Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Poison Idea/Kings Of Punk/Southern Lord/2013 Double CD Compilation Re-issue



  Poison  Idea  are  a  band  from  Portland,  Oregon  that h as  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical style  I  would  describe  as  being  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review of  their  1986  album  "Kings Of  Punk"  which  was  re-issued  by  Southern  Lord  Records  in  the  year  of  2013  and  also  contains  a  lot  of  live  tracks  from  84.  85,  86  and  their  is  alos  2  discs  on  this  album.

  "Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  along  with  some  early  blast  beats,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  along  with  some primitive  hardcore  punk  style  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.


  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  hardcore  punk  riffs  that  also  utilize  the  heaviness  of  metal  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  are  very  old  school  sounding  punk/rock  music  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  all  hardcore  style  punk  shouts  and  screams  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful,  political  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  while  you  can  still  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  along  with  a  mixture  of  studio  and  life  tracks  and  there  are  some  cover  tunes  being  played  live.  

  In  my  opinion  this  was  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Poison  Idea  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  80's  hardcore  punk,  you  should  check  out  this  compilation>  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "God  Not  God"  "Cop  With  An  Attitude"  "Cult  Band"  and  "Made To  Be  Broken". RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Satanic Malfunctions Interview

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

We did a European tour. Played a few festivals and some smaller gigs. All of them were great fun.
Just before our tour our split album with Active Minds[our tour mates] was out. We're playing gigs around U.K.
Currently we're writing material for the new album, hoping to hit the studio next year.
On non musical ground our bass player Ryan got married. We all had a great time at the party.

2.How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and also how does it differs from your recordings?

Our new album still sounds old school, but this time we had Bri Doom to do the recording. And this guy knows how to produce this kind of music.
Previous albums were recorded by people who had no experience with the hc, punk or metal sound.

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

Society tries to mould you into a working machine, stagnation of our world, people being taken over by consumerism.

4.The band was broken up for more than 20 years, what was the cause of the split and also to decision to reform?

The band had run its course for the two members. Later on I [Ade] met Yaga -our guitarist. We have played in many bands together, but they were'nt our bands.When we met Kai-voc and Ryan opportunity of doing a band in our town appeared, so we took the chance

5.How do you feel you fit in the modern scene and also what are opinions on the bands you have helped influence?

We have no idea. We just play what we love and hope people will like it. To influence any band is great.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Satanic Malfunctions?

My brother Vince and Gary[our singers at the time] came up with the name of Satanic Malfunctions. Satanic is obvious Malfunction means wrong. Over all we wanted to say that any organised religion doesn't work.

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?

We're not a band who sit in dressing rooms. We like to know people and their cultures. We played a gig in Belgium where madness occured. We parked up the van and saw the coupple arguing.At first she took a tv from the car and smashed it to pieces. Then she jumped in the car and run her partner over, sped off down the road and smashed into a lamp post. After that she drove away steming drunk. Later on outside the gig very drunk guy was having an argument with us and everybody else who came along. After few minutes he turned up with a knife and a can of petrol threatining to burn the venue down. The gig promoter had no choice but to punch him. He went away and we thought that's the end of it. Everybody was very surprised when half an hour later he turned up with his mum. She complained that somebody hurt her little boy.
So much for a gangster.
Our stage performances are noise and chaos. We want people to have fun.

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

Hopefully a intensive blast of touring in Europe and the U.K

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music and reunion by your long time fans?

It's been appreciated . We think we had no negative comments so far [or people are nice to us]

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

Harder and faster. We're not planning on changing our style.

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

To name the bands that have influenced us could take a very long time.
As for musical styles we all like punk, hc,grind, crust, metal... That's what we're listening to for most of our lives.

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

Yaga likes sport, travelling, interior design. She works as a fashion designer which is also her big passion.
Ade likes going to the gym, reading, travelling and zombie movies.He's seriously addicted to tea.
Kai writes novels and also likes zombie movies.
Ryan does trail biking, plays magic the gathering and watches lots of tv.

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

You don't have to fit in to any society. Be yourself!
Hello and thanx to everyone who supports us.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Beehoover Interview

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 preparing for the upcoming tour with Horn of the Rhino, this also includes freshening up our merchandise arsenal. And we’re planning tours and gigs for 2014.


2.How would you describe the musical sound of the album and also how does it differ from previous releases?
It is raw, dry, dense and almost mono with a lot of midrange frequencies. It is not hyped in any way, still we think it’s the sound that represents this album best. We look at each album as a solitaire having its own place in time. Besides the music, lyrics and artwork this also includes the sound.


3.I have noticed that the band only uses bass, drums and vocals are there any plans to use regular guitars in the future?
It’s been like that for 12 years and it’s the constellation that works best for us. We don’t have any plans to change it and we don’t want to make a fuss about it, it’s about the music.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?
It’s not a concept album but there was a certain attitude that reflects into the songs, which is about the mediocrity of our society and people who see it as civic duty to become absorbed by it, disliking everything different.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Beehoover?
It’s inspired by a TV programme that featured a beekeeper getting rid of the bees covering him using a vacuum cleaner that was described as beehoover. It’s just a name that doesn’t imply any musical direction.


