30,000 Monkies/I Ate Myself To Grow Twice As Big/Counseling Sounds/2016 CD Review

  30.000  Monkies  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  metal,  drone  and  noise  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "I  Ate  Myself  To  Grow  Twice  As  Big"  which  was  released  by  Consouling  Sounds.

  Heavy  guitars  and  aggressive  vocals  start  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  later  melodic  post rock  style  guitar  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  experimental  elements  also  being  utilized  with  the  riffs  also  mix  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  noise  rock  elements  and  on  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  melodic  chanting  while  most  of  the  songs  also  sound  very  different  from  each  other  along  with  some  drones  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  the  energy  of  punk.  while  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  when  synths  are  utilized  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  an  avant  garde  and  psychedelic  feeling and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic in  length.

  30,000  Monkies  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  it  with  drones,  experimental  music  and  noise  rock  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  angry  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my opinion  30,000  Monkies  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  drone,  sludge,  doom  metal  and  noise  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Melina"  "Apollo  10"  and  "Juice".  8  out  of  10. 

Veil Of Deception/Tearing UpThe Rots/S;iptrick Records/2016 CD Review

  Veil  Of  Deception  are  a  band  from  Austria  that  plays  a  mixture  of  heavy,  thrash,  groove  and  stoner  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Tearing  Up  The  Roots"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Sliptrick  Records.

  Acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  aggressive  drums  that  also  takes  the  music  into  more  of  a  heavier  direction  and  the  riffs  can  also  get  very  melodic  at  times  along  with  some  elements  of  groove  metal  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  vocals  are  done  in  a  clean  singing  power  metal  fashion.

  A  lot  of  80's  thrash,  power  and  speed  metal  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  after  awhile  stoner  rock  influences  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  clean  playing  also  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  very  true  to  a  melodic  musical  direction  and  the  songs  also bring  in  the  heaviness  of  traditional  doom  metal  and  the  songs  stick  to  mostly  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  also  having its  fast  moments.

  Veil  Of  Deception  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  melodic  metal  while  also  adding  in  elements  of  thrash,  groove  and  stoner  metal  to  create  something  very  original,  the production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  personal  struggles,  introspection,  loss  of  faith  and  conspiracies  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Veil  Of  Deception  are  a  very  great sounding  mixture  of  heavy,  thrash,  groove  and  stoner  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Stench  Of  Fear"  "Personal  Holy  Grail"  "The  Spell" and  "Redemption Mode".  8  out  of  10.  

   

The Company Corvette/Never Enough/The Company Records/2016 Full Length Review

  The  Company  Corvette  are  a  band  from  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  psychedelic  mixture  of  stoner  rock  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album "Never  Enough"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  The  Company  Records.

  Psychedelic  sounds  and  bass  guitar  leads  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  elements  of  doom  metal  and  after  awhile  clean  singing  is  added  onto  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  influences  from  the  70's  to  the  90's  in  the  bands  musical  style  while  also  sounding  very  modern  at  the  same  time.

  Melodic  guitar  leads  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  slow  and  mid  paced  parts  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of aggression  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  more  blues  and  stoner  rock  elements  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  The  Company  Corvette  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  70's  psychedelic  and  modern  stoner  rock  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Company  Corvette  are  a  very  great  sounding  psychedelic  mixture  of  stoner  rock  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Devilwitch"  "Stomach"  and  "Pigeon".  8  out  of  10.

 

Final Sign Interview

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

Shawn: We are Final Sign from North Carolina, USA. We’re a four-piece band playing a style of heavy metal that is sort of a blend of USPM and thrash. Our debut album ‘Hold High the Flame’ was released on CD in October of 2015 on Divebomb Records. It will be reissued on cassette by Tridroid Records in October of 2016. We’re comprised of members who have known each other a long, long time and have played together at different times in other bands before. Both our guitar player Brian (“Hellstorm”) Williams and new bassist Jim Hunter are members of October 31 and have played together the longest. I did a short stint in October 31 as well. Brian and I were in K-Octave together back in the early 2000s and did one album for Hellion Records in Germany. Brian and I have both played in bands with our drummer Kevin Haverlah at different times in the past. So, we’ve all known each other for many years and it feels very natural to all be playing together in Final Sign.

So far you have released one album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Shawn: Heavy metal! Ha! That sums it up perfectly. I know the term “metal” carries a pretty broad definition these days, but heavy metal is exactly what we are. We draw upon the legacy of our forefathers and carry on their grand traditions. We blend traditional 70s and 80s heavy metal, thrash metal, and power metal into a vicious, intense concoction. We play from the heart, and we mean every note. The sticker Divebomb Records put on our CD stated: For fans of Reverend, Exciter, and Helstar…I think that pretty much sums it up. US power metal with teeth.

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

Shawn: The lyrics I write draw many times from personal experience and observation. But, I always try to wrap them up in allegory and storytelling to fit the vibe of the music. For example, “Madness Eternal” tells the story of a power-obsessed ruler who wanted infinite, eternal power so he goes to a witch for a spell. The theme is basically “be careful what you wish for”. The song “Daring the Sun” deals with trying to control internal rage. Things like that, I think, make the songs interesting. The phrasing and choice of words fits and flows with the vibe of the music, so it makes them easy to sing with conviction. I mean every word. Brian has such a unique playing and writing style, in my opinion, and he and I have really good chemistry. All I need is one good Hellstorm riff and I’m off and running! I wrote the lyrics to this album sort of under the gun, so I am looking forward to taking my time a little more on newer material.


What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Final Sign'?

Shawn: Everyone in the band is a big fan of Black Sabbath, particularly the Ronnie James Dio era of the band. I myself am a huge fan of Dio in pretty much all of his bands from Elf to Heaven and Hell. The name Final Sign, obviously, comes from the Black Sabbath song “Children of the Sea” and the line “…we’ve lost the rising sun, a final sign.” Naming the band Final Sign was a way, honestly, to honor and pay tribute not only to Dio himself and to Black Sabbath, but to all the brilliant, amazing bands that laid the foundation that this band and so many others build upon…to heavy metal itself.

