Mystic Prophecy/Killhammer/Massacre Records/2013 CD Review

  Mystic  Prophecy  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  that  mixes  power  and  thrash  metal  together  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Killhammer"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

 "Killhammer"  begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  which  also  lead  to  some  drums  as  well  as  some  thrash  elements  while  also  setting  up  the  pace  for  some  melodic  power  metal  vocals  which  also  use  some  aggressive  elements  in  certain  sections  of  the  song  and  after  awhile  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  making  their  way into  the  song.

  "Armies  Of  Hell"  begins  with  some  thrash  guitar  style  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  also  leads  to  a  brief  use  of  growls  until  the  melodic  vocals  start  kicking  in  as  well  as  the  guitar  riffing  utilizing  some  melody  and  a  few  seconds  later  thrash  style  gang  vocals  start  becoming  a  part  of  the  song  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  and  the  song  closes  with  some blast  beats.

  "To Hell  And  Back"  begins  with  some  acoustic  guitars  before  the  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  come  in  as  well  as  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  then  the  music  goes  into  a  cleaner  direction  and  ads  in  some  melodic  vocals  as  well  as  the  music  getting  heavier  again and  after  awhile  there  are  some  more  guitar  solos  being  utilized.

  "Kill  The  Beast"  begins  with  some  heavy  thrash  metal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  also  lead  to  some  guitar  leads,  melodic  riffing  and  melodic  vocals  which  also  utilize  some  aggressive  elements  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  traditional  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  "Hate  Black'  begins  with  some  Arab  folk  instruments  before  going  into  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  also  lead  to  some  guitar  solos  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song  as  well  as  adding  in  the  vocals  and  getting  heavier  along  with  some demonic  vocals  and  the  song  closes  with  the  Arab  sounds.

  "Children  Of  The  Damned"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums which  also  leads  to  some  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song  and  then t he  power  metal  vocals  start  kicking  in  and  after  awhile  there  is  a  brief  use  of  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  some  faster  riffing.

  "300  In  Blood"  begins  with  some  acoustic  guitars  which  then  lead  to  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  then t he  rhythm  guitars  and  drums  kick  in  along  with  some  power,  thrash  and  death  metal  vocals    and  the  guitar  leads  come  in  and  out  of  the  song  as  well  as  small  amount  of  fast  riffing  and  blast  beats.

  "Angels  Of  Fire"  begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  melodic  vocals  which  also  utilize  some  aggressive  elements  in  certain  parts  of  the  song  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  "Warriors  Of  the  Northern  Sea'  begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  a  few  seconds  later t he  melodic  vocals  start  kicking  in  which  also  utilize  some  thrash  elements  and  towards  the  end  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  making  their  way  into  the  song.

  "Set  The  World  Afire'  begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  as  well  as  some  \drums  and  then  the  vocals  start  kicking  in  and  after  awhile  the  guitar  riffing  starts  getting  more  melodic  as  well  as  the  vocals  getting  alot  more  aggressive  and  towards  the  end  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  kicking  in  for  a  few  seconds.

  "Crazy  Train'  which  is  also  an Ozzy  Osbourne  cover  begins  with  some  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  solos  which  also  lead  to  some  melodic  vocals  along  with  some  catchy  chorus's  and  riff's  being  utilized  throughout  the  song as  well  as  some  gutiar  solos.

  Song  lyrics  cover  darkness,  mythology  and  occultism  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful, heavy  and  professional  sound  while t he  bass  guitars  are  mixed  down  low  in  the  mix.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Mystic  Prophecy  and  if  you  are  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Killhammer"  "Kill  The  Beast"  "Angels  Of  Fire"  and  "Set  The  World  Afire".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

This Will Destroy You/Live In Reyjavik, Iceland/Magic Bullet/2013 Live CD Review

  This  Will  Destroy  You  are  a  band  from  San  Marcos,  Texas  that  plays  a  mixture  of  post  rock,  doom  metal  and  shoegaze  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2013  album  "Live  In  Reyjavik, Iceland"  which  was  released by  Magic  Bullet  Records.

  "A  Three  Legged  Workhorse''  begins  with  shoegaze  and  experimental  sound  effects  which  then  leads  to  some  clean  post  rock  guitar  riffs  and  drum  programming  as  well  as  some  powerful  bass  guitars  and  you  can  hear  some  ambient  synths  in  the  background  which  also  lead  to  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  then  the  song  starts  switching  back  and  forth  between  soft  and  heavy  parts.