6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
We’re both sitting facing each other, exhibiting ourselves to the audience making music. The best shows are those where the crowd really appreciates the music, gets into it and moves, dances, handbangs or stagedives. We’d rather play a small stage in a packed club with an hot audience than a moderately filled big venue.


7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
There will be a Germany tour in November and some more touring and gigs in 2014.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of stoner and doom metal?
We have always gotten good reviews and nice feedback. It’s interesting to get in touch with the fans all over the world via social media. However we don’t see our music based in the stoner and doom area so much.

9.Are there any other musical projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?
No other musical projects but Claus is doing studio engineering sometimes for other bands.


10.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
Every release is different as are the circumstances it has been created under, so we can’t really say. Some reviews flattered us with the compliment of having created an own genre and there is still plenty of space in it to be explored.


11.What are some \bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Bands would be Helmet, Crowbar, Primus, Refused, Isis for example but we’re not influenced by anything explicitly. We listen to a lot of different music, many of which is not metal.

12.Outside of music what are some of your interests?
We both have full time jobs and family, try to arrange that with the music business and you’re done.

13.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Be credible and have a point!

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Coronatus/Recreatio Carminis/Massacre Records/2013 CD Review


 Coronatus  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  power  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Recreatio  Carminis"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

 "Ouvertuere'  begins  with  some  synth  sounds  and  classical  music  style  orchestras  along  with  some  melodic  clean  singing  and  the  song  serves  as  an intro  for  the  album.

  "Towards  Horizon"  begins with  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  orchestras  along  with  some  drums  and  melodic  choir  vocals  and  after  awhile melodic  guitar  riffs,  powerful  bass  guitars  and  classical  gutiars  are  added  into  the  mix  along  with  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  leads.

  "Im meinum  Reich"  begins  with  a  powerful  sounding  orchestras  before  adding  in  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  melodic  guitar  leads  which  lead  up  to  some  clean  singing  female  gothic  vocals    and  after  awhile  there  is  a  brief  use  of  clean  parts  being  thrown into  the  song.

  "The  Monk"  begins  with  some  symphonic  synths  and  violins  along  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  and  drums  and  a  few  seconds  later  the vocals  start kicking  in  and  halfway  through  the  song  there  is  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  being utilized  and  towards  the  end  you  can  hear  the  bass  guitars  as  well  as  a  brief  guitar  solo.

  "Schwester"  begins  with  a  symphony,  heavy  and  melodic  guitars  and  vocals  before  the  drums  start kicking  in  and  you  can  hear  the  bass  guitars  in  certain  sections  of  the  song.

  "Der  Gesandte" begins  with  a  symphony  before  the  drums,  classical  guitars  and  operatic  vocals  kick  in  along  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  melodic  leads  and  the  song  switches  back  and  forth  between  soft  and  heavy  parts.

  'Winterrosen"  begins  with  some  classical  violins  and  orchestra  sounds  and  a  few  seconds  later  heavy  guitar s,  drums,  violins  and  melodic  vocals  start  kicking  in  along  with  some mid  paced  sections  and  halfway thhrough  the  song  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitr  solos  and  leads  being  utilized  well  as  some  classical  guitars,

  "Elisa  (Elven  Swans)"  begins  with  some  violins  and  the  song  is  all  instrumental.

  "Sternenstaub"  begins  with  some  violins  and  synths  before  adding in  some  drums,  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  melodic  vocals  before  going into  a  more  symphonic  gothic  metal  direction  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  classical  guitars are  added  into  certain  sections of  the  song  as  well  as  some  powerful bass  guitars.

  "So  Tanzt"  begins  with  some  violins  and  people  in  the background  sounds  which  leads  up  to  some  drums,  heavy  gutiar  riffs  and  melodic  vocals  and  the  song is  in  a  more  folk metal  direction  and  you  can  hear  the  bass  guitars in  the  background.

  "Erhebt  die  Wogen"  begins with  some  synths  and  orechestras  before  the  melodic  vocals,  guitar  riffs  and  drums  start  kicking  in  and  a  few  seconds  later the  music  starts  adding  in  mid  paced  sections  along  with  some powerful sounding  bass  guitars  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  being utilized.

  'Fernes  Land"  begins  with  an  orchestra,  folk  music  lemeents,  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums which  lead  up to  some  melodic  vocals  and  powerful  bass  gutars  as  well  as  some  death/doom  metal  style  vocals  being  used  for  a  few  seconds and  towards  the  end  there  are  some  guitar  leads  being utilized.

 "Sie   am  Weg"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums,  melodic  vocals  and  symphonic  sections  and  a  few  second s later  melodic  guitar leads  start  coming in  and  out  along  with  some  violins.

