Corbeaux/Kind Words/Vox Project/2016 CD Review

  Corbeaux  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  noise  rock  and  post  hardcore  and  this  is  a review  of  their  2016  album  "Kind  Words"  which  was  released  by  Vox  Project.

  Drum  beats  and  bass  leads  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  aggressive  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  while t he  guitar  leads  are  very  distorted  yet  melodic  at  the  same  time  and  the  music  style  brings  back  some  of  the  mid  80's  style  of  post  hardcore  while  mixing  in  the  heaviness  of  90's  noise  rock.

  At  times  the  vocals  can  be  very  melodic  and  a  great  amount  of  amp reverb's  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  some of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  of  the  melodies  bring  in  elements  of  indie  rock  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks are  instrumentals  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of ambient  sounds..

  Corbeaux  plays  a  musical  that  takes  noise  rock  and  post  hardcore  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  angry  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Corbeaux  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  noise  rock  and  post  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Corpse  Pose"  and  "Twig".  8  out  of  10.

Harmonic Cross/It Is Finished/Magic Bullet Records/2015 CD Review

  Harmonic  Cross  are  a  band  from  Virginia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  ethereal  and  ambient  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "It  Is  Finished"  which  was  released  by  Magic  Bullet  Records.

  An  almost  quiet  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  evolving  into  more  of  a  dark  ambient  soundscape  along  with  clean  guitars  that  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  post  rock  and  the  music  can  also  get  very  experimental  and  avant  garde  at  times  and after  awhile  the  synths  give  the  music  more  of  a  haunting  and  ethereal  atmosphere.

  All  of  the  tracks  are  done  in  an  instrumental  direction  while  a  great  amount  of  diversity  can  be  heard  throughout  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  drones  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  songs  along  with  soem  field  recordings.

  Harmonic  Cross  moves  away  from  the  hardcore  punk  and  indie  rock  the  members  play  in  their  other  bands  and  focus  more  on  an  ethereal  style  of  ambient  with  this  project,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  powerful  while  the  music  is  a  soundtrack  for  the  true  crime  event  refered to  as  'The  Somerton  Man'.

  In  my  opinion  Harmonic  Cross  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of ethereal  and  ambient  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "MLIAOI"  and  "TAMAN  SHUD".  8  out  of  10.

Polunium/Seraphim/2016 Full Length Review

  Polonium  are  a  band  from  New  york  that  consists  of  members  from  the  Austerity  program  and  with  this  project  play  a  style  of  noise  rock  that  is  death  metal  influenced  along with some of this material being over 20 years old  and  this  is  a  review  of  their self  released  2016  album  "Seraphim".

  A  heavy  sound  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  album  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  the  heaviness  of  extreme  metal  while  being  mostly  rooted  in  noise  rock  and  after  awhile  the  vocals  get  more  aggressive  while t he  riffing  starts  utilizing  elements  of  death  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  some  influences  from  the  more  extreme  side  of  80's  and  90's  noise  rock  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  all  instrumental  while  on  some  songs  the  vocals  get  melodic  while  also  remaining  aggressive  at  the  same  time  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  it  brings  in  the  energy  of  hardcore  punk  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  distorted  yet  melodic  guitar  leads  and  the  whole  album  also  remains  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording  along  with  the  last  2  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Polonium  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  noise  rock  but  mixes  it  in  with  a  death  metal  influenced guitar  sound  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Polonium  are  a  very  great  sounding  noise  rock  band  with  a  touch  of  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bastard"  "Kids  On  Top"  "Tubercolosis"  and  "Balai  Hai".  8  out  of  10. 

   

MuckRaker Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

Will Price/Bass and Lead Voice- Sean Briney (Guitar and Voice) has been growing a big red beard; Chris Tate (Drums and real-estate) has continued to shave; and I am trimming regularly. MuckRaker has been touring a bit recently. We have also been writing our next album.

2.So far you have released 2 albums, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?

WP- Our first album, "Big Black Bus", and our follow up release ,"Karmaggedon", are both kinda like a bunch of monkeys fucking a hockey puck.

The monkeys on "Karmageddon" are a bit better as in terms of their moaning and gyrations. The focus was not just on themselves, but also on the object of their desire.

The "Big Black Bus" monkeys are a little less mature, so the happy ending came much more quickly and without as much work. And frankly, little thought was given to the puck at all.

3.The band has been around since 2010 and so far has only released 2 albums, can you tell us a little bit more about the gaps in between releases?

WP- MuckRaker actually released a 4 song EP in 2010 called "Sound The Alarm". And I did not think this interview was going to be akin to filling out a job application where you have to explain gaps in employment. Hahaha!!! But, the band has seen a few different line-up changes. There have been a couple of divorces, a bankruptcy, and one guy couldn't stop touching himself.

4.Your lyrics cover topics dealing with politics, history and alcohol, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those topics?

WP- My interest in politics spiked when George Dubya Bush, with the help of the supreme court, stole the election in 2000. I listen to 6 different political podcasts and read many liberal publications.

Since I can remember, history has always captivated me. This is where we must find and learn our most important lessons. Those who don't learn from history are...well, if you don't know the rest of this saying you ARE doomed to repeat it.

Booze? I heart booze. It's sort of a hobby.

5.Hoe does the name 'MuckRaker' fit in with the musical style that you play?

WP- muck·rak·er noun-to search out and publicly expose real or apparent misconduct of a prominent individual or business.

