Bleeding Eyes/Gammy/Go Down Records/2014 CD Review

  Bleeding  Eyes  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge,  doom  metal, s toner  rock  and  metalcore  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2014  album  "Gammy"  which  was  reelased  by  Go  Down  Records.

  Clean  playing  which  is  all  used  on  later  tracks  as  well  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  few  seconds  later  melodic  leads   are  added  onto  the  recording  and  after  awhile  the  music  goes  for  more  of  an  aggressive  doom/sludge  metal  direction.

  On  the  later  tracks  spoken  word  samples  are  added  in  some  parts  and   the  vocals  in  the  beginning  have  a  hardcore  feeling  to  them  while  they  start  bringing  in  high  pitched  screams  on  later  songs    and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  some  sections  of  a  few  tracks  also  bring  in  psychedelic  elements.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  stoner  rock  influence  and  shouting  vocals  start  to  kick  in  and  some  of  the  tracks  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  along  with  some  traces  of  post  metal  and  a  heavy  metalcore  influence  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  throughout  the  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  ethnic  instruments  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  track  that  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  that  is  brings  in  a  few  seconds  of  blast  beats.

  Bleeding  Eyes  takes  doom  metal,  sludge,  stoner  rock  and  metalcore  and  combine  them  to  create  an  album  that  is  very  dark  and  heavy  while  also  being  very  melodic  and  having  traits  that  would  appeal  to  pot  smokers  and  people  that  take  lsd  or  mushrooms,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  drug  themes,    

  In  my  opinion  Bleeding  Eyes  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom  metal,  sludge,  stoner  rock  and  metalcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kevin's  Space"  "A  Fist  Full  Of  Dynamite"  "Demon  Haze"  and  "GAMMY".  8  out  of  10.     

Taken By The Sun/Self Titled/2015 CD Review

  Taken  By  The  Sun  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  plays  a mixture  of  doom  metal,  post,  progressive  and  shoegaze  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  and  self  released  2015  album  which  will  be  released  in  February.

  A  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  starts off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  samples  and  a  minute  later  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  are  added into  the  music  along  with  some  post  rock  style  melodies  before  going  into  more  of  an  extreme  metal  direction  and  adding  in  high  pitched  screams  that  mix  hardcore  and  sludge  together.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  heavier  parts  bring  in  a  very  heavy  doom  metal  influence  into  the  bands  musical  style  and  at  times the  vocals  also  have  a  melodic  edge  to  them  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  more  of  a  melodic  post  metal  sound  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  shoegaze  and  progressive  elements  are  added  in  more  along  with  a  few  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  acoustic  guitars.

  Taken  By  The  Sun  plays  a  modern  style  of  post  doom  metal  that is  very  heavy  and  dark  yet  melodic  at  the  same  time  and  also  adds  in  progressive  and  shoegaze  elements  which  makes  their  songs  stand  out  a  bit  more,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Taken   By  The  Sun  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom  metal,  post,  progressive  and  shoegaze  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should c heck  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Demons  Tempt  The  Dying  Man  With  Crowns"  "Detached"  and  "Ornaflux".  8  out  of  10.    

Roadhog/Dreamstealer/Stormspell Records/2015 CD Review

  Roadhog  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  hard  rock  style  of  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Dreamstealer"  which  was  released  by  Stormspell  Records.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  old  school  heavy  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  that h ave  a  power  metal  edge  to  them  along  with  some  back  up  gang  shouts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  used  they  bring  in  even  more  of  a  true  80's  metal  style  to  the  recording.

  A  great  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  both  the  riffs  and  solos  and  while  the  music  is  mostly  in  a  true  metal  direction  you  can  hear  elements  of  hard  rock  in  the  bands  musical  style  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  you  can  hear  some  elements  of  NWOBHM  along  with  a  touch  of  early  80's  speed  metal  and  the  whole  album  sticks  to  a  hard  and  heavy  direction  throughout  the  recording  with  no  soft  parts  ever  being  utilized.