  "There  Are  Some  Remedies  Worse  than  The  Disease'  begins  with  some  clean  post  rock  guitar  riffs  which  then  leads  to  some  synths,  bass  and  drums  and  as  time  goes  on  by  the  music  starts  getting  alot  more  diverse  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  heavy  guitar  riffs  being  utilized  before  closing  with  shoegaze  sounds.

  "Black  Dunes"  begins  with  Australian  ethnic  sounds  and  spoken  word  samples  and  after  a  minute  experimental  sounds  and  ambient  synths  make  their  way  into  the song  as  well  as  some  drum  programming  and  after  a  few minutes  heavy  guitar  riffs  start  making  their  way  into  the  song  and  towards  the  end  the  music  returns  to  a  more  clean  direction.

  "Burial  On  The  Presido  Banks"  begins  with  some  sound  effects  and  synths  and  a  minute  later  programmed  drums  start  coming  into  the  song  as  well  as  some  bass  guitars  in  the  background  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  heavy  guitar  riffs  being utilized.

  "Glass  Realms  begins  with  some  sound  effects  and  synths  and  this  song  is  more  in  an  ambient  vein  while  also  having  some  shoegaze  and  post  rock  elements  but  there  is  not  much  in  the  way  of  guitars.

  "Communal  Blood" begins  with  some  background  drone  sounds  and  synths  along  with  some  bass  guitars  shortly  after  that  and  after  awhile  heavy  post  rock/doom  metal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  make  their  presence  known.and  towards  the  end  the music  goes  into  a  more  soft  and  ambient  direction  along  with  some  soundscapes.

  "Quiet"  begins  with  some  ambient  sounding  synths  and  after  awhile  drum  beats  make  their  way  into  the  song  and  a  couple  of  minutes  later  heavy  bass  guitars  make  their  way  into  the  song  along  with  some  regular  guitars.

  "They  Move  On  Tracks  Of  Never Ending  Light"  begins  with  some  clean  guitar  playing  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  you  can  hear  some  synths  in  the  background which  leads  to  some  drum  programming  and  nature  sounds.

  "Little  Smoke"  begins  with  some  synths  and  after  awhile  drums  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  start  making  their  way  into  the  song  and  after  a  few  minutes  the  song  starts going  into  a  more  clean  direction  and  the  song  closes  with  audience  sounds.

  "The  Mighty  Rio  Grande" begins  with  some  drone  sounds  and  clean  post  rock  guitar  playing  and  a  minute  later  drum  beats  start  making  their  way  into  the  song  as  well  as  some  shoegaze  style  synths  and  as  time  goes  by  the  music  starts  getting  alot  more  diverse.

  "Threads''  begins  with  some  acoustic  guitar  playing  which  then  leads  to  some  synths  and  drums  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  the music  starts  getting  more  powerful  and  distorted  along  with  some  gutiar  riffs

  Song  themes  cover  existentialism, while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  album  with  all  of  the  songs  being  recorded  live  as  well  as  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  This  Will  Destroy  You  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  post  rock,  shoegaze  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check out  this  band. RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Three  Legged  Workhorse"  "Black  Dunes"  ''Little  Smoke"  and  "Threads".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

Sasquatch/IV/Small Stone/2013 CD Review

  Sasquatch  are  a  band  from  Los  Angeles,  California  that  plays  stoner  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album "IV"  which  was  released  by  Small  Stone  Records.

  "The  Message"  begins  with  some  heavy  classic  rock/metal  guitar  riffs,  powerful  bass  drums  and  melodic  hard  rock  vocals  and  after  a  few  minutes  there  is  a  brief  use  of  blues  rock  gutiar  solos  and  leads  being  utilized  for  a  few  seconds.

  "Eye  Of  the  Storm"  begins  with  some  desert  rock  guitar  riffs  which  leads  to  some  drums  a  few  seconds  later  as  well  as  some  vocals  kicking  in  shortly  after  that  and  the  song  is  mostly  in  a  slow  and  heavy  direction.

  "Sweet  Lady"  begins  with  some  heavy  psychedelic  guitar  riffs,  powerful  bass  and  drums  along  with  some  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  awhile  classic  rock  style  guitar  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song.

