Distant Sun/Dark Matter/Metalism Records/2015 CD Review

  Distant  Sun  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  power,  speed  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Dark  Matter"  which  will  be  released  on  May  30th  by  Metalism  Records.

  Acoustic  guitars  and  clean  playing  which  is  also  used  on  other  songs  as  well  and  ethnic  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  a  few  seconds  alter  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  melodic  guitar  leads  start  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  lot  of  thrash  elements  and  when  vocals  are  added  into t he  music  they  are very  aggressive  yet  melodic  at  the  same  time.

  A  lot  of  modern  metal  element s can  be  heard    throughout  the  recording  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  power  metal  influences  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  death  metal  and  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  in  some  parts  of  the  songs.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  band  also  takes  element s of  early  80's  speed  metal  and  updates  them  for  the  modern  times  as  well  as  adding  in  back  up  gang  shouts  at  times  and  there  are  also  a  couple  of  power  ballads  that  demonstrate  how  clearly  the  singer  can  sing  at  times  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  an  epic  feeling.

  Distant  Sun  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  old  school  genres  of  thrash,  power  and  speed  metal  and  mixes  them  in  with  a  more  modern  sound  to  update  these  genres  for  the  modern  day,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  science  fiction,  space  travel,  mysticism,  fantasy  and  adventure.

  In  my  opinion  Distant  Sun  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  power,  speed  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kill  The  Freman"  "Matrix  Hacked"  "Gifts  Of  Journey"  and  "Zero  The  Hero".  8  out  of  10.

Hands Of Orlac Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
The recording took quite a long time and quite a stretch took for the album then to be released. There's been a lot of energy involved. Hands of Orlac is a collective hallucination and it´s not easy to deal with it.

2.In November 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?
The new album can be seen as a progression as we would not have liked to stay on the same step statically. Production-wise we have been much more aware of what we wanted this time. And despite the coldness of the overall sound we have been able to inprint the dynamic movement that we wanted. We have been able to as well get a more horror vibe to it. We wanted the music to affect the listener in a psychoactive way.

3.Your lyrics cover a lot of horror and occult topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics and also are you interested in the non fictional side of occultism.
We are a horror themed band. We like mostly to use the classic italian gothic and Hammer productions movies as inspiration for our songs but still we prefer to focus on certain aspects of the plot or change the point of view in the narration. As a band we don't pursue the non fictional side of occultism but the individuals in the group follow their own personal paths.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Hands Of Orlac'?
For the name we got inspired by the silent movie from 1924. The creepy and disturbing atmosphere seemed suitable for the kind of music that we wanted to create.

5.Originally the band was from Italy but now have relocated to Sweden, what was the decision behind the move and also how would you compare both of the countries?
After the line-up became "international" in 2011 during the recording session of the first album the italians of us started visiting the country more often. By 2012 we were only with two italian members left and we decided to tighten up the circle. Italy and Sweden are quite different countries with opposite positive and negative characteristics.

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?
The best shows have been those we played with our friends from The Wandering Midget on the mini tour Opium Dreams Over Sweden, so far an unreplicable experience. Our live performance has no specific traits. A little bit of stage appearence.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
We don´t have any confirmed plan in the near future.

8.The album was released through both Horror  Records and Terror  From  Hell  Records, can you tell us a little bit more about these labels?
Horror Records supported us right after we released our demo and trusted us for the creation of the first album. It´s the best label we could have asked for, defnitively the most suitable. We´ve been knowing the people from Terror from Hell for a while and we knew they are really reliable and dedicated, that´s how it developed to the release of the cd. The two labels as well cooperate in a MC release.

9.A year ago you where a part of a split with 'Sodomizer', what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the recording?
It´s been a honor to share sides with Sodomizer. A great band, horror driven companions!

10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom metal?
People who like a certain kind of music showed appreciation. Still, we think our music is not for everybody, specially from a "doom" point of view. We sound a bit unconventional and this might keep away the average listener. We don´t like to sound like many people like doom to sound. But fans know and understand.

11.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Surely Portrait and Vidunder are doing great these days. Other projects don´t have an influence on the band, though. We as well know soon the Instigator will rise to rule with an iron fist.

12.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We will see what ground we will have to wander in the future. Surely a land of mystery.

13.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?
Something that has always influenced us and will always do is Black Sabbath and the whole surrounding of what they did at that right time. Everybody owes them. On the other hand, our newer music has actually the same influences as the older music but with newer words. Nowadays we listen to good music, mostly.

14.What are some of your non musical interests?
We like to wander the night when the new moon is rising to celebrate the stars and all the creature of the dawning. Some of us like other things, too, like sports.

15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?  
Thank you for the spotlight you gave us and for the interest in our band. Listen to the music from beyond!