  Roadhog  plays  a  style  of  heavy  meta;  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  and  have  songs  that  sound  like  they  could  off  easily  been  recorded  and  released  during  that  time  frame  along  with  a  touch  of  hard  rock,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Roadhog  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  mixture  of  hard  rock  and  heavy  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "On  The  Witches  Path"  "Poison  Man"  "Taste  Your  Sin"  and  "Run  From  the  Devil".  8  out  of  10.   

Cromlech Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band these days?
Well first of all we just release some fantastic looking Conan themed shirts and longsleeves available on our bandcamp! We have tons of material written for the second album – in fact, the riffs and structuring are almost done at this point, we are now working on lyrics, vocals, solos, and layering. We are bringing back a reworked old song, Lair of Doom. The other new material is even more varied and intense than Ave Mortis was – we have songs ranging from extremely slow and crushing doom, blistering power/thrash, Greek black metal inspired riffs, and of course a backbone of monumentally epic passages lifted straight from the pages of Bathory. As on Ave Mortis, both Kevin and Roman will be contributing to vocals, but rather than having them dominate songs, we will be using their vocals to better effect by having them handle appropriate sections within each song.

2.A year ago you had 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?
Well, the past releases were just more poorly recorded and performed versions of the stuff now present on Ave Mortis. That was the first album which received a proper studio treatment. As for the music, we strive to present an ancient, heroic, epic sound without sacrificing any of the heaviness or aggression that typically happens when bands start adding 17 million layers of choral vocals and keyboard orchestras.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
In keeping with the all conquering muscularity of the music, we explore heroic exploits from fiction, history, and the tales that fall somewhere in between.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Cromlech"?
Well, a Cromlech is an ancient stone tomb, particularly of Pictish origin. We felt it went well with the ancient, untouched sound we present. It also happens to be the name of a great Solstice tune, which didn't deter us.

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?
Well as I said we've only played small local shows. However one of the most memorable ones by far was playing with the mighty RAZOR - yes that RAZOR - during a prostate cancer fundraiser festival called "Headbanging for a Cure" which goes on every other year or so here. And on that note, we'd like to add that dying with a sword in your hand means you have nothing to worry about from prostate cancer! Another funny story was at the last show we played we brought a pretty large fog machine… we weren’t aware that the venue lacked adequate ventilation for that machine. We ended up accidentally filling the entire venue with choking thick fog, so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, which hung around for a good 5-10 minutes or so while we were playing our set. It was like a sensory deprivation experiment or something.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Not really. Playing a few more local shows.

7.The last album was released on My Graveyard Productions, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
I wish we could, but for My Graveyard Productions; Guiliano: if you’re reading this, we love you, we understand, and we just want you to come home! But seriously, we haven’t heard from him in almost a year. Hopefully that just means he is selling so many CDs he can’t even take a break. Maybe by the time we get to Italy we will be pre emptively elected Emperors of Rome.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of both doom and heavy metal?
Pretty awesome, overall. There's been some "these songs are way too long" and a bit of "these guys try to play way too many different styles" but for the most part it's been nothing but resounding HAILS echoing across the mountaintops.

9.What is going on with the other band 'Into Oblivion' these days which also has 3 of the same members?
Same as Cromlech - playing local shows, writing new material for an upcoming released.

10.When can we expect another album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Our next album will likely be out in 2016. We have tons of material written for the second album – in fact, the riffs and structuring are almost done at this point, we are now working on lyrics, vocals, solos, and layering. We are bringing back a reworked old song, Lair of Doom. The other new material is even more varied and intense than Ave Mortis was – we have songs ranging from extremely slow and crushing doom, blistering power/thrash, Greek black metal inspired riffs, and of course a backbone of monumentally epic passages lifted straight from the pages of Bathory. As on Ave Mortis, both Kevin and Roman will be contributing to vocals, but rather than having them dominate songs, we will be using their vocals to better effect by having them handle appropriate sections within each song.

