Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Holocausto/Guerra Total/Nuclear War Now! Productions/2018 Demo Review


  Holocausto  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  has  been  around  for  more  than  30  years  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  demo  "Guerra  Total"   which  was  released  on  cassette  by  Nuclear  War  Now!  Productions.

  A  very  old  school  thrash  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  blast  beats  a  very  seconds  later  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  80's  style  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  the  music  sounding  like  it  could  of  easily  been  recorded  more  than  30  years  ago.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  riffs  also bring  in  a  small  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  along  with  no  solos  or  leads  ever  being  utilized  as  well  as  the  music  sticking  to  mostly  a  very  fast  style  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Holocausto  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  style  and  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Portuguese  and  cover  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Holocausto  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Zone  de  Conflito  (Faixa  de  Gaza)"  and  "Guerra  Total  Apocalypse".  8  out  of  10.

http://nuclearwarnowproductions.bandcamp.com/album/guerra-total

   

Echtra/BardO/Temple Of Torturous/2018 CD Review


  Echtra  are  a  band  from  Olympia,  Washington  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  blackened  form  of  drone/doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "BardO"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Temple  Of  Torturous.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  and  drones  start  off  the  album  while  both  of  the  tracks  are  over  23  minutes  in  length  along  with  some  acoustic  being  added  onto  the  recording  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times  and  after  awhile  melodic  riffing  is  added  onto  the  recording.

 At  times  the  music  gets  very  atmospheric  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  a  brief  use  of  melodic  chants  as  well  as  some  elements  of  doom  metal  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  and  the  music  also  gets  very  experimental  at  times,  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  on  the  second  track  the  music  starts  going  into  a  faster  direction  which  also  uses  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.

  Echtra  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  black,  doom  metal  and  drone  mixture  of  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  transmission  of  one's  existence  between  life  times.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Echtra  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black, doom  metal  and  drone,  you should  check  out  this  album. 8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp
Homepage

  

Bestial Devastator Interview

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

Hails! Thank you for your interest! We play Black Thrash Metal which is inspired by 80s Teutonic Thrash Metal and also raw Black Metal. I had the first ideas for the band in 2005. I had different line ups but It didn´t work well. Some songs were written in that period but not recorded. In 2012 Bestial Devastator had a stable line up so we recorded our first demo Hellish Onslaught. Over the years the band was somehow stable. I (Infernal Aggressor) “sing” and play Bass and Guitar and Eviscerator who plays Lead-Guitar are the core of the band. We had different drummers over the years and Abyss is the current drummer.



2.In September you had released a new album, what are some of the things you feel you have done different musically on this recording that you have not been able to do on your previous releases?

Yes, the album UNTIL DEATH OCCURS was released late September and for this record we tried to get the sound of the first album, rawer and more aggressive sound. The songs were written two years ago but the recordings took much time because of line-up and personal problems. This time the album was released as a CD, the albums before were released on tape. Maybe we re-release the first and second album as a CD. We didn´t change things in the way of writing songs. Actually I write songs all the time, so it´s an ongoing process. When a record is completed I think about the next songs and so on. It´s like a disease.



3.Most of the music is very heavily rooted in the 80's black/thrash style, do you feel that the music of that era had a lot more aggression than a lot of the modern bands that have been coming out during the last few years?

In the 80s, Thrash and Metal in general was a new thing so everyone discovered and tried things out. There were no rules! Everyone tried to be the fastest and have the most aggressive sound. It was all about the attitude! I don´t know what you mean with modern bands, but when you talk about the Nuclear Blast Bands like Kataklysm, Arch Enemy and so on, this is not my sound and my kind of Heavy Metal. It´s overproduced and soulless shit. But I´m glad, that the preference of the listener goes back to a natural sound.



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

The songs are typical metal stuff which supports the music and fits. It´s about aggression, war, satanism, rebellion and revenge.



5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Bestial Devastator'?

In 2005 I tried to form a 80s Thrash Metalband which I called Devastator. I tried to find a name like Kreator or Slayer. But shortly afterwards I found out that there are too many bands with the name Devastator. So I changed the name to Bestial Devastator, which is also a reference to early Sepultura. But because of many line-up problems I had to wait until 2012 when I had the chance to have a stable-line up and record songs.



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

The artwork was created by a friend of mine. I live in northern Germany and slowly the wolves come back after they haven´t been seen in Germany for nearly 150 years. So while I wrote the songs for the album I´ve seen a wolf while I took a walk in the woods. During the same time some people died and because of that, the wolves represent a kind of reaper and that´s the reason for the title “Until Death Occurs”. On the first and second album, the cover was drawn but for the third album I thought about something different like a picture.



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?

It´s a difficult topic, because in the beginning we tried to have a stable line up to play some shows. We had some small rehearsal gigs but Bestial Devastator is a Studio Band. But who knows? Maybe it fits now well and we could play some gigs, because we´ve been asked too many times about it.





8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

Not yet but who knows? With a good feedback I get the other lazy guys to rehearse more and maybe it fits, ha ha!





9.The new album was released on 'Desecration Of Souls Productions', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

We work with Desecration of Souls Prod. for nearly 5 years now and Julio is the guy behind it all. The mastermind! The label is located in Paraguay. He contacted us in 2013 because of our demo Hellish Onslaught and he wanted to release our debut album. And from then on it was a strong bond. It fits perfectly. The last releases were on tape and this is the first release as a cd, I think.







10.You have also been a part of a couple of splits, can you tell us a little bit more about the bands you have shared these recordings with?