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

Shawn: A key element, in my opinion, is intensity. Intensity comes from belief. Belief comes from loving what you do. Everyone in this band loves to play music, and loves being a part of Final Sign. We believe in the music we’re making and, as a result, we play it with passion and intensity. Hellstorm plays like he’s on stage at The Budokan every single night, no matter where we play. It’s amazing! He loves it so much! That energy is extremely contagious and the band, as well as the crowd, really feeds on it. It almost makes it easy to get up there and leave it all on the stage. The time goes by so fast when we’re up there and we’re so exhausted when it’s over…haha! Crowds can tell the difference between when you’re really feeling what you’re doing and when you’re just going through the motions, pretending, and doing what you think you’re supposed to do. So, we do our best to just be in the moment and enjoy what we’re doing and bring the crowd with us. So far, all of our shows have been fantastic! Great crowds, great bands, and great venues.

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

Shawn: No actual touring plans at the moment, I’m afraid. We’re all working stiffs, have families, other musical endeavors, other obligations, etc. We are playing as many shows as we can, though, that’s for sure. It’s just that we don’t have the option of crawling into a van and leaving home for weeks at a time. That being said, we have a lot of good shows lined up, including the inaugural Thou Shall Rock fest in Wilmington, NC this coming September with bands like Demon Eye, Walpyrgus, Knightmare and others. We’re also in talks to play some larger fests in 2017 in addition to our regular shows. So, if you get a chance to see us, come out and say hi!



So far you have worked with 'Divebomb Records' and 'Tridroid Records', are you happy with the support both labels have given you so far?

Shawn: We could not be happier with both Divebomb and Tridroid, honestly. They are examples of labels who are also fans. They love this music as much as we do and we are lucky to be working with them. To have label staff who are as into what you’re doing as you are is a great thing. Both labels have excellent reputations and the product looks and sounds amazing! Matt at Divebomb and Christine at Tridroid have been very accommodating, helpful, and gracious to us and I hope to continue working with them for a long time to come.

On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of heavy, power and thrash metal?

Shawn: Honestly, we have received almost nothing but high praise from all corners of the metal universe! I am overwhelmed by it all and we, as a band, greatly appreciate all the kind words and support from both the fans and the metal media. It’s been amazing! The fans, especially. We hear weekly from people who pick up the album or hear a song on YouTube who tell us they just love what we’re doing. Then at shows, people who are not familiar with us are walking away as new fans! So we definitely have zero complaints and we feel very welcome!

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?

Shawn: Hellstorm and Jim are working on a couple of new October 31 projects. Jim’s band Walpyrgus is recording some more material as well. I have a couple of other records coming out this year more on the hard rock side with the bands Livesay and Seven Hard Years (7HY). We all like different kinds of music and like to keep busy. That being said, Final Sign is a band, and we all love being in this band. Final Sign is in the process of working on new material for what we hope will be our second album. It’s coming along great and sounding huge!

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

Shawn: As I said, we are already working on new material. So far, it sounds like Final Sign. We’re not going to suddenly jump into making symphonic concept albums or unplugged acoustic albums. We know who we are and we know what our strengths are. We play heavy metal. So, we’ll be running headlong into heavy metal and bringing everyone with us! It will be heavy, it will be intense, and it will be from the heart.




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?

Shawn: As for influences, for myself, it’s all the usual suspects. I grew up on 80s rock and metal. There’s some 70s stuff in there for good measure. As for who influenced me to want to be a metal singer, there’s Dio, of course. He’s a force of nature. Then Halford, Tate, Dickinson, Carl Albert, Robert Lowe, David Wayne, Mike Howe. I could go on. I also am a huge fan of non-metal singers like Steve Perry, Steve Walsh, Daryl Hall, and Ann Wilson. Some stuff I have been getting into recently includes Bewitcher, Witching Altar, Walpyrgus, Old Wolf, and Oath of Woe. I’ve also been digging back into music I missed the first time around with Lucifer’s Friend, Skull and Dust.

What are some of your non-musical interests?

Shawn: I barely have any. Ha! I like cooking. I don’t necessarily follow recipes, but I have learned what kinds of flavors go together so I like getting in the kitchen with nothing but an idea and seeing what happens. It usually turns out pretty good. I like playing mad scientist sometimes and putting different things together like Cajun tacos or BBQ chicken lasagna. I love trying different kinds of dark beers…stouts, porters, browns, etc. I also collect Batman graphic novels.

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

Shawn: On behalf of everyone in Final Sign, I just want to say thank you to all the many heavy metal fans across the globe for not only keeping the traditions of heavy metal alive, but also for welcoming Final Sign into your world and allowing us to fly the horns with you! Fans and word of mouth are everything for bands like us, so we are eternally grateful for all the enthusiastic support we have received! You guys are the best! Hold high the flame!

Surtur Interview

Q. Can you give us an update on what's going on with the band these days?

A. We are rehearsing regularly. Composing new songs for our first full length album. We are doing some shows in Dhaka as well.

Q. In November you had released an ep,how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
A. We are an old school thrash metal band from Bangladesh. Influences came from 80s,in particular from late 80s. As you can see later 80s bands were digging the darker side of metal,they rode in a sonic speed and vocals were in a screaming fashion. We felt the essence and  the music came from this spirit naturally. I can't exactly tell how the sound on the ep really is as its mixed up with our own thoughts. But that's our music.

Q. The band has been around since 2012 but waited until 2015 to release any music,can you tell us a little bit more about the first 3 years?

A. I formed the band in 2012 with 3 of my friends. But the lineup was never stable until 2014. Then I met Rifat(our drummer) in mid 2014. We jammed for a while. Meanwhile I met Riasat(our vocalist) through a mutual friend. Then Efaz (Our bassist) came along with Riasat. We jammed for a while and everything went so perfect back then. We started appearing in local gigs with our originals and hit studio in June 2015. Finally we released our debut EP on November 2015.

