Snowchild/Age Of Change/Kozmik Artifactz/2017 LP Review

  Snowchild  are  a  band  from  Wichita,  Kansas  that  plays  a  mixture  of  psychedelic,  stoner  rock  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Age  Of  Change"  which  was  released  by  Kozmik  Artifactz.

  A  very  heavy  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  music  mixing  a  70's  style  with  a  more  up  to  date  atmosphere  and most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Psychedelic  elements  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  more  of  a  retro  and  stoner  rock  style  along  with  some  songs  also  bringing  in  clean  guitars,  on  one  of  the  tracks  the  bass  guitars  start  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  leads  as  well  as  the  music  always  sticking  to  a  very slow  style.

  Snowchild  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  70's  era  psychedelic  rock  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  with  a  more  modern  stoner  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Snowchild  ate  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  psychedelic,  stoner  rock  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Age  od  Change"  and  "Boudica".  8  out  of  10. 

     

Mammuth/Outlander/Negative Vibe Records/2018 Full Length Review

  Mammuth  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Outlander"  which  will  be  released  in  2018  by  Negative  Vibe  Records.

  Drum  beats  along  with  some  heavy  riffing  starts  off t he  album  along  with  some  vocals  which  use  melodic  singing  along  with  some  aggressive  screams  while  elements  of  sludge  and  groove  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  the  riffs  also bringing  in a  great  amount  of  melody. 

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  while  the  riffs  also  mix  in  elements  of  thrash  metal  and  stoner  rock  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  steel  guitars  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  southern  feeling  and  they  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  prog  influences  at  times,  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  on  a  few  tracks.

  Mammuth  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  stoner,  sludge,  groove,  thrash  and  prog  metal  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mammuth  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  prog,  stoner  and  sludge  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Circling  Vultures"  "God  Eater"  "Ight  Years"  and  "Space  Ghost".  8  out  of  10.  

Into The Storm/Smooth Sailing/2018 Split Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Seattle,,  Washington's  Into  The  Storm  and  Smooth  Sailing  which  will  be  self  released  in  2018  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Into  The  Storm  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  progressive  mixture  of  sludge  metal  and  noise  rock.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy  guitar  sound  along  with  some  angry  sludge  style  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  also  gives  the  songs  a  more  progressive  edge  as  well  a s all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful.

  Elements  of  noise  rock  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  vocals  also  have  their  melodic  moments  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the  second  track  being  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Into  The  Storm  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  progressive  sludge  metal  and  noise  rock,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Murder,  Murder,  Murder".

  Next  up  is  Smooth  Sailing  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  metal,  noise  rock  and  hardcore  punk.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  punk  style  riffing  along  with  some  angry  sounding  hardcore  style  vocals  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  sludge  metal  and  noise rock  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a very  melodic  fashion  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  humorous  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  Smooth  Sailing  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge  metal,  hardcore  punk  and  noise  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Hey  Girl, Egg  Roll,  David  Grohl". 

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  sludge  metal  and  noise  rock.8  out  of  10.

    

[b.abuse]/Memories Of Better Days Are Gone/WOOAAARGH/2018 CD Review

  [b.abuse]  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  an  experimental  form  of  post  crust  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Memories  Of  Better  Days  Are  Gone"  which  will  be  released  in  2018  by  WOOAAARGH.

  Dark  yet  heavy  riffing  starts  off  the  album  while  the  vocals  are  aggressive  crust/hardcore  style  shouts  and  screams  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody,  melodic  vocals are  also  utilized  at  times.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  while  the  synths  when  they  are  utilized  give  the  songs  a  more  experimental  and  atmospheric  feeling  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  and  spoken  word  parts  also  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  saxophones,  one  of  the  later  tracks  is  an  instrumental  and  one  of  the  later  songs  is  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  music  sticks  either  to  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.

   [b.abuse]   plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  crust  punk,  post  metal  and  experimental  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the   production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  political  themes.

  In  my  opinion   [b.abuse]   are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  mixture  of  crust  punk  and  post  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Promise  Empty"  Days  Gone  By"  and  "We  Are  Like  Ants".  8  out  of  10.

 

   

  

Hawkmoth/Godless Summit/Black Bow Records/2017 CD Review

  Hawkmoth  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  an  instrumental  mixture  of  post,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Godless  Summit"  which  was  released  by  Black  Bow  Records.

  Atmospheric  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  guitars  and  post  rock  elements  a  few  seconds  later  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  Most  of  the  music  is  instrumental  but  spoken  word  parts  do  appear  briefly  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  bringing  in  a  more  melodic  post  metal  style  and  some  tracks  bring  in  a  more  experimental  style  as  well  as  all  of  the  tracks  sticking  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction.

  Hawkmoth  plays  a  musical  style that  mixes  post,  sludge  and  doom  metal  together  while  also  keeping  most  of  the  music  in  an  instrumental  direction  and  the  production  sounds  very  professional.

  In  my  opinion  Hawknoth  are  a  very  great  sounding  instrumental  mixture  of  post,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres, you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Godless  Summit"  and  "Charnel  Grounds".  8  out  of  10.

-(16)-/Fistula/PATAC Records/2017 Split EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  Los  Angeles,  California's  -(16)-  and  Cleveland,  Ohio's  Fistula  which  was  released  by  PATAC  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  -(16)-  a  band  that  plays  plays  sludge  metal  and  their  cover  of  Killing  Joke's  "Complications".

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  hard  and heavy  sound  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  while  the  vocals  are  both  aggressive  and  melodic  at  the  same  time  while  also  adding  in  a  more  sludge  metal  approach  in  their  version  and  mostly  sticks  to  a  mid  tempo  direction,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  decent  cover  tune  by  -(16)-  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge  metal  or  Killing  Joke,  you  should  enjoy  this  track.

  Next  up  is  Fistula  with  their  cover  of  Devo's  "Mongoloid".

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  powerful  sounding  bass guitar  before  adding  in  heavy  riffs  and  new  wave  style  synths  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  sludge  style  screams as  well  as  the  music  being  a  lot  more  heavier  than  than  original  version and  melodic  guitar  leads  are  also  used  briefly,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  track  from  Fistula  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge  metal,  you  should  enjoy  their  side  of  the  split.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  sludge  metal.  8  out  of  10.

Clamfight/III/Argonauta Records/2018 CD Review

  Clamfight  are    band  from  New  Jersey  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "III"  which  will  be  released  in  2018  by  Argonauta  Records.

