Gift Of Blindness/Self Titled/Blindsight Records/2015 CD Review

  Gift  Of  Blindness  are  a  1  man  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  post  doom  metal  with  elements  of  shoegaze  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  titled  album  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Blindsight  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  ambient  style  synths  and  clean  singing  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  throw  in  aggressive  yells  at  times  and  the  riffs  bring  in  a  sound  that  mixes  drone  and  doom  metal  together  along  with  some  reverb  noises  being  used  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  A  good  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  and  the  synths  also  bring  in  a  very  atmospheric  and  experimental  sound  at  times  along  with  a  great  amount  of  shoegaze  and  post  rock  elements  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  vocals  start  adding  more  aggression  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  tracks  stick  to  a  slow  musical  direction  while  the  solos  and  leads  when t hey  are  utilized  add  more  melody  onto  the  recording  and  the  last  track  is  all  instrumental.

  Gift  Of  Blindness  creates  an  album  that  mixes  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  with  the  melody  of  post  rock  and  the  synths  of  shoegaze  to  create  some  original  sounding  music,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  existential  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  form  Gift  Of  Blindness  and if  you  are  a  fan  of  post  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Automation"  "Dynamitard"  "Floating  Time"  and  "Wunderkund".  8  out  of  10.  

Sentinel Beast/Depths Of Death/Marquee Records/2015 CD Re-Issue Review

  Sentinel  Beast  where  a  band  from  California  that  played  thrash  metal  with  elements  of  speed  and  power  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1986  album  "Depths  Of  Death"  which  will  be  re-issued  in  March  of  2015  by  Marquee  Records.

  A  very  dark  and    melodic  80's  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  following  the  same  direction  which  they  continue  to  do  throughout  the  recording  and  after  awhile  the  music  goes  for  more  of  a  fast  and  aggressive  thrash  metal  sound  along  with  vocals  that  are  very  aggressive  but  still  use  a  touch  of  melody.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  album  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  bass  guitars  also  bring  in  NWOBHM  style  leads  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  whole  album  remains  true  to  a  heard  and  heavy  musical  direction  along  with  the  last  2  tracks  bring  a  cover  of  Iron  Maiden's  "Phantom  of  The  Opera"  and  a  bonus  track  from  the  Metal  Massacre  VII  compilation.

  Sentinel  Beast  played  a  style  of  thrash  metal  that  was  very  fast,  heavy  and  aggressive  for  its  time  while  also  mixing  it  in  with  the  melody  of  power  and  speed  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  the  era  it  was  recorded  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sentinel  Beast  where  a  very  great  sounding  speed/thrash  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Depths  Of  Death"  "Evil  Is  The  Night"  "Revenge"  and  "Phantom  of  The  Opera".  8  out  of  10.

Cyrax/Reflections/2013 CD Review

  Cyrax  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  power,  thrash,  and  progressive  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their self  released  2013  album  "Reflections".

  Progressive  rock  style  synths  start  off  the  album  and  after  a  minute  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  prog  metal  direction  that  still  uses  the  synths  and  melodic  power  metal  style  vocals  start  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  the  music  starts  bringing  in  more  melody  alongside  an  epic  atmosphere.

  At  times  the  vocals  can  be  aggressive  along  with  the  heaviness  of  thrash  metal  and  the  synths  also  bring  in  elements  of  electronic  music  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of     synth,  clean  and  heavy  parts  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  some  of  the  later  tracks  also  mix  in  influences  of  70's  psychedelic  rock  with  a  modern  progressive  metal  sound  while  some  of  the  later  songs  add  acoustic  guitars  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  a  a  few  later  tracks  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  violins  and  operatic  vocals.

  Cyrax  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  the  progressive  genres  of  metal  and  rock  together  along  with  the  heaviness  of  thrash  and  the  vocals  of  power  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the   lyrics  cover  poetic  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cyrax  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  power,  thrash,  and  progressive  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Doom  Against  True  Hell"  "The  Moor  Of  Venice"  and  "Feel  The  Essence  Of  Blues".  8  out  of  10.

