Atrament/Scum Sect/Sentient Ruin Laboratories/Caligari Records/Blood Harvest Records/2018 Full Length Review

  California's  Atrament  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  their  mixture  of  black,  death  metal,  crust  and  d  beat  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Scum  Sect"  which  will  be  released  on  September  28th  as  a  joint  effort  between  Sentient  Ruin  Laboratories,  Caligari  and  Blood  Harvest  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  crust  and  d  beat  direction  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  death  metal  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  under  3  minutes  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  always  remains  heavy.

  Atrament  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  mixture  of  black,  death  metal,  d  beat  and  crust,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  ruin,  doom,  hatred,  war  and  misery  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Atrament  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  death  metal,  crust  and  d  beat,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Plague  Upheaval"  "War  Seed"  "Spit  Upon  Mankind"  and  "The  Night  Shall  See  No  End".  8  out  of  10.

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Atrament/Eternal Downfall/Sentient Ruin Laboratories/2016 CD Review

  Atrament  are  a  band  from  California  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  metal,  d  beat  and crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Eternal  Downfall"  which  was  released  by  Sentient  Ruin  Laboratories.

  A  very  heavy  crustcore  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  and  d  beats  as  well  as  some  growling  vocals  that  also  give  the  music  a  touch  of  death  metal  and  after  awhile  melodies  and  black  metal  screams  are  added  into  the  songs  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  style of  extreme  metal  and  crust  and  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  are  ever  utilized  in  any  of  the  songs  and  the  whole  album  also  remains  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Atrament  creates  another  recording  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  crust,  d  beat  and  black  metal  while  also  mixing  in a   great  amount  of  old  school  death  metal  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  ruin,  war,  suffering  and  misery.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Atrament  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  death  metal,  d  beat  and  crust,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "No  Beyond"  "Consumed"  "Rotting  Twilight"  and  "Circle  Of  Wolves".  8  out  of  10. 

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Atrament Interview

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

We’re a new band, but we’ve all been or currently are active in other bands: Chad currently drums in Necrot, Mortuous, Rude, and Caffa and used to be in Vastum and Bruxers, James used to play guitar in Moral Void and Black September, both based out of Chicago, and I currently play in Abstracter and that has been my main band for almost six years now. Sam was never in active bands and I believe this is the first time he takes his time to record and play live in a band. As far as how Atrament came to be, while I was in Abstracter I started to really get into faster and more raw forms of punk and metal. Since Abstracter isn’t really the right outlet for that, I decided I would try and give it a shot with another band. So I started looking for people to jam with, and after about a year of disappointments I met James on Craigslist who in the meantime had left Moral Void in Chicago to move to the Bay Area, and was looking to do something similar. I love Moral Void and that band was more or less in the style I was trying to go for, so I got really excited to meet him. After hearing his demos I immediately thought about Chad, a huge d-beat enthusiast. But mostly he’s an insane drummer, so I pitched the idea to him sent him James’ demos and he was into it. Sam’s an amazing bass player that I had tried to get into Abstracter before so asking him to join on bass was a no brainer. He was into the jams as well, and this time had some time on his side during the week, so here we are.

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

It’s D-Beat Crust done the classic conventional way. I don’t think this band it trying to change the rules of the game. We love the classic sound, and this is our way to celebrate it. However, a darkness and grimness came into play as James is a huge Darkthrone fan who loves to throw in some evil riffs and some minor discordant chords here and there, Chad is really into old school Death Metal and Grind so at times his drumming gets really menacing, and I have a fascination with darkness and despair that probably came over from Abstracter. So the end result is definitely something that stands on its own.

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

Just one mainly: the disease that is mankind in all of its possible declinations - ranging from animal abuse to war, disease, pain, suffering, pollution etc. but it’s all drenched in apocalyptic and surreal commentary.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Atrament'?
“Atramentum” is latin for “blackening”. The noun “Atrament” in modern english therefore stands for something - a substance - that blackens, that turns things black. The word “atrocity” comes from the same latin word also.

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’ve only played one show with False from Minnesota, Gloam from Santa Cruz and Pale Chalice from San Francisco, and it was a killer time.

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

Not at the moment, but definitely thinking about it.

7.The demo was released on Sentient Ruin, are you happy with the support they have provided you with so far?

Well, Sentient Ruin, is my label, haha.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black, death metal and crust?
We’re still very new, have only played one show and the demo just came out, so its hard to tell and too early to say. All our friends in other bands here in Oakland are excited about us doing this and are supportive though.

9.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?

Chad is always the busiest with Necrot, and they are going to tour the Northwest soon and are working on new material. I believe Caffa will have a new release out soon as well. Abstracter is going to record a split in the beginning of September, play Southwest Terror Fest in Arizona in October, and then tour Europe in Spring of 2016. I think James is looking to form a doom metal band on the side here in Oakland but I’m not sure how far into it he is. Sam is busy with this band and making beer with his friends, haha.

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

It is already recorded and will be announced soon.

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

As far as Atrament goes: Early Napalm Death, Bolt Thrower, Darkthrone, Burzum, Skitsystem, Discharge, Doom, Early Dismember, Tragedy, Amebix and Axegrinder. Lately I’ve been really enjoying Column of Heaven, Knelt Rote and Gehenna.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Unfortunately I think music takes up all of my time outside of work. I like to try new food, I love movies and I love the outdoors (hikes etc)

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

Yes - thanks to you for your time, to to anyone reading this, and to anyone who has shown interest in what we do.

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Atrament/DemoMMXX/Sentinent Ruin Laboratories/2015 Review

  Atrament  are  a  band  from  California  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  metal,  d  beat  and  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2015  demo  which  was  released  by  Sentinent  Ruin  Laboratories.

  A  very  distorted,  heavy  and  raw  crust  sound  starts  off  the  demo  along  with  some  grim  screams  that  have  a  black  metal  tinge  to  them  as  well  as  some  growls  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  d  beats  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  faster  sections  also  use  blast  beats.

  When  melodies  are  utilized  they  bring  in  a  Swedish  style  of  death  metal  to  the  bands  musical  style  and   crust  and  d  beat  are  the  main  styles  the  band  sticks  to  while  elements  of  death  and  black  metal  are  still  a  very  huge  part  of  the  band s musical  style  and  on  the  second  track  thrash  influences  can  be  heard  briefly.

  Atrament  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  crust  and  d  beat  and  mixes  them  in  with  black  and  death  metal  influences  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover angry  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Atrament  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death  metal,  d  beat  and  crust  and  if  you  are a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "World  Of  Ash".  8  out  of  10. 

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