  Clean  playing  along  with  some  drums  start  off  the  album  and  after  awhile  the  music  gets  heavier  while  also  adding  shouting  vocals  and  melodic  guitar  leads onto  the  recording  along  with  elements  of  sludge  metal  as  well  as  the  vocals  getting  more  angrier  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them. 

  Elements  of  70's  and  modern  stone r rock  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  psychedelic  elements  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  hardcore  in  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  as  well  as  the  riffing  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies,  clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  an  instrumental  can  be  heard  before  closing  the  album  with  a  heavier  track.

  Clamfight  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  stoner  and  sludge  metal  mixture  of  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  historical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Clamfight  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  stoner  and  sludge  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Selkie"  and  "History  Of  The  Earls  Of  Orkney".  8  out  of  10.

  

Corrosion Of Conformity/No Cross No Crown/Nuclear Blast America/2018 CD Review

  North  Carolina's  Corrosion  Of  Conformity  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  their  mixture  of   sludge  and  southern  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "No  Cross  No  Crown"  which  will  be  released  in  2018  by  Nuclear  Blast  America.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  southern  metal  style  riffing  a  few  seconds  alter  which  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  bring  in  a  a  very  melodic  70's  rock  style  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  mixing  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge.

  Vocals are  mostly  aggressive  sludge/hardcore  style  vocals  while  some  melodic  vocals  are  also  used  at  times  along  with  some  crossover  elements  being  added  into  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  as  well  as  a  couple  brief  acoustic  instrumentals  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic   in  length  and  the  music  also  mixes  in a  great  amount  of  blues  rock  influences  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  before  the  closing  track.

  Corrosion  Of  Conformity  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  southern  sludge  metal  style  that  they  also  played  a  role  in  creating,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  society,  politics  and  people  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Corrosion  Of  Conformity  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Luddite"  "Wolf  Named  Crow"  "Old  Disaster"  and  "Song  And  Daughter".  8  out  of  10.

Amenra/Mass VI/Neurot Recordings/2017 CD Review

  Belgium's  Amenra  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  their  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  metal  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Mass  VI"  which  was  released  by  Neurot  Recordings.

  Atmospheric  drones  start  off  the  album  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  heavy  riffs  bring  in  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  along  with  the  vocals  being  hardcore  style  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on the  recording.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  melodic  vocals  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  songs  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  some  of  the  riffing  also  mixes  in  elements  of  post  metal  as  well  as  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  when  acoustic  guitars  are  utilized  they  give  the  music  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  direction.

  Amenra  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  metal  and  hardcore,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  relationships,  love,  loss,  pain  and  spirituality  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Amenra  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Children  of  The  Eye"  and  "Daiken".  8 out  of  10. 

  

Iron Monkey/9-13/Relapse Records/2017 CD Review

  Iron  Monkey  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album "9-13"  which  was  released  by  Relapse  Records.

  A  crust  punk  influenced  d  beat  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  screaming  style  sludge  screams  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  doom  metal  elements  as  well  as  the  music  being  very  heavily  rooted  in the 90's  sludge  style.

  At  times the  music  brings  in  more  of  a  southern  and  stoner  metal  feeling  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  deeper  vocals  bringing  in  more of  a  crust  and  hardcore  style  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  d  beats  can  also  be  heard  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  small  amount of  melody,  guitar  leads  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length

  Iron  Monkey  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  sludge  metal  while  elements of  d  beat  and  crust  punk  can  be  heard  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  sickness,  drugs  and  humour  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Iron  Monkey  are  a  very  great  sounding  sludge  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Crown  Of  Electrodes"  "Toadcrucifier-R.I.P.P.E.R"  "The  Rope"  and  "Moreland  St.  Hammervortex".  8  out  of  10.    

Wolf Counsel/Age Of Madness/Reign Of Chaos/Czar Of Crickets Productions/2017 CD Review

  Wolf  Counsel  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  doom metal  with  some  elements  of  stoner  and  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Age  Of  Madness/Reign  Of  Chaos" which  was  released  by  Czar  Of  Crickets  Productions.

  Distorted  amp  sounds  start  off  the  album before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier doom  metal direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  as  well  as  the  vocals  being  done   mostly  in  a  clean  fashion.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  elements  of  stoner  and  sludge  metal  and  while  the  music  has a  lot  of  retro  influences  it  still  maintains  a  very  modern  atmosphere  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  guitars  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  and  the  music  always  sticks  to  a  very  slow  direction.

  Wolf  Counsel  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  doom  metal  style  of  previous  releases  while  also  mixing in  touches  of  sludge  and  stoner  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  spirituality,  mysticism and  philosophical  themes.

 In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from Wolf  Counsel  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  doom  metal  with  a  touch  of  stoner  and  sludge  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Semper  Occultus"  "Eternal  Solitude"  and  "Remembrance".  8  out  of  10.         

   

(D)juret/Sok Din Sect/Cramada/2018 EP Review

  (D)juret  are  a  band from  Sweden  that  plays  a  melodic  form  of  crust  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  ep  "Sok  Din  Sect"  which  will  be  released  in  2018  by  Cramada.

 Classical  guitars  along  with  some  melodic  yet  distorted  guitar  leads  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  also  mixing  in  some  melodic  vocals  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  used  on  the  other  tracks.

  Most  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction  while  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  dark  and  extreme  metal  elements  and  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  d  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length which  also  brings  in a   brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  (D)juret  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  crust  punk  and  melodic  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics are  written  in  Swedish  and  cover  darkness,  winter  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  (D)juret  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  crust  punk  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Sok  Din  Sect".  8  out  of  10.

Massgrav/Stockholm Rockers/Selfmadegod Records/2017 CD Review

  Massgrav  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  mixture  of  thrash  and  crust  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2017  album  "Stockholm  Rockers"  which  was  released  by  Selfmadegod  Records.

  Distorted  amp  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  angry  screams  a  few  seconds  later  which  also takes  the  music  into  a  faster  crust  punk  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash elements  as  well  as  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  short  in  length.

  All  of t he  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the music  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  80's  and  90's  influences  and  gives  them  a  more  modern  touch  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  hardcore  elements  as  well  as  the  guitar  leads  remaining  very  true  to  an  old  school  punk  rock  direction  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard and  the  music  always  remains  heavy.

