Seasons Of Arrows/Self Titled/The Path Less Traveled Records/2014 CD Review

  Seasons  Of  Arrows  are  a  band  from  Tennessee  that  plays  a  mixture  of  heavy  rock  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2014  album  which  will  be  released  by  the  path  Less  Traveled  Records.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  and  melodic  sound  which  mixes  alternative  and  metal  together  along  with  some  female  vocals  and  later  on  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording and  when  the music  gets  heavy  it  has  a  post  sludge  feeling  to  it  and  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  darkness  on  the  songs  that  are  present  on  the  recording  as  well  as  the  vocals  having  an  ethereal  feeling  to  them  at  times.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  show  a  great  balance  between  melody  and  heaviness  and  you  can  also  hear  some  pop  structures  being  utilized  at  times  along  with  some  groove  parts  in  the  heavier  guitar  riffing  and  the  slower  and  heavy  parts  have  a  mid  70's  to  early  80's  doom  metal  feeling  to  them  at  times  and  are  one  of  the  major  high  lights  of  the  album  and  the  bass  guitars  also  bring  in  a  stoner  rock  feeling  at  times  along  with  some  clean  parts  that  enhance  the  post  metal  elements.

  Seasons  Of  Arrows  have  a  very  original  sound  with  their  music  that  takes  some  elements  of  doom,  sludge  and  post  metal  while  also  having  traces  of  alternative  and  pop  music  along  with  a  very  professional  sounding  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  some  very  dark  and  depressing  topics.

  In  my  opinion  Seasons  Of  Arrows  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  heavy  rock  and  post  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should c heck  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Submersible"  "Ox  Blood"  "Sleepwalkers"  and  "Rival".  8  out  of  10.  

Biche Interview

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

1. We're Biche, from Reims, France. We started playing as Biche in early 2012, but were both involved in a stoner/garage band before.

2.How would you describe your musical sound and what are some things you are able to do with your current band that you where not able to do with your past band?

2. I would say that we play some kind of sludge, mixed up with hardcore, noise, and anything we find raw enough to be put in. Because we're only two, the production is very "straight. No overdubs, as we play in live. With our past band, we weren't able to play as slow as we do now, and keep the songs "simple", there were always solos, and stupid things like that... The voice as evolved too, not sure i'll sing with a clear voice before a long time ! Our songs are now more personnal, and we compose faster. We're very fusionnal when we play. Also, we just need one car to go play a gig now !

3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

3. To be clear, the names of the tracks have (often) nothing in common with the lyrics. We just like funny titles. The lyrics are mostly about end-of-the-world, bad dreams, rapes and other unpleasant and revolting things. There is also a few references to litterature and movies. We try to play an unpleasant music, with dissonances and hurting rythmics, and so are the lyrics.

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

4. We just find it fun that the name of something sweet, peaceful and pure as a doe can be put on the type of music we play. No big mystery here ! In france, people, and mostly couples, often use it as a cute nickname.

5.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you choose to remain a duo?

5. Actually, we started as a trio, with a friend of us on the bass. But after a month, Meddy and I realized that we wanted to be a duo, which allows us to write songs and play gigs easily. So being a duo is a choice, and things will be like that for a long time. And we both have other bands to play with more people, we even have an other sludge/doom band, called Pluie de Bisous, together with three to six other musicians... We're currently working on some featurings (bass, guitar) on new songs with some friend of us, a duo called Organon (http://organonband.bandcamp.com/).

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?

6. I'm not sure it was the best, but one of the funniest show we played was in Cambrai, in the North-East, with some friends called Oruga, who invited us and Tortue Géniale. We had a lot of strong beers and french fries... An other one was near Paris, with a naked woman dancing during our show and a free party in a huge squat after that. We can't forget the show in Meddy's kitchen too.
I would say that our stage performance are loud, raw, intense and go straight to the point : to feel happy in sorrow.

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

7. We have just come back from a short tour in the north-west of france, and we have a couple of date in north-east in a few weeks. We're currently trying to book a week in UK for november. We're open to any proposition or help for that !

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

8. For now we don't have received proposition from any label, but of course, we're totally open to anything !

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

9. Actually, pretty good for a DIY band like us. The EP has been shared around the world by different bloggers and fans. And we're still getting more reviews from everywhere, even if the EP was released almost a year ago, and there is always a good feedback about the cover.
We had reviews in french, english, spanish, greek, and a news in bulgarian ! It's always funny when you don't understand a word of people talking about your music.

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

10. The new songs are not that complex, but we think more about "what we really want to play", not just "what sounds loud and catchy (in a sludge way, of course)". Wer'e having more fun with structures and sounds.
We're planning a split LP with Organon. Meddy play drums in this band since about a year.

