CardiaC Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
bastien: Well we just came back from a 8 day acoustic tour in New York in february, and now we're focusing on our new electric album Sangrar Hasta Logralo, released in may through Tenacity Records. We are also trying to expend geographically as we've got band members living in switzerland but also in spain and in the UK. So we're trying to gig everywhere possible basicaly!

2.Recently you have 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?
bastien: We definitely tried to keep the same spirit that CardiaC has always had, even if the line up changed a bit. I joined in 2014, Cedric (bass) just on time for the recording of Sangrar in 2015 and now we're also happy to have Mariano as a permanent guitarist. He has always been a member of the extend CardiaC familia but he's now 100% part of the line up! Mariano and Elric (from Promethee) recorded guitar solos for Sangrar too!
But to answer to your question, I think we're still playing the same kind of shit! A kinda groovy hardcore crossover, maybe more straight to the point than before though!
Soundwise, Drop (Downtone studio), Boulard and Didier (Ignition Prod) and finally Greg (studio du flon) did all a great job and we're really happy about the result, it sounds definitely actual, but you can style feel the guenine vibe of CardiaC.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Ricardo: I like to talk about perseverance in life, about stuff that makes you grow up as a person, it's important for me to talk about things that are meaningful to me. When I sing I put my heart into it, so it has to be real. The world is full of shit, we all know that, so when I write lyrics I like to think that there's hope left in us, and this hope has to stimulate all my fights in life. CardiaC is a positive project and we care about each other and the future of our kids, despite the fact that we like to party a lot and we don't take ourselves to seriously. Even if we dream to put in jail lots of politicians and bankers... Who doesn't?

4.The band is from Switzerland but writes their songs in Spanish, what was the decision behind using this language?
Ricardo: Well i'm spanish so I guess it's easier for me to speak in Spanish. Plus, I don't see why we should sing in English like anyone else, we felt that everyone is trying to fit in something mainstream and we simply don't. It brings something special and we are proud to be from Geneva, a city where all the different community's come together in the metal/rock/hardcore scene! Nobody cares if we sing in Chinese or Portuguese. We simple are used to it, and it define us, I hope, as an open minded band,  music is still music you know…


5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'CardiaC'?
Ricardo: Our music comes from our hearts, and the heartbeat is the beginning of life, the beginning of music, rhythm is everything, is pure "Vida". The CardiaC sound is supposed to be organic and not artificial, no effects. This is an artistic project made with an old-school mentality, we don't care about fashion or the name of the band at the top of the billboard. CardiaC is a family affair and we like to be surrounded by people we care about and love. CardiaC is us but it could be you if you like to party and enjoying life as much as we do. Welcome on board!

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
bastien: Wow… since I started playing with CardiaC I think we always put a huge emphasis on the live performance. Personnaly gigs are the best moments of my life, so I'm trying to give as much energy to the crowd as I can honestly! The best shows… hard to say, we had so many amazing moments! personally I would say the 15th anniversary last october as we had the whole crew with us and everybody went mental during the set. We also had lots of guest, that was great to gather all these friends on stage! But also I'd like to mention the first gig we played together in spain as I met the whole Spanish crew and forget to sleep for a couple of days hahaha!

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
bastien: We've got a bunch of gigs planned in switzerland and in spain, we also are working on a few other shows in the UK and we're still waiting on confirmations for two main festivals this summer. We're also trying to tied up a nice tour in october…

8.The new album was released on 'Tenacitty Music', are you happy with the support they have given you so far?
bastien: Randy and Olivier are amazing! I think them and a few other promoters in Geneva are just the hardest worker I know! So yeah we're happy and proud to be officially part of their team!

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of metal, stoner, and hardcore?
bastien: I would say that it depends on the place really. We never experienced horrible feedbacks (because our bassist is a proper colossus maybe hahaha) but usually people are nice! In live situation, I think that the audience get pretty involved and they seems to have a good time! But yeah there's always "purists" who would not like the clean vocals, or the spanish language or the lack of blastbeats or whatever…

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
bastien: That's a good question… On one side we will continue to play and compose hardcore music until our death cuz that's what we do! But on the other side, we like experimenting! The unplugged album was a thing really important for us and we had a lot of fun doing it, so maybe we will continue to experiment as well in another direction on the side!

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?
bastien: There's so many of them! And we're really eclectic as well! Personally I tried to get in John Otto's shoes for the recording of Sangrar, this dude got the right sound! Our influences could go from Cypress Hill to the Buena Vista Social Club, with Poison and Mastodon somewhere in between hahahah.
Nowadays I'm really attracted by the whole UK hardcore scene, No Second Chances (Check their 7" Cursed), xRepentencex, and the last Knuckledust, it's a killer album! But also the new Madchild "Silver Tongue Devil", the beats on that record are siiiiick!

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
bastien: Mojitos, BBQ, hang out with our families and the NBA hahaha! Actually we're trying to arrange a basketball game between us and the Promethee crew, but I think they're to scared of the legendary free throws of Ricardo hahahahah

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
bastien: Yep just a quick thank you to our extended familia for the support… you know all those guys taking on their time to help us out every time, We love you guys! Also thank you for this interview and yeah have a listen on our music!

Doomain/20:10/Masked Dead Records/2016 Demo Review

  Doomain  are  a  solo  project  from  Italy  that  plays  an  epic form  of doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of his  2016  ep  "20:10"  which  was  released  by  Masked  Dead  Records.

   Drum  beats  and  a  heavy  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  demo  along  with  soem  clean  singing  vocals  and  afte  awhile  melodic  guitar  leads  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  use a  great  amount  of  melody  that  classic  traditional  metal  from  the  NWOBHM  era  with   doom  metal.

  Throughout t he  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow  and mid  paced  paced  and  the  music  is  more  rooted  in  the  80's  style  of  epic  doom metal  and  the  songs  also capture  the  sorrow  and  depression  of  that  era  while  the  riffs  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  melody and  all  of the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem  and  the  whole  demo  also  sticks  to  a  heavy   musical  direction  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Doomain  plays  a  style  of  epic  doom  metal  that  is  very  heavy  and  melodic  and  goes  back  to  the  80's  era  of  the  genre  and  ignores  all  of  the  modern  styles  of  the  past  30  years,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  war  and  death  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  Doomain  are  a  very  great  sounding  epic  doom  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Misery"  and  "Rings  of  War".  8  out  of  10.

