Polish  style  death  metal  direction  that  also  introduces  melodies  and  blast  beats  onto  the  recording  while  the  spoken  word  parts  give  the  music  a  ritualistic  feeling  while  the  main  focus  is  on  growling  vocals  along  with  a  few  black  metal  screams.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  fashion  and  the  riffs  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  blackened  feeling  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  elements  of  classical  music  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  great  amount  of  brutality  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  chanting.

  Hellspawn  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  blasphemous  death  metal  style  of  previous  recordings  while  also  expanding  on  the  black  metal  elements  as  well  as  adding  in  newer  things  to  take  their  style  to  the  next  level,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  blasphemous  and  anti  christian  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Hellspawn  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hung  On  A  Tree,  Damned  By  His  Father"  "Heralded  By  Prophets"  "It  Is  Not  Gracious  To  Have  A  Son"  and  "There  Has  Never  Been  A  Son  Of  Me".  8  out  of  10.

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Aeturnus Prophet/Exclusion Of Non-Dominated Material/Metal Scrap Records/2016 Full Length Review

  Aeturnus  Prophet  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  with  elements  of  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Exclusion  Of  Non-Dominated  Material"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  lead  which  is  also  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  doom  metal  style  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  music also  brings  in  influences  from  both  modern  and  old  school  death  metal  and  as  the  album  progresses  elements  of  black  metal  start  getting  mixed  into  the  songs  a  lot  more  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  while  the  music  has  its  fast  moments  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  the  album  also  sticks  to  a   very  heavy  musical  style  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Aeturnus  Prophet  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  death  metal  while  also  mixing  in  some  black  metal  elements  and  a  touch  of  doom  metal  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Aeturnus  Project  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  band  with  a touch  of  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Removed  Eyes"  "Sick  Vision"  "Obliged  To  Live"  and  "A  Look  Into  Eternity".  8  out  of  10.    

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Exoskelett/Grind Your Bones To Dust/2016 EP Review

  Exoskelett  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  ep  "Grind  Your  Bones  To  Dust".

  A  very  dark  and  melodic  guitar  lead  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  heavy  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  some  very  aggressive  vocals  that  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  the  first  wave  of  black  metal  and  the  riffs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash  elements  while still  having  a  modern  take  on  the  genre.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  at  times  while  the  songs  stick  to  mostly  a  slow  or  mid  paced  direction  while  keeping  everything  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of the  recording  and  on  the  last  track  there  is  a  brief  use  of  fast  playing  and  blast  beats.

  Exoskelett  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  first  and  second  wave  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  thrash  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Exoskelett  are  a  very   great  sounding  blackened  thrash  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Unholy  Alliance".  8  out  of  10.

https://exoskelett.bandcamp.com/album/grind-your-bones-to-dust

Kommando/Distroyer/Iron Goat Triumph/2016 Full Length Review

  Kommando  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  metal  and  crust punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Distroyer/Iron  Goat  Triumph"  which  will  be  released  in  June.

  A  very  heavy  crust  punk  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  aggressive  hardcore  style  vocals  and  d  beats  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  it  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  black  metal  feeling  and  elements  of  grindcore  can  be  heard  at  times.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  some  of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  black  metal  screams  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  some  of  the  riffs  also  mix  in  elements  of  death  metal and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  chaotic  guitar  leads  and  the  whole  album  also  remains  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Kommando  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal  and  crust  punk  and  mixes  it  in  with  a  touch  of  death  metal  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover violent  and  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Kommando  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death  and  crust  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Machinegvn  Punk"  "Old  And  In The  Way"  "Bitching  Hour"  and  "Alle  Gegen  Alle".  8  out  of  10.

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Inculcator/Void Abecedary/Caligari Records/2016 Cassette Review

  Inculcator  are a  solo  project  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2016  album  "Void  Abecedary"  which  was  released  on  cassette  by  Caligari  Records.

  Sound  effects  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  a  heavier  sound  which  also  introduces  melodic  guitar  leads  onto  the  recording  and  after  awhile  elements  of  thrash  and  first  wave  black  metal  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  aggressive  vocals  that  would  of  perfectly  fit  on  an  80's  extreme  metal  recording.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length   and  the  songs  also  mix  in  some  modern elements  into  a  very  old  school  black/thrash  metal  and  the  music  also  gets  very  technical  at  times  and  later  tracks  also  introduce  classical  guitars  and  death  metal  growls  onto t he  recording.