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

A. The hate toward everything that is unjust. We like to share our mental states through the music. Sometimes we like to focus a mans  innermost quest to freedom. We like horror fictions a lot. Our lyrical ambitions are limitless infact. Above that a common fact is that the music ,the riffs,the lyrics they mean something. Like "Maggot Filled Brain" means a so called great and hypocritical mind we tend to see all around.

Q. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Surtur' ?

A. Our vocalist Riasat came up with the name. Surtur is a Nordic fire demon and prophesized to set  the world in flames. We thought this character fits with our kind of music that demolishes all the barriers.

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

A. We recently played a show named 'obituary for the living'. It  was fantastic. Lineup was great. Shared the stage with death metal monsters Warhound(Bangladesh),bone crushing thrash metallers Enmachined(Bangladesh), Exalter(Bangladesh) who just had their second ep and Dissector,Burial Dust,Killgator were lethal too. All the bands were like minded and old school. We supported each other like brothers. And talking about the performance, I  believe each of the members of a band should know the lyric properly based on the song itself was composed. That's what we do. And the energy it comes naturally with the music on stage for us.

Q. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
A. Yeah some organizers from abroad contacted us. Let's see how things gonna work.

Q. According to the Metal Archives page the band is signed to Witches Brew,when did you get in contact with this label?

A. Our drummer mailed them the bandcamp link of our ep. They liked our music and immediately replied. They re-released the EP in pro CD format on 26th February,2016. Hell lotta thanks to them.

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

A. Feedback's been killer. Lots of radios,zines,blogs featured us worldwide. People from all over the world randomly ordering our ep. Not only the thrash listeners but all kind of metal listeners like black metal heavy metal death metal listeners are also digging our music. Some are mentioning us a death/thrash or black/thrash act often. Some even termed our genre  black/thrash/death!  But thats good to hear as I've always wanted to do something new. I never liked being stuck in any kind of barriers of a single genre. It's always about breaking the law you know. So,being a new band we are really overwhelmed by the response.Thanks to Qabar Extreme Music PR, The Metal Detector Music Promotion,Cheryl from Witches Brew,Raimi from Faithcraft productions,all the distros,radios,zines,blogs and of course all the die hard metal maniacs.

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

A. As soon as we are done with the song writting you'll hear from us. Talking about musical direction I can't really tell where we are going. We've always let the music,all the madness come naturally. Like If I write a song that's based on something that was going around on my mind that time. So we'll never write another "Descendant of Time". Let's see what happens in our sophomore release.

Q. 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?

A.Sepultura,Razor,Sadus,Demolition Hammer, Merciless,Protector,Morbid Saint to name a few. I am listening Ripper(Chile),Armament(India),Deathhammer(Norway),Perversifier(France) these days.

Q. What are some of your non musical interests?
A. Reading a lot of horror fictions,playing Table Tennis, playing video games are some of them.

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

A. To the metal listeners-listen to good music. Support underground bands and labels. Don't just listen to bands because of their region but for the music. There are a lot of new bands worth of checking out. The scene worldwide is getting better day by day. And finally thank you for the interview. Have some good time ahead brother!


Answered By Shadman Omee (Guitarist of Surtur)

Your Higness/The Quietus/2016 EP Review

  Your  Highness  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016 ep  "The  Quietus".

  A  very  dark  bass  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  the  only  song  on  this  recording  before  over  20  minutes  and  a  few  seconds  later  aggressive  yet  melodic  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  and  psychedelic  sounds  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  after  awhile  drums  start  to  kick in  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars.

  When  guitar  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording  they  give  the  music  more  of  a  70's  rock  feeling  with  also  adding  stoner  elements  into  the  music  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody while  also  bringing  in  the  heaviness of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  when  slide  guitars  are  utilized  they  bring  in  elements  of  blues rock  into  the  song  along  with  some  touches  of  country  music  and  the  songs  also  brings  in  a great  mixture  of  slow  and  mid  paced  parts.

  Your Highness  plays  a  musical  style  on  this  recording  that  takes  the  heaviness  of  stoner  and  sludge  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  elements  of  classic  rock,  blues  and  country  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Your  Highness  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge  and  stoner  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  8  out  of  10.

Fragment/Nothing Will Ever be the Same/Atypeek Music/2016 CD Review

  Fragment  are  a  band  from  France  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  post  metal,  drone  and  shoegaze  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Nothing  Will  Ever  be  the  Same"  which  was  released  by  Atypeek  Music.

  Atmospheric  sounding  drones  start  off  the  album  while  also  throwing  in  some  elements  of  noise  and  after  a  few  seconds  the  music  starts  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  and  melodies  can  also  be  heard in  a  great  amount  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  a  lot  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Elements  of  industrial  and post  rock  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  cleaner  sections  bring  in  influences of  shoegaze  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  as  the  album  progresses  ambient  style  synths  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction  and  there is  also  a brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars and  they  close  with  an  instrumental.

  Fragment  creates  a  recording  that  is  mostly  in  the  post  metal  and  shoegaze  style  while  also  being  very  experimental  at  the  same  time,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my   opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Fragment  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  post  metal,  experimental  and  shoegaze,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Got  To  Let  You  Go"  "With  Eagle's  Claws"  and  "Into  Silence".  8  out  of  10.     

Psalm Zero/Stranger To Violence/Profound Lore/2016 CD Review

  Psalm  Zero  are  a  band  from  New  York  that  plays  a  very avant  garde  and  experimental  form  of  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2016  album  "Stranger  To  Violence"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Profound  Lore.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  atmospheric  post  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  violins  being  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  parts  before  adding  in  clean  singing  vocals  that  bring  in  touches of  death rock  and  post  punk  and  clean  playing  can  also  be heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard.