Miss Lava/Sonic Debris/Small Stone Recordings/2016 CD Review

  Miss  Lava  are  a  band  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  very  heavy  form  of  stoner  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Sonic  Debris"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Small  Stone  Recordings.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  and  after  a few  seconds  drum  beats  are  added  onto  the  recording  which  also  leads  up  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  and  once  the  melodic  vocals  kick in  it  starts  giving  the  music  a  stoner  vibe  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  A  lot  of  90's  influences  can  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  a  touch  of  doom  metal  while  the  music  still  sounds  very  modern  and  psychedelic  sounds  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  on  some  tracks  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  the  energy  of  grunge  and  punk  rock  can  be  heard  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in length  and  as  the  album  progresses acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  true  to  a  stoner  rock  style.

  Miss  Lava  plays  a  style  of  stoner  rock  that  can  be  psychedelic  at  times  while  also  being more  influenced  by  90's  rock  than  70's  rock  while  also  mixing  in  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  real  life  and  metaphysical  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  Miss  Lava  are  a  very  great  sounding  stoner  rock  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Another  Beast  Is  Born"  "In  A  Sonic  We  Shall  Burn"  "Fangs  Of  Venom"  and  "Planet  Darkness".  8  out  of  10. 

Dead Register Interview

Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

We’ve been focusing all of our energies on a DIY release for Fiber, I mean, helping AVR Records release this beast, working our day jobs, and looking to see what the future holds for Dead Register and the road.

Recently you have released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Drums by Chad, proper crushing basslines and soaring textures by Avril, “lead” bass by me (Chvasta). It’s low, slow, extremely heavy, and atmospheric. I do the lead vocal and Avril does some smeared reverby feminine flourishes. Dan Dixon nailed our live sound on this recording. We pretty much crushed it: 2 takes for everything with some obligatory punch-ins, and what was there, was “there—that’s our sound.” Done!

3. The band has been around for 3 years but waited until recently to have released an album, can you tell us a little bit about the early years?

Out of the gate, we had a great deal of material already written and rehearsed. We just took our time to polish them up, then pick which ones we collectively liked the most for our first proper release.

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

Mostly that of love and loss. Dealing with life. Confusion. Delusion. Unrealistic expectations. Self-loathing. Crippling depression. Etc. Humanistic stuff, I wear my heart on my sleeve.

5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Dead Register'?

Before Chad joined the fold, Avril and I would jam, and when I’d play some super low bass notes and she’d go an octave below me, it was in this horrific gut-rattling low register. It sounded and felt like a battle between two dump trucks. A fulfilling deep “I feel like I’m being dismantled by tone” register, which we jokingly referred to as the Dead Register. It stuck, and like countless other bands, we like the word “Dead.”

6. 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’ve been able to support a great deal of awesome national acts, but there’s none better than Author and Punisher. It might not have been our best show, but being able to support somebody as amazing as Tristan really hit home. I also really enjoyed a private party that I threw for myself for my 40th birthday. I only booked Dead Register, got to play for all my friends in a cool art gallery (RIP DOOGALLERY), and got to eat cake.
Our stage performance has evolved nicely. Avril worked with our friend Emily Harris, a prominent metal photographer here in Atlanta, to create an extremely dark visual presentation that’s projected behind us or over us, depending on the venue. Sometimes it plays like a video, sometimes it’s just moving shapes that makes some more magic happen than “3 folks sullenly standing on stage that happen to be making (extremely slow) music.” We need to get some new live footage online to reflect the direction we’ve been going in.

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

Nothing is on the books yet. This summer we intend to hit the road and tour the Southeast US to support the record. We need to get over the hump of this release first, then comes the booking. I’ve tuned up my tour van, and we’re ready to roll (after I replace the old tires).

8 .The new album was released on AVR Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

We set a timeline and shopped the record as hard as we could. We hit the “It’s time for a self-release” deadline, and decided to move forward. Avril’s done all of the design work, packaging, photography, merchandising, production, our music video, it only seems fitting that it would be released under her studio name. She’s a busy bee. Bzzz. 

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

I’ve been eyeballing our demographics, and we are happy to see folks from all over the world “liking” our band. Not a whole helluva lot yet, but it’s a great start! So far we’ve gotten a great deal of positive praise from all sorts of music lovers. Thank you for helping us spread the word to get some more exposure!

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

Taking our heaviness and sonics to new levels. We have another full-length record of material written already, and we’re still writing more. Tonight even. We’re working on slow and gloomy Dead-Reg’d-out covers of Pegboy and Bolt Thrower.

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?

Avril and I have been best friends for about 19-20 years now, and we’ve seen so many awesome and diverse acts over the span of our friendship. Indie rock, math rock, metal, hardcore, electronic, punk, industrial, non-radio-pop, etc. We enjoy all types of underground/dark music. And some music that isn’t dark, but not much. Chad’s into all sorts of stuff, but he’s been crushing on contemporary art-school black metal a good bit.
Random stuff we’ve been spinning lately: Author and Punisher, Oranssi Pazuzu, Angelic Process, Godflesh, Self-Evident, Fields of the Nephilim, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Killing Joke, Ben Frost, & Bolt Thrower.


12. What are some of your non musical interests?

I drink coffee. All three of us ride bicycles. Avril and I are urban cyclists (douchey old hipsters), and Chad takes vacations just to ride. He’s committed. Mountain biking, road biking, fixed gear snobbery, etc. Chad and Avril like beer. Avril and I play couch co-op videogames. We also bitch and whine. A LOT.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Dark Roast coffee was just pushed through a steam machine into a small cup with steamed half and half. Tonight ends on a great, delicious, dark note. Thank you for your interest and support in Dead Register.

Iron Jawed Guru/Mata Hari/2016 Full Length Review

  Iron  Jawed  Guru  are  a  band  from  West  Virginia  that  plays  an  instruments  form  of  stoner  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Mata Hari".

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  stoner  rock  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with some 70's  style  guitar  leads  while the  rhythms  have  more  of  a  90's  style  to  them  and  you  can  also h ear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  a  touch  of  grunge  and  all  of  the  songs  are  in  an  instrumental  musical  direction.