  Song  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  German  and  cover  love,  desire,  and  passion,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

   

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Lumbar/The First And Last Days Of Unwelcome/Southern Lord/2013 CD Review


  Lumbar  are  a band  from  the  Northwestern corner  of  the United  States that  plays  a  mixture of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "The First  And  Last  Days of  Unwelcome"  which  was  released  by  Southern  Lord  Records.

  "Day  One"  begins  with  some movie  and  spoken  word  samples  and  a  few  seconds  later  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  come  into  the  song  along  with  some  drums  and  melodic  clean  singing  vocals  and  you  can  also  hear  some  organs  being  utilized  in  the  background  and  towards  the  end  melodic  guitar  riffs  and  sludge  screams  start  coming in.

  "Day Two"  begins  with  some  powerful  bass  guitars  and  background  sounds  and  a  minute  later  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  along  with  some  aggressive  screams  start  kicking  in  and  at  the  end  drone  sounds  are  added  in.

  "Day  Three"  begins  with  some  guitar  leads  and  powerful  bass  guitars  and  a  few  seconds  later  some  aggressive  vocals  start  kicking  in  and  the  song  closes  with  some  nature  effects.

 'Day  Four"  begins  with  some  drone  sound  effects  before  some  heavy  bass  guitars  and  drums  along  with  some  aggressive  vocals  start  kicking in  and  a  few  seconds  alter  psychedelic  and  experimental  sounds  start coming  in  before  adding  in  some  heavy  guitar  riffs.

  'Day  Five"  begins with  some  dark  nature  sounds  and  a  few  seconds  alter  drone elements  and  whispered  vocals  start  kicking  in.

  'Day Six"  begins  with  some  dark  and  heavy  bass  guitar  riffs  and  after  awhile  regular  guitars  and  drums  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  start  coming  into  the  song  and  towards  the  end  folk  instruments  are  added  into  the  song.

  "Day  Seven"  begins  with  some  heavy  doom  bass  guitar  riffing  and  drums  and  a  few  seconds  alter  aggressive  sounding  vocals  start  kicking  in  along  with  some  melodic  elements  as  well  as  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  towards  the  end  elements  of  drone  are  added  in.

  Song lyrics  are  a  concept  album  about  the  last  days  of  unwelcoming,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Lumbar  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Day  One"  Day  Four"  and  "Day  Seven".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Hammer Fight/Chug Of War/Horror Gore Pain Death Records/2013 CD Review


  Hammer  Fight  are  a  band  from  New  Jersey  that  plays  a  musical style  they describe  as  being thrash'n'roll  and  this  is  a  review  of their 2013  album  "Chug  Of  War"  which  was  released  by  Horror  Gore  Pain Death  Records.

  "Ruben's  Ride"  begins  with  heavy guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  up  to  some  aggressive  style  thrash  vocals  along  with  some  powerful  bass  playing,  melodic  guitar  riffing  and  back  up  gang  shouts  and  after  awhile  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  utilized  and  towards  the end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  screams and  growls.

  "I  Didn't  Feel Like  Drinking  (Until  I  Started To  Drink)"  begins  with  heavy guitar  riffs  and  bass  leads  before  adding  in  some  drums  and  guitar  leads and  then  the  aggressive  but  somewhat  melodic  vocals  start  kicking  in  along  with  some back  up  shouts.

  "Disas-tour"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  being going  into  an  old  school  direction  along  with  some  vocals  and  towards  the  end t here  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  utilized  with  the  song  being  under  2  minutes.

  "Foot  Chase"  begins with  drum  beats and  then t he  bass  leads  start  coming in  which  leads  up  to  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  aggressive  sounding  vocals  and  after  after  melodies  are  added  into  the  music  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  "Ginger  Rails"  begins  with  some  melodic  guitar  riffs  that  start  getting  a lot  heavier  after  a  few  seconds  along with  some  bass  guitar  and  drums  which  leads  up  to  some  vocals  that  combine  both  aggressive  and  melodic  elements  together  and  after  awhile  classic  rock  style  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  coming in  and  out  of  the  song.

  "Get  Wrecked"  begins  with  some  hard  rock  style  guitar  leads  before  the  rhythm  and  bass  guitars  kick  in  along  with  some  drums  and  aggressive  vocals  which  also  leads  up  to  some  back  up  shouts  and  towards  the  end t here  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  utilized.    

  "Sleeping  With  the Enemy'  begins  with  some  soft  acoustic  riffs  before  the  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  leads  along  with  some  drums  kick  in  and  the  music  goes  into  a  faster  direction  along with  some  blast  beats  and  then  the  thrash  vocals  start  kicking  in  along with  some  back  up  shouts  and  after  awhile t here  is  a  brief  bass  guitar  lead  being  utilized  and  towards  the  end  another  guitar  solo  is  added  into  the  song.    

  "Queer  Eye  For the  Scene  Guy"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  before  getting  fast  and  adding  in  thrash  and  hardcore  style  vocals  as  well  as  some  blast  beats  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  deathcore  style  vocals  before  slowing  down  and  going  into  an  even  heavier  direction.