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

11. We both listen to a lot of sludge, doom, stoner, post-anything... But not only. Meddy listen a huge amount of hip-hop and electronic music. Most of the time with deep bass. His latest hits are the last CunniLinguists mixtape, and the new Conan.
I'm more into cold-wave, noise, hxc, experimental music... These days, I'm really enjoying the new Indian, Hexis, Poino, The Body, Marie Davidson.
In Biche, the more influential bands are : Clutch, Neurosis, Monkey3, Karma To Burn, Isis, Dark Castle, Mares of Thrace...

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

12. We both watch a lot of movies and TV shows, of many genre. Personally, I also read quite a lot of SF and fantasy litterature (very original for a guy playing metal). Meddy is more into party, travel, caps and Katy Perry.

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

13. First, thanks a lot for this interview ! And sorry for our english... Come to our shows and listen to our songs. We're better at playing music than talking about it !

Final Conflict/Ashes to Ashes/Tankcrimes/2014 CD Re-issue Review

  Final  Conflict  are  a  band  from  Los  Angeles,  California  that  plays  a  mixture  of  hardcore,  metal  and  crust  and  where  a  huge  influence  on  the  scene's  of  the  mid  80's  and  90's  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  classic  1987  album  "Ashes  to  Ashes"  which will  be  re-issued  by  Tankcrimes  in  2014  and  also  contains  their  1985  demo.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy  crossover  thrash  sound  along  with  powerful  bass  lines,  shouting  style  hardcore  vocals  and  blast  beats  and  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  both  punk  and  metal  in their  musical  style.

  When  we  get  into  the  other  songs  the  crust  and  d  beat  influences  start  to  kick  in  and  you  can  hear  some  fast  stuff  that  grindcore  bands  later  and  added  to  their  styles  and  they  mostly  stick  to  a  faster  style  which  has  the  heaviness  of  thrash,  the  raw  energy  of  punk  and  hardcore  style  vocals  and  at  times  solos  and  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  when  we  get  more  into  the  album  the  70's  style  U.K  punk  influences  start  becoming  a  big  part  of  their  sound.

  Final  Conflict  where  very  underrated  during  their  time  with  their  raw  approach  to  crust,  hardcore  and  thrash  and  there  music  had  a  lot  of  aggression  for  their  time  and  still  sounds  very  heavy  even  30  years  later,  along  with  a  heavy  and  raw  production  and  lyrics  covering  political,  hateful,  and  war  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  Final  Conflict  where  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  hardcore,  punk,  crust  and  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  legendary  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "One  Answer"  "Crucifixion"  "Central  America"  and  "The  Last  Sunrise".  8/5  out  of  10.

Anette Olzon/Shine/Armoury/2014 CD Review

  Anette  Olzon  is  a  solo  artist  from  Sweden  better  known  for  her  work  in  Nightwish  and  this  is  a  review  of  her  2014  album  "Shine"  which  will  be  released  by  Armoury  along  with  the  musical direction  being  closer  to  pop  rock/metal.

  The  album  starts out  with  a  symphonic  and  clean  sound  along  with  melodic  vocals  and  after  awhile  guitars  and  electronic  sounds  are  added  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  more  elements  of  modern  rock  being  added  onto  the  songs  along  with  elements  of  progressive  music.

  By  the  time  the  album  gets  to  the  4th  track  you  can  hear  more  traces  of  metal  while  the  music  is  more  focused  on  modern  melodic  pop  rock  and  you  can  still  hear  a  good  amount  of  symphonic  sounds  along  with  a  mixture  of  both  acoustic  and  electric  guitars  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  guitar  leads  and  there  are  also  a  great  amount  of  power  ballads  presented  on  this  recording.

  With  this  recording  Anette  Olzon  sticks  to  a  more  melancholic  pop  rock  direction  and  stays  away  from  the  symphonic  metal  sound  of  Nightwish  while  the  influence  can  still  be  heard  a  little  bit  and  the  album  has  a  very  professional  sounding  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  hardship  and  sadness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Anette  Olzon  is  a  very  decent  sounding  melancholic  pop  rock/metal  artist  and  if  you  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Like  A  Show  Inside  My  Head"  "All  The  Lies"  "One  Million  Faces"  and  "Hear  Me".  7/5  out  of  10.   

Sleeper Effect/The Human Clone/WormHoleDeath Records/2014 EP Review

  Sleeper  Effect  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  alternative  rock  and  progressive  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "The  Human  Clone"  which  was  released  by  WormHoleDeath  Records.

  The  ep  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  and  hard  mainstream  rock  sound  along  with  heavy  bass  lines  and  melodic  vocals  which  also  leads  up  to  a  slightly  heavier  sound  which  mixes  metal  with  alternative  and  after  awhile  aggressive  vocals  become  a  part  of  the  recording  on  both  the  opening  and  closing  track  while  the  second  song  is  in  a  more  radio  friendly  direction.