  Massgrav  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  thrash  and  crust  punk  and  mixes  them together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Swedish  and  cover  angry  and  political  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Massgrav  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  thrash  and  crust  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Det  har  ar  Stockholm"  "Knegets  Pissoar"  "Alla  hatar  dig"  and  "Lat  drommarna  do".  8  out  of  10. 

 

  

High Reeper Interview

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

The band started as a studio project. Shane (the bass player) had been talking with Andrew (guitar) about doing a stoner rock record. Everyone in the band has been playing together on and off for the last 10 years or so. I don't think that Shane would possibly agree to do any record without Napz so he was a natural choice. Pat (guitar) had moved but kept in touch and he wanted to start paying again. When Andrew told me what was happening I was stoked and made it be known that I (Zach) wanted to sing. So we got together and hammered out three songs in the first rehearsal. We knew right away that this would not just be a studio band and that we really needed to play these songs live.

2.How would you describe your musical sound?

Our goal in in shaping our sound and recording this record was to keep it simple and organic and not overcomplicate things. We all of course love Sabbath and musically we try and do things that fit the feel of the first two Sabbath records (especially the first) just somewhat updated. Shane took that approach when engineering and mixing the record too for the most part. So we keep the songs pretty straightforward and just go by how they feel to us. We just try to make them rock as hard as possible while still maintaining a groove. (zach, vocals said that)


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

We try to keep a general theme of death, surrounded by pagan imagery. Everything generally revolves around the Reeper and his bidding, the nine gates of hell and what is sows, the graves he leaves in his wake and the rituals that conjure him from his slumber, Also leather, weed, boozing and gambling. We also sometimes start with a song title first and then build lyrics around that. (zach)

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

One of my friends who is a career criminal and is totally insane has a license plate that says "Reeper" because when he went to the DMV he wanted to get "reaper" but it was already taken. Although I am not a fan alternate spellings, I always liked the way that it looked. Kind of like when you see Led Zeppelin written, it just looks good. I work as a tattooist and have some old flash from the '70s and one of the pics is of a reaper smoking an opium pipe. I thought that High Reeper just sounded good together. When we were all tossing around names for the band everyone thought that it was appropriate. (shane)

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

So far every show we've played has been awesome. Our debut was really insane and we had a great gig in Brooklyn at Bar Matchless. Very fun show. What you'll get live is a lot of screaming, a lot of volume, a lot of head banging  and a lot of drinking. Stage left is usually lit. (andrew

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

We are booking shows for the fall right now and hope to tour in the new year.

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

We are unsigned and are looking for a label to press a vinyl LP for us.

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

So far the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.


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

I think that by writing and recording our record that we've been able to figure out what our sound is right now and we hope to roll with it for a while. We are not making any conscious decisions to sound one way or another, we would just like to continue with what we're doing. (Pat guitar).

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?

While we were making the record we were listening to a ton of early Black Sabbath and Motörhead because that's what we bonded over. The Datsuns and Sleep were on rotation as well as Humble Pie and The Faces just to hear Steve Marriott wail. Also have to give a nod to some bands from our area like Heavy Temple and Ruby The Hatchet who are really pushing the envelope.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Drinking

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

Yeah we just want to say that we've all been playing music for as long as we can remember and we do it because its what we are. We're all really excited about this band and really enjoy playing this music live.

Endless Void Interview

.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the musical project these days?
#1. Presently, my musical efforts are filled with self-promotional efforts.  For example I have been submitting the Endless Void/  "Apparitions" album to webzines and FM radio stations throughout the world.  I am attempting to gain recognition for my musical endeavors and achievements as well as subject a new generation of listeners to a more traditional genre of Heavy metal. The new music these days sounds allot alike to me and lacks originality and style. For the people that indulge in that sort of thing please do not be offended as this is just an opinionated statement. I will admit that I am influenced by the N.W.O.B.H.M and has become a guiding direction in my life.  However I do not mimic it but rather show my respect to the forerunners of the movement by letting my influences shine through in my music.  Allot of dead stringing and arrangement can in fact sound similar but as the songs progress personal style and technique begins to shine through.  All artists should strive for an individual and unique sound of their own when it all comes down to it.  This has always been my practice since I was young until the present day.  I am searching for a new and unique sound as well as attempting to combine everything from the classical masters to the present day Heavy metal. Quite simply with all respect I consider myself some sort of modern classical & Heavy metal Leopold of the 21st century searching for a new sound and attempting to influence all others interested. At the moment I am running an add on a website called Speed and Power as well as attempting to put out the word to radio stations, on radio interviews, and written interviews informing interested people & parties about reforming the Endless Void project. I recently contacted a former band mate Mark Alley of the local Erie, Pa band Doc Holiday who may be interested in resuming his place as the 6 string font man. I am also in the process of locating drummers for hire and researching large festivals as well as attempting to land a spot on a large bill as an opening act.  If all goes as anticipated I will attempt to tour the "Apparitions" full-length record album anywhere credible and possible.

2.2.How would you describe the musical sound on the recordings you have released so far?
#2.  Pretty much everything before Pro-Star studio is sub par with an exception of songs recorded here and their over the years.  For example the Cycling Troll Studio experience was average but the only thing I really achieved with any degree of anticipated success was the song titled "New York Girl" which I released with Antithesis Records in 1994 on a compilation disc titled "Airtrax".  Another song I had some success with was titled "Living to Die" also known as "Join The Grave." Both songs were later released with A.I.F Records on the "Final Doom" Demo. but desperately needed editing and remixing. Eventually I realized the importance of attempting to go independent and was actually encouraged to get away from A.I.F. Records but they were just to good to me at a time when I desperately needed affiliation in the music world. Most importantly when an artist becomes an independent he or she becomes their own boss. In other words no one can tell me what to do or how to do it.  This freedom is valued dearly. All in all I do not point the finger at others for my downfalls and misfortunes regarding sound quality.  Rather, I suggest to all interested people to never accept what you do not enjoy listening to unless the theory and sounds are undeniable. Even if a recording is sounding sub-par it still can serve as "evidence of progress."  Another factor one must consider is finances.  It takes allot of money to record music in the studio so make it count when you have the chance to do something that is important to you. You will only get what you pay for so if something sounds to good to be true than don't believe it

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?
#3.  My song topics include the themes of death and dying, supernatural activity, the occult, and spectral manifestation as well as the zodiac, nuclear destruction, and psychology/self-worth. These topics are all mixed together with both fact and fiction in order to enlighten listeners and make them think about it. Thus resulting in them coming to their own conclusion regarding such delicate and controversial maters. I am attempting to subject people to a new and radical style of music and song writing and at the same time inform them of something that is new and becoming part of the Proto-Doom metal realm of the 21st century.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Endless Void'?
# 4  Endless means without end and Void means empty. Combined the two words simply convey thoughts of the following: (1)infinity, (2) the gate to the cosmos, (3) eternity, (4) infinite regress (5) no beginning and no end, (6) always was and always will be without boundaries yet a place that exists in time and space.