  "Down  The Line"  begins  with  some  guitar  leads  and  drums  before  the  thrash  vocals  start  kicking  in  along  with  some  fast  and  heavy guitar  riffing  and  then  the  guitar  leads  start  coming in  and  out  of  the  song.

  "Made  In  Rock"  begins  with  some  melodic  guitar  and  bass  riffs  and  drums  before  adding  in  some  guitar  leads  before  speeding  up  with  some  aggressive  vocals  along  with  some  back  up  shouts  and  halfway  through  the  song  elements  of  hardcore  are  added  in  along  with  some  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  'Hella  Weights"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  brutal  blast  beats  which  lead  up  to  some  aggressive  vocals  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  being utilized  and  this  song  is  more  in  the  crossover  vein.

  "Stellar  Mass"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  which  utilize  some  stoner  rock  melodies  along  with  some  drums and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  coming in  and  out  of  the  song  and  towards  the  end  you  can  hear  some  powerful  bass  guitars  and  this  song  is  all  instrumental.

  "Bar  Room  Bully"  begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along with  some  drums  which  leads  up  to  some aggressive  vocals  and  back  up  shouts  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  utilized.

  Song  lyrics  cover  drinking,  fighting  and  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy and  professional  sound where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Hammer  Fight  are  a  very  great  sounding  thrash'n'roll  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "I  Didn't  Feel Like  Drinking  (Until  I  Started To  Drink)"  "Made  In  Rock"  "Hella  Weights"  and  "Bar  Room  Bully".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

Relentless/Souls Of Charon/Do Or Die Records/2013 CD Review


  Relentless  are  a  band from Chicago, Illinois  that  plays  a mixture  of  heavy  and  doom  metal  and this  is a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Souls  Of  Charon"  which  was released  by  Do Or  Die  Records.

  "Trapped  Underground''  begins  with  some  dark  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  which  also  utilize  some  power  chords  and  then  the  drums  start becoming  a  part  of  the  music  and  a  minute  later clean  singing  vocals  start  coming  into  the  song  and  a  few  minutes  later  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  utilized.

  'Better  off  Dead"  begins  with  some  drum  beats  before  the  guitar  riffs  kick  in along  with  some  drums  and  bass  guitars  which  lead  up  to  some  vocals  and  the  song  goes  for  a  more  traditional metal  sound  along  with  some  elements  of  doom  and  a  few  minutes  there  are  some guitar  solos and  leads  being  added  into  certain sections  of  the  song  along with  some melodic  guitar  riffing.    

  "United  by  Darkness"  begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  rock/metal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  up  to  some  classic  metal  vocals  and  then  getting  a  little  bit  heavier  and  adding  in elements  of  doom along  with  some  powerful  bass  guitars  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brie f use  of  whammy  bar  guitar  solos  and  leads  being utilized  briefly  before  returning  to  the  heavy  riffing.

  "Final  Wishes" begins  with  some  heavy,  dark  and  melodic  guitar  riffing  which  leads  up  to  some  drums  and  powerful  bass  guitars  and  then  the  traditional melodic  doom  metal  vocals  kick  in  and  the  song  starts  getting  a  lot  heavier  sounding  and  a  couple  of  minute  later  there  is a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  being utilized  and  then  the  song goes  back  to  its  more  normal  pace  but  the  leads  do  return in  certain  sections of  the  song.

  "Forever  Damned"  begins  with  some  heavy,  dark  and  melodic  doom  metal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  and  a  minute  later  melodic  clean  singing  vocals  start  coming  into  the  song  along  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies  and  guitar  leads  and  you  can  also  hear  the  bass  guitars  in  the  background  and  after  awhile  the guitar  solos  start  coming  in  out  of  the  music  with  this  song  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  halfway  through  the  song  there  are  some  mid  paced  sections  being  added  in.

  Souls  Of  Charon":  begins  with  some  heavy  old  school  metal  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  melodic  guitar  leads  as  well  as  some  melody  getting  added into  the  guitar  riffing  which  also  leads  up  to  some  vocals  and  guitar  solos  and  leads  that  come  in  and  out  of  the  song

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  while t he  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful, heavy,  old  school  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Relentless  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  heavy  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Trapped  Underground"  and  "Forever  Damned".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.    

   