  "Money"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs,  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  vocals  kicking  in  as  well  as  some  psychedelic  sounds  in  certain  sections  of  the  song  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  some  powerful  bass  guitars  being  utilized  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  utilized.

  "Smoke  Signal"  begins  with  some  melodic  and  heavy  70s  metal/rock  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  bass  guitars  and  vocals  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  along  with  some  psych  elements.

  "Wolves  At  The  Door"  begins  with  a  spoken  word  part  before  going  into  powerful  bass  guitars, psychedelic  guitar  leads  before  adding  in  some  rhythm  guitars  and  vocals  and  the  song  closes  after  3  minutes.

  "Me  And  You"  begins  with  guitar  leads  and  rhythms  which  then  lead  to  some  drums  and  bass  guitars  along  with  some  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  as  the  song  moves  on  the  leads  start  kicking  in  and  out.

  "Corner"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  which  lead  to  some  vocals  kicking  in  and  as  the  song  moves  on  heavy  psych  elements  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the song.

  "Drawing  Flies"  begins  with  some  clean  and  heavy  classic  rock  guitar  riffs  and  percussion's  which  lead  to  some  vocals  kicking  in  along  with  some  real  drums  and  bass  guitars  and  as  the  song  moves  on  the  guitar  riffs  start  adding  in  some  70s  rock  melodies  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads..

     Song  lyrics  cover  love  lost,  lives  wrecked  and  houses  trashed, while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on t his  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Sasquatch  are  a  very  great  sounding  stoner  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out t his  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Message"  "Money"  ''Me  And  You"  and  "Drawing  Flies".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.           

Rising/Abominor/Indisciplinarian/2013 CD Review

  Rising  are  a band  from  Denmark  that  plays  a mixture  of  sludge,  crust  and  groove metal and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Abominor"  which was  released  by  Indisciplinarian.

  "The Disdain"  begins  with  some  distorted  parts  and  then  goes  into  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  then  leads  to  some  Motorhead  style  vocals  as  well  as  some  melodic riffing  and  after  awhile  the  vocals  also  start  utilizing  some  melodic  elements  in certain  sections  along  with  some  punk influences  and  towards  the end  the  bass  guitars  start  getting  alot  more  powerful.

  "Reproach"  begins  with  some  punk rock  style  guitars,  bass  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  aggressive  vocals  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  utilizing  some  more  doom  metal  elements  as  well  as  some  powerful  bass  guitars  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  leads.

  Vengeance  Is  Timeless"  begins with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and drums  along  with  some  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  a  few  minutes  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  utilized  along  with  some  powerful  bass  guitars.

  "The  Hills  Below"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  along  with  some  drums  which  then  leads  to  some  vocals  and  then  the  music  switches  back  and  forth  between  slow  and  mid  paced  parts  as  well  as  mixing in  some  guitar  leads  in  certain  sections.

  "Leach'  begins  with  some  distorted  parts  before  adding  in  some  drums  bass  and  guitar  leads  which  lead  to  the  music  getting  heavier  with  some  power  chords  and vocals  which  utilize  both  aggressive  and  melodic  elements  which  also  get  mixed  in  with  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  utilized.

  "Suffering  Nameless"  begins  with  some  powerful  bass  guitars  and  drums  which  lead  to some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  after  awhile  the  vocals  start  kicking  in  and  as  the  song  moves  on  it  starts  getting  alot  heavier.

  "Broken  Asunder'  begins  with  some  heavy  bass,  drums  and  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  they  utilize  both  aggressive  and  melodic  elements  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of guitar  solos  and  leads.

  "The  Malice"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  vocals  which  are  mostly  aggressive  throughout  the  song  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  as  well  as  some  powerful  bass  guitars.

  "Gaunt"  begins  with  some  melodic  guitar  riffing,  bass  and  drums  which  then  leads  to  some  vocals  which  utilize a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  some  aggressive  elements  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  guitar  leads.

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

  In  my  opinion  Rising  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  sludge,  crust  and  groove  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The Disdain"  "Vengeance  Is  Timeless"  "Suffering  Nameless"  and  "Gaunt".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.    