  While t here  is  a  great  amount  of  retro  and  old  school  musical  influences  in  the  bands  musical  style  the songs  still  sound  very  modern  along  with  the  heaviness  of doom  metal  and  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  the  whole  album  also  sticks  to  a  very  heard  and  heavy  musical  direction  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording  while  also  mixing  in  a  touch  of  blues  rock.

  Iron  Jawed  Guru  plays  a  musical  style  that takes  groove  and  stoner  rock  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  to  create a  musical  style  of  their  own  and  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording.  

  In  my  opinion  Iron  Jawed  Guru  are  a  very  great  sounding  instrumental  stoner  rock  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Quake"  "Gemini"  and  "Vesuvius".  8  out  of  10.

    

 

Unhoped Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

Well hello! We just did 4 weekend in a row-shows in Finland and Estonia, couple of them with great dudes from Thrashless, Aratic and Nuclear Omnicide! Time to start planning the rest of the years gigs, new merch, check out new riffs and all that stuff! Our singer Luostarinen just moved back here in our hometown so I think sauna is in heavy use again when summer comes!..Good times.

2.In March 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?

We were after a most aggressive, violent and pushing sound we could and it came up just as we wanted! We turned off the click this time and it was good decision. The idea of tempo changes from human instead of metronome was tempting and Huisko pulled it off great. Thats a big part of the feel on this one.. Sounds you hear on a record is what you hear live 100%. Gear-wise and music-wise. Theres no dramatic-huge layers we would not able to bring you live.  We have done all our releases in our own bunker, recording, mixing and mastering. Sonic Violence is mastered by Dyne Engine Studios and they did great job. If Nuclear Death was bit more deathy, i quess this is bit more thrashy!


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

Our lyrics are quite typical for a thrash band, but that doesn´t bother us in any way. Lyrics on "Sonic Violence" go on about war, greed and stupidity of humankind. The biggest difference in lyrics on the album are in ”Assimilation” and on the title track itself, the first as a bow down towards the movie ”The Thing” (1982) and ”Sonic Violence” being a full blown, tongue-in-cheeck thrash anthem. We want to write as great songs and lyrics as possible, but we won´t get too stressed if lyrics are not that original, although it´s always cool when you get some juicy lines for the song and think to yourself ”Yeah, now I nailed it!””.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Unhoped'?

To be honest, theres no bigger meaning in the name, drummer Huisko came up with the name that is simple and looks cool so we went with that!

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

Steelfest 2013 was killer.. Main acts were Sodom and Destruction! Our hometown obviously cos all the friends and in Pori theres good thrash-scene.. Our stage performance is similar to that other performance too: fast, chaotic and musky haha! The feeling when you really need a breath-brake but the beating just goes on is big part of our live-show.. You have to feel like broken when you come out from thrash-show. Sweet melodies ain't Unhoped's thing haha!

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

We started the year with bunch of shows and plan is to play as much we can, spreding the Sonic Violence and have fun! Good plan right? No bigger tour yet to come.

7.The new album came out on 'EBM Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Its a thrash/death/grind based label from Mexico, very old-school stuff! They liked our stuff and we went with them!

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

Feedback have been just great! Since we released our first full-length Die Harder, metalheads have noticed well! Feels good to talk to guys allover, send merchandise and have that kind of support.


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

We have played almost ten years music we love and people seems to like it so we have no needs to change the recipe. Of course we want to get better and tighter as an individuals and as a band and that way improve our stuff. We have our own sound and stuff that gets through our shit-filter is going to be in next album! We are simple guys haha!

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 are old school thrash and deat hmetal fans.. Exodus, Slayer, Death, Demolition Hammer, Sepultura, The Crown, Malevolent Creation and all that good stuff gets blasted constantly. Members music taste goes from dirty old blues to black metal!

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Action- and old western movies haha!! Ice hockey is a big thing to finnish people.. One fixes instruments and other throes frisbee in the woods! Having a beer and sauna and listening to Iron Maiden?! I dont know, theres not too much somehow music-related things in our lives!

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

Check our new music video for the song 'Human Disgrace' from Youtube, we thrashed our bunker on that, take contact if you want merch of something, if you are on the budjet crank it from Spotify it'll be there soon. It was recently Paul Baloff's birthday and friday is coming so have your Good Friendly Violent Fun, thank you sir.

Devil Gone Public/Smokehound/2016 Full length Review

  Devil  Gone  Public  are  a  band  from  Florida  that  plays  a  mixture  of  southern,  stoner,  sludge  and  groove  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Smokehound".

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  elements  of  groove  metal  while t he  lyrics  are  done  in  more  of  a  southern  metal  clean  singing  style  while  also  having  its  aggressive  moments  with  a  few  screams  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  bring  in  more  of  a  melodic  style  of  metal  and  rock.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  all  of t he  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them along  with  a  brief  use  of  bass  leads  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals  and  spoken  word  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  elements  of  stoner  rock  are  utilized  on  a  great  amount  of  tracks  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  briefly  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  whole  album  also  remains  hard  and  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Devil  Gone  Public  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  sludge,  southern,  stoner  and  groove  metal  and  mixes  it  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  Pot  Smoking  and  Real  Life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Devil  Gone  Public  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge,  stoner,  southern  and  groove  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Aether  Way"  "Satan  Hold  My  Hand"  "Poison  the  Well"  and  "Galatic  Amnesia".  8  out  of  10.

Clouds Taste Satanic/Your Doom Has Come/2015 Full Length Review

  Clouds  Taste  Satanic  are  a  band  from  New  York  that h as  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  instrumental  mixture  of  stoner,  doom  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  rleeased  2015  album  "Your  Doom  Has  Come".

  A  very  dark and  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  doom  metal  direction  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  tracks  avoid  using  any  vocals  or  song  writing  while  most  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  As  the  album  progresses  element s of  stone r and  post  metal  are  added  onto  the  recording  while  all of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to   them  and  mid  paced  sections  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  the  whole  album  also  always  remains  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Clouds  Taste  Satanic  creates  another  recording  that  mixes  stoner,  doom  and  post  metal  together  while  also  getting  a  lot  more  heavier   and  they  also  avoid  using  any  vocals  or  song  writing  and  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Clouds  Taste  Satanic  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  instrumental  stoner,  doom  and post  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "One  Third  Of  The  Sun"  and  "Dark  Army".  8  out  of  10.