 Inculcator  plays  a  style  of  black/thrash  metal  that  is  rooted  in  the  80's  while  also  having more  of  a  technical  style  and  a  deeper  lyrical  approach  than  most  bands  of t hat  era,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Luciferian,  Qliptoth,  Left  Hand  Path  and  Occultism  themes

  In  my  opinion  Inculcator  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  thrash  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you should  check  out  this  cassette.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Stygian  Expanse"  and "Liber  Beelzebub".  8  out  of  10. 

https://caligarirecords.bandcamp.com/album/void-abecedary-2

Defiant Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

We try as much as possible to promote the album by playing live so we are  booked almost every weekend and in the Fall 2016 we'll go on an European tour.

2.In October you had released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

The album was released in November 2015 for Miner Records. The big difference from our previous albums is that you can hear some more black metal elements in the songs . Riffs, some tremolo and the overall atmosphere of the album sounds a lot meaner, more mysterious, devastating and anxious than before.And a little dimmer production and ominous atmosphere gives a certain amount of mystique in the album.

3.Originally the band started out as a melodic death metal band but have evolved into more of a blackened death metal direction over the years, what was the decision behind going into this musical direction?

It happened completely naturally ... over the years and frequent changes in the band and the desire to transfer the sound to the next stage.
We wanted a different approach, darker and heavier.


4.The band has been around since 2005 but so far has only put out 3 full lengths and a demo, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap in between releases?

Gaps have occurred due to the breakup of the band in 2009 and the constant changing of members from 2011 to 2013, when we finally found the right people.In the past we have a lot of problems finding a  good drummer.Same thing was with guitarist.So we change a lot of things in the band,from members to musical style.


5.Can you tell us a little bit more about some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your newer music?



New album Morbid Spiritual Illness is based  on babylonian and mesopotamian mythology, on era before the civilization we know and muslim religion. Some songs on album like Flesh is Nothing and Empty Chords is just our view of age we live...its about religion control and irrelevance of our life on earth.


6.Some of your lyrics have some occult themes in them, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in Occultism?

Occultism is very interesting. We need some mystery in music, something new and fresh and occultism is a theme of almost every band in death black metal underground so we want to do something different and mesopotamia in combination of muslim mythology and babylon was the answer.

7.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Defiant'?

Defiant means our struggle through the years ,as in life ,as with the band,or any other way...of course,Defiant was star ship in Star Trek series and we are big fans of ST :)

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?

Probably those shows when we played with  bigger names as a support band or in some festivals.
Can't remember all shows ,but a lot of them were fuckin' good!
Our stage performance is to give our 111% in each show and the stage is not the same after our performance..too much blood,sweat and paint :)

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

Right now we have booked weekend shows in spring and summer in our region (Balkan area) where we promote our latest album.
Of course,we're planning an european tour in late November ,but later this year we'll have some more details about it.

10.The new album was released on Miner Recordings, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Miner Recordings is an independent Heavy Metal oriented record label, founded in late 2012 by Nenad and Milan Radosavljević. So far, the label has released numerous (around 50) albums, compilations and EPs on LP, CD and DVD covering Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Power Metal, Thrash Metal, Death Metal, Black Metal, Metal Core, Hard Core, Stoner Rock, Alternative Rock and Punk Rock bands from ex-YU countries. For large portion of bands this has been a unique opportunity to come from the underground and have their first album released, promoted and distributed worldwide. The label is also responsible for organizing a series of Miner festivals and tours under the ''Invasion From the East'' moniker.

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

Best combination of metal music for us is death metal with black metal atmosphere and we're looking forward to make some ugly shit on next album.
The feedback is awesome, especialy on live shows cause we have new style ,blood and corpse paint and people really love that.

12.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

Kova is vocalist/songwriter in Hereza..is an old school death metal project, and Leo, the drummer have a couple of bands.

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

I think we'll continue in this way where we started with "Morbid Spiritual Illness" because we found the things that we like and we'll move into this direction.Next album will be probably  darker and heavier and more atmospheric,that is the plan,for sure.

14.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 started with swedish melodic death in the beginning,so we were a lot into those kind of metal in the beginning.
Through the years we listen a lot of music,not just metal,but the main base was always old school death metal mixed with atmospheric black metal.