5.For the most part this project is solo, how would you compare that to working with a full band?
#5  Working as a solo artist compared to a group/ band effort is always an interesting topic. Despite the fact the two are viewed as different in many ways they are in fact also very much alike.  As I have previously mentioned in other interviews I was the bass man for the popular Erie Pa band titled After Forever in the early 1980's.  This effort was one of my first attempts to become a functional group member (parts of the whole). It taught me to respect other peoples opinions and beliefs as well as assist in carrying them out.  We ran the project like a democratic society when it all boiled down to it. Yes the band was the idea of another guitarists who acted as a band director but he eventually quit for personal reasons.  The others left as well.  Therefore the other guitar player and myself (dyadic) considered forming a new band and agreed to call it the Endless Void. At this point we went from 2 musicians to 3 becoming a power trio (group).  Due to the fact we had more say in the project we accomplished goals and objectives faster by practicing and experimenting more often. This included recruiting a younger musician with a double bass drum kit. Eventually we  began to realize that we were better than anticipated and performed the songs we liked: (1) Love On Smack, (2) Friends of Hell, and (3) That's What Dream are Made Of combined with some barely par originals. After much experimentation the other founding guitarist eventually left the trio to pursue personal musical preference and I became a soloist as a result. Similarly I became like a dictator but yet an individual in charge of everything for the first time. Again I recruited local musicians as minions but it became a group thing repeatedly.

However my personal ideals still flourished just as they did when I was younger and would take off with my cousin to temporarily join and assist another band because we grew tired of waiting for ours to pull it together and perform.  The true meaning of becoming a soloist actually dawned on me during this period when I performed my first electric and classical bass solo at the Star Light Club on Parade street in Erie, Pa in 1984.  My cousin (vocals) and I (Bass) opened for the ever respected and well known local act Damien Steele with a band called Aragon.  We played two shows.  I was only 19 at the time and had a pop stamp because I was under age for alcoholic consumption.  Thus being fresh out of the music school with a limited but more than adequate direction, I applied some basic music theory to the modern metal sound and began my classical like music style.   Ideas of solo activity flourished in the Limelight.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in Occultism?
6.  My interest in Occultism is a personal thing and began with my great grandmother becoming manipulated by gypsy fortune tellers with Tarot cards. Later it became the basis of my first full- length record album.  Due to the fact Occultism is such a controversial  and popular topic within the USA these days it eventually became a small part of my life. I guess I just could not let it go at that for all of the rite reasons. Therefore, in order to understand my great grandmother better I studied about it to a very slight degree to see how they had captured her attention and manipulated her out of all her money.  All in all I have to say I learned four very important things about life in general: (1) I reject demonology, (2) learn to explore the unknown (3) learn to accept science and evolution as  the guiding and controlling factors of the human race and its destiny, and (4) respect other peoples' personal religious beliefs & practices throughout the world and in the free country. This has become my personal philosophy to live by but most of all I suggest to anyone interested please do not dabble in occultism as it were a science fiction novel you can pick up and put down at will.  A dark side of life does in fact exists and is very much a reality for some people. 

Archons 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 only playing select shows in San Diego to give us the time to write new material.
We played a 7 show Northwest US tour in January with High on Fire, select dates in the Southwest in July with Seattle's Wounded Giant and are currently on a 2 week West Coast Tour with Old Iron, also from Seattle.


2.You have a new album coming out in October, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have rleeased in the past?
The new record contains a wide variety of songs - some fast, some slow and layered with extra percussion, effects, and synthesizers, creating a richer and more involved recording, more so than our previous efforts.

“Lords of Light and Thunder” is a concept record. It's a Space Opera that eludes to the classic dichotomies of Good and Evil, Light and Dark etc.


3.This is your first album since 2011, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
This will actually be our first album since 2011. We took our time during the recording process, making several return trips up to Los Angels for multiple overdubbing and mixing sessions.

4.Over the years your lyrics have covered a lot of occult, science fiction and fantasy themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

Far out concepts like these tend to create very vivid imagery in the listener's mind, and we've all always been big fans of the genre.

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

In a classical sense, the word 'Archons' refers to a shadowy cadre of regulators or high rulers. Like all good band names, it just grabbed us and sounded cool.

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?
The High on Fire shows on our January 2017 tour were great. There were packed houses and lots of reciprocated energy.
The more people that are at the shows, getting involved and rocking out, the more we feed off of it - the better we play.
Several support slots for acts such as The Obsessed, Premonition 13, Shrinebuilder, Om, Unsane, Savious, Karma to Burn, Thrones, Weedeater, King Parrot and EYEHATEGOD have also all been positive gigging experiences.


7.Do you have any touring or show p;ans once the new album is released?

We are currently on tour with Old Iron supporting the new album.
We could possibly be doing another tour early winter, but nothing confirmed yet.

8.The new album is going to be self released, are you open to working with another label again in the future?

Absolutely, it just has to be the right scenario.

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

Collectively people appreciate what we do because while we hit on some of the similar sounds and structures in those genres, we feel that  we have a unique take on heavy music.


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

The sky is the limit, onward and upward.

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?

Our bassist Chad is listening to a lot of 70’s rock and soul music. Our guitarist Jeff has been heavily into electronic music and older Boogie-Woogie heavies Masters of Reality and Raging Slab. Joe Jackson has been on his turntable a lot lately as well. The drummer Scott has enjoys the classic and latest releases from Voivod, as well as NYC' the Giraffes and Ghost.
12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Chad - Painting, Tattooing and rebuilding hot rods
Jeff - Books and Motorcycles
Scott - Painting and watching classic Sci-Fi and Horror movies


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

While touring in support of "Lords of Light and Thunder" we are also working on new material for the next release, so prepare for more Archons in the near future.

Demon Eye 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?