  

   

Sonic Wolves/He Said/Taxi Driver Rrecords/2016 Single Review

  Sonic  Wolves  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  blues  and  stoner  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  single  "He  Said"  which  was  released  by  Taxi  Driver  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  melodic  blues rock  sound  starts  off  the  single  along  with  some  psychedelic  elements  and  after  a  few  seconds  female  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  they  bring  in  a  touch  of  70's  doom  metal  which  also  leads  to  the  music  going  into  a  heavier  stoner  rock  musical  direction.

  All  of t he  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while t he  solos  and  leads  remain  true  to  a  retro  rock  direction  and  while  the  music  is  rooted  in  the  70's  it  still  sounds  very  modern  and  on  the  second  track  the  music  starts  getting  more  upbeat  and  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  the  second  song  also  brings  in  male  vocals.

  Sonic  Wolves  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  blues  and  stoner  rock  together  along  with  a  touch  of  doom  metal  to  create  a  musical  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sonic  Wolves  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  blues  and  stoner  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres, you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Song  For  the  Earthbound".  8  out  of  10.

   

Hollow Leg/Crown/Argonauta/2016 CD Review

  Hollow  Leg  are  a  band  from  Florida  that  plays  a  mixture  of  psych,  sludge,  doom  and  stoner  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Crown"  which  was  released  by  Argonauta.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  aggressive  screams  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  the  riffs  bring  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  while  you  can  also  hear  elements  oh  hardcore  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  give  the  music  more  of  a  stoner  rock  vibe  and  there  is  also  a  touch  of  70's  doom  metal  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  more  melodic  style  of  vocals  are  more  close  to  groove  metal  and  some  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  steel  guitars  which  also  adds  a  touch  of  American  blues  to  the  recording  while  some  of  the  melodies  also  come  from  traditional  metal  while  some  of  the  clean  guitars  bring  in  more  of  a  psychedelic  sound  and  the  whole  album  also  sticks  to  a  slow  music  style  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Hollow  Leg  plays  a  musical style  that  takes  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  together  with  a  touch  of  blues  and  classic  metal  to  create  a very  heavy  yet  melodic  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hollow  Leg  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Coils"  "Electric  Veil"  and  "New  Cult".  8  out  of  10. 

CardiaC/Sangrar Hastra Lograrlo/Tenacity Music/2016 CD Review

  CardiaC  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  rock'n'roll,  hardcore,  stoner and  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Sangrar  Hastra  Lograrlo"  which  will  be  released  in  may  by  Tenacity  Music.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  and  after  awhile  the  vocals  get  more  aggressive  and  can  also  hear  elements  of  hardcore  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  At  times  melodies  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  some  of t he  faster  parts  of  the  songs  using  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  songs  start  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  songs  start  incorporating  more  stoner  rock  elements  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  whole  album  also  remains  hard  and  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  CardiaC  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  hard  rock  and  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  heaviness  of  stoner  and  hardcore  to  create  a  style  of t heir  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while the  lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  CardiaC  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  rock'n'roll,  stoner,  hardcore  and  metal  and  if  you   are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Icono  de  las  Perseverancia"  "Si  dios  fuera  una  Metafora"  "A  Contractorriane"  and  "Enciende  la  Antorcha".  8  out  of  10.         

 

Rhin Interview

Answered by the whole band:

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

Dom: Just spending time down in the basement writing and learning new songs. Currently trying to figure out the best way to pack the car for this next round of dates on the road.

Ben: More jams, man. More jams.

2.Recently you have 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?

Dom: This album I feel we have gotten better at playing together, writing songs, and continue to grow as a band.  We got groove!  I also think with each album we touch a little on where we're heading or just incorporating something new in our sound.  This album I think has a couple songs that show where we would like to head/develop more.  I would like to think we just continue to get better as we go.

Ben: We're an angry but hopeful rock n roll band and I think that comes through in our sound and vibe. This record is more expansive and more ambiguous.

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

Dom: I usually piece songs together and focus on how to round out the song rather than telling a story.  For example, on ‘Clay’ I started out with an idea about Clay County, where there is a place called Booger Hole where some murders happened in the 1930’s. For the middle, I just strung together some words, and the end I wrote about holding onto love.  I would say most of the songs I start by a phrase I like and go from there.  I usually just write down things/ideas I find interesting.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Rhin'?

Dom: Well short story is, I was living in Albuquerque, there was a local band there Black Maria and the bassist had a fuzzed out bass tone.  So I got a bass and rat pedal.  Prior to Albuquerque I hadn’t really gone to many shows, after going to see live music, I wanted to create something. At first, I was calling it domino and the two ton rhinos, then rhinos, then Rhin when Ben and Tucker joined.  The early Rhin I hadn’t figured out what exactly I was going for and wrote a lot of half ass songs.  Tucker and Ben definitely bring different elements/ideas to the table which have shaped what is Rhin.

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

Dom: I would say we bring a lot of energy to the shows and try to get as much out of the three piece sound that we can.  We played this house show in North Carolina.  We were at first unsure about the spot and if anyone would show up.  So like every house show story, place ended up being packed, way too many people doing nitrous and just a solid good time.

Ben: We love playing local shows because our friends love us. My favorite show that we've ever played was at a Llamadon mixed genre show in Baltimore. It was mostly hip hop and R&b acts. We thought we were gonna clear the room but they lost their fucking minds. It was amazing. We play hard every time.

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

Dom: Were going out with Grizzlor April 28th (philly-the fire) 29th (NYC-grand victory) and 30th (new haven-three sheets).  Were also going out late may with Ratship.  Were also have a release show for June 17th in Shepherdstown with our buds Cavern, Iron Jawed Guru, and Cheshi.

5/26, Huntington, WV  - VClub

5/27, Lexington, KY - The Green Lantern

5/28, Bowling Green, KY - Nightmare House on Elm Street

5/29, Nashville, TN -  Springwater Bar

5/30, Carbondale, IL - Lost Cross House

5/31, Springfield, IL - Black Sheep Cafe

6/1, Champaign, IL – Institute 4 Creativity

6/2, Bloomington, IN - House Show

6/3, Louisville, KY - Modern Cult Records

6/4, Cincinnati, OH - Rake’s End

6/5, Columbus, OH - Spacebar

7.Recently you where a part of a split with 'Ratship', what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the recording?