        

Brett Netson & Snakes/Scavenger Cult/2015 EP Review

  Brett  Netson  &  Snakes  are  a  band  from  Boise,  Idaho  that  plays  a  mixture  of  metal,  drone,  stoner,  psychedelic  and  garage  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2015  ep  "Scavenger  Cult"  which  will  be  released  in  March.

 A  very  distorted  yet  modern  psychedelic  rock  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  melodic  guitar  leads  that  are  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  70's  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  and  you  can  hear  a  lot  of  grunge  and  stoner  rock  elements  in  the  music  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  At  times  the  music  can  be  experimental  along  with  a  couple  of  the  tracks  being  long  and  epic  in  length  and  at  times  a  small  amount  of  post  rock  elements  can  be  heard  along  with  some  of  the  sound  effects  having  a  drone  feeling  to  them  and  all  3  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  and  the  last  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Brett  Nelson  &  Snake s takes  the  heaviness  of  metal  and  mixes  it  elements  of  stoner,  garage  and  psychedelia  to  create  some  music  that  is  very  hard  to  categorize,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Brett  Netson  &  Friends  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  metal,  drone,  stoner,  psychedelic  and  garage  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Sharpening  Knives".  8  out  of  10.  

     

NitroVolt/Dirty Wings/Mausoleum Records/2015 CD Review

  NitroVolt  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  heavy  metal,  punk  and  rock'n'roll  with  a  musical  style  they  call  'speed  rock'  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Dirty  Wings"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Mausoleum  Records.

  A  very  old  school  heavy  metal/punk  rock  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  before  adding  in  aggressive  screaming  style  vocals  that  are  very  easy  to  understand  and  also  mixes  in  clean  singing  and  back  up  gang  shouts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  You  can  hear  a  lot  of  early  80's  speed  metal  element s in  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  on  other  tracks  the  punk  and  classic rock  influence  really  starts  to  kick  in  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  bass  guitar  leads  at  times  and  all  of  the  tracks  remain  true  to  a  very  hard  and  heavy  direction  and  the  music  also  avoids  any  soft and  acoustic  parts.

  NitroVolt  takes  the  70's  and  80's  metal  and  punk  genres  and  mixes  it  with  the  more  raw  side  of  classic  rock  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life,  rock'n'roll  and  partying  themes.

  In  my  opinion  NitroVolt  are  a  very  great  sounding  speed  rock  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Takes  too  Long"  "Stuck"  "Lick  it  Up"  and  "Drugs".  8  out  of  10.

      

TEЯRATOMORF interview

TEЯRATOMORF – Russian Heavy Metal Band
Nikita Salishev  - vocal
Sergey Gviniashvily  - guitar
Vlad Balashov – guitar
Sergey Semenov – buss guitar
Alexander Dmitriev – drums

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
N.S.:  These days we are making a full length album, rehearsing a lot, preparing new material for our fans and listeners. Also we are composing new songs and writing lyrics for it.
Recently we have played acoustic concert, and it was great! Besides, we are preparing for our next concert, that will take place in Saint-Petersburg – cultural capital of Russia.

2. A year back you had released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
A.D.: From my point of view, our EP was made well! But listeners should give final judgment.

3. Your lyrics cover some historical and mythological themes, can you tell us a little bit about your interest in these subjects?
N.S.: It is true that one can catch shades of mythology and history in our lyrics. If every song is studied in depth, something from aforesaid really will be found in it.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Terratomorth'?
TEЯRATOMORF: The right spelling of the band’s name is TEЯRATOMORF. This name is based on the term “Teratomophism”, that was changed a little. It means the combination of monstrosity and miraculousness, of  horror and beauty

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?
TEЯRATOMORF: Our performance on festival “Metro On Stage” remains in our memory most of all. There were several thousand people, who were screaming “Ya legenda” together as one, slam and a lot of positive emotions.

6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
S.S.: Yes, of course we have such plans. Without fail there will be presentation of the new album and negotiations about tour are constantly carrying on. But because of our work in the recording studio it is not possible to tell about exact dates now.

7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
S.G.: In fact now we don’t have a label, and everything that concerns promotion and support is our care. It is difficult, but we are coping with this task. Though we wouldn’t reject any other support.