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

Thank you for this interview and greetings to all your readers!
Don't forget to check our latest album "Morbid Spiritual Illness"!

https://defiantcro.bandcamp.com/releases

Kris/Defiant

Wolfpack 44/TheScourge/Deadlight Entertainment/2016 CD Review

 Wolfpack  44  are  a  band  from  the  United  States  with  members  from  The  Electric  Hellfire  Club  and  Kult  Of  Azazel  along  with  a  few  sessions  musicians  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  and  industrial  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "The  Scourge"  which  was  released by  Deadlight  Entertainment.

  A  very  dark  sounding  industrial  style  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  samples that  bring  a  horror  movie  atmosphere  to  the  recording  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  direction  while  also  mixing  it  in  with  the  industrial  elements  as  well  as  taking  the  style  into  more  of  an  atmospheric  direction.

  Death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  are  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  programmed  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  stick  to  a  very  chaotic  style  of  extreme  metal  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and   epic  in  length  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly   along  with  spoken  word  samples  also  returning  at  times.

   The  song  Dana  Duffey  of  Demonic  Christ's  quests  on  adds  in  a  style  of  melodic  singing  that  is  different  from  her  full  time  band  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  later  track  also  brings  in  a  couple  of  members  from  Dark  Funeral  and  takes  their  style  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  an  industrial  while  the  following  track  introduces  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  recording  and  Jinx  Dawson  also  contributes  a  small  amount  of  vocals  on  a  later  song.

  Wolfpack  44  plays  a  musical  style  that takes  industrial,  black  and  death  metal  and  mixes  them  together    to  create  an  original  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Luciferian,  Occultism  and  Left  Hand  Path  themes.

  In  My  opinion  Wolfpack  44  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death  and  industrial  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Black  March"  "Chamber  Of  Nightmares"  "To  the  Devil  A  Daughter"  and  "The Enemy  Below".  8  out  of  10.

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Mindscar Interview

Answered by Richie of Mindscar

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?


We’ve been performing at a handful of one-off shows and producing music videos for a few songs off “What’s Beyond The Light”. I’m currently finishing up the album cover artwork: a 25x25in painting made exclusively with my blood and semen reminiscent of Gustave Doré or William Blake.



2.You have a new album coming out in August, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?


“What’s Beyond The Light” has a bigger dynamic range than our debut album, “Kill The King”. I wrote all the music with our drummer Robbie Young and bassist Terran Fernandez, so there’s literally more flavors on it. I think this album appeals to musicians as well as fans of extreme metal.



3.The band was broken up for a few years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?


We disband after our first tour was cancelled in 2002. At the time we were all about 16 years old. Our drummers dad, that had agreed to be the parental chaperone, cancelled the tour on us a few days before we were scheduled to leave. We were crushed. The band felt like a race car taking off in the lead then smashing into a wall going up in flames - there was no more room for the band to grow at the time. It was honestly the most depressing time of my entire life.


In 2012, Mike Radford (original drummer) and I recorded a couple of old Mindscar songs just for fun. The tracks led to irrefutable performance and touring opportunities. In March 2013, I resurrected the band and we have been going full force ever since.



4.I have read that the band started out in more of a regular black metal style but the newer music has a variety of many different metal style, what was the decision behind going into this musical direction?


Actually the band started out sounding more thrash metal. When I was 14 I obtained a copy of the book Lords Of Chaos and quickly fell in love with black metal. That’s when we started blending thrash, death and black metal together. We’ve always been about variety and have never belonged to a single genre. I like to explore musically with every release simply because it’s more fun.



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


There’s a lyrical blend of reality and imagination with no boundaries. “Headless” is about the film Headless by Arthur Cullipher. “I Am The Bad Man” is about a film called The Bad Man that Scott Schirmer is currently making. There is a lot of poetic wonder of the grand mystery of death throughout the album. The title track is about where we fit in this world. It’s a song that I hope brings release to those struggling with painful circumstances in their life.



6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Mindscar'?


Our original drummer (Mike Radford) came up with the name when we were kids. It just sounded cool to us at the time so we stuck with it.



7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?


Some of the best crowds have been in San Juan (Puerto Rico), Los Angeles/Hollywood (CA), Albuquerque (NM), Louisville (KY), everywhere in Texas and of course everywhere in Florida. Our stage show is intense and precise - three guys playing as hard as they can.



8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?


We have plans to tour the US and Puerto Rico. All of the dates will be posted on www.mindscar.com. We are currently in the process of acquiring passports for all of the band members so we can begin booking outside the US.



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


We have been in contact with a few people but have not received an offer that we are interested in. We always have the door for opportunity open.