  Elements  of  synth  pop can  be  heard  in  the  music  and  the  guitar  leads  are  also  done  in  a  melodic  style  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awhile  aggressive  industrial  vocals are  added onto  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals  and  all  of t he  songs  stick  to  a  slow  musical  direction  and  acoustic guitars  are added  on  the  last  track.

  Psalm  Zero  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes post  metal  and  post  punk  and  mixes  it  with  experimental,  death  rock,  synth  pop,  industrial  and  avant  garde  elements  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  some  something  original,  the  production  sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  existential  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Psalm  Zero  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental,  post  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Stranger  To  Violence"  "Not  Guilty"  and  "Oblivion's  Eye".  8  out  of  10. 

Shatter Messiah/Orphans Of Chaos/Sleaszy Rider Records/2016 CD Review

  Shatter  Messiah  are  a  band  from  Akron,  Ohio  that  plays  a  mixture  of  power  and thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Orphans  of  Chaos"  which  was  released  by  Sleaszy  Rider  Records.

  Melodic  guitar  leads  and  heavy  riffs  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  singing  power  metal  vocals  that  also  get  very  aggressive  at  times  and  the  music  also  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  modern  thrash  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of t he  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Throughout  the recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  they  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  80's  influences  in  with  a  more  modern  style  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  during  some  of  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  some  of  the  leads  also  add  in  progressive  and  technical  elements  and  on  the  last  2  tracks  towards  the  end  clean  playing  is  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  last  songs  is  a  power  ballad  as  well  a s being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Shatter  Messiah  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  power  and  thrash  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  a  more  modern  metal  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  anti  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Shatter  Messiah  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  power  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fix  For  Demise"  "Forget  Forgiveness"  "Doom"  and  "Free".  8  out  of  10.

 

Final Sign/Hold High The Flame/Tridroid Records/2016 Cassete Review

  Final Sign  are  a  band  from  North  Carolina  that  plays  a  mixture  of  heavy,  power,  speed,  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Hold  High  The  Flame"  which  will  be  released  on  cassette  in  October  by  Tridroid  Records.

  A  very  hard,  heavy  and melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along with  some  power  metal  style  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  while  mixing  it  in  with  a  more  modern  production  and  when  back  up  gang  shouts  are  utilized  they  bring  elements  of  thrash  onto  the  recording.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  remain  true  to  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  style  of  metal  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  elements  of  traditional  and  speed  metal  and  on  some  tracks  the  vocals  start  utilizing  more  aggression  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  while  towards  the  end  one  of t he  songs  also  adds  in  a  few  seconds  of  blast  beats.

  Final  Sign  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  traditional,  power, speed  and  thrash  metal  genres  and  mixes  them  together  with  a  more  up  to  date  approach,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  allegorical  presentation  of  human  issues  and  fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Final  Sign  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  heavy,  power,  speed  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Burn  the  Temple  Down"  "The  Sinister  Silence"  and  "The  Ominous Black".  8  out  of  10.

 

Bombarder/Okot Iz Pakla/Grom Records/2016 CD Review

  Bombarder  are  a  band  that  is  originally  from  Bosnia  but  now  resides  in  Serbia  that  has  a  30  year  history  and  plays  a  mixture  of  speed  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Okot  Iz  Pakla"  which  was  released  by  Grom  Records.

  Dark  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  and  they  also  use  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  which  also  introduces  melodic  guitar  leads  onto  the  recording  while  the  guitar  riffing  is  done  in  more  of  an  80's  thrash  style  along  with  some  very  aggressive  shouting  vocals.

Melodies  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  they  also  bring  in  a  more  modern  take  to  their  old  school  thrash  style  while  some  of  the  guitar  leads  also  bring  in  elements  of  traditional  metal  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  mix  in  a  touch  of  speed  metal  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Koldbrann's  "Davolja  Vrsalica".

  Bombarder  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  speed  and  thrash  metal  styles  of  the  80's  and  keeps  them  heavy enough  to  compete  with  the  younger  bands  playing  in  the  same  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  their  native  tongue  and  cover  death,  Satanism,  society  and  metal  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Bombarder  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  speed  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blizu  je  Kraj"  "Sam  protiv  svih"  "Satrati  ve"  and  "Potopljeni  Raj".  8  out  of  10.

Corrective Measure/Self Titled/Atomic Action! Records/2016 EP Review

  Corrective Measure  are  a  band  from  Maine  that  plays  an  old  school  form of  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2016  ep  which  was  released  by  Atomic  Action!  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  after  awhile  hardcore  style  shouting  vocals  are added  into  the  music  and  when  the  songs  speed  up they  also  bring  in  the  raw  energy  of  punk  and  the  music  is  rooted  in  the  80's.

  Most  of  the  songs  are  very  short  in  length  while  the  music  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and   the  music  is  very  heavily  influenced  by  the  east  coast  style  of  hardcore while  some  songs  also  bring  up  in  back  up  gang  shouts  and  the  whole  ep  also  ramins  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  leads.

  Corrective  Measure  plays  a  style  of  hardcore  that  is  more  rooted  in  the  80's  and  90's  while  also  ignoring  all  modern  trends,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  Corrective  Measure  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  style  hardcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS INCLUDE  "No  Acceptance"  and  "Resort  to  Violence".  8  out  of  10.

Psychotron/Lethal Paralysis/Mortuary Productions/2016 EP Review

  Psychotron  are  a  band  from  Bangladesh  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Lethal  Paralysis"  which  was  released  by  Mortuary  Productions.

  A  very  heavy,  aggressive  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  blast  beats  a  few  seconds  later  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  style  of  thrash  metal  and  the  vocals  also  go  for  the  more  aggressive  side  of  the  genre.

  At  times  the  vocals  utilize  melodic  screams  and  the  solos  and  leads  remain  true  to  a  more  melodic  style  of  old  school  thrash  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  bass  guitar  leads  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  heavy  musicla s tyle.

  Psychotron  plays  a  style  of  thrash  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  while  also  bringing  back  a  more  aggressive  and  less  melodic  take  on  the genre  than  some  of  the  current  bands,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Psychotron  are  a  very  great  sounding  aggressive,  old  school  thrash  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out t his  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Pothead"  and  "Grinder".  8  out  of  10.   