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of metal?
V.B.: There is the feedback, and this feedback is very good. There are a lot of comments and reviews on many Internet sites and in many languages: from English to Spanish. Fans are listening to our band both in Israel and in France and in different other countries of the World. They speak highly of our music and even ask for sending them the disks. The only thing is the trouble with understanding lyrics, because our songs are in Russian and often it is difficult for foreigner to perceive it.

9. When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
S.G.: The work on full length album is in full swing. There is still a lot of tasks but many things have already done, so look forward to news from us! As for our future evolution, it is still ambiguous. We experimented on styles a lot and we obtained interesting results. But I can say that in general the sound will be harder and stronger.

10. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
TEЯRATOMORF: In our band there are people with absolutely different musical tastes. Someone prefers hard-rock (Whitesnake, Deep Purple, AC/DC), someone likes something harder (Scar Symmetry, Soilwork, Five Finger Deth Punch). Also we respect our compatriots (Fiend, Digimortal, Black Obelisk). And of course it is impossible not to say about masters: Metallica, Helloween, Ozzy. After our rehearsals in bars we can discuss about our musical preferences for hours. This is the reason why we can do something interesting together. There were cases when the draft that one person begin to do would change unrecognizably when all band worked on it. This is what for us it is very interesting to work together.

11. What are some of your non musical interests?
N.S.: I write lyrics, draw, listen to music, watch films, cook food, speak with my friends and spend time with my girlfriend. I can say that range of my non musical interest is smaller than range of musical ones.
V.B.: It is very difficult question but for examples: walking on the town, watching the films/serials, formerly I used to like going fishing, watching Russian soccer and playing it, but now I have stopped to do it for some reason. To be candid in general all my passions belong to music.
A.D.: Save music, there is my non musical work and a lot of different hobbies and carnal pleasures
S.S.: I spend on music all my free time because I don’t have a lot of it.  Though I would play sports or go in for science. But for the moment it is just a dream.
S.G.: Now all my free time I devote to music

12. Before we wrap up this interview do you have any final words or thoughts?
TEЯRATOMORF: THIS WILL BE METAL!

Sacral Rage/Illusions In Infinite Void/Cruz Del Sur Music/2015 CD Review

  Sacral  Rage  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  mixture  of  heavy,  power  and  speed  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Illusions  In  Infinite  Void"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Cruz  Del  Sur  Music.

  Dark  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  later  heavy  and  melodic guitars  are  added onto  the  recording  along  with  some  clean  playing  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  solos  that  are  used  on  the  album  are  very  melodic  and  after  the  intro  all  of  those  take  over  and  dominate  the  whole  recording.

  You  can  hear  a  lot  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  and  once  the  music  goes  into  a  faster  direction  you  can  really  hear  the  speed  metal  influence  kicking  in  and  the vocals  are  all  melodic  and  clean  singing  power  style  singing  and  screams  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  German  and  American  80's  metal  influences.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  back  up  gang  shouts  and  bass  leads  while  a  great  portion  of  the  music  brings  in  a  vintage  80's  sound  along  with  a  more  modern  day  production  and  as  the  album  progresses  some  of  the  riffing  adds  in  more  heaviness  which  also  adds  a  thrash  influence  into  the  bands  musical  style while  one  of  the  tracks  is  mostly  instrumental  but  brings  in  spoken  word  sample  while  the  alter  songs  use  more  vocals  along  with  some  of  them  adding  in  more  aggression  and  the  last  track  is  a  hidden  bonus  track.

  Sacral  Rage  plays  a  style  that  takes  the  heaviest  and  melodic  sides  of  heavy,  power  and  speed  metal  from  the  80's  and  also  adds  in a  touch  of  thrash  to  create  a  sound  they  can  call  their  own  while  also  having  a  great  amount  of  epic  riffing,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror,  supernatural,  dark  fantasy,  soul  searching  and  forbidden  religions.

  In  my  opinion  Sacral  Rage  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  mixture  of  heavy,  power  and  speed  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "En  Cima  Del  Mal"  "Into  Mental  East"  and  "A  Tryannous  Revolt".  8  out  of  10.