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


I am happy with the feedback, publicity and merch sales from international fans of extreme metal and look forward to performing with Mindscar outside the US.



10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?


I play session guitar for Nader Sadek. We recently completed a Mexico tour and will be performing with Sepultura in Cairo, Egypt next month. Terran plays bass for Infinite Earths and Visioner. Both bands are currently working on new releases and playing one-off shows.



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


I think we will refine the dynamics that we started exploring on the new album while continuing to explore new musical territory. We are always pushing each other to grow and progress as musicians so I think the level of musicianship will improve. My writing and voice continues to evolve over time, introducing new attributes.



12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?


Our musical influences span too many genres to list. Lately we’ve all been listening to King Crimson and Oingo Boingo.



13.What are some of your non musical interests?


Film, artwork, books, cooking, craft beer, poetry, occult, philosophy, science and sex.



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


Thank you for talking with us! Keep kicking ass!

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Demonic Obedience Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the musical project since the recording of the new album?



The new album is progressing quite quickly, as is reflects a purer example of what Demonic Obedience is all about, and embodies a more mature and explored vision that I have for this project. Thus fair I've received amazing feedback and support from fans world wide. Satanath and Sevared Records are fantastic, I couldn't ask for better promotion or support for this album.  Recordings have commenced  for the third album and is scheduled for release in early 2017.



2.You have a new album coming out in May, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?



The sound of 'Nocturnal Hymns...'  is aggressively macabre just like the début album.  Expect tons of distorted guitar solos. The drum beats are beyond berserk and much more progressive in comparison to the prior album.

Both albums have the same tonality, however  'Morbid supremacy of evil' tends to be more atmospheric. ‘’Nocturnal Hymns...’’ is truer to the sound of old school Death Metal, as it faster and very brutal.



3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your newer music?



To be fair, I cannot take responsibly for the lyrics. My friend Alex is a lyrical genius, so he wrote the lyrics for the first album as with this one.  Most of the tracks tell hideous stories that take place within the human psyche  that wander in fantasy realms. In general I could describe the lyrical theme as a ghastly trip into darkness.



4.Originally the project was called 'The Deepest' what was the cause of the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Demonic Obedience'?



I started this project with my good friend George from As I Suffer Silently. The main concept back in the day was to write some extreme music with  lyrical themes that portray the intern turmoils of ones mentality. Then I decided to move to Scotland, unfortunately George couldn't follow so the project took a dramatic change, from an extreme metal band (The Deepest) to the old school Death Metal beast that it is today. Also the lyrics, as I previously stated, are centred with more fantastical sombre issues.  After a discussion with Alex, we agreed that Demonic Obedience  would expressively sum the dark matter of this project .



5.With this project you record everything by yourself but have also had experience working in full time bands, do you feel you have more room to be creative with this project?



Demonic Obedience is something really personal for me. I wouldn't mind having some live members but as for the composition of the music it's something that I want to do on my own. It's the way to express my feelings. And of course, I can be as creative and experimental as I want without having to explain anything to anyone.



6.Originally you where located in Greece but now have re-located to Scotland, what was the decision behind the move and also how would you compare both of the countries?



You see, nowadays,  things are really bad back in Greece, as its economy is on decline.  There are protests every day about taxes and the politics in general. People are fed up with all that bullshit, man. So, as you can imagine, moving to another country was the only solution if I wanted to do something in my life. As for Scotland, so far so good. I mean, I am living 3 years now here and I haven't faced any serious problems so far. I made the right decision by moving here. I've noticed that my music is flourishing perhaps I feel a greater sense of freedom to be creative without being bogged down by a  negative environment.









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



Compared to the first album, for which I didn't get any promotion, 'Nocturnal Hymns' is going great!, Every day I am reading reviews from webzines from all over the world, I'm amazed at the recognition I'm receiving  . Both the record labels, as I said before, are doing a brilliant job thus far. I am also getting supportive messages from fans from Asia to South America. I'm awestruck.



8.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that you are a part of?



Unfortunately other than Demonic Obedience, nothing major. Varzenigan are no longer active because the singer and the bassist had to move to other countries and As I Suffer Silently are in hibernation,  for now. I've started working on a new black thrash project, so fingers crossed we will record a demo soon. Other than that, I have a Heavy metal due with a friend and we are really close to finalizing the recordings for our first album.



9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?



I have no idea, haha.  Ideally I would love to make a career out of it. But you see I'm a self taught musician so I'm doing what I'm doing first of all as a fan of Death Metal and Metal in general and secondly as my passion. So, I suppose that as long as I am having some riffs on my head, I will continue writing music and we will see how it will go.