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?
Well, I think I just answered the questions about the newer music above, and as for what I've been listening to lately - Nokturnal Mortum, Helstar, Saint Vitus, the Conan soundtrack, Terraga, Sor, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Dark Angel.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Rock climbing, hanging out with my black-headed caique, god-tier campfire starting, and crushing lesser nations in Civilization V.

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

New Gods/Gods Of Punk/Distro-y Records/2014 7 Inch Review

  New  Gods  are  a  band  from  Ireland  that  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  garage  and  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  7  inch  "Gods  Of  Punk"  which  was  released  by  Distro-y  Records.

  A  very  old  school  punk  rock  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  vocals  that  are  both  aggressive  and  melodic  at  the  same  time  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  70's  or  early  80's  while  the  production  gives  the  songs  more  of  an  up  to  date  feeling  and  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  even  more  of  a  melodic  punk  rock  sound  to  the  7  inch.

  You  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  melodies  and  garage  rock  elements  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  with  the  longest  one  being  around  3  minutes  and  there  are  no  soft  or  weak  parts  ever  present  in  the  songs  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  New  Gods  go  back  to  the  early  days  of  garage  rock  and  hardcore  punk  and  combine  them  together  with  more  of  a  modern  take  on  the  genres,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  New  Gods  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  garage  and  hardcore  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Killer  Creep"  and  "Meat  grease".  8  out  of  10.

   

  

Crows/Better Off Dead/Distro-y Records/2015 LP Review

  Crows  are  a  band  from  Ireland  that  plays  a  very  heavy  form  of  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Better  off  Dead"  which  was  released  by  Distro-y  Records.

  A  very  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  guitars  a  few  second s later  that  evolve  into  more  of  a  hardcore  direction  along  with  some  screaming  vocals  and  a  few  seconds  later  melodies  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  some  elements  of  thrash  metal.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  of  the  songs  also  bringing  in  guitar  leads  and  spoken  word  samples  while  some  of  the  faster  sections  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  crust  punk  and  d  beats  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  heavy  musical  direction  and  the  last  track  is  9  minutes  in  length.

  Crows  plays  a  style  of  hardcore  that  is  very  heavy  and  old  school  while  also  bringing  in  a  touch  of  thrash,  d  beat  and  crust  which  also  makes  them  a  little  bit  more  heavier  than  most  bands  of  this  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  social  problems  of  Irish  Culture.

  In  my  opinion  Crows  are  a  very  great  sounding  hardcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dead  Air  (Roseburg)"  "Power  Trip"  "Guilt  Trip"  and  "Death  Crownado".  8  out  of  10.

    

Rats Blood/Low Life/Distro-y Records/2014 LP Review

  Rats  Blood  are  a  band  from  Ireland  that  plays  a  very  raw  form  of  hardcore  punk  with  elements  of  d  beat  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Low  Life"  which  was  released  by  Distro-y  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  raw  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  aggressive  crustcore  style  vocals  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  d  beats  along  with  the  speed  of  hardcore  punk  which  is  also  more  in  a  Swedish  style  and  also  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  extreme  metal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  with  the  longest  one  being  over  2  minutes  and  they  also  at  times  bring  in  early  80's  style  hardcore  punk  guitar  leads  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  heavy  musical  direction  along  wit h a  good  mixture  of  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  there  is  never  a  soft  moment  present  on  the  recording.

  Rats  Blood  takes  a  very  old  school  style  of  hardcore  punk  and  mixes  it  with  crust  and  d  beat  to  create  some  very  raw,  heavy  and  aggressive  music,  the  production  sound s very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  negative  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Rats  Blood  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  hardcore  punk,  crust  and  d  beat  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dog  Days"  "Not  Giving  Up"  "Bottles"  and  "Meltdown".  8  out  of  10.