We performed at the Maryland Doomfest back in May. That was the perfect opportunity to debut songs from the new record. We recently played our release show for the album alongside Captain Beyond. It was an honor to celebrate a big occasion with such a legendary band. It was packed house and a great night of heavy music.

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?

I generally the keep the descriptions simple. It's heavy, dark rock with a good dose of classic heavy metal. In terms of the differences from our previous material, this one has some prog moments, a psychedelic instrumental, and a few of the songs are even a tad poppy.

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

Most of the content on this album focuses on the madness we've seen in recent times, but there is a pretty wide range of themes. "The Waters and the Wild" is about nature reclaiming the earth from the era of man. Songs like "Redeemer" and "Kismet" are about the lonely lives people consumed with hate and anger finding themselves living in the future.

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

It was nicked from a Deep Purple song, "Demon's Eye." We thought it would be a good way to pay  tribute to the ones who laid the foundations before us. Plus, it just sounded cool.

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?

We've been lucky enough to play with bands like Saint Vitus, Pentagram, C.O.C., The Obsessed,The Skull, King's X, The Sword, and many more. That alone makes what we do worth it, but there is nothing like meeting new bands and making new friends. We never take that for granted. For our live performances, we just try to keep them tight, powerful, and fun. We always want people leaving our shows feeling they weren't cheated. We want to make folks feel like we were worth their time and money.

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

We're going to be touring throughout the Midwest in November, and will hopefully get around the U.S. a bit more in 2018.

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

Soulseller is the best and we love working with them. They tend to release a lot black metal and death metal, but we've found a nice home with them regardless of being a little stylistically different than the rest of their roster. Jorn Rap, the label owner/operator, is a friend and an excellent guy to work with. We can't praise the label enough.

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

We are overwhelmed by all the positive feedback. It's good to know that the community that helped spawn our style seems to be embracing us.

9.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

Up until recently I was playing a band called, Lightning Born, which features Mike Dean from C.O.C. It was fun, but I had to stop playing with them because my time was limited. Bill and Larry play in a band with Richard Bacchus from D-generation, called Richard Bacchus and the Luckiest Girls. It's great '70s NYC, CBGB's-era rock and roll. Paul plays in a pop band called the Feeds. When we have the time, occasionally Demon Eye performs under an alternate identity, called Corvette Summer. It's '70s rock covers. A lot of fun.

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

Well, for each album I feel like we've progressed in terms of trying new song writing ideas and have ended up with some good material. Hopefully we will continue on that trajectory.

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?

My favorite bands out there right now are Holy Grove, Disenchanter, Ruby the Hatchet, and Beastmaker. When I was working on riffs for the album I was listening to a lot of Wishbone Ash, Thin Lizzy, and Candlemass. Also a various assortment of '70s prog.

12.How would you describe your views on Occultism?

I'm fascinated with the occult and esoteric history, but I am by no means a practitioner of magick. I can't really say that I'm a believer in anything supernatural, but I am very interested in human consciousness and the mystic mind. Those sorts of themes and aesthetics certainly lend themselves well to our style of music.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

I'm a bit of an introvert. I read a lot and generally just enjoy a lot of downtime at home with my wife and my dogs. The other guys in the band all have children. They're all good dads. Bill's a baseball coach for his boys' baseball teams. Paul has three daughters. Larry has a young son who's apparently a huge KISS fan.

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

Thanks for taking the time for us, and a huge thanks to everyone who supports Demon Eye! Hopefully we'll get a chance to meet everyone at a show sometime.

BongCauldron Interview

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



*Biscuit*: We are old mates, got together to originally play doom stuff but just ended up writing songs without any set genre with lyrics that we thought were funny.



*Jay*: The first few months after we started we did regular 7 hour jams, about 2 hours of which were productive before we got too pissed and decided to play one note riffs in darkness while them two screamed their heads off.



2. You have an album coming out in November, 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?



*Jay*: It sounds pissed off. We all had either songs written or riff ideas and then went into the studio for 3 days over the Christmas period in 2015 to get pissed out of our heads and put the majority of it together. 68 was probably the easiest to write. It was the first thing we did after we found out Lemmy had died. One of those that just seemed to write itself.



*Ben*: It's a bit more focused. We used to just throw different bits of everything together. We still do that, but with a bit more thought behind it.



*Biscuit*: Still follows our usual style of 'anything goes' but it’s definitely more pissed off and aggressive. It’s exactly what you’d expect to get from three Yorkshire lads locked in a studio for 3 days writing an album.



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



*Biscuit*: Booze and Sasquatch.



*Jay*: Lyrics came after finishing the song writing and we've all contributed on different songs. We had all the demos recorded so we could fuck about with lyrics for a few months before going in to the studio in August 2016. My mental health was fucked and I was boozing a lot at the time. So the lyrics I wrote are nothing but hate and misery.



*Ben*: Most of my lyrics are based on drinking, partying and generally having a laugh with the band and mates. Also phallic spears.



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



*Biscuit*: I can’t even remember how I came up with it, just thought it sounded alright. Basically put a band together because I had a stupid name for it. But if people ask just say weed and witches.



*Ben*: It's as stupid as it sounds.



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?



*Biscuit*: Riff Fest 2014 is still my favourite gig. It encapsulated everything our gigs are about; a proper laugh, good piss up, physical injuries and structural damage.



*Jay*: Supporting Eyehategod at the Brudenell in Leeds. Desertfest in London. HRH Doom Vs Stoner in Sheffield. Riff Fest 2014. The Black Heart show on the Filthy 3 tour with Gurt and PIST.



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



*Jay*: We have stuff in the works but nothing ready to announce just yet.



7. Currently the band is signed to "APF Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?



*Jay*: Fieldy (label owner) stumbled up to our merch table when we played with Iron Witch in Manchester in 2014. He could barely string two words together but we could just about make out he knew Trippy Wicked and Chris West who put out our first EP. 3 years down the line after countless trays full of sambuca shots he told us about starting APF Records and after him attending more of our gigs than anyone else, it made perfect sense to sign with him. He gets what were about and it’s good working with someone that wants to see this album out as much as us.



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



*Ben*: It's crazy sending stuff halfway across the world in the post, or having people share stuff online and message us. Basically, it's weird having legit fans that aren't our mates.



*Biscuit*: I currently have an Australian crashing on my sofa who says we are known over there, which is mint but he may be saying it to get more time mooching round here.



9. Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?