10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?



I was, I am and I will be stuck to old school Metal. It doesn't matter which genre as long as it is pure classic stuff. Also, I like the newer bands that keep with the old school vibes alive. This is exactly  what I am trying to achieve with my own projects. I don't think that I am listening to something specific nowadays to be honest. A little bit of everything related to metal, I suppose.



11.Does Satanism or Occultism play any role in your music?



I like occult themes, as they are the foundation that the majority of Metal music bases their inspiration upon. I'm not practising in any religion, nor do I partake in occultism, it's just theatrical influence. Death Metal is an obscure genre of Metal that focuses on depth and emotion, it doesn't matter what the subject matter is, as long as it conveys raw emotion.  Demonic is about being anger, ministry and human suffering. So it makes sense for me to have occultist tones.  I also like the demonic stories of the eastern cultures and this is how I got the inspiration to write 'Three Headed God'.



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



First of all, thank you very much for this interview and your time. I hope that you will like 'Nocturnal Hymns' and I cannot wait for people's feedback. Also I would like to thank the fans of Demonic for their support and their messages so far. Keep tuned guys and you won't be disappointed!!!

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Dead War/The Triumph Of Death/2016 EP Review

  Dead  War  are  a  band  from  Santa  Cruz, California  that  plays  a  blackened mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  ep "The Triumph  Of  Death".

  Thunder  and  rain  sounds  start  off  the  ep  along with some  synths  before  going  into  a  faster  musical  direction  that  utilizes  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  start  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  distorted  and  melodic  as  well as  being  very  chaotic at  times  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  war  samples  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  the  riffs  also  start  incorporating  more  thrash  elements  along  with  a  small  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  classical  guitars  and  while  the  music  is  heavily rooted  in  the   old  school  style  the  brutality  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  modern  edge,  later  on  a  classical  style  instrumental  is  added  onto  the  recording  before  closing  the  ep  with  2  heavy  tracks.

  Dead  War  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  death  ad  thrash  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  very  heavy  and  aggressive  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  death  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dead  War  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Debellation"  and  "The  Triumph  of  Death".  8  out  of  10.

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Mindscar/What's Beyond The Light/2016 Full Length Review

  Mindscar  are  a  band  from  Orlando,  Florida  that  plays  a  very  technical  form  of  blackened  death  metal  with  some  metalcore  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "What's  Beyond  The  Light"  which  will  be  released  in  August.

  A  very  heavy  yet  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  a  few  seconds  later  death  metal  growls  make t heir  presence  known  on  the  recording  while  also  mixing  in  metalcore  style  breakdowns,  black  metal s tyle  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.

  At  time s the  music  can  be  very  technical  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  continue  that  same  tradition  while  also  mixing  it  in  with a  great  amount  of  melody  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  clean  playing  along  with  movie  samples  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  on  later  tracks  progressive  elements  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  while  one  track  is  all  instrumental  and  melodic  vocals  are  added  onto  the  last  song.

  Mindscar  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  technical  and  progressive  style  of  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  black  metal  and  metalcore  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  mythological  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mindscar  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  technical  death  metal  and  metalcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "I  Am  The  bad  Man  "Cerberus"  and  "What's  Beyond  The  Light".  8  out  of  10.

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The Morningside/Yellow/BadMoodMan Music/2016 CD Review

  The  Morningside are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  very  progressive  and  melodic  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Yellow'  which  was  released  by  BadMoodMan Music.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  later  clean  playing  is  added  onto  the  recording  and  they  also  add  in  a  touch  of  post  rock  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  the  music  gets  heavier  and  the  guitar  leads  start  going  for  more  of  a  post  metal  style  and  the  songs  bring  in a   great  mixture  of  both  clean and  heavy  parts.

  A  good  majority  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  on  the  second  tracks  grim  black  metal  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  guitar  riffing  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  doom  metal  elements  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album progresses  melodic  singing  can  be  heard  briefly  and  some  of t he  riffs  bring  in  a  touch  of  melodic  death  metal  and  all  of  the  songs  stick to  a  very  slow  musical  direction.

  The  Morningside  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal,  melodic  doom  and  death  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  progressive  and  post  rock  elements  to  create  a  musical  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  the  Morningside  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  progressive  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "As  A  Pilgrim"  and  "Clocks".  8  out  of  10.   

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