Dom: We had played a show with them over a year ago and had stayed in touch. They came to our 4th of July house show party and we got along.  We had talked about wanting to do a split and wanted something to keep us busy while we wanted for Passenger to come out.  We had couple tracks we wanted to re record from the Passenger sessions so it worked out.  We recorded with Paul Cogle who recorded our first album.  I love the production on Ratships tracks, sounds sick.  It was also nice to work with another West Virginia band from the other side of the state.  For our ten days out with them, I hit Garrett (ratship) up about a date, we got to talking and just joined forces.

Ben: Ratship is an awesome band made up of awesome people. They are straight up, no bs, neck snapping weirdo post-hardcore from Huntington WV.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of punk, stoner and noise rock?

Dom: Well not sure worldwide, but we always have a positive response when were out playing which is swell.

Ben: We seem to go over well all across the board. We play shows with bands from many different genres and make friends every time.

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

Dom: I think we will continue with the sounds/styles heard on Passenger.  We have learned about 5 new songs and have couple more to learn.  Were all in the process of moving, but I see us being ready to record in the fall/winter. I think I'm going to get better at naming songs, thats where I'm focusing my energy.

Ben: I always want to get more relentless and brutal but I trust Dom's vision and songwriting. His tunes keep getting better.

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?

Dom: We all enjoy different music which I think/hope comes out into our music.  I just read questlove’s book where every couple of chapters he talks about albums that he enjoyed at certain years of his life.  So its been great going back listening to Sly, Prince, Tribe Called Quest, and Nas.  The past couple months Ive really been digging Craw and Dazzling killmen, I felt like a fool for never listening to them before.  Also the new Kendrick Lamar album To Pimp a Butterfly is in heavy rotation and Baklava’s dane on (check them out now!).

Ben: I grew up on Hardcore punk, extreme metal and hip hop. My playing is very jazz and funk influenced however. I always want to find that funky pocket. Recently, I've really been into Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, Krallice, Conan, Couch Slut, Melt Banana and Northless. The new the Body/Full of Hell collab is fucking amazing too.

Tucker: With this band in particular, I am really influenced by Ron Asheton. It's more about playing from your gut and reacting to the sounds around you. I've never had a proper music lesson in my life. I know how to play some scales, but this band is not about that. It's about playing to the music --- playing to the chaos.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Dom: Ben tattoos. Tuck also writes poetry and plays music in the bishops.  I'm just bummed I don’t have a garden this year.

Ben: When I'm not playing in RHIN, I'm drawing, painting and tattooing.

Tucker: When I'm not playing music I am usually writing poetry, reading, or fishing.

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

Dom: Just hit play.

Ben: Somebody bring us on tour in Europe.

Ramachandran/Marshmallow/Taxi Driver Records/2016 CD Review

  Ramachandran  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  psychedelic  form of  stoner  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Marshmallow"  which  was  released  by  Taxi  Driver Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  bringing  in  a  very  retro  yet  modern  sound  and  you  can also  hear  a  lot  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  when vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  all  done  in  a  clean  singing  fashion  and  the  solos and  leads  stick  to  a 70's  style  of  hard  rock.

  All  of the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  proto  metal  elements  throughout  the  recording  and  some  songs  also  bring  in a   small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  psychedelic  elements  throughout  the  recording  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  grunge  and  90's  alternative  rock  and  the  songs  stick  to  mostly  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction.

  Ramachandran  plays  a  style  of  stoner  rock  that  can  be  psychedelic  at  times  and  the  alternative  and  grunge  elements  make  them  a  little bit  more  different  than  most  bands  of t he  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ramachandran  are  a  very  great  sounding  psychedelic  stoner  rock  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vlayanur"  and  "Mischel".  8  out  of  10.

 

Dead Register/Fiber/AVR Records/2016 CD Review

  Dead  Register  are  a  band from  Atlanta,  Georgia that  plays  a  mixture  of  goth  and doomgaze  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Fiber"  which  was  released  by  AVR  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  along  with  elements  of  shoegaze  start  off  the  album  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  the  riffs  and  leads  while  the  vocals  are  done  in  more  of  a  goth  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  hear  a  lot  of  doom  and  post  metal  influences  in  the  music.

  Most  of  the  tracks a re  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in a  great  amount  of  post  rock  elements  while  some  songs  also  bring  in a   brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction  and  the  influence  of  darkwave  gets  more  powerful  as  the  album  progresses  and  they  take  some  80's  styles  of  goth  music  and  update  it  for  the  modern  day.

  Dead  Register  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  80's style  goth  and  darkwave  and  mixes  it  with  doom  metal  and  shoegaze  to  create  an  original  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  human  relationships.

  In  my  opinion  Dead  Register  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  goth  and  doomgaze  and  if  you are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fiber"  and  "Entwined".  8  out  of  10.       

Atala 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 have been off for Quite some time when we returned home after touring the west coast I feel very ill, and was hospitalized after which I was sent to an emergency surgery in order to save my life, I was bedridden for 10 weeks. after healing we have played a couple festivals and I designed the Album Art and we made the music video for Levity, preparing to release Shaman's Path of the Serpent. We have also already been writing our next album.The band has also  been preparing for our summer tour that's headed toward the Maryland Doom Fest. Probably the band's biggest show.

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?

It is a spiritual Journey meant to represent the path through death to rebirth, musically we wanted it to be very heavy but also very drony and melodic. It is very different than what we have done in the past we are growing together and creating our own sound.

3.Some of your lyrics deal with Shamanism, Occultism and Metaphysical stuff, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

I am a spiritual person, I have always been plagued  with certain health issues. Being ill at times and spending time alone I found myself drifting into thoughts of the spirit world and the power of our mind. I have found with only a change in thought I was able heal myself. After this realization I began to contemplate the idea of life being a dream or a mere illusion. Realizing I was not my skin but my soul I began to learn to walk between worlds experiencing  multiple planes of existence simultaneously . I found, light, darkness and everything between. I do not believe in good or evil only energy. I also believe there is far more to existence than what we currently believe is reality.


4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Atala'?