*Ben*: I'm on guitar and vocals in Corinth, which is more in the vein of Mastodon, Baroness, The Sword etc



*Jay*: I've just quit my other band Blind Haze.



*Biscuit*: Nah. I can write anything for Bongers and we'll jam it, so there’s no need for me. There was even a country song wrote for this album, may be released later down the line.



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



*Ben*: In 20 years we'll be putting out that difficult second album.



*Jay*: Fuck knows. Anything we enjoy doing.



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?



*Biscuit*: Wiht are easily the biggest influence that got it all started. Having a local band be one of your favourites was a right kick up the arse to do something. For this album I was mainly listening to some faster stuff like Toxic Holocaust, Anti Cimex and Gets Worse. Nowadays I’m really into roots music like Moonshine Wagon, Reverend Beatman and Legendary Shack Shakers.



*Jay*: Dopefight and Wiht were big influences on us when we started. My two favourite bands are Eyehategod and Motörhead. Recently I've got in to punk bands like The Business and Cock Sparrer. For the UK underground Mastiff and Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters are still topping it for me. I'm also looking forward to hearing what PIST bring out next.



*Ben*: Bands like Sleep, Iron Monkey and Weedeater have influenced most of my writing for Bongers. Outside of sludge and doom I listen to a lot of black metal, folk music and The Smiths. But really I pretty much just listen to TalkSport.



12. What are some of your non-musical interests?



*Ben*: Occasionally instead of getting drunk and swearing at a gig, I'll get drunk and swear at the football. Sometimes I do both in one day.



*Jay*: None. Music only.



*Biscuit*: The band PIST.



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



*Biscuit*: 68 OFO



*Jay*: If you listen closely, spiders scream when they burn to death.



*Ben*: Never be in a band.

The Mad Doctors Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Keeping busy playing tons of music! This is our second release this year and we went into the studio in April so have a few more in the bag that we're itching to finish up so we can continue to assault your ears. Trying to write some new material in between frequent gigging and we all have our other projects - Seth is the mastermind behind the breakbeat/funk/psych mashup Ghost Funk Orchestra, Josh heads up the dirgy and very heavy Sludge Judy, and Greg plays in garage punk outifts Lumps & Glass Slipper. Lots of projects always!

2.How would you describe the musical sound of the newer material?
Over the years we have become heavier, for sure. Definitely pushing hard on fuzz and loudness to try n rattle as many bones as possible. We are trying to keep things interesting, writing with weirdo chords and linking up for syncopated parts to really hit big. Some of the newest material is a little skronky, which should be really fun.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
It ranges - ostensibly, many of our songs are pulpy - Yuengling Malmsteen is about a haunted house for example - but a lot of them have underlying themes that relate more to mental health, stress, overwork, laziness, etc. With our next batch of recordings, some of these themes are more overt - one song to be released is obviously about the stresses of living with anxiety, one is about the state of the world, and then one is about pooping on tour. So you can't take all the levity out of it.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'The Mad Doctors'?
The idea of the band started as a big theatrical project - originally it was supposed to be like a surf rock Alice Cooper with crazed experiments and a big production. The idea was that we would do mad doctor experiments on stage and the name came from a favorite B-movie - The Mad Doctor of Blood Island. No big meaning, just a couple dudes that like shit movies.

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?
Thankfully there have been a ton of great shows! Our LP release show for 'No Waves, Just Sharks' was easily one of the best. We had a packed out room full of friends and everyone was just going totally bananas. We had blow up sharks and people crowd surfing and the majority of the venue was a pit. And we played with three of our favorite bands here - The Royal They, Stuyedeyed, and Crazy Pills. It was totally amazing.

Our stage show is super high energy. There's a lot of thrashing around and headbanging, screaming and getting beer cans thrown at us. Tons of fun!

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Totally - we're doing an east coast tour 11/8-11/18 soon to be announced. Our next Brooklyn shows are 10/6 at Brooklyn Bazaar for the split release with Heavy Traffic and 11/8 at Our Wicked Lady for our tour kickoff.

7.Currently the band is signed to 'King Pizza Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
King Pizza is our label - we started it to release our first LP Snake Oil Superscience when we couldn't find a label interested. Instead of just putting our our record, we decided to try to make it more of a thing. We had a bunch of friends who were making killer music but didn't have a support system so we created one. We really wanted to form a part of the scene here in Brooklyn that we felt was our home. So we work with new and up-and-coming bands to create an atmosphere where bands can play and put out a record and reach a new audience and feel like they have a big community to be apart of.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your recordings by fans of underground music?
Fantastic! We have definitely had a lot of support in faraway places like Australia, Germany, Spain, Italy. Thankfully people have been really excited about us and diggin it and we're diggin that!

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We are trying to figure out what the next steps are - trying to constantly figure out new ways to make great tunes. Our tastes change and we are always striving to keep writing interesting stuff. I think for the newest material, we are trying to write more vocal hooks and vocals for all three of us to sing, which is new for us. Definitely staying fuzzy and nasty but playing with some other elements to see how we can take it even further.

10.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 all kind of listen to different stuff so it ranges from modern hardcore to garage punk to sludge to Latin jazz. All of our friends are big influences on us, pushing us to write cooler and interesting stuff. The Royal They, Trampoline Team, Sun Voyager, Vamanos, Absolutely Not, Rat Hammer plus bigger bands like Red Fang, QOTSA, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Tons of stuff.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
We all love movies for sure. And we tend to eat a lot - seafood, Korean, burgers, wings. Pinball, video games, BBQing, swimming in the ocean. Sitting in a chair and drinking beers with buds.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks for talking to us!

Endless Void/Apparitions/2017 Demo Review

  Endless  Void  are  a  band  from  Florida  that  plays  a  proto  form  of doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  demo  "Apparitions".

  A  very  dark,  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  demo  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem  while  the  riffs  bring  in  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  as  well  as  the  vocals  bringing  in  a  70's  style  of  metal  but  also  making  it  more  modern  sounding.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  very  true  to  a  traditional  style  of  doom  metal  while  evil  laughter  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  some  songs  also  adding  in  elements  of  traditional  metal,  blues  and  hard  rock  and  one  of  the  tracks  is an  instrumental,  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  direction  and  organs  are  added  onto  the  closing  track

  Endless  Void  plays  a  style  of  proto  doom  metal t hat  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  70's  and  80's,  the  production  sound s very  professional  for  being  a  demo  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  supernatural  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Endless  Void  are  a  very  great  sounding  proto  doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Spiritualistic  Medium"  "Stars  In  The  Sky"  and  "Apparitions  And  the  Undertaker".  8  out  of  10.