In 2014 we had a split tape with Dulvel from Columbia “Black Speed Alliance”. The tape was released by Metal Throne Prod. From Greece. Each band had two songs. Dulvel play a kind of Black Speed Punk. They´re very active and had some releases since then.

The next split was the “Black Rites of Hell” which was released by Desecration of Souls Prod. It was limited to 150 tapes. We recorded three tracks, two new tracks and a cover, Conqueror by Sodom.

We shared the tape with Mortiferis from Paraguay, they play Black Death Metal and Tau also from Paraguay. Tau play Black Metal and Julio, the owner of Desecration of Souls Prod. Play Guitar and sings. Sadly they split three years ago. On one track of Tau I sing vocals as a guest. It was a cover of Bathory (Return of Darkness and Evil).



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

The feedback so far for the record is great! Due to the fact that we don´t really play gigs, we could reach a higher distribution if we´d do it. We have many fans in South America. People there are very into raw and extreme music!



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

It always will be extreme Metal! For “Until Death Occurs” our drummer Abyss couldn´t be part of the songwriting process because when he joined our ranks the songs were already written. He´s very into Sodoms Obsessed by Cruelty and Vomitor, so it could have an influence on new songs.





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



I started listening to Sodom, Kreator and Slayer at the age of 13. Especially Sodom had a major influence on me and my music. I listened a lot to german bands like Minotaur, Darkness and Exumer for example. But after a while I started to discover 70s Rock Bands like Moxy, Lucifer´s Friend and so on. Around early 2000 I started to sing in the black metal style and this also had a major influence on me like Darkthrone and Mayhem. After a while I dug deeper in the Thrash Style and I discovered so many boring bands who use the same riffs.. But suddenly german Black Thrash exploded and caught me in a whirlwind ha ha!

Nowadays I also listen to different styles 40s Blues, 50s Rockabilly, 60s Psychedelic, 70s Rock and so on. But my main field is Heavy Metal. Currently I listen to Cirith Ungol, Vulture, Ranger and Chornyj Woron.





14.How would you describe your views on Satanism?

Years ago I was very into this topic and tried to discover more and more but nowadays I see it as a kind of rebellion. It´s actually not about Satan and this and that it´s more about a dark philosophical view of life.





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

Thank you for your support!!! All hail Evil Thrash!!!

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Lords Of The Cemetery/Paths Of Damara/Great Dane Records/2018 CD Review


  Lords  Of  The  Cemetery  are  a  duo  from  France  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Paths  Of  Damara"  which  was  released  by  Great  Dane  Records.

  Horror  movie  style  keyboards  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  riffing  and  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  vocals  bring  in a   mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Dark  sounding  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  the guitar  riffing  while  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow, mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  keyboards  also  being  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  an  instrumental  before  closing  the  album  with  a  heavier  track.

  Lords  Of  The  Cemetery  plays  a  keyboard  orientated  style  of  blackened  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in a   mixture  of  English  and  French  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Lords  Of  The  Cemetery  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  blackened  death  metal  band and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dysmorphic  Human"  "Reborn  In  The  Vault"  and  "Fate  Of  The  Immortal".  8  out  of  10.

https://greatdanerecords.bandcamp.com/album/path-of-damara

Saturday, October 13, 2018

Teleport/The Expansion/Caligari Records/2018 Demo Review


  Teleport  are  a  band  from  Slovenia  that  plays  a  very  progressive  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  demo  "The  Expansion"  which  was  released  on  cassette  by  Caligari  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  technical  sound  starts  off  the  demo  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls.

  At  times  the  music  gets  very  progressive  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  some  elements  of  thrash  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic and  technical  style.

  Teleport  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  a  very  progressive  and  technical  from  of  death  metal  along  with  some  touches  of  thrash  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  science  fiction  and  space  exploration  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Teleport  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  and   technical  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Apothic  Flames  Of  Dissolution".  8  out  of  10.

https://caligarirecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-expansion

Panteon/Death And Darkness/2018 CD Review


  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Panteon  which  continues  the  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  from  their  previous  release  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Death  And  Darkness".

  Horror  movie  samples  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction  which  also  introduces  grim  black  metal  screams  onto  the  recording  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  death  metal  growls  are  also  utilized  at  times.

  Elements  of  thrash  are  also  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  songs  stick  to  mostly  a  mid  tempo  style  as  well  as  adding  in  some  slower  riffs  at  times  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  80's  and  90's  influences  and  the  songs  also  avoid  any  use  of  solos  or  leads, as  the  album  progresses  a  brief use  of  keyboards  can  also  be  heard  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  the  closing  track.

  On  this  recording  Panteon  remains  true  to  their  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  while  also  not  repeating  themselves  and  sounding  a  little bit  different  from  the  previous  release,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism  and  Violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Panteon  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Whores  Of  War"  "Kill  The  Priest"  and "Full  Moon  Intervention".  8  out  of  10.

Facebook
Homepage
Myspace
ReverbNation



  

Friday, October 12, 2018

Panteon/Return Of The Killer/2014 CD Review


  Panteon  are  a  band  from  Texas  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Return  Of  The  Killer".

  Demonic  vocals  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  elements  of  thrash  along  with  the  vocals  being  black  metal  screams  that  are  influenced  by  both  the  first  and  second  wave  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  clean playing  can  be  heard  briefly  on  the  closing  track

  Panteon  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  the  80's  and  90's  era  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism  and  Violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Panteon  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Antichrist"  "Satan's  Whore"  "Possession"  ans  "Beauty  And  The  Priest".  8  out  of  10.

Facebook
Homepage
Myspace
ReverbNation