I named the band after the novella, Atala by François-René de Chateaubriand. It's about an American settler who fell in love with the indigenous way of life and a more natural way of living. He left his society and religion and lived among the so-called "savages" in beauty and nature. Atala is a look beyond dominate society and a longing to be one with nature. A major, if not the biggest, direct influence in the band's existence which stems to the individualistic terms which each member live their lives.

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

 Our stage performance can be described as very focused that emanates a massive amount of feeling. We don't really talk in between songs, those are just normally filled with feed back. I would describe our stage presence as intimate. It feels as if we're playing to just one individual. We don't have a stage show we are only into music not hype or showmanship, we just get on play and don't say a word, our music speaks for us.

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

 Our summer tour is in support of "Shaman's Path...."


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

We're very undecided on this. More or less, we're just waiting for the right person and right time to really seize and opportunity as such. We have had interest in both management and labels all of which were not good fits. we have the ability to self release so the idea of being in debt to a label just sounds stupid

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of stoner and sludge metal?

We get a positive response with in the Stoner and Sludge circles, which is cool because we like that style of music, just good ol rock and roll.

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?
 we are here to talk about Atala

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

I see us getting heavier musically and more tribal but vocally very soft and entrancing.

11.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?

 We're all inspired by different genres and styles of music, I guess you could say it depends on what you catch us listening to at the given time. For me, I have been on the more mellow side of heavy.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Family, Art, Tattooing, nature.

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

Atala is not the SAME!
www.atalarock.com

Jussipussi/Greatest tits/Taxi Driver Records/2015 CD Review

  Jussipussi  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  stoner  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Greatest  tits"  which  was  released by  Taxi  Driver  Records.

  A  very  hard  yet  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  riffing  that  brings  in  elements  of  both  metal  and  punk  and  a  few  seconds  later  clean  singing  vocals  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  solos and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  and  the  songs  have  more  of  a  modern  approach  to  stoner  rock  while  some  90's  influences  can  also  be heard  at  times  and  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  also  bringing  in  a great  amount  of  energy  and  the  whole  album  also  sticks  to  a  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  from beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Jussipussi  plays  a  style  of  stoner  rock  that  is  a  little  bit  more  harder  than  most  bands  of  the  genre  and  the  metal  and  punk  influences  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Jussipussi  are  a  very  great  sounding  stoner  rock  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Warning  Sign"  and  "Bury  you  Deep".  8  out  of  10.  

 

 

Somali Yacht Club/The Sun/Kozmik Artifactz/2016 Vinyl Review

  Somali  Yacht  Club  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  a  mixture  of  psychedelic,  shoegaze,  stoner  rock  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "The  Sun"  which  was  released  by  Kozmik  Artifactz.

  A  very  atmospheric  shoegaze  sound  starts  off  the  album and  after  a  few  seconds  melodic  singing  and  clean  playing  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  after  a  minute  the  music  gets  heavier  and  goes  into  more  of  a  stoner  rock  direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Melodies  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  post  metal  elements  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  a  touch  of  90's alternative  rock  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  psychedelic  sounds  and  one  track  adds  in  a  touch  of  reggae  and  the  whole  album  also  sticks  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction.

  Somali  Yacht  Club  plays a  musical  style  that  takes  psychedelic,  shoegaze,  stoner  rock  and  post  metal  to  create  a  musical  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Somali  Yacht  Club  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  psychedelic,  shoegaze,  stoner  rock  and  post  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Loom"  and  "The  Sun".  8  out  of  10. 

Unhoped/Sonic Violence/EBM Records/2016 CD Review

  Unhoped  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  an  aggressive  form  of  thrash  with  a  touch  of  early  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album "Sonic  Violence"  which  was  released  by  EBM  Records.

  A  very  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  thrash  metal  direction  which  also  uses  melodies  at  times  and  a  few  seconds  later  aggressive  screams  and  back  up  gang  shouts  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  the  music  speeds  up a   great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  remain  true  to  an  old  school  thrash  metal  style  and  while  the  music  is  rooted  in  the  mid  80's  the  production  gives  the  music  more  of  a  modern  feeling  and  one  track  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  sound  effects  before  making  a  return  back  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  and  some  of  the  vocals  also  add  in  semi  growls..

  Unhoped  plays  a  style  of  thrash  that  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  80's  and  also  mixes  in  a  touch  of  the  early  death  metal  style  to  create  a  very  heavy  and  aggressive  sounding  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violence,  death  and  hatred  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Unhoped  are  a  very  great  sounding  aggressive  thrash  metal  band  with  a  touch  of  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE "Whle  World  Gone  To  Hell"  "Sonic  Violence"  "human  Disgrace"  and  "The  Naked  And  The  Dead".  8  out  of  10.

fubear./III/Inverse Records/2016 EP Review

  fubear.  are  a  band  from  Finland  that h as  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  grunge  and  stoner  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "III"  which  was  released  by  Inverse  Records.

  A  very  heavy  retro  rock  influenced  sound  starts  off  the  ep  bringing  in  a  stoner  vibe  and  the  clean  singing  vocals  also  gives  the  music  a  70's  metal  feeling  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  bring  in  a  classic  rock  style  and  while  the  music  has  its  roots  in  the  past  it  still  brings  in  a    very  modern  style.

  Influences  of  grunge  rock  and  doom  metal  can  be  heard  in  the  music  and  on  the  second  track  clean  playing  is  brought  into  the  music  and  also  gives  the  song  more  of  a  power  ballad  feeling    along  with  an  atmosphere  that  could  easily  fit  on  a  mainstream  rock  station  while  most  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  heavy  style  along  and  there  is  a  brief  use  of  fast  playing  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  fubear.  creates  another  recording  that  takes  70's  metal,  stoner  rock  and  grunge  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  very  heavy,  retro  yet  melodic  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  fubear.  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  yuo  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED TRACK  "Demons".  8  out  of  10. 

Electric Hoodoo/Self Titled/4ONE8 Records/PRC Music/2016 CD Review

  Electric  Hoodoo  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  retro  and  stoner  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2016  album  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  4ONE8  Records  and PRC  Music.

 Blues  rock  style  vocals  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  riffs  that  are  done  in  more  of  a  hard  rock  and  proto  metal  direction  and  the  music  is  very  heavily rooted  in  the  70's  while  also  having  a  more  up  to  date  take  on  the  style  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  more  of  a  classic  rock/metal  direction. 