 

 

 

  

Monolord Interview

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

​As soon as we were done with the recording (including mix and mastering) we went out on a tour ​in Europe. During the summer months, we have been fooling around with some new material and rehearsed the songs just recorded.

2.You have a new album coming out in October, 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 are recording everything ourselves in our rehearsal room and we did it the same way as we always have been doing. The process itself are no different from the other albums. But of course, it sounds different because the songs are different & we have evolved probably. Hopefully. The equipment we use are still the same, for me a bunch of Orange amps and flying V with Lace Pickups.

3.Your lyrics cover evil, horror and supernatural themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?
On the first album, the theme was more about the supernatural and inspired by old Scandinavian folk tales. On the second album, I mixed that with a disgust for world leaders, greed & religion. Now on Rust, the focus lies on destruction in many ways, the need for mankind to find something to believe in and also what the church used to scare the less educated. These things still happen today, but today it is not demons or monsters they warn us about. Trust no one.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Monolord'?
“The Monolord” is a guy named Christer. He is incredibly huge and lost his hearing on one ear during the first ever Monolord rehearsal. So since he can´t hear in stereo and covers a huge amount of physical space, he is “the Monolord.”

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?
This is a hard question. But a few of the memorable ones are Hellfest, Roadburn, our first ever show in the US at the Gramercy Theatre, Desertfest London at the Koko, both times at St Vitus Bar in Brooklyn to mention a few.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We have an upcoming tour in Europe with Conan that starts the 7th October. We are soon announcing a gig in Norway this winter. And next year we have a lot going on that I cannot tell you about now.

7.The new album is coming out on RidingEasy Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
Daniel at RidingEasy records are not just a good friend; he is also running this label in a way that suits us. We understand each other and he knows that hard work pays off. We would get a 98% match on a dating app.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of stoner and doom metal?
The response has been incredible. And we can see that our popularity is rising even in the countries where we haven’t played yet. I guess we can thank social media and the accessibility that comes with internet, for that.

9.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
I have another project called “Ont Blod” that plays some d-beat/metal -ish stuff with a bunch of friends from Draconian, Mammoth Storm and Haddock. I also have been starting to do a more dark acoustic solo thing that I still don’t know what I am gonna do with. I have also a long time project going with Kalle from Långfinger that leans more towards old school rock and roll.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
That is almost impossible to tell. But we won’t be playing Nu Metal.

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?
It is a mix of country, black metal, death metal and doom metal. For me it needs to have something that hooks me. A good melody is important. Like Bloodbath – Outnumbering the day, bonehard riffs but still catchy as fudge.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Me and my girlfriend has a bunch of animals from rescue shelters. That takes some of our spare time. When I am home, free from the daily pain, I play videogames, guitar and make more songs in my home studio.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Throw away your cellphone, take a walk out into the woods and just sit there for 1 hour and listen to what the woods have to say. It will do you good.

Deafkids Interview

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

Since the recording of our last album, which was in May 2016, we embarked on a European tour in the summer of the same year (it resulted in a live recording "Live in Slovenja 2016" which can be heard on our bandcamp) and kept with our stuff here in Brazil, spreading the sound and the message around. 2017 undoubtedly is the year we played most in life, many and many shows and many more to come. In November we will tour North and Northeast Brazil for the first time, and then in December we'll play with Neurosis, so we're very excited with these next steps.

2.You have a new album coming out in October, 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's kind of complicated for us to describe the musical sound of this album in terms. The initial idea was to follow with the creation of increasingly frenetic and rhythmic sounds, something more bodily than mental, as a natural continuation of the path taken in our previous release (which contains the song "Configuração do Lamento", which came to be the name of the next album). The theme to be explored on this album came naturally and together with the idea of the sound we wanted to create - corporal, with the dense energy of the flesh and mental fragmentation, confusion and fear, violently psychedelic repetition, inspired by contexts and realities that we live and shares - as human beings and as Brazilians in all the nuances that are implied on it.

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

Mental deprogramming. It is a very long way to go, to explore how we are programmed and manipulated psychologically from a historical context of patriarchal exploitation, cruelty and corruption, and how do we perpetuate this culture and all it's reflexes that act as shadows within us. Living in this schizophrenic state of conflict, violence, competition, tension, confusion and fear is perhaps what has inspired us most to explore, to know better, to resist and to discharge these denser vibrations that put us down and put us against ourselves and each other.

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

Deaf Kids came out of things I was writing at the time I was planning to start the project,
it was something like: "Blind, dumb and deaf kids of a blank generation".

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

There are several and several shows that are in our memory as a very intense experience, but one that we could quote was the show we did in a squat called Koma F in Berlin in 2016. The place was fully packed, and the sound was so loud and energetic that there was not a person in that place who was not dancing or moving, somehow out of their minds and delivered by the sound experience. We could describe it as a sonic discharge, loud, energetic, psychedelic, agressive, bodily, wild, it is a moment where we are displaced from this dystopian and schizophrenic reality that we live. It's a show to indulge yourself to the noise and frenetic rhythms.


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

This year we've played like crazy around Brazil (the way we like it). In November we will be touring for 2 weeks in the North and Northeast of Brazil and in December we'll have the honour to be playing with Neurosis in Sao Paulo in their first concert ever in South America. For next year we have tour plans in North America and Europe, and wherever we can reach and make it viable. We are like nomads, a road band, so call us to play :)

7.Over the years you have been a part of a few splits, can you tell us a little bit more about the bands you have shared these recordings with?

we did a split in 2012 with "O Mito da Caverna", which unfortunately never came out in physical material (later our side was released on tape), which is a band from São Paulo that is not currently active. It was like the slowest band in the world, and the content brought by the vocalist Augusto Miranda (a great artist, who made the cover of this split, btw) was politically and wonderfully fucking great. In 2015 we released a split with Timekiller, which is a solo project of Garrett Ranous, an American who left Arizona to live in Brazil, and through a French friend in common, he met Deaf Kids and went to meet us in Volta Redonda, our small hometown, near Rio de Janeiro. We had a band together in a short time called Sick Visions (https://sickvisions.bandcamp. com/), and in Volta Redonda he recorded Timekiller's first record, of which he had the pleasure (Dovglas) to play the drums of this EP. And I would say it sounds like a motorcharged very raw and dirty jap-like punk. Then he went back to the US where he recorded those songs for the split,. Today he lives in Vietnam.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your recordings by fans of underground music?

