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

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

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


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

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

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

Satanic Malfunctions Interview

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beehoover Interview

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

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

2.How would you describe the musical sound of the album and also how does it differ from previous releases?

It is raw, dry, dense and almost mono with a lot of midrange frequencies. It is not hyped in any way, still we think it’s the sound that represents this album best. We look at each album as a solitaire having its own place in time. Besides the music, lyrics and artwork this also includes the sound.

3.I have noticed that the band only uses bass, drums and vocals are there any plans to use regular guitars in the future?

It’s been like that for 12 years and it’s the constellation that works best for us. We don’t have any plans to change it and we don’t want to make a fuss about it, it’s about the music.

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

It’s not a concept album but there was a certain attitude that reflects into the songs, which is about the mediocrity of our society and people who see it as civic duty to become absorbed by it, disliking everything different.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Beehoover?

It’s inspired by a TV programme that featured a beekeeper getting rid of the bees covering him using a vacuum cleaner that was described as beehoover. It’s just a name that doesn’t imply any musical direction.

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

We’re both sitting facing each other, exhibiting ourselves to the audience making music. The best shows are those where the crowd really appreciates the music, gets into it and moves, dances, handbangs or stagedives. We’d rather play a small stage in a packed club with an hot audience than a moderately filled big venue.

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

There will be a Germany tour in November and some more touring and gigs in 2014.

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

We have always gotten good reviews and nice feedback. It’s interesting to get in touch with the fans all over the world via social media. However we don’t see our music based in the stoner and doom area so much.

9.Are there any other musical projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?

No other musical projects but Claus is doing studio engineering sometimes for other bands.

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

Every release is different as are the circumstances it has been created under, so we can’t really say. Some reviews flattered us with the compliment of having created an own genre and there is still plenty of space in it to be explored.

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

Bands would be Helmet, Crowbar, Primus, Refused, Isis for example but we’re not influenced by anything explicitly. We listen to a lot of different music, many of which is not metal.

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

We both have full time jobs and family, try to arrange that with the music business and you’re done.

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

Be credible and have a point!

Coronatus/Recreatio Carminis/Massacre Records/2013 CD Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   

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