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them and  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  songs  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  early 70's  doom  metal  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  harmonica's  and  the  whole  album also  sticks  to  a  slow  musical  direction  and  the  last  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Electric  Hoodoo  goes  back  to  the  metal  and  blues  rock  styles  of  the  70's  and  updates  it  with  a  touch  of  modern  stoner  rock  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Electric  Hoodoo  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  retro  and  stoner  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Phoenix"  and  "What's  Going  On".  8  out  of  10.
 

Zun/Burial Sunrise/Small Stone Recordings/2016 CD Review

  Zun  are  a  band  from  California  that  plays  desert/stoner  rock and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Burial  Sunrise"  which  was  released  by  Small  Stone  Recordings.

  Distorted  drones start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  brings  in  the  atmosphere  of  being  in  a  desert  and  after  awhile  melodic vocals  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording   and  the  music  also  brings  in  elements  of  ambient  and  after  awhile  melodic  guitar  leads  become  a  part  of  the  songs.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  some  of  the  drum  beats  bring  a  tribal  and  shamanistic  feeling  to  the  recording  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  female  vocals  and  when  slide  guitars  are  utilized  they  bring  in  a  touch  of  blues  rock  and  psychedelic  elements  can  be  heard  at  times  along  with  a  touch  od  70's  proto  metal  and  the  whole  album  also  sticks  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction.

  Zun  plays  a  style  of  stoner/desert  rock  that  goes  more  for  the  psychedelic  and  ambient  side  of  the  genre  and  creates  an  atmospheric  sounding  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  desolate  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Zun  are  a  very  great  sounding  desert  rock  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of t his  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE "Into  the  Wasteland"  and  "Solar  incantation".  8  out  of  10.

 

Chief Gypsy Goliath Interview

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

AL Yeti Bones: Sure! So we just released the new album, titled, "Citizens Of Nowhere", played two CD Release shows, and both went amazingly well. Packed shows, and we're looking forward to more of them. We have a looming Toronto date soon, as well as a few others in the very near future.

2.Recently you have 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?

AL Yeti Bones: I would describe the sound of the new record with one word: Heavy. While it is much more raw then the last one, both were recorded reel to reel, 2 inch tape analogue, and they both have their similarities when it comes to the band having a certain sound, but I would say the new one, is far more true to the elements we possess in our live sound.

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

AL Yeti Bones: Lyrically I write about everything. Sometimes it's about my own life, but sometimes it's just about the world in general. I try and use a bit of my own backstory but it's never really about me as much as it is about someone like me. Someone perhaps in the same shoes. I tend to gravitate towards conspiracy theories, and fun puns regarding life and death, and demons and cool shit. When it's about us personally, it's usually about the struggles of being in a band, and the highway road life that I tend to hate so much these days.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Gypsy Chief Goliath'?

AL Yeti Bones: When we were still in the process of closing the doors on the band Georgian Skull, I had this idea to name the next album "Gypsy Chief Goliath". For some reason, those three words separately brought a lot of imagery to my head, and I thought they flowed well together also. Then I began picking up the pieces from the demise of my last band, and starting calling the early GCG demos "Gypsy Chief Goliath". Someone mentioned it as "that's the name!" I said, "yea i guess it is." For me, the name symbolizes a fictitious character that could be on par with a god of some kind, or perhaps even a monster. But at any rate, the name opens doors for me in my mind, regarding concepts. And I've always been big on the idea of a concept record at some point in the future.

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

AL Yeti Bones: These past two gigs we've played were definitely highlights for me. The first night played in front of almost 200 people, and then the 2nd night we did it in front of 500. Besides these gigs, in the past some of my favourite shows were with Corrosion Of Conformity, we did a few gigs with them in Ontario here, and then same with Kittie and November's Doom. Made some long lasting friendships and met a lot of really good people.

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

AL Yeti Bones: We do! We're just working on logistics right now, and trying to figure out last minute details. Then we'll announce. As for what we're doing exactly, we're just trying to further the reach on this one then what we did last time. We're trying to work smarter and not harder, cause we're a little bit older now, and smarter works better for our situation. We all live in different cities. Half the band is Windsor, and the other half is Toronto. Often times, we feel like "Citizens of Nowhere" as a band, we're not quite from Windsor 100% and we're not quite from Toronto 100% either. Hence the album title.

7.On the new album you had done a cover of Black Sabbath's "Killing Yourself To Live", what was the decision behind doing your own version of this song?

AL Yeti Bones: Sabbath is a big part of my life. I play left handed and a Gibson SG, Tony Iommi is one of my biggest influences. It was always important to me to pay back to Sabbath in some small way. The decision to put Killing Yourself To Live on the album was our label Pitch Black's idea, and when we decided to record it, that initially came from the idea of perhaps having it on a Sabbath tribute or compilation disc in the future. We're not really a cover band whatsoever, so it's nice to show people a side of us, that advocates for our inspirations, such as Black Sabbath. And to me personally, it was important we didn't do a song that was too obvious or a song that was too obscure either. If you love Sabbath, then you know this tune. That's all that mattered to me.


8.The new album was released on 'Pitch Black Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

AL Yeti Bones: Pitch Black Records is from Cyprus. They are a heavy metal label, that took a chance on us, as a Stoner Metal band and I am grateful to them, for the support they've given us and we very much feel like home with them. They've done a lot for us, and continue to stand behind what we do, so for that a loyalty has been forged. I love what they do, and a lot of the other products they put out, so it's been pretty cool working with them on these last two records.

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

AL Yeti Bones: The feedback has been terrific. I get emails from all over the world, whether they are fans or bands, asking when are we going to make it to Europe or wherever they're from. As well as business talk. I love talking about this industry and I'm a big believer in having process. If you want your band to do well, know what you are doing and have a plan, implement it, and keep moving forward. But on a whole, the world has been very kind to us in terms of the fact if we consider what level we're at. We are an underground band that has received some high praise in the past, and hopefully that will continue.

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

AL Yeti Bones: I can see us getting a bit more progressive eventually. We've tried to stay away from the 8 minute tunes long enough! We have a lot of 70's influence in us, so that to me, was the greatest era for progressive music. There was such groove, such funk, such jazz, and blues, yet it was all thrown into a boiling pot of rock and roll magic. We could only be so lucky to do something as good in this day and age.