   /   

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Memorian Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Our new album “Seven Sacrifices” was released a few days ago from Metal Scrap Records, and also until next week a compilation of 8 songs that was in our first two albums were re-recorded and will be free for download in the band's website and also to our label website. A few days ago we arrived back home from our first visit in Ukraine. We did a tour for the promotion for the new album and we had an amazing time. We are also working for many other things at the moment for the promotion of our new album!
2.How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it differs from previous releases?
Well, I believe that the new album is by far the best thing that we have done until now! We have managed to combine many things that I always wanted in my music! It is a really aggressive album but the same time you can find some strong melodies, I am happy that I have finally achive what I always wanted! As far as the differences from any previous release, for me this album is more straight and powerful from any other of the previous releases!
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new album?
Actually you can read about everything in the lyrics! Never was a certain subject that giving me inspiration about the lyrics. I can inspired from a tv show or from the news on tv from a thing that I will see as I am walking on the street! For sure mostly i prefer writing about things that moving us in live and things that make us change and see things deference.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Memorian?
With my music I always wanted to create thoughts and also bring some memories to people. So the combination of the words Memory and Rain born the name of the band.
5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
For us each show is totally unique! We really don't care who is before or after us! We are trying to give our best, each time ,no matter the circumstances. For sure I don't like to jump like a monkey or something like many modern bands are doing nowadays, I prefer to give all the energy to the people that are coming to our shows through the music.
6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
As I mentioned before we just finish our tour in Ukraine. We have talking with our Russian agent for our third tour in Russia for next March and also we are examining some other good offers from other countries!
7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the new album by fans of thrash metal?
Seven Sacrifices” was just released so I dont have a the full picture until now about the feedback. But from what I have seen things are going really great and the feedback is really positive!
8.What is going on with the other musical projects these days?
Except from Memorain I am working as a producer with other bands! For me that is a really great thing!!! I really enjoy been in the studio and recording and mixing! Things are going also great in this, and I am extremely happy!
9.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
Too soon to say something for this now! For sure I can say that we will do our best as always to take Memorain to the next level! In each album we like to make a step beyond at least, so the only thing I can say for the new album for now is this!
10.What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I am a big fan of Megadeth, and I also like Metallica, Testament, Anthrax, and in general bands that comes from that era! For sure I like also bands from the modern thrash scene. I really like all the album that Five Finger Death Punch has release!
11.Outside of music what are some of your interests?
I really like traveling and relaxing, but unfortunately I don't have the time for the relaxing now but only for traveling! :)
12.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Thank you very much for the interview! Stay Heavy!

Tragodia Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
FL: For our latest album Mythmaker we decided to sign with a new label, Kolony Records; it’s a really proficient metal label and I’m a huge fan of some bands signed to them, like Be’lakor, To Cast a Shadow and Secrets of the Sky. This migration has been a big step forward for us since Kolony is a really focused label with a solid vision and has already displayed highly effective strategies in the never quiescent music business. We are tightly cooperating to push Tragodia way further than we ever could in the past 17 years!
The promotion for Mythmaker started almost three months away from the release date; the response is quite positive according to the reviews.

2.What can you fans expect from the new album music wise, once it is released?
RT: We like the melody, which is always the central guideline in our music, led by a huge, deep rhythm session and for that reason the listener can feel this mix that makes our sound very up-to-date. That’s the reason why we chose the album to be mastered at Sterling Sound Studio, New York, to reach a modern and harder sound.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?
FL: Lyrics in metal albums very often pass unnoticed, either because we are generally more “focused” on the musical side of things or because they are conceived to just complement the music. In the case of Tragodia lyrics are really important and it’s always been like this, even in the very early days. I think that it was our first vocalist, Giovanni, lying the very foundations of Tragodia’s lyrical world. As years rolled by it was me taking over the task of writing lyrics, but I think I brought my own ideas and images into a domain which had been there since the first demo-tape in 1998! Both the music and the lyrics on Mythmaker are “epic”: they tell stories - or paint drawings, when there’s no proper narrative structure in them - relating to past times. We’ve always been heavily influenced by the classical age and especially the ancient Greek world, with its myths and literature playing a big role in the project and happily tying in with the music. Themes such as decline, decadence, the fall of human societies through the ages mean a lot to us as well; I would say that we are keen on a decadent way to being epic; we sing more about loss and failure than victories...
Many tracks on Mythmaker both title and lyrics wise are freely inspired by some ancient Greek myths and dramatic and epic literature, but in the past we’ve been influenced, among others, by Romantic literature as well. Poetry itself is a highly relevant lyrical topic for the band.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Tragodia?
FL: The meaning behind the word Tragodia is ‘tragedy’: that’s the ancient greek word for that (it literally means ‘ode of the goat’). The main reason why several years ago ‘Tragodia’ was chosen as the band’s name is that it reconnected us to one of our main sources of lyrical inspiration, the ancient world and its set of mythological accounts and awe-inspiring history. We always had that world in a corner of our mind, even if we went developing a broader lyrical domain, centered around the idea of the past per se, both on a personal and a more general level. It’s hard to think of Tragodia without bearing in mind this strong connection with the past, be it mythical tales from the greek archaic and classical age, or the metaphor of an all consuming force which erases mankind’s dream of grandeur and immortality: while we might consider Tragodia as an epic band, the only glory we sing about is that of time and decay.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
RT: We played 2 years ago  in Hamar, Norway, and I think it was one of our best show and personal experience, cause the audience was awesome, so excited, so welcoming, and in that occasion we met one of the best band we ever played with, To Cast a Shadow, that nowadays I define more than friends.
Another great gig was Vacchen Festival, Rogno (BG), Italy, last summer; we played with the Italian power/prog metal band Vision Divine in a great place between the mountains and we found a powerful positive response from the people.
When we play live we try to do our job at best; we give all the energy we have, enjoy ourselves and hope all of this can reach the people facing the stage. Playing well is the first target, but I think you have to “entertain” people, with all your capabilities and all your heart.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
RT: We are working right now scheduling shows abroad, especially in Germany as we think it is a key market here in Europe in terms of visibility for a band like Tragodia. We just had a cool show last week-end (October 19) in Passau, Germany and we will be  in Munich, Germany on December 20. We’ll also be playing a show in Innsbruck, Austria on December 21th. Plus we have a couple shows in Italy in November / December.  Then we plan to have several shows around Europe in early 2014, we’re working hard to make this possible.