It's been great so far. We are an underground DIY band that started 7 years ago in a industrial countryside of Rio de Janeiro, you know? We never had much expectation of how things would be, if not, doing what should be done. On a worldwide level, I think we still have a lot of people and places to "hit" with our music and to share the message, but we could say that feedback is and has been very positive by fans of underground music in general, from punk to metal, from psychedelic to noise and experimental. It's not uncommon for us to hear from people that our sound is something very unique, and this is very satisfying for us because that's what we've been naturally looking for. We've heard a lot of "terms" for our sound along the road, like "Hypno Beat",
"Psychedelic Crust" and "Goa Punk", and so on hahahah

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

Good question man. Hopefully crazier and more challenging than ever.

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?

A lot!!! We've been influenced by everything I think. From Funk Carioca to Discharge, from Samba to Throbbing Gristle, from Tribo Massahi to Funkadelic, from Racionais Mc's to King Tubby, from Underground Resistance to Paebirú, JB de Carvalho to Fela Kuti, and so on. We listen to a lot of stuff, I am really addicted to Reggae/Dubwise and Eastern and Middle Eastern music. I guess we're all into the same musical vibes, we love Brazilian music in general, afro-latin music, 70's psychedelic and experimental music all over the globe, we love the blues and spiritual jazz, african and brazilian tradicional drums, etc.
Music is one of the most unbeatable sources of power. Music is the guide and the path, too.

11.What are some of your non-musical interests?

the whole aesthetic part of Deaf Kids (artworks, merchandising, posters, etc) is made by me and by Marcelo, the bassist.
(But in this case I wouldn't say it's non-musical because is totally connected). Anyways, besides Deaf Kids, we have our personal artistic work, I am a Graphic Designer and he's an art-educator. Besides that, I don't know, we're into simple things in life, we're not the type of persons that have our both foot deeply into the ways of Babylon, if you know what I mean. In a simple way, we're interested in the ways that leads to self-knowledge, like psychology, Aatrology, ancient eastern philosophies, psychedelic experiences, for example..

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

People from everywhere: Invite us to play in your countries, your gigs, your festivals, your cities, your squats... We're travellers and we would love to share this musical experience with you all. Righteousness is gonna destroy the wickedness! Peace.

Omotai Interview

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

Sure, we’ve been playing regional shows with bands that we like including Big Business, He Whose Ox Is Gored, and an ACLU Benefit Show with In the Company of Serpents and our label mates Dead to a Dying World.



Other than that we’ve starting hashing out a few new songs.  Our drummer, Danny Mee, was also busy becoming a dad this year!





2.You have a new album coming out in October, 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 music is a muscular and caustic blend of thrash to sludge to post-rock.  It’s very heavy and there’s a lot of complexity hidden in it without it necessarily being labeled progressive.  The recording itself is pretty close to what we sound like playing live, so there’s not a lot of effects, editing, or tinkering.



The differences start with the record being much longer than albums we’ve released in the past.  We came out of the studio with around 80 minutes recorded and had to cut about 20 minutes of music out to fit it on two records.



Jamie Ross joined the band in late 2013 so we finally get to show off his unique song writing style and with the songs “Ruined Oak”, “The Savage Sky”, and “Augustina”.  Incorporating his style and having a second guitar player has opened us up to the ability to do more.  And now I have TWO people to persuade into playing more rippin’ guitar solos!



As with the past records, everyone does vocals, but now we have 4 members, and a couple of us tried new vocal styles.  We also have a couple slower songs that open up to new expressions and provide a little dynamic or pause from the songs that are more brutal and dense.





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

“A Ruined Oak” is a concept album based loosely around the mysterious disappearance of the settlers of the Roanoke Colony.  The lyrics are mostly sung from the perspectives of real or imagined people involved in the voyage there, being left to fend for themselves for years in a harsh environment dealing with a lack of supplies, and then eventually disappearing with little clues left as to what actually happened.



This was the concept that our guitarist/vocalist Sam Waters came up with…he’s into anthropology, history, big vocabulary, and blood and guts.





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

Omotai is a Japanese word meaning “heavy” or “severe”.  An old friend of ours who lived in Japan for a while proposed it as a band name and the rest is history.





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?

Some of my favorite shows were playing Total Fest in Missoula, Montana a couple of times.  As well as No Thanks Fest that was organized by Tofu Carnage folks in the middle of the woods well outside the Dallas area.  And a show with Scale the Summit/Intronaut/Mouth of the Architect was fun, off the top of my head.  Our stage performance is...always a little different and I feel like has an element of teetering on the edge of going off the rails, which is one of my favorite elements of the music.





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

Yes! We’re doing a run of shows starting September 29th until October 14th.  Immediate plans are we are playing in Dallas, Oklahoma City, Denver, Spokane, Seattle, Olympia, Reno, Lubbock, and San Antonio.





7.The new album is coming out on 'Tofu Carnage', are you happy with the support the label has given you so far?

Tofu Carnage has been awesome.  The label is growing and really focused on high-quality releases and they feature a really interesting curation of different kinds of metal and avant-garde music.  It’s really unique and we were thrilled to be invited to be part of their family!





8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your recordings by fans of underground music?

I know we have fans from all over the world, and I’m not really sure how they find us, but it’s very cool!  I hope we’re able to reach more people that are or would be into what we’re doing. We have yet to play outside the US but I think that’d be amazing.





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

We always try to do something new and different and at this point we are in the very early stages of the next batch of songs, which is kind of exciting.





10.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?

As far as music on “A Ruined Oak”, some influences were the same as always Keelhaul, Mastodon, Nuclear Assault, and Jesu, to name a few.  Jamie loves Russian Circles, and The Life and Times and Shiner (as do I), so he brought in a lot of new sounds and changes inspired by that kind of music, so that expanded our musical palette.



Lately, I’m always listening to stuff like Mogwai, Kowloon Walled City, Baptists, Trans Am, Mutoid Man, Helms Alee.





11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I’m into web development and I’m working on a master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction, so I try to keep up with those things. I just started indoor bouldering so that’s my latest obsession, even though I have the upper body strength of a toddler.





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

That's about it!