Blood Region/Of Northern Fire/Inverse Records/2016 EP Review

  Blood  Region  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes thrash  metal  with  influences  of  NWOBHM  to  create  a  musical  style  they  refer  to  as  'korpi  metal;'  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Of  Northern  Fire"  which  was  released  by  Inverse  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  being  introduced  onto  the  recording  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  guitar  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  after  awhile  aggressive  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  while t hey  also  use  a  great  amount  of clean  singing.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  ep  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  while  the  music  has  a  lot  of  80's  influences  it  still  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  modern  metal  elements  and  clean  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  progressive  elements  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Blood  Region  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  both  both  and  old  school  thrash  and  mixes  it  in  with  elements  of  power  metal,  NWOBHM  and  progressive  rock  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Blood  Region  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  heavy  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Intergalactic  Psychonaut"  and  "December".  8  out  of  10.

    

Satan/Atom By Atom/Listenable Records/2015 CD Review

  Satan  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  are  from  the  NWOBHm  era  and  plays  a  proto  form  of  thrash  and  speed  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Atom  By  Atom"  which  was  released  by  Listenable  Records.

  Power  metal  style  screams  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  yet  melodic  speed  metal  direction  where  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  while  the  vocals  bring  in  more  of  a  traditional  metal  style  of  singing  and  the music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  70's  and  early  80's.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  which  they  also  mix  in  with  a  great  amount  of  proto  thrash  elements  and  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  the  classic  and  melodic  NWOBHM  style  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  shouting  style  vocals  and  spoken  words  are  also  used  briefly  on  the  last  track  which  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Satan  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  NWOBHM  and  proto  thrash/speed  metal  sound that  was  established  on  previous  recordings,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Mythology  and  historical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Satan  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  NWOBHM,  power,  speed  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Farewell  Evolution  1"  "The  Devil's  Infantry"  "Ahriman"  and  "The  Fall  Of  Persephone".  8  out  of  10.

Green Death/Manufacturing Evil/EMP Label Group/2016 Full Length Review

  Green  Death  are  a  band  from  Des  Moines,  Iowa  that  plays  a  style  of  thrash  that  mixes  both  the  old  school  and  modern  styles  of  the  genre  together and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016 album  "Manufacturing  Evil"  which  will  be  released  in July  by  EMP  Label  Group.

 Classical  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  symphonic  elements  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  thrash  metal  direction  along  with  some  power  metal  style  screams  and  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  and  after  awhile  the  vocals  start  getting  more  aggressive along  with  some  back  up  gang  shouts.

  While  the  music  is  rooted  in  the  past  the  production  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  modern  day  feeling  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  an  old  school  style  of  thrash  and  clean  playing  along  with  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  a  couple  of  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  death  metal  growls.

  Green  Death  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  aggressive  and  melodic  style  of  thrash  metal  of  the  mid  80's  and  takes  it  into  a  more  modern  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  profesisonal  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Green  Death are  a  very  great  sounding  thrash  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Manufacturing  Evil"  "Soulless"  and  "Devil's  Night".  8  out  of 10. 

Mizery/Absolute Light/Flatspot Records/2016 CD Review

  Mizery  are  a  band  from  San  Diego,  California  that  plays  a  very  aggressive  form of  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Absolute  Light"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Flatspot  Records.

  A  very  distorted  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  riffing  and  after  awhile  they  take  the  music  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  some   aggressive  hardcore  style shouting  vocals  and  you  can  also  hear  influences  of  thrash  in  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  some  elements  of  east  coast  style  hardcore.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow, mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  they  also  bring  in  a  brief  acoustic  instrumental  before  returning  back  to a  heavier  direction  on  the  following  tracks  and  some  songs  also bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Mizery  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  east  coast  hardcore  style  of  the  90's  and  mixes  it  with  some  thrash  elements  and  also  takes  the  genre  into  a  more  modern  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  poetic,  spiritual  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mizery  are  a  very  great  sounding  hardcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "One  Kiss"  "The  Bvtcher"  "Discrimination  Of  The  Eye"  and  "The  Hard  goodbye".  8  out  of  10. 

The Process/The Covenant Of The Cosmos/At War With False Noise/SuperFi/2016 LP Review

  The  Process  are  a  band  from  Scotland  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  metallic  form  of  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "The  Covenant  Of  the  Cosmos"  which  will  be  released  in  July  as  a  joint  effort  between  At  War  With  False  Noise  and  SuperFi.

A  very  hard  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  drums  kicking  in  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  a  heavier direction  along  with  some  electronic  music  sounds  being  used  briefly  in  the  background  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  and  the  vocals  are  also  done  in  a  very  aggressive  hardcore  screaming  style  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  punk  and  extreme  metal  influences  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  A  couple  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief use  of  death  metal  growls  and  some  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  synths  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  heavy  and  aggressive  style  of  hardcore  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  The  Process  plays  a  style  of  hardcore  that  is  very  heavily  influenced  by  extreme  metal  while  also  having  its  melodic  moments,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Hermetic,  Rosicrucrian,  Freemason  and  Illuminati  themes.

  In  my opinion  The  Process  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  and  metallic  hardcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ceaseless  Burning  Desires"  "Covenant  Of  The  Cosmos"  "V.I.T.R.I.O.L"  and  "Ouroboros".  8  out  of  10.

Lightsabres Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
I'm recording a new album. With a drummer this time so it's gonna be the first album where I don't play every instrument myself.
Also it's the first album I'm recording in a proper studio instead of in my living room.

2.You have a new album coming out in July, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
First off, it's already been released digitally and on vinyl back in April by UK label HeviSike Records. The cassette release on MCR comes
with a bonus track though. Musically I'd say it's slower and not as raw as the previous albums, with a couple of songs that are more
psychedelic than heavy.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Love and death, basically. I write more about feelings than of wizards and goblins. But I don't really like discussing the lyrics, they're about
whatever you as a listener want them to be about. If people can relate that's great.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Lightsabres'?
Well, it's clearly inspired by Star Wars, but that's the only Star Wars connection. I just thought it was a cool band name!