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of progressive metal?
RT: We see that from the beginning of the promotion of Mythmaker, the people participate and respond like never happened before; reviews and interviews 2 months before the release date, constant increase of facebook followers; we hope that Mythmaker will be the first page of a new chapter in Tragodia’s career.
Many people contact us in private, sometimes they want to buy some merch, sometimes just to leave a feedback or to ask some info about the band, the lyrics, etc… and that meaning a lot for us and gives us the strength to hold on.

8.Are there any other musical projects going these days?
RT: Yes, some of us run side-projects: I (Riccardo) recently finalized “Divided Line Theory”, an instrumental solo album following the path of John Petrucci, Jeff Loomis, filled with some acoustic and progressive inserts; Francesco is the mastermind behind the atmospheric black metal project Ogen; Ogen released “Black Metal Unbound” in 2011 featuring our drummer Daniele V. on the drums.
Our singer Luca M. will be the voice of the progressive project “Dissonant Silence”, that will be released next year.

9.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
FL: I feel we evolve in a very natural way with each release and there’s definitely no formula that we try to replicate. What we do is trying to mix the different musical background that each band member carries along into a new musical offering: this usually turns into something very magmatic and highly unexpected. Sometimes we just want to please ourselves and try to find different solutions that might raise the musical excitement within the band to a new level.
We can hardly think of a band that might sound that similar to Tragodia; I guess it has something to do with our tastes in music ranging from classic heavy metal to early Norwegian black metal, just to name a couple, and they way they are all merged into what Tragodia is nowadays.


10.What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
FL: We had no idea we would end up writing an album like Mythmaker. We just let creativity take its course and every musician that joined the band through the years contribute their skills and ideas. We started as a doom-goth band, heavily influenced by black metal and some of the amazing avantgarde bands that were around in the Nineties, just to slowly progress into what we are now. It’s been a really interesting and exciting evolution, at least for us!
In the early days the keyboard was the very main element in the band, referred to the Gothic scene of that period; with the release of our first full length album “The Promethean legacy” and the consolidation of the lineup, we always focused more on guitars and solid sound, arrangements more electro than symphonic, less rich in tons of accessories.
The versatile and recognizable Luca’s voice most of all defined the topical genre who strayed far from gothic.
Some of us are huge Nevermore supporters indeed. I guess the guitar riffing could sometimes remind of Nevermore, or the very fact that we have mainly clean vocals built upon a very tight and modern sounding rhythmic session. There are many other bands that played a big role in our musical background: we’ve always been a huge fans of the british doom-goth bands of the Nineties, especially Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride, but also Katatonia and other great Scandinavian bands: I feel that you can still perceive some features of that sound in Tragodia, though heavily diluted and merged with other elements.

11.Outside of music what are some of your interests?
RT: Some of us like so much walking in the mountains, in the woods, take inspiration from nature, but also we like movies, some sci-fi classic saga, like Aliens, Star Wars, etc… and of course eating and drinking together; is there anything better? J

12.Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
RT: Huge thanks to you for kindly letting me introduce Mythmaker to your readers: give Mythmaker a try: you might find it interesting; and please feel free to get back to us anytime to share your feelings about it; that would be much appreciated!


Monday, October 21, 2013

From Beneath Billows/Monolith/2013 CD Review


  From  Beneath  Billows  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge and post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their self  released  2013  album  "Monolith".

  "One  Death  And  The  Kings"  begins with  some  distorted  drone sounds  before  adding  in  some  soft  acoustic  guitar  playing  which  utilizes  both  finger  picking  and  full chords  and  after  awhile  drums  start  coming  into  the  song  and  as  time  goes  on  by  there  are  some  melodic  clean  singing  vocals  being  utilized  and  halfway  through  the  song  the  heavy  guitar  riffs  start  coming  in  along  with  some  high  pitched  sludge  style  screams  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  riffing  before returning  back  to  the  acoustic  sections  as  well  as  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  guitar  leads  and  towards  the  end  the  music  starts getting  heavy  again.

  "Verity"  begins  with  some  clean  guitars  and  bass  along  with  some  drums  and  after  awhile  some  distorted  parts  start  making  their  way  into  the  music  and  after a  few  minutes  melodic  vocals  start  making  their  presence  known  in  the  music  before  adding  in  some heavy  guitar  riffs  and  aggressive  sounding  screams  which  also  leads  to  some  melodic  guitar  riffing  before  adding  in  some  spoken word  parts  as w ell  as  mixing  clean  and  heavy  parts  together.