11.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?

AL Yeti Bones: Thin Lizzy is my biggest influence next to Black Sabbath. I love Mountain, and Alice Cooper too. As for newer bands, we are big fans of Entombed, Clutch, Mastodon, Red Fang, C.O.C, Crowbar, Down, Sleep, The Sword, Orange Goblin and everything else in that genre. But I do think we are trying to stick to our guns all the while still getting into new territory for the newer material. We have enough for another album right now as it stands.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

AL Yeti Bones: Well I'm married with children, so family is huge for me. I'm also a Financial Advisor so I take pride in my career, and love my clients, as well as I'm a big fan of Podcasts, and Pro Wrestling and MMA. I used to wrestle in my high school days, as well as in college i took Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

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

AL Yeti Bones: Anyone out there please feel free to contact me at managementgcg@gmail.com, order a CD off us, some merch whatever… Or hit up our website www.gypsychief.com
Cheers.

Zippo Interview

> 1. Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
> (Dave) We're doing some shows in Italy at the moment and promoting it as much much as we can. The album has had a pretty long gestation between its recording and its actual release, but sometimes good things nees time.
>
> 2. Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does itdiffer from the stuff you have released in the past?
> (Stonino) It's bold, straight-forward, loud and heavy
> .
> (Dave) It's less complex and rational, there's plenty of energy, heart and impulse.
>
> 3.This is the first album to be released in 5 years, can you tell us a  little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
> (Dave) When we have songs we're not satisfied with, we tend to throw them away and start again. This happend quite a few times during this time span. We also faced the departure of one of the two guitarists,
> Franz, which has changed a bit the band's balance. We have never really stopped doing concerts and tours, but it first took us a while to rearrange the old songs to play them live, and as they worked well we
> decided never to look for a second guitarist again. So we started writing new stuff from zero, we recorded the album, sent it to Toshi Kasai in California for the mixing and mastering, definitely the right choice for our sound. Some more time was necessary to find a new label, and here we are, 5 years.
>
> 4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
> (Dave) 'After Us' is about us. We were tired of concept albums, we realized we had much more to say talking about our shit, so I focused on our life as a band and as individuals, all our personal little  daily struggles, the highs and lows, the life on the road, the road itself,the meaning of what we're doing and the things that have happened around us while we were writing the album. It's very personal, it's “us”.
>
> 5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Zippo'?
> (Stonino) The name comes from a joke, when we started the band we were supposed to last just for one night, so we chose for the name Zippo without even thinking so much about it. We were so stunned by the movie Four Rooms and especially the Tarantino's Zippo scene. Indeed, we thought the name sounded so Pulp.
>
> 6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
> (Dave) Our stage performance is always loud and passionate, we love playing face to face with the crowd, we love interaction and sweat. We have great memories of many shows, from the ones in our hometown
> Pescara, to the ones in Hungary which are always great, to London's Desertfest in 2012.
>
> 7. Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
> (Dave) We're doing few Italian weekend-shows at the moment with no big plans for summer right now, but we'll be back on track in the Fall, whenwe'll hit Europe again.
>
> 8.The new album was released on Apocalyptic Witchcraft, are you happywith the support they have given you so far?
> (Dave) Yes, they've shown a significant support so far, it's great tomeet passionate people out there that support underground music this way.
>
> 9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of sludge, stoner and doom metal?
> (Dave) People seem to have liked our new path, but only time will tell.
>
> 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?
> (Dave) I'm also in Shores Of Null (www.facebook.com/shoresofnull) and the band is doing pretty well, a new album has just been recorded and we've planning tours and other stuff for the future. Our drummer Ferico also plays in the experimental/avant rock band Oslo Tapes (www.facebook.com/Oslo-Tapes-149776631761547), our bassplayer Stonino has his own ambient/drone one man project named Mu
> (www.facebook.com/musoloproject) which is always open to collaboration, and it's pure live improvisation. Zippo's rhythmic section also have an instrumental post rock band together called Death Mantra For Lazarus (www.facebook.com/deathmantraforlazarus), currently on hold, and have
> been part of the last known line-up of Santo Niente (https://www.facebook.com/Santo-Niente-18631899948), a very influential band for the Italian alternative rock scene, now disbanded. Our
> guitarist Sergente plays in the audio/visual duo named How To Cure Our Soul (www.facebook.com/How-To-Cure-Our-Soul-115795605244003).
>
> 11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
> (Stonino) We don't know actually. Every record we make could be the last one
> .
>
> 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?
> (Stonino) I think we've been influenced by lots of noisy stuff lately, bands like Young Widows, Swans, but in our music we just do what we like to hear in that particular moment in life.
>
> 13.What are some of your non musical interests?
> (Stonino) I like to draw, I do illustrations for bands and musical project, I'm also doing a videogame with some friends. That's pretty much it.
> (Dave) I book shows, I drive bands on tour, honestly music is pretty much all I have. I also love food, tv series and travelling.
>
> 14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
> (Dave) Thanks for the interview and you for reading this, don't forget to check our latest album out:
> https://apocalypticwitchcraft.bandcamp.com/album/after-us
>
>
>

Rhin/Passenger/Grimoire Records/2016 CD Review

  Rhin  are  a  band  from  West  Virginia  that  plays  a mixture  of  punk,  noise  rock  and  stoner  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Passenger"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Grimoire  Records.

  A  very  distorted  guitar  riff  starts  off  the  album  and  once  clean  singing  vocals  are  added  into  the  songs  the  music  starts  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  also  being  very  melodic  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  80's  and  90's  noise  rock  in  the  bands  musicla  style  along  with  a  touch  of  grunge.

  At  times  the  vocals  through  in  aggressive  screams  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  very  distorted  yet  melodic at  the  same  time  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  the  aggression  of  punk  rock  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  album  also  always  remains  hard  and  heavy.

  Rhin  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  80's  punk  and  noise  rock  and  mixes  it  in  with  a  more  modern  stoner  metal  sound  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  angry  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Rhin  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  punk,  noise  rock  and  stoner  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Unwell"  "Clay"  and  "Bad  timing".  8  out  of  10.