Hela/Lodo/3rdirex/2015 Split CD Review

   This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Spain's  Hela  and  Lodo  which  was  released  by  3rdirex  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Hela  a  band  that  plays  an  atmospheric  and  psychedelic  mixture  of  doom  and  sludge  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  distorted  stoner/doom  metal  sound  along  with  some  melodies  that  lean  towards  post  metal  and  both  of  their  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  start  out  as  clean  singing  female  vocals  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  more  of  a  modern  style  of  sludge  at  times  and  the  solos  and  leads  that  are  utilized  remain  in  a  very  melodic  musical  direction  and  both  songs  stick  to  a  slow  style  of  rigging,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hela  are  a  very  great  sounding  psychedelic  and  atmospheric  doom  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Norns".

  Next  up  is  Lodo  a  band  that  plays  an  instrumental  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  clean  playing  and  psychedelic  sounds before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  doom  metal  direction  which  also  uses  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and most  of  their  songs  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  a  melodic  post  metal  feeling  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  stoner  and  sludge  elements  and  the  last  song  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  and  the  production  sounds  very  powerfu.

  In  my  opinion  Lodo  are  a  very  great  sounding  instrumental  mixture  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Disparate".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  stoner,  sludge  and  doom  metal.  8  out  of  10.   

Corpsia/Order From Chaos/Grotesque Records/2015 Demo Review

  Corpsia  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "Order  From  Chaos"  which was  released  by Grotesque  Records.

 Alarms  and spoken  word samples  start  off  the  demo  along  with  some  clean  playing  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  makes  a  return  on  one  of  the  later  tracks  as  well  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  musical  direction  along with  some  melodies  that  start  evolving  the  music more  into  thrash  metal  along  with  some  aggressive  vocals  a  few  seconds  later.

  While  the  vocals  are  mostly  aggressive  you  can  still  hear  a  touch  of  melody  in  the  way  they  are  delivered  and  the  solos  and  leads  also more  in  a  more  old  school  metal  style  when  they  are  utilized  and some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts   that  are  very heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  80's.

  Corpsia  plays  a  style  of  thrash  metal  that  is  very  old  school,  aggressive  and  melodic  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  being  a  demo  while  the  lyrics  cover  violence and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Corpsia  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  thrash  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  demo. RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Order  From  Chaos".  8  out  of  10.  

 

      

Acero Letal Interview

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

Javier: Acero had its first steps as “LOUD”, a N.W.O.B.H.M-styled band founded by JAG back in 2007. It quickly adopted the ferocity of speed metal and started writing Spanish lyrics instead of English, as well as expanding its musical influences beyond classic British metal, and after all those stylistic changes took place Acero Letal was born.
2014 was the year when things definitely started to climb up for the band. I joined Acero Letal months after the Evil Confrontation gig (Opening for Satan (UK) and Bulldozer (ITA)), while the single was already half-recorded. After a successful –and short- bass and vocals recording session, I personally asked if I also could handle the production duties instead of the original idea, which was working with a pro-studio in Santiago. Two weeks later, and after a shitload of work in little time the single was done. We played a small gig in Valparaíso with the new formation, but it ended being the first and only show with that line-up.
Of course, this DIDN’T stop us in going on with our musical ambitions, so we sent a promo of the single to recognized international heavy metal labels and we quickly got signed. Now, under the support of a record label and being more experienced than before we immediately started working in the pre-production of our debut album, ‘Culto al Trueno’ which we HOPE to release this year or early 2016. It really depends on our inspiration, as we want to beat the single in every possible way.
JAG is the creative force of the band, main songwriter and lead vocalist. I’ll still play bass for studio recording, but we’ll both share the lead and rhythm guitar duties from now on. For our upcoming album we’ll work with drummer Martín Urbina to complete the studio line-up. He may -or may not- join our forces with us as a full member. (I fuckin’ hope so!!) Also, we’re auditioning a very talented bassist for live duties. If we feel he is the right person for Acero Letal, we’ll offer him a full member pact.
The future rests in our hands now.


2. Recently you have released a 2 song single, 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?

Javier: Most of our songs were written back in 2007-2008, so they don’t differ with the past at all. What makes these songs sound “fresh” is our own heavy/speed metal sound. Among a wide palette of production styles that we had in mind for the single, we had to decide what would fit the best for us (that was a very risky task if you ask me). We go from early N.W.O.B.H.M. classic heavy metal to full blast speed ala Savage Grace/Agent Steel from one song to another and even in-between songs. And to make things worse we also like to evoke a 70’s prog rock ‘feel’ and bring Priest/Accept/Scorpions mid-tempo rhythms also. Now, try to make everything sound RIGHT. What a fuckin’ nightmare. HAHA!!


3. This was the first new material to be released in 5 years; can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time period?

Javier: That’s a heavy conversation. Not today –thanks–

Jag: Hah, took so fucking long to make things happen in the right way. It’s part of this journey.


4. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

Javier: Metal, Rebellion, the Occult. Nothing too fancy nor subjective. Music comes first; lyrics are secondary to the power of our riffs. They’re rather simple, straight to the point. Our message is clear: to glorify the heavy metal life in every possible way.
We hope to write about more “deep” stuff like social issues, history, personal experiences and go beyond of what’s considered typical “metal” lyrics in the future, but it should be a natural process. Honestly, all we want to do today is to share our passion for 70’s and 80’s classic metal with OUR metal.