  When  we  get  into  the  other  songs  you  can  hear  more  progressive  elements  being mixed  in  the  music  along  with  some  90's  style  alternative  rock  influences   and  you  can  easily  hear  earlier  Tool  being  an  influence  on  the  sound  and  on  the  last  track  they  really  start  bringing  out  their  heavier  sound.

  Sleeper  Effect  have  a  sound  that  is  more  mainstream  than  most  bands  in  this  blog  with  a  good  amount  of  their  music  being  closer  to  alternative  than  metal  while  the  latter  influence  is  still  a  big  part  of  their  sound  and  the  production  is  very  professional  sounding  along  with  some  dark  lyrics  in  the  songwriting.

  In  my  opinion  Sleeper  Effect  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  alternative  rock  and  progressive  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "A  City  Burns".  7/8  out  of  10.

Exorcism/I Am God/GoldenCore Records/XYZ Music/2014 CD Review

  Exorcism  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "I  Am  God"  which  will  be  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  GoldenGore  Records  and  XYZ  Music.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  very  heavy  and  dark  doom  metal  sound  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  before  adding  in  vocals  and  a  dark  atmosphere  and  the  music  also  has  some  hard  rock  and  traditional  metal  elements  and  after  awhile  solos  and  leads  become  a  part  of  the  album.

  After  awhile  the  album m really  starts  to  find  its  sound  and  seems  to  be  influenced  by  the Ozzy,  Dio  and  Tony  Martin  days  of  Black  Sabbath  without  being  a  copy  of  them  and  having  a  more  evil  atmosphere  to  them  and  they  also  have  a  more  modern  approach  to  the  way  they  mix  doom  and  heavy  metal  together  while  also  sounding  like  they  have  a  great amount  of  experience.  

  The  songs  that  are  on  this  recording  are  all  very  slow,  dark  and  melodic  while  also  having  a  great  amount  of  heaviness  to  them  that  goes  back  to  the  80's  style  of  metal  along  with  some  elements  of  mainstream  and  classic  hard  rock.

  With  this  album  Exorcism  play  a  very  underrated  style  of  doom/heavy  metal  was  ignored  in  the  80's  when  thrash  and  hair  metal  took  over  along  with  a  more  modern  day  approach,  a  professional  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  occultism,  religion,  and  darkness.

  In  my  opinion  Exorcism  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  original  doom  and  traditional  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Voodoo  Jesus"  "Master  Of  Evil"  "Exorcism"  and  "Stay  In  Hell".  8/5  out  of  10.      

Kill Ritual/The Eyes Of Medusa/GoldenCore Records/XYZ Music/2014 CD Review

  Kill  Ritual  are  a  band  from  The  Bay  Area  Of  California  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  I  would  describe  as  being  thrash'n'roll  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "The  Eyes  Of  Medusa"  which  will  be  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  GoldenCore  Records  and  XYZ  Music.

  The  album  starts  out  with  a  melodic  and  distorted  sound  before  getting  a  bit  heavier  along  with  acoustic  guitars  being  in  the  background  for  a  few  seconds  and  then  the  old  school  thrash  metal  sound  really  starts  to  kick  in  along  with  some  aggressive  yet  melodic  vocals  and  after  awhile  solos  are  added  into  the  album.

  After  awhile  the  album  really  starts  to  find  its  sound  mixing  old  school  bay  area  thrash  with  melodic  hard  rock/heavy  metal  while  also  having  a  more  aggressive  take  on  it  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  do  their  part  on  this  album  and  the  music  is  very  original  considering  these  2  genres  where  never  mixed  together  during  the  80's   when  there  was  a  feud  between  thrash  and  hair  metal  and  at  time s you  can  also  hear  element s of  power  metal  in  certain  parts  of  the  recording.

  The  music  is  at  its  strongest  when  it  is  in  the  more  thrash  or  speed  metal  direction  while  the  rock  elements  bring  out  the  melodic  side  of  the  music  and  they  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  on  a  couple  of  tracks  while  the  main  focus  is  on  the  more  hard  and  heavy  parts  of  their  sound  and  at  times  the  vocals  utilize  some  demonic  elements  in  certain  parts  of  the  recording  and  on  the  last  track  elements  of  groove  metal  are  added  into  the  music  

  With  this  album  Kill  Ritual  bring  in  a  different  approach  to  old  school  thrash  metal  with  some  more  mainstream  hard  rock  elements  along  with  a  very  professional  sounding  production  and  lyrics  that  cover  mythology,  darkness  and  everyday  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Kill  Ritual  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  hard  rock  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Eyes  of  Medusa"  "Ride  into  The  Night"  "Just  Another  Sin"  and  "Agenda  21".  8  out  of  10.