Funeral Circle/Self Titled/Shadow Kingdom Records/2013 CD Review

  Funeral  Circle  are  a  band  from  Vancouver,  British  Columbia,  Canada  that  plays  a  very  traditional  and  old  school  form  of  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2013  album  which  was  released  by  Shadow  Kingdom  Records.

  "Scion  Of  Infinity"  begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs/leads  and  drums  and  a  minute  later  melodic  clean  singing  vocals  make  their  presence  known  as  well  as  utilizing  a  brief  use  of  aggressive  elements.and  after  awhile  another  guitar  solo  kicks  in  as  well  as  some  powerful  bass  guitars  and  the  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song.

 "Amaranthine  (Wandering    Dreamer)"  begins  with  a  mixture  of  electric  and  acoustic  guitars  along  with  some  drums  which  then  lead  to  some  vocals  and  takes  the  music  into  a  heavier  direction  but  he  acoustic  guitars  do  return  at  times  and  after  awhile  there  is  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  leads  being  utilized  as  well  as  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song  along  with  some  other  solos  being  utilized  and  you  can  hear  the  bass  guitars  in  the  background.

  "Corpus  Of  Dark  Sorcery"  begins  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  solos  along  with  some  powerful  bass  guitars  and  drums  before  going  into  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  which  lead to  some  clean  sections,  melodic  singing  and whispers  and  after  a  few  minutes  another  guitar  solos  starts  kicking  in.

  "Tempus  Edax  Rerum"  begins  with  some  acoustic  guitars  that  utilize  both  finger  picking  and  full  chords  which  lead  to  some  spoken  word  parts.

  "The  Charnel  God"  begins  with  some  dark  synths  which  lead  to  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  to  a  brief  use  of  demonic  vocals  that  turn  into  melodic  clean  singing  shortly  after  that  and  then  the  guitar  riffing  starts  utilizing  some  melodic  elements  and  then  acoustic  guitars  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song  and  as  the  song  moves  on  it  starts  adding  in  guitar  solos  and  leads  in   certain  sections  of  the  song.  

  "Black  Colossus"  begins  with  some  distortion  and  heavy  bass  guitars  which  lead  to  the  rhythm  guitar  riffs  kicking  in  as  well  as  some  drums  and  then t he  vocals  make  their  presence  known  in  the  song  and  then  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  kicking  in  and  out  of  the  song  along  with  some  traditional  metal  style  mid  paced  sections  being  utilized  briefly.

  "Obelisk"  begins  with  some  drum  beats  and  after  awhile  rhythm  and  bass  guitar  riffs  start  making  their  way  into  the  song  along  with  some  dark sounding  melodies  which  lead  to  some  acoustic  guitars  and  vocals  becoming  a  part  of  the  song  while  also  keeping  around  the  heavier  and  dark  elements  and  around  the  5  minute  mark  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song  and  the  vocals  start  mixing  in  some  aggressive  elements  and  power  metal  screams  in  certain  sections  of  the  song.

  Song  lyrics  cover  occultism,  anti  christian  and  Lovecraft  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful, heavy,  old  school  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  along  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Funeral  Circle  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy  and  old  school,  traditional,  epic  doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Scion  Of  Infinity"  "The  Charnel  God"  and  "Obelisk".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.    

Mark Deutrom Interview

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

The update is : The album is out today for downloading and there will be a couple of vinyl packages next year.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it differs from previous albums you have been a part off?

This is more lush, orchestrated and organic than some of the previous releases. It's heavier in a psychic and sonic sense, and also plays with space more.

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

Everything from surveillance to pantheism to Dutch 15th Century painting to cardiac pathology. It's a veritable Las Vegas buffet of the arcane knowledge that rattles around in my head making connections that are even mysterious to myself.

4. You worked solo on the new album, how would you compare it to working with other bands?

I'm probably more demanding and less forgiving of myself that I would be with other bands. I miss some of the camaraderie that goes with that type of working situation, but working with just one or two other people allows for intense focus and maximum results.

There is also less beer and smoking.

5. What are some of the best shows you have perfromed in your career and how would you describe your stage performance?

Some of the shows I did with the Melvins in the 90's were strange but memorable : with Kiss at the Superdome, with Rush at the Cow Palace, and Nine Inch Nails in Dallas. My best playing has always been on guitar, and not many people have actually seen that since most of my live exposure was playing bass. Some early Clown Alley shows were cool with Suicidal Tendencies, and Corrosion of Conformity.