5.What are some of the best shows that the band ha splayed so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Lightsabres have never played live, as I'm the only band member.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
Nothing planned. I've thought about putting a live band together, but it's only on the planning stage right now. We'll see what happens with that.

7.The new album is coming out on 'Medusa Crush Recordings' are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?
MCR have released "Demons" and "Beheaded" on cassette before and I have no complaints, haha. Mathieu is a great guy who knows what he's doing, I'm really
proud to be part of the MCR roster.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your recordings by fans of hard music?
It's been great. When "Demons" was released I was a actually surprised how well it was received by the stoner/doom-audience, I thought I had recorded a punk album!
Or "stoner-punk" as I like to call it. I've sold records to the US, UK, Germany, Finland, Argentina, Sweden... even to fucking Indonesia! Which is super cool.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
The album I'm recording right now is gonna be faster and heavier than anything I've done before, mixed with some more laid back moments. And less lo-fi, the lo-fi days
are over, for now at least. But after that I have absolutely no idea, maybe an all acoustic album, that could be cool.

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?
Danzig-era Misfits, Smashing Pumpkins and Thin Lizzy are probably my main influences, maybe some Alice In Chains and Queens Of The Stone Age too.
I grew up listening to a lot of the US grunge/alternative bands of the 90's, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, STP, Screaming Trees, Dinosaur Jr, Soundgarden etc...
and I think all of them have influenced me, in one way or another.
I'm listening to so much music all the time, 70's rock, doom, death metal, psych, goth, shoegaze, prog. There's so much good new music coming out all
the time it's impossible to keep up, but I'm trying!  

11.What are some of your new musical interests?
I've been getting into jazz lately. I've always thought jazz was boring, but I've realized, if you listen to the right kind of jazz, it's actually really weird
and completely fucked up music, in a good way!

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I think we're living in very exciting times when it comes to heavy and psychedelic music, and I'm just happy I can be a part of that. Keep on rockin!

Doomain Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
1) Doomain it’s a traditional-Doom Metal band, inspired by the feelings of the Epic Doom. Less frippery, evil riffs, epic melodies; totlly old-school.

2.Recently you have released a demo, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
2) Seems stupid but I just tried to write some songs. That’s all. No intros, less riffs, refrains.
It’s not a commercial purpose, I just wanted to play the essence. The 3-minutes-intros are boring, like the long solos or the psychedelics stuff which can’t make you feel something. My house window overlooks on a cemetery and I just tried to create solemns, cemeterial and epic sounds. Nothing more.


3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?
3) The thing that I really hate is to write lyrics, I’m not very able to do that job.
My lyrics speaks about blood, fights, wars, death, honor and bullshits like these ones.
I can speak about all, it’s not a limit for me. Said this, my lyrics will never speaks about religion or politic in a serious way. These are only tales, just entertainment.


4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Doomain'?
4) Taking the d(o)omain of the Doom Metal world! Becoming the number one! I’m joking, obviously.


5.With this project you record everything by yourself but have had experience playing in a full band, how would you compare the 2?
5) Obviously the best for a musician it’s playing with other peoples, but even if I live in a city like Milan,
finding someone for a more-members band it’s still hard, above all for a genre like the traditional Doom Metal. This is not my first “solitude experince”, also years ago, with my Punk band called “Gore”, I was the only one in the project. At least with the time I learn many things which helpes me when I’m alone. About the vocals it has been really hard, I didn’t sung for many years and my voice is rusted, for now. Anyway, for the next album, there will be a real drummer!



6.Are you open to working with other musicians in a live sitting or are you planning on keeping this as a studio project?
6) At the moment no, I don’t want to bring Doomain in live side, but we’ll see in the future.


7.The demo was released on 'Masked Dead Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
7) Masked Dead Records it’s an emerging and crazy label. Matteo (the owner) it’s at his debut,
and makes fantastic things that only a young man can do, that is all what he wants. Fuck the music business.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom metal?
8) Masked Dead Records printed 50 copies, so speaking about it it’s a little big. Doomain it’s a very little band. But many of the copies has been sold out of Italy, and I am really happy with this.


9.Where do you see yourself heading into musically during the future?
9) In the future? As new Black Sabbath member!
Sincerely, I don’t know which will be my “doom”, but I just hope to keep playing good music.
Today I like the dark world of Doom Metal, toworrow… Who can say what I’ll play?


10.What are some of the bands or musical projects that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
10) A lot! You ready? First of all, the finnish Sarcofagus, a stunning band! “Envoy of Death" (1980, a massive masterpiece) it’s not totally Doom but it’s very dark and evil. Kimmo Kuusniemi guitar parts are fabolous, same for the “harsh” vocals of Jukka Homi ! The album has been repressed in 1996 by Mellotron Records, which years ago had a shop near my house. Obviously the other main influences comes from Saint Vitus, Black Sabbath & Dio, maybe the best “Metal” singer ever. The italians Death SS, Angel Witch, Manowar, Warlorld and the great Scald, an underground band that any fan of the Epic Doom should know. The other influences comes from the extreme Metal, like Nifelheim , their “Devils Force” it’s a masterpiece: the evil and melodic use of the guitars, sons of Iron Maiden and Treblinka it’s incredible!
I also want to recomend you two italians bands: Psychedelic Witchcraft and Hands Of Orlac, two Rock/Doom fantastic band, very different compared to Doomain. I also love the old school Death Metal (‘80’s/’90’s), Elvis’ Rock’n’Roll, Meteors’ Psychobilly, Misfits’ Punk and many other stuff.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?

11) I am a very curious guy: I collect old toys, comics, bands’ and film’s t-shirts, cds/lps, dvds, films’ posters. I also love photography and cooking.