  "Darkens  The  Well"  begins  with  some  soft  acoustic  guitar  playing  and  after  a few  seconds  drum  beats  and  melodic  vocals  start  becoming  a  part  of  the  song  and  as  th e song  moves  on  post  rock  elements  start  coming  in  and  towards  the  end  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  screams  start  kicking  in  along  wit h some  melodic  riffing.

  "Frontier"  begins  with  some  acoustic  guitars  and  synths in  the  background  and  a  few seconds  bass  guitars  and  drums  start  making  their  way  into  the  song  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  and  after  awhile  clean  distorted  parts  start  coming  in along  with  some  aggressive  sounding  screams and  then  the  music  starts  getting  a  little  bit  heavier  while  still  utilizing  some  melodic  elements  and  it  stays in  that  direction  for  awhile  before  returning  to  the  cleaner  and  acoustic  sections  of  the  song  and  towards  the  end  the  music  starts  getting  heavy again.

  "Enlivened  And  Sworn" begins with  some  atmospheric  sounds  and  a  few seconds alter  drum beats start coming into  the  song  and  a  minute  later  clean  guitars  and  bass  start  making  their  way  into  the  music  which  leads  to  some  melodic  vocals  being  utilized  a  couple  of  minutes  later  and  towards  the  end  heavy  and  guitar  riffs  along with  some  screams  start  coming in for  a  few  seconds  before  calming  down  and  going into  an  atmospheric  direction  but  the  heavier  parts  do  return  for  awhile.

  "Monolith"  begins with  some  soft  acoustic  and  clean  guitar  playing  and  a  minute  later  drums  and  post  rock  elements  start  coming  into  the  song   along  with  some  bass  guitars  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  the  melodic  clean  singing  vocals  start  kicking  in  along  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  aggressive  screams  a  few  seconds  later before  returning  to  the  more  calm sections  of  the  song  but  it  starts  getting  a  little  bit  heavier  towards  the end.

  Song  lyrics  cover dark themes, while  the  production  has  a  very  strong, powerful, heavy  and  professional sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on this  recording  along  with  the  songs  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  From  Beneath  Billows  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  sludge  and  post  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "One  Death  And  The  Kings"  and  "Darkens  The  Well".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.                    

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Rot In Hell/Psywarfare/Magic Bullet Records/2013 Split Album Review


  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Belgium's  Rot  In  Hell  and  Psywarfare  both  side  project  of  Integrity's  Dwid  with  both  projects  being  harsh  noise/power  electronic  which  was  released  by  Magic  bullet  Records  in  the year  of  2013  and  we  will start  off  the  review  with  Rot  In  Hell  which  mix  harsh  noise  with  neo-folk.

  Their  side  of  the  split  begins  with  some  harsh  power  electronic  and  loop  sounds  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  nature  sounds  into  the  music  before  calming  down and  adding  in  some  classical  guitars  and  a  few  seconds  later  spoken  word  samples  start  making  their  way  into  the  song  as  well  as  some  melodic  clean  singing  vocals which  evolve  into  some  aggressive  sounding  hardcore  vocals while s till  utilizing  the  clean  singing  in  certain  sections  and  after  awhile  the  noise  and  avant  garde  sounds  return  to  the music  while  also  keeping  around  the  acoustic  guitars  and  towards  the  end  flutes  make  their  presence  known in  the  music  and  their  side  of  the  split  closes  with  the noise  elements.

  Song  themes  and lyrics  cover  war  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  dark,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Rot  In Hell  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  harsh noise  and  neo-folk  with  the  best  music on  the  split  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  project.  RECOMMENDED.

  Next  up  is  Psywarfare  a  project  that  plays  harsh  noise/power  electronics.

  Some  ambient  noise  sounds  along  with  some  people voices  in  the  background  before  going  into  a  harsh,  loud  and  brutal  direction  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  as  time  goes  on  by  the  music  starts  getting more  diverse  in sound  while  remaining  harsh  and  brutal  and  in  certain  sections  spoken  word  samples  are  added  in.

  Song  themes  cover  war,  while  the  production  has  a  very  dark,  brutal, raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Psywarfare  are  a  very  great  sounding  harsh  noise/power  electronics  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  the  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED.

  In conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  harsh  noise  and  power  electronics.  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

  

Mutoid Man/Helium Head/Magic Bullet Records/2013 CD Review


  Mutoid  Man  are  a  band  from  new  York  with  members  from  Cave  In  and  Converge  with  a  musical style  that  I  would  describe  as  being  hardcore  with  elements  of  classic  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Hellium  Head"  which  was  released  by  Magic  Bullet  Records.

    ''Gnarcissit"  begins  with  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  which  leads  up  to  some  clean  singing  vocals  and  guitar  leads  which  bring  a  punk  rock  feeling  to  the  album  and  towards  the end  the  vocals  get  a  lot  more  aggressive  sounding.