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

No band currently, so no plans for that at the present time.

7.The new album was self released, do you feel it added more to the creativity of the music?

If it was on a label it would be exactly the same. It would be great to have a label just so

I could concentrate on music only, but that didn't happen this time.

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the new album by fans of music?

Just came out today, so I'll have to wait for the surprise and delight the planet has in store for me.

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

Horns. There's going to be a lot of horns. With drums. And a choir.

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

There was some minimalist concepts that were interesting me when I was putting some of the album together. I happened to be going through a phase of listening to some ECM stuff from the 80's, as well as some recordings of French and Spanish baroque music. The use of space in that music reflects a quieter time.

Lately I've been listening to Wagner quite a bit, specifically Tristan and Isolde.

The golden oldies section in itunes radio has some excellent lounge and crooner stations.

It's inspiring to listen to real singers, real players, and really good song writing. There's been

some reissues of Nat King Cole that are jaw dropping.

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

Photography. Cooking. Reading. Traveling. Camping.

Shooting. I need to do more of that.

I have a series of short films called Riffology that I make with my wife, who is an animator.

Check my youtube channel for those.

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

The further you go, the less you know.

Chron Goblin Interview

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

We've been very busy preparing for the release of the album (which occurred officially on Sept 13th) - lining up album reviews, interviews and press, receiving our vinyl and CD orders, ordering new merchandise for our fall tour, finalizing bookings for our fall tour, mailing out pre-sale packages.  All in all a lot of the business end of things to set ourselves up for a successful release!

We also had the honour of opening up for Weedeater in July and Vista Chino in early September here in Calgary, which were both amazing shows to be a part of!  And, believe it or not, we played a stoner rock wedding for our friends Clint and Isabelle who got married on a property in rural Alberta (this is the second wedding we've had the honour of playing!).  We setup outside between two trees and played a bunch of new songs and a few covers as well (Sweetleaf, Green Machine, Fortunate Son). 

2. You have a new album out, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction the new album has?

I think overall Life for the Living leans in a heavier direction, although we've made an effort to keep a strong presence of melody, groove, and an atmosphere of fun.  The production on the album is definitely superior to our last release and that really enhances the punch and presence of the songs.  I think our sound has naturally evolved on this latest release to be tighter, more concise and direct, and I think that is due to all four of us having a strong involvement in the writing process and ensuring that we rework each song until we are all satisfied with it.  Furthermore, I think that our musical influences and interests have been channelled more directly with the songs on this album and that the artists that continue to make great music have inspired us to challenge ourselves to become better musicians, songwriters and performers.

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

Our singer Josh Sandulak handles all of the lyrical content for our songs and I know he focused a lot on his perspective of the various socio-political changes that have been occurring globally in recent times.  Many of his lyrics are rooted in sentiments of the need to grasp the opportunity for betterment and personal freedom and expression and I think that is reflective of many of the world events that have occurred in the last two years.  In tandem with this, Josh has written about his observations of our own smaller social group and witnessing their struggle to achieve success as young adults in a highly competitive society and finding one's own place to be creative and expressive.  I think Josh has taken these observations and channelled them through his creative muse, and that's what you hear in the songs and see on the lyric sheet included with the CD.  

4.Can you tell us a little bit more about the name Chron Goblin?

The name stemmed from one of our band members who used to be a part of a work crew that would partake in some "herbal activities" while on the job.  One of the crew members commented that they were a bunch of "Chron Goblins" as they would light up extremely frequently, and we've always thought that would be a hilarious tongue-in-cheek name for a band.  I think the name represents us well that we have  a sense of humour, it's unique and fun, and can also align us with a genre of music that we are heavily influenced by - that being stoner rock of course!

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

I think our biggest highlight so far has been the honour of playing the UK's Desertfest this year in London.  It was our first show out of Canada and it was such an amazing experience playing at the legendary venue that is The Underworld.  We've also had the privilege of opening up for some amazing Canadian and USA bands such as Vista Chino, Weedeater, 3 Inches of Blood, Bison BC, and The Devin Townsend Project.  We'll also be opening up for Orange Goblin in Edmonton this fall which we are extremely stoked for!