And you just called me a HOE!!!

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?

WP- The Kryptonite Metal Festival was cool. We have had some great shows here in Atlanta, as well as Tennessee and the Carolinas. Our best show however was opening for The Village People in Somalia. They love that kind of stuff there. Who would have thought?

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

WP- Yes.

8.Recently Eternal Sound re-issued your 2014 album, do you feel this label has been very supportive when it comes to getting your music out there heard?

WP- They have been great for MuckRaker. We are now distributed throughout all of Europe. Now if we could just find an American label who are as smart as Eternal Sound Records, our monkey friends would finally experience the release they so desperately need.

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

WP- Other than the chronic masturbator from Kazakhstan who keeps sending me videos of him "making love" to his copy of "Karmageddon", it's been very disappointing. Just kidding ;-) It's been great!!! And many thanks to our #1 fan, Bolat.

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

WP- Hopefully MuckRaker will release our next album this year. Musically we are headed into the land of trolls, Goliath, and mooseknuckles.

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?

WP- Our new stuff is basically influenced by a didgeridoo that we keep locked up in the basement. His name is Fred. Love Black Sabbath of course. The Sword, Clutch, Lynyrd Skynyrd, COC, Helmet, etc.

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

WP- Thank you for having MuckRaker for this interview!!! And please pray for the International Masturbating Brotherhood of Kazakhstan (IMBK). Pornhub can be sketchy there.

Integrity/Humanity Is The Devil/Magic Bullet Records/2015 EP Re-Issue Review

  This  is  another  review  of  a  recording  from  Integrity  which  was  released  in  1996  and  continued  the  dark  mixture  of  hardcore  and  extreme  metal  of  previous  recordings  with  the  ep  being  called  "Humanity  Is  The  Devil"  which  was  also  re-issued  in  2015  by  Magic  Bullet  Records.

  Heavy  guitars  and  aggressive  vocals  start  off  the  ep  taking  the  music  into  more  of  a  hardcore  direction  and  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  more  of  an  extreme  metal  approach  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  back  up  shouts  can  be  heard  at  times.

  Most  of  the  songs  are  very  short  in  length  and  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  melodies  at  times  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  some  elements  of  mid  80's  and  early  90's  east coast  style  hardcore  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  on  one  of  the  tracks  and  the  ep  closes  with  a 1  minute  spoken  word  piece.

  Integrity  played  a  musical  style  on  this  recording  that  was  mostly  rooted  in  hardcore  while  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount of  extreme  metal  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  gnostic,  occult,  supernatural  and  apocalyptic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from Integrity  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  metalcore,    you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "

  

  

Integrity/Den Of Inquity/Magic Bullet Records/2015 CD Re-Issue Review

  Integrity  are  a  band  from  Ohio  that h as  been  featured  before  in this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  extreme  metal  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1993  compilation  album  "Den  Of  Iniquity"  which  was  released  in  2015  by  Magic  Bullet  Records  and  contains  many  live  and  bonus  tracks  that  where  not  included  on  the  original  version.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  compilation  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  that  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  after  awhile  aggressive  hardcore  vocals  make  their  presence  known  in  the  music  and  there  is  alos  a  brief  use  of  whispered  vocals.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash  elements  and  throughout  the  compilation  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  a  great  amount  of  back  up  gang  shouts  could  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  compilation.

   Some  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  and  some  of  the  later  songs  bring  in  elements  of  noise  and  spoken  word  samples  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  a  few  bonus  tracks  where  also  recorded  live  which  also  displays  more  of  a raw  style  than  the  originals  and  you can  also  hear  punk  influences  at  times  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  melodic  singing  and  the  last  track  on  the  compilation  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  On  this  compilation  Integrity  played  their  earlier  style  of  metalcore  creating  some  very  aggressive  music  that  would  get  a  lot  more  darker  on  later  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  angry,  supernatural  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  compilation  from  Integrity  and  if  you  are  interested  in  hearing t heir  earlier  material,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "March  Of  The  Damned"  "Dead  Wrong"  "Dawn  Of  The  New  Apocalypse"  and  "Kingdom  Of  Heaven".  8  out  of  10.

 

F.A.T/Animal/Atypeek Records/Becoq Records/2016 EP Review

  F.A.T  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  ambient  and  noise  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Animal"  which  was  released  by  Atypeek  Music  and  Becoq  Records.

  Distorted  noises  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  clean  guitars  and  harsh  reverb's  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  to  a  heavy  bass  guitar  making  its  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  the  music  also  brings  in  an  improv  and  jam  feeling  at  times  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Elements  of  ambient  can  be  heard  quite  a bit  throughout  the  recording  and  after  awhile  the  guitars  start  getting more  distorted  and  also  takes  the  music  into  a  heavier  noise  rock  direction  and  they  also  use  the  bass  guitars  as  a  lead  instrument  and  all  of  the  songs  are  instrumenta  and  also  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction.

  F.A.T  plays  an  instrumental  style  of  noise  rock  that  sounds  all  improv  and  also  mixes  in  ambient  along  with  some  touches  of  drone  and  noise  to  create  a  musical  style  of  their  own  and  the  production  sounds  very  professional.

  In  my  opinion  F.A.T  are  a  very  great  sounding  instrumental  mixture  of  noise  rock  and  ambient  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Silex"  and  "Poire".  8  out  of  10.