12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12) Yes sure, THANK YOU. This is the most important word I want to tell you.
If underground bands still exists it’s only cause of you, which within the bands you live in the underground; like us, for only passion. THANK YOU, really. – Gore Soprano

Fistula/Longing For Infection/2016 Full Length Review

  Fistula  are  a  band  from  Cleveland,  Ohio  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  with  a  touch  of  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Longing  For  Infection"  which  will  be  released  in  July.

  Annoying  type  vocals  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  which  also  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  thrash  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  it  brings  in  more  of  a  hardcore  style  along  with  some  screaming  vocals  along  with  some  touches  of  crust  and  d  beat  and you  you  can  also h ear  an  influence  of  thrash  in  the  music.

  Spoken  word  samples  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  some  of  the  riffs  also  utilize  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  songs  also  bring  in a   great  mixture  of   slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while all  of  the  songs  remain  true  to  a  heavy  musical  direction  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads a re  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  melodic  fashion.

  Fistula  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  hardcore  influenced  style  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  anti  religion,  drugs,  death  and  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Fistula  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  hardcore,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Too  Many  Devils  And  Drugs" "Destitute"  and  "Detox".  8  out  of  10.

Avenger Of Blood/On Slaying Grounds/Times End Records/2016 CD Review

  Avenger  Of  Blood  are  a  band  from  Las  Vegas,  Nevada  that  plays  a  very  aggressive  form  of  thrash  metal  with  some  death  metal  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "On  Slaying   Grounds"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Times  Ends  Records.

  Wind  sounds  start  off  the album  along  with  some  whispers  and  spoken  word  samples  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  aggressive  old  school  thrash  metal  direction  along  with  some  screaming  vocals  and  blast  beats  and  the  music  goes  for  more  of  an  80's  style  of  thrash  metal  along  with  a  touch of  early  death  metal.

  At  times  the  riffs  can  be  very  melodic  and  you  can  also h ear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  bring  in   an  old  school  style  of  thrash  and  while  the  music  is  rooted  in  the  past  the  production  makes  the  tracks  sound  more  modern  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  elements  that  where  considered  as  being  very  technical  in  the  mid  80's  or  early  90's  and  all  of the  songs  remain  very  true  to  a  heavy  sound.

  Avenger  Of  Blood  plays  a  style  of  thrash  that  goes  back  to  the  80's  German  style  of  the  genre  while  also  mixing  in  some  death  metal  influences to  create  a  very  heavy  recording, the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  apocalypse  and  post  apocalyptic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Avenger  Of  Blood  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 t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "On  Slaying  Grounds"  "Aggressive  Psychotic  Behavior"  "Spawn  of  Evil"  and  "A  Curse  From  The  Grave".  8  out  of  10.

Paul Chain/Alkahest/Minotauro Records/2016 CD Review

  Paul  Chain  is  a  solo  artist  from  the  united  Kingdom  that  has  been  around  for  almost 40  years  first  with  Death  SS,  and  his  other  projects  as  well  as  his  solo  work  and  has  also  been  a  very  huge  influence  on  both  of  the  occult  and  doom  metal  scenes  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2016  album  "Alkahest"  which  was  released  by  Minotauro  Records  and  is  in  the  traditional  styl  of  occult  doom  metal.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  70's  style  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  a  few  seconds  later   and  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  an  old  school  metal/rock  style  and  while  the  music  is  rooted  in  the  past  the  production  makes  the  songs  have  a  more  current  style.

  As  the  album  progresses  keyboards  are  added  onto  some  of  the  songs  and  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  haunting  atmosphere  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  a small  amount  of  grim  whispers  and  a  few  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  folk  instruments  on  one  song  and  on  the  later  tracks  Lee  Dorian  of  Cathedral  starts  doing  the  vocals  and  brings  in  a  rougher  style  to  the  music  which  is  also  more  close  to  his  own  band  and  every  track  sticks  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction  while  the  album  closes  with  a  cover  of  Black  Sabbath's  "Electric  Funeral"  and  some  songs  also  add  in  acoustic  guitars.

  Paul  Chain  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  occult  doom  metal  style  of  previous  recordings  while  also  having  a  more  up  to  date  approach  to  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Paul  Chain  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of   traditional  and  occult  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Roses  Of  Winter"  "Three  Water"  "Static  End"  and  "Sepulchral  Life".  8  out  of  10.   

BattleX Interview

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

We’re a four-piece from Maribor, Slovenia that plays a mix of thrash metal and heavy metal with some modern elements to keep it interesting.

2.In January you had released your first full length, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

The first EP was, in a sense, more “traditional” in terms of song structure. We also had a dedicated singer, who had a completely different vibe than what the album offers.
The album is what I’d call straightforward but effective. We didn’t overdo the production elements; we went with a simple but powerful sound that conveys what we wanted to without making too many detours. We wanted to write a varied but relatable piece that every metal fan could enjoy and find themselves in, which I think we’ve achieved.

3.The band has been around since 2007 but so far has only released an ep and a full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap in between releases?

It was mostly due to line-up changes and difficulties with securing a rehearsal space. We usually mention 2007 as the band’s “birthyear”, but in reality, the band has been active since 2010 and though the line-up has been the same since then, it has only been stable since early 2013. That’s why it took a bit longer than most bands to make our first record and EP.

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

The topics explored are mostly socially critical; nearly all the songs deal with an aspect of modern society. Corruption (Dignity), war (Whispers in the Sand), prejudice and mistrust (Circus of Trust), religion (The Hierophant), hypocrisy (Face to Face) and of course, the human obsession with destruction (Imminent Downfall). Even Break Your Bones and Raise Hell, which are a bit lighter in tone have a social undertone since they are about the metal community. Final Confrontation stands out a little because it deals with personal struggles, overcoming something that burdens you.