I think most of our fans will attest that our live performance is very high energy and aggressive.  We always dig for a deep cosmic headbanging nod but like to play fast as well.  I think we manage to pull off some great dynamics in our live performance as we move from riffs to psychedelia to  swing and even some thrash.  All in all we like to crush beers and always have fun on stage as we put out our best effort to make the crowd move.

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

Absolutely!  Our local album release show is Saturday Sept 21st at The Palomino here in Calgary.  Below are the rest of our fall dates we've booked so far.  We also have a serious goal of making it into the States and back to the UK for 2014 as we continue to promote our new release.

September 20 @ The Slice
Lethbridge, Alberta
with We Hunt Buffalo and Lethbridge’s Lustre Cream and Dirt
*Album Release Show

September 21 @ The Palomino
Calgary, Alberta
with We Hunt Buffalo and Temple
*Album Release Show

October 17 @ The Pawnshop
Edmonton, Alberta
*opening for Orange Goblin

October 19 @ The Gateway
Calgary, Alberta

with Throne of Vengeance

October 25 @ Logan’s Pub
Victoria, BC
with Buzzard

October 26 @ The Media Club
Vancouver, BC
with Kicked of the Farm and very special guest

November 8 @ O’Hanlon’s Pub
Regina, Saskatchewan
with Black Thunder

November 9 @ Amigo’s
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
with Shooting Guns

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

We have received some interest from small label groups, but we haven't really found someone who we are ready to call home yet.  We are absolutely open to working with a label - in particular we are hoping to setup some national distribution and representation.  However, we've managed to accomplish a lot in the last four and half years with self representation and we will continue down this road for the time being!

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

We have been absolutely blown away by the international response and support we have received in the last few years!  Darty and myself attended Desertfest in 2012 simply to check out some great UK and European bands that rarely make it across the pond to North America, and we met so many great people and handed out hundreds of download cards.  The opportunity to play Desertfest 2013 helped solidify a stronger presence in the UK and Europe and that's been demonstrated by thousands of international hits on our website and many sales through the online store we've created.  I was personally mailing out some of the presale items yesterday and I sent copy of our new vinyl album to someone in Australia and more to the USA and UK!  We've also had many album reviews for Life for the Living come out in Russia, Hungary, Italy, the UK, USA.  It's been so amazing to see support come from all parts of the globe and we can't wait for the opportunity to play live for all of these great fans.

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

We'll continue to write our favourite songs that we've never heard.  We haven't gotten sick of riffs, groves and melodies yet, so I'm sure those will continue to take a strong presence in future songwriting.  Although as our musical interests continue to expand and diversify, those influences will be sure to creep into our songwriting and playing.  At this time we don't necessarily have a master plan for the direction of our music, but I think that is advantageous as it allows us to create what we feel is strong and powerful at the time of writing.  We like to be spontaneous as well as goal-oriented so I'm sure we'll find a balance between the two that will lead to more challenging and exciting songwriting.  

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

We are of course huge fans of a lot of the current stoner rock stuff out there like Clutch, The Sword, Red Fang, Truck Fighters, Graveyard, Orange Goblin, Kadavar and these guys never leave our playlist.  We must mention our devotion to Black Sabbath and we were fortunate enough to catch their set at The Gorge, Washington a few weeks ago.  It was also great to see Dozer and Lowrider reunite at Desertfest this year for some amazing shows.  Locally we'd love to give a shout out to Black Mastiff, a superb band from Edmonton, and our doom brothers in Witchstone from our hometown.

But our music catalogues range from everything including hardcore, soul, funk, metal, blues, etc.  We appreciate it all and those influences definitely creep in to our playing and jamming.

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

Josh is a talented videographer and has his own production company called Pretty Dead - he spearheaded the creation of our  music video for "Bring Your Idols" and we are super stoked on how it turned out!  Darty's big into the skateboarding scene and we all like to ski or snowboard in the winter and take advantage of the great mountains we have.  We also do a lot of camping and general drunkenness in the time off we have between our full time jobs and our dedication to making our band successful. 

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

We really appreciate the opportunity to be interviewed by Extremeundergroundmusikzine!  We'd also encourage anyone interested in us to check out our music on iTunes, CD Baby or through our online store on our website at www.chrongoblin.com (you can also buy merch there.)  Add us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and shoot us a message! We love hearing from new fans and we've made a lot of great international friends that way.  If you're able to catch a live show make sure you come say hello and have a beer with us! Thanks and long live the riff!!!