  "Scavengers"  begins  with  some  melodic  and  noisy  guitar  leads  which  leads  up  to  some drums,  guitar  and  bass  riffs  and  a  few seconds  alter  the  vocals  start  kicking  in  and  the music  gets  a  little  bit  more  heavy  along  with  the  vocals  utilizing  both  melodic  and  aggressive  elements.

  "Scrape  The  Walls"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  which  leads  up  to  some  melodic  vocals  and  guitar  leads  and  towards  the  end  aggressive  sounding  hardcore  screams  come  into  the  song  along  with  some  psychedelic  elements.

  "Friday  The  13/8"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  and  drums  along  with  some  distorted  sounding  effects  which  in  return  leads  up  to  some  melodic  guitar  riffing  before  going into  a  heavier  direction  and  adding  in  some  hardcore  screams  and  after  awhile  guitar  leads  and  melodic  vocals  start  making  their  way  into  the song.

  "Sacriledge"  begins  with  some d rum beats  before  the  melodic  guitar  leads  and  bass  starts  kicking  in  along  with  some  drums  and  melodic  vocals  and  after  awhile t he  music  gets  heavier  along  with  some  elements  of  psychedelic  and  noise  sounds.

 "Lost  In  The  Hive"  begins  with  some  heavy  distortion  before  the  guitars,  bass  and  drums  kick  in  along  with  some  hardcore  style  vocals  which  still  utilize  some  melodic  elements  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  some  guitar  leads  in  the  background  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.

  "The  Manimals"  begins  with heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  which  lead  up  to  some  melodic  vocals  and  the  music  also  utilizes  some  faster  parts  and  classic  rock  influences  in t he  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Song  lyrics  cover  everyday  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Mutoid  Man  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  hardcore  and  classic  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this   musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Gnarcissit"  "Sacriledge"  and  "The  Manimals".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.    
      

Friday, October 18, 2013

Beastmilk/Climax/Magic Bullet Records/2013 CD Review


  Beastmilk are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  rock  and  post  punk and  this  is  a  review  of  their    album  "Climax"  which  was released  by  Magic  Bullet  Records.

  "Death  Reflects Us"  begins  with  some  heavy  post  punk  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  before  the  melodic  guitar  leads  kick  in along  with  some  gothic  rock  vocals.

  "The Wind Blows  Through  Through  their  Skulls"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  melodic  sounding  post  punk/new  age  guitar  leads  along  with  some drums  and  then  the  melodic  vocals  kick  in  along  with  some aggressive  elements  and  after  awhile  you can  hear  the  bass  guitars  in  the  song.

  "Genocidal  Crush" begins  with  some  clean  guitars  before  the  drums,  bass  guitars  and  vocals  kick  in  which  leads  up  to  some  heavier  guitar  and  catchy  chorus'es  as  well  as  brign  back  the  cleaner  sections  in  certain  parts.

  "You  Are  Now  Under  Control"  begins  with  some  dark  sounding guitar riffs  and  drums  which  leads  up  to  some  vocals  and  you  can  also hear  the  bass  guitars  in  the  background  and  then  the  music  starts  getting  more  heavy  and  melodic  sounding  along  with  a  small  amount  of  guitar  leads.

  "Ghosts Out  Of  Focus"  begins  with  some melodic  guitar  leads,  heavy  bass  guitars  and drums  and  then  then  the  vocals  start  kicking  in  and  after  awhile  some  rhythm  guitar  riffs  start kicking  in  along  with  some  new wave influences  and  towards  the  end  you  can  hear  elements  of  shoegaze.

  "Nuclear Winter"  begins  with  distorted  sounds  and  drum  beats  before  some  clean  guitar  playing makes  its  way  into  the  song  and  then  the  music  gets  slightly heavier with  some  rhythm  and  bass  guitar  riffs  which  leads  up  to  some  melodic  vocals  and  guitar  leads.        

"Fear Your Mind" begins with some heavy  post  punk  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  melodic  gothic  vocals  and  then  some  powerful  bass  guitar start  making  their  presence  known  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  solos.

  "Love  In  A  Cold  World"  begins  with  some  powerful  bass  guitars  and  drums  which  leads  up  to  some  death  rock  style  guitar  riffs  and  then  the  melodic  vocals  start  kicking  in  and  then  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  direction.

  "Surf  The  Apocalypse"  begins  with  vocals,  drums  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  before  the  music  starts  adding  in  some  heavier  rhythm  guitar  riffing  along  with  some  gothic  and  death  rock  influences  which  in  returns  leads  up  to more  powerful  bass  guitars.and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  going  into  a  more  dark  and  melodic  direction.

  Strange  Attractors"  begins  with  some  some  heavy  bass and  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  after  awhile  melodic  vocals  start  coming  into  the  song  and  then  the  song  starts  getting  a  little  bit  more  heavy.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark,  metaphysical  and  depressive  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Beastmilk  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  post  punk  and  death  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Death  Reflects Us"  "Ghosts Out  Of  Focus"  "Love  In  A  Cold  World"  and  "Strange  Attractors".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.