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

The inspiration is a bit anti-climactic; I wasn’t in the band at the time, but I believe the band simply chose a word that sounded cool and added X to the end. To be honest, I wasn’t particularly fond of it when I joined the band, but over time, it subconsciously grew on me and the more I wrote both music and lyrics for the band, the more meaning it came to have. To me, it means remaining a combative spirit, fighting for (or against, whichever fits your situation) something, whatever it may be.

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?

Actually one of the best shows we’ve had was pretty recent: we played on the End of All Nights festival in Temelin, CZ. Our time slot was really late, I broke a string, Simeon broke a spring on his double-bass pedal, but even though it seemed like everything went wrong, the crowd went crazy and we had a really good time.
Also, a local show in Maribor in early 2016 really blew my face off. There were a lot of people, but folks we know and new faces, we gave it everything we had and the people fed us the energy right back.
I’d say people appreciate our relentless energy and no-bullshit approach. Recently I’ve noticed a lot of bands give speeches between songs (mostly American bands, for some reason) on God knows what (usually not particularly related to the song) and while I respect those bands (not dropping any names), I think it’s a waste of time and the people’s attention. Plug in, rock out.

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

Right now we’re buckling down again to write some new material and hopefully make another music video. We had a ton of fun making the video for “Imminent Downfall” and we want to do another one.

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

Nothing so far, but we hope our debut will stir up enough attention to land us a record deal.

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

Pretty positive actually! We’ve had positive reviews from South American and European webzines, and our like count on fb went up a lot after we released the video. If any of your readers would like to review our album and post it on-line, for example on http://metal-archives.com, you can hear it on our bandcamp site: http://battlex.bandcamp.com.

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

We have two (well two and a half, I guess) songs for the new record and I’d say they’re moving in a more intense and streamlined direction than the previous record. I’m still a bit torn on the vocal style for the future, so far I’d say it’s also leaning towards the heavier side of the spectrum.

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?

We come from very different musical backgrounds, but heavy metal and thrash is what we all seem agree on. 80s thrash bands like Testament, Kreator or Metallica were a huge influence on us, there’s no secret there. There are also less conspicuous moments, like the intro for Whispers in the Sand, which was inspired by Pink Floyd and 70s psychedelic rock, or the bass line in the chorus of Face to Face, which is basically “walking bass”, not something you’d normally have in thrash. Like I said, we like varied music, and I think it shows.
Personally, I keep moving from one thing to the next fairly often; nowadays, I’m on a huge mid-2000s Exodus kick, Tempo of the Damned and Shovel Headed Kill Machine all day long. Lately I’ve also been rolling Satan’s Atom By Atom; Satan is one of my favourite bands and while I still prefer Life Sentence, Atom By Atom is a Satan record through and through.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Support metal bands both small and big, buy the merch, discover new bands, share your on the music and above all, never stop headbanging!

Tankobot Interview

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

Currently we are all excited about seeing an exposition on the hidden evolution of secret duck societies, since we are heavily into all things duck-related.

Apart from that we're writing songs, playing them on stage and leaving happy people, as long as they like extreme music. We're pretty happy with that ourselves.



2.In October you had released your first demo, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Shredding, blasting, pounding … for thrash metal to really unfold you need a sound that's warm and dry at once, and Torsten nailed that in the mix. The guitar sound and drum conditions were pretty high level to begin with, but he put it all together just right.



3.The band has been around since 2011 but waited until 2015 to release any music, can you tell us a little bit more about the first 4 years?

Tankobot was more of a meeting spot plus songwriting among friends until I (Metin) joined. Once we realized how cool we sounded we still had no singer which caused some delay. Finally Jo Fingergrinder stepped up to the task and did very good in amazingly little time and it went from there on. We've been playing since and recording in the spare time. Jo proved to be a natural front man That's the first years.



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

Things we see and do not like. Well, mostly people we do not like, and why we do not like them. Human societies around the globe are an endless source of disgust, and sometimes it is so bad or just so shitty we just have to write about it. I think your description of the lyrics „touching dark and real life themes“ is a good summary. No satan, no orcs, no vikings. Just realities that are so much harsher than anything else.





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

Our inspiration were tanks and robots. And ducks.



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?

Our stage performance is us stepping on stage, doing what we do. There are no effects, costumes or alter egos, just the songs (as befits the lyrical contents). And when you're on after we're finished you'll really have to deliver.

Best shows – so far there were no bad ones, really. Even the smallest and crappiest venues were fun because we had other good bands with us. A really cool one was opening for Night Demon, because the place was packed to the ceiling and we got great reactions from a crowd that came for a whole different kind of music.



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

Yes and yes.



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

Yes, yes and yes. We are currently entering first talks, but that's all there is to say right now. In any case we'll only take a deal that's reasonable or unreasonably good for us, or go independent.





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

We got love from the Ruhr area – the most important region for this music worldwide – down to south america, thrash land as well.



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

We'll be recording later this year. But with 2016 being half done I guess the release will take until next year.



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?

Besides the obvious roots in Thrash and Florida Death Metal we have strong influences in Punk and Hardcore, and bands who crossed from there. Suicidal Tendencies, Nuclear Assault, S.O.D. …

We all dig lots of classic bands like Iron Maiden, Motörhead, Ozzy or King Diamond. Apart from Metal and Rock there's bluesy stuff as well, ZZ Top and Dr. John spring to mind. And then there's Kyuss. Tough question to answer shortly.



Plus everyone brings along different personal favourites, from Ministry through Mastodon, Triptykon, Rush or Guns 'n' Roses to Toto and Pink Floyd.

And we love Slayer.



12.What are some of your non musical interests?

The usual – art, science, cultural and political studies, frozen pizza, pornography and video games. Jo partakes in the very, very german concept of schrebergardening, which means you have a little garden apart from your home, among other such gardens. Come weekend, all the gardeners hang out there in front of little sheds or caravans, and of course you have to be a member of the local gardener's association. It's all extremely german, and the image of Jo Fingergrinder right there in the middle is fucking hilarious.



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

Sorry, no thoughts, but thanks for having us.





Kind regards and thanks for your support,

Torsten