5. I know that the band’s name means "Lethal Steel" in Spanish, how does this name fit in with the musical style that you play?

Javier: It goes perfectly well with our violent, fast, in-your-face heavy metal.


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?

JAG: Every show is the best for me, because you are feeling the old spirit alive in the air. That’s everything to me, it doesn’t have anything to do with the number of people or the sound production for the show, it has to do with the tremendous feeling that means to play alive, it’s unique, always.

 Our stage performance is pure Heavy Metal passion.


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

JAG: Totally, but they aren’t so serious yet because we are 100% focused on our first LP, but then, the time will come and we want to go and play wherever we can.


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

JAG: It’s been fucking awesome, our 7’’ is getting a second press now, and we are damned honored. We just want to keep it real, keep doing honest music.


9. What is going on with some of the other musical projects or bands these days that some of the band members are a part off?

JAG: All the forces here are aiming to serve ACERO LETAL these days.


10. When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

JAG: For a full length release this year I hope, or early 2016. The band’s heading to Speed Heavy Metal in the old sounding vein in the future.


11. 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?

Javier: Maiden (80-84’), Priest (76-84’), Scorpions (75’-82’), Motörhead (77’-86’), Pokolgep, Aria, Rotor, Slayer (83’), Metallica (83’), Saxon (79’-83’), Accept (82’-85’) Agent Steel (early), Savage Grace, Hell (early), Raven, Tank, Jaguar, Satan, Omen (84’), Ostrogoth (83’-84’), Helloween (85’), Running Wild (84’-85’), Onslaught (early), GBH, Darkthrone (late), Metalucifer, Celtic Frost, Venom,..!!!
Spanish acts: Barón Rojo, Gillman, Retrosatán, Cuero y Metal, Metalmorfosis, V8, Rock Dam, BO2, Thor, Muro, Caid Deceit, Hermética, Ángeles del Infierno, Riff, Vixit, Luzbel, Megaton…
…and also lots of 70’s prog-rock!!!


12. What are some of your non-musical interests?

JAG: Reading novels (love dirt realism), use to write some stuff too. I really like Science. I like to share with artist that may not be into musical creation, it’s a very enriching experience.

Javier: I don’t have any interests in life besides music at the moment.


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

JAG: Thanks to all the true Heavy Metal maniacs out there.

Javier: Behold the triumph of classic rock and heavy metal. Keep the RITUAL alive!!

Ultra-Violence/Deflect The Flow/Candlelight Records/2015 CD Review

  Ultra-Violence  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  modern  form  of  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Deflect  the  Flow"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Candlelight  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  aggressive  thrash  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  screaming  vocals  and  melodic  riffs  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  bring  in  more  of  an  old  school  mid  80's  extreme  metal  sound  to  the  bands  musical  style.

  Back  up  gang  shouts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the music  at  times  almost  has  a  death  metal  vibe  and  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  some  songs  along  with  a  few  tracks  that  are long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  As  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  tracks  and  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  on  the  aggressive  side  you  can  still  hear  a  touch  of  melody  in  the  way  they  are  delivered  at  times  and  they  also  mix  in  a  touch  of  90's  thrash  at  times  while  the  production  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  modern  day  feeling   as  well  as  adding  blast  beats  in  at  times  which  also  gives  the  album  more  of  a  brutal  feeling  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  groove  and  black  metal  in  some  of  the  riffs and  they  also  bring  in  a  cover  of  Venom's  "Don't  Burn  The  Witch".

  Ultra-Violence  plays  a  style  of  thrash  metal  that  is  very  heavy  and  aggressive  and  while  it  shows  off  its  old  school  roots  they  also  expand  the  genre  by  adding  in  more  modern  influences,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  violent  and  anti  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ultra-Violence  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy  and  aggressive  thrash  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Burning  Through  Stars"  "Lost  In  Decay"  "The  Checkered  Sun"  and  "Dpmt  Burn  The  Witch".  8  out  of  10.    

  

Raging Dead/Born In Rage/2015 EP Review

  Raging  Dead  ate  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  hard  rock,  horror  punk  and  heavy  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  ep  "Born  In  Rage".

  Dark  sound  effects  and  synths  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  ritualistic  chants  and  after  the intro  the  music  starts  getting  a  lot  more  heavy  and  goes  into  a  punk/metal  direction  as  well  as  adding  in  melodic  guitar  leads  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  very  aggressive  sounding  screams.

  At  times  the  vocals  can  get  melodic  and  there  are  also  some  back  up  gang  shouts  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  also  brings  in  elements  of  hardcore  and  some  of  the  solos  and  leads  add  a  touch  of  hard  rock  to  the  music  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Raging  Dead  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  horror  punk  and  mixes  it  with  hardcore,  heavy  metal  and  hard  rock  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Raging  Dead  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  horror  punk,  heavy  metal  and  hard  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Awakening  The  Damned"  and  "Nightstalker".  8  out  of  10.