Doomain Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
1) Doomain it’s a traditional-Doom Metal band, inspired by the feelings of the Epic Doom. Less frippery, evil riffs, epic melodies; totlly old-school.

2.Recently you have released a demo, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
2) Seems stupid but I just tried to write some songs. That’s all. No intros, less riffs, refrains.
It’s not a commercial purpose, I just wanted to play the essence. The 3-minutes-intros are boring, like the long solos or the psychedelics stuff which can’t make you feel something. My house window overlooks on a cemetery and I just tried to create solemns, cemeterial and epic sounds. Nothing more.


3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?
3) The thing that I really hate is to write lyrics, I’m not very able to do that job.
My lyrics speaks about blood, fights, wars, death, honor and bullshits like these ones.
I can speak about all, it’s not a limit for me. Said this, my lyrics will never speaks about religion or politic in a serious way. These are only tales, just entertainment.


4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Doomain'?
4) Taking the d(o)omain of the Doom Metal world! Becoming the number one! I’m joking, obviously.


5.With this project you record everything by yourself but have had experience playing in a full band, how would you compare the 2?
5) Obviously the best for a musician it’s playing with other peoples, but even if I live in a city like Milan,
finding someone for a more-members band it’s still hard, above all for a genre like the traditional Doom Metal. This is not my first “solitude experince”, also years ago, with my Punk band called “Gore”, I was the only one in the project. At least with the time I learn many things which helpes me when I’m alone. About the vocals it has been really hard, I didn’t sung for many years and my voice is rusted, for now. Anyway, for the next album, there will be a real drummer!



6.Are you open to working with other musicians in a live sitting or are you planning on keeping this as a studio project?
6) At the moment no, I don’t want to bring Doomain in live side, but we’ll see in the future.


7.The demo was released on 'Masked Dead Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
7) Masked Dead Records it’s an emerging and crazy label. Matteo (the owner) it’s at his debut,
and makes fantastic things that only a young man can do, that is all what he wants. Fuck the music business.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom metal?
8) Masked Dead Records printed 50 copies, so speaking about it it’s a little big. Doomain it’s a very little band. But many of the copies has been sold out of Italy, and I am really happy with this.


9.Where do you see yourself heading into musically during the future?
9) In the future? As new Black Sabbath member!
Sincerely, I don’t know which will be my “doom”, but I just hope to keep playing good music.
Today I like the dark world of Doom Metal, toworrow… Who can say what I’ll play?


10.What are some of the bands or musical projects that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
10) A lot! You ready? First of all, the finnish Sarcofagus, a stunning band! “Envoy of Death" (1980, a massive masterpiece) it’s not totally Doom but it’s very dark and evil. Kimmo Kuusniemi guitar parts are fabolous, same for the “harsh” vocals of Jukka Homi ! The album has been repressed in 1996 by Mellotron Records, which years ago had a shop near my house. Obviously the other main influences comes from Saint Vitus, Black Sabbath & Dio, maybe the best “Metal” singer ever. The italians Death SS, Angel Witch, Manowar, Warlorld and the great Scald, an underground band that any fan of the Epic Doom should know. The other influences comes from the extreme Metal, like Nifelheim , their “Devils Force” it’s a masterpiece: the evil and melodic use of the guitars, sons of Iron Maiden and Treblinka it’s incredible!
I also want to recomend you two italians bands: Psychedelic Witchcraft and Hands Of Orlac, two Rock/Doom fantastic band, very different compared to Doomain. I also love the old school Death Metal (‘80’s/’90’s), Elvis’ Rock’n’Roll, Meteors’ Psychobilly, Misfits’ Punk and many other stuff.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?

11) I am a very curious guy: I collect old toys, comics, bands’ and film’s t-shirts, cds/lps, dvds, films’ posters. I also love photography and cooking.


12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
12) Yes sure, THANK YOU. This is the most important word I want to tell you.
If underground bands still exists it’s only cause of you, which within the bands you live in the underground; like us, for only passion. THANK YOU, really. – Gore Soprano

Fistula/Longing For Infection/2016 Full Length Review

  Fistula  are  a  band  from  Cleveland,  Ohio  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  with  a  touch  of  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Longing  For  Infection"  which  will  be  released  in  July.

  Annoying  type  vocals  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  which  also  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  thrash  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  it  brings  in  more  of  a  hardcore  style  along  with  some  screaming  vocals  along  with  some  touches  of  crust  and  d  beat  and you  you  can  also h ear  an  influence  of  thrash  in  the  music.

  Spoken  word  samples  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  some  of  the  riffs  also  utilize  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  songs  also  bring  in a   great  mixture  of   slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while all  of  the  songs  remain  true  to  a  heavy  musical  direction  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads a re  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  melodic  fashion.

  Fistula  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  hardcore  influenced  style  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  anti  religion,  drugs,  death  and  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Fistula  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  hardcore,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Too  Many  Devils  And  Drugs" "Destitute"  and  "Detox".  8  out  of  10.

Avenger Of Blood/On Slaying Grounds/Times End Records/2016 CD Review

  Avenger  Of  Blood  are  a  band  from  Las  Vegas,  Nevada  that  plays  a  very  aggressive  form  of  thrash  metal  with  some  death  metal  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "On  Slaying   Grounds"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Times  Ends  Records.

  Wind  sounds  start  off  the album  along  with  some  whispers  and  spoken  word  samples  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  aggressive  old  school  thrash  metal  direction  along  with  some  screaming  vocals  and  blast  beats  and  the  music  goes  for  more  of  an  80's  style  of  thrash  metal  along  with  a  touch of  early  death  metal.

  At  times  the  riffs  can  be  very  melodic  and  you  can  also h ear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  bring  in   an  old  school  style  of  thrash  and  while  the  music  is  rooted  in  the  past  the  production  makes  the  tracks  sound  more  modern  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  elements  that  where  considered  as  being  very  technical  in  the  mid  80's  or  early  90's  and  all  of the  songs  remain  very  true  to  a  heavy  sound.

  Avenger  Of  Blood  plays  a  style  of  thrash  that  goes  back  to  the  80's  German  style  of  the  genre  while  also  mixing  in  some  death  metal  influences to  create  a  very  heavy  recording, the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  apocalypse  and  post  apocalyptic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Avenger  Of  Blood  are  a  very  great  sounding  aggressive  thrash  metal  band  with  a  touch  of  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "On  Slaying  Grounds"  "Aggressive  Psychotic  Behavior"  "Spawn  of  Evil"  and  "A  Curse  From  The  Grave".  8  out  of  10.

Paul Chain/Alkahest/Minotauro Records/2016 CD Review

  Paul  Chain  is  a  solo  artist  from  the  united  Kingdom  that  has  been  around  for  almost 40  years  first  with  Death  SS,  and  his  other  projects  as  well  as  his  solo  work  and  has  also  been  a  very  huge  influence  on  both  of  the  occult  and  doom  metal  scenes  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2016  album  "Alkahest"  which  was  released  by  Minotauro  Records  and  is  in  the  traditional  styl  of  occult  doom  metal.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  70's  style  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  a  few  seconds  later   and  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  an  old  school  metal/rock  style  and  while  the  music  is  rooted  in  the  past  the  production  makes  the  songs  have  a  more  current  style.

  As  the  album  progresses  keyboards  are  added  onto  some  of  the  songs  and  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  haunting  atmosphere  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  a small  amount  of  grim  whispers  and  a  few  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  folk  instruments  on  one  song  and  on  the  later  tracks  Lee  Dorian  of  Cathedral  starts  doing  the  vocals  and  brings  in  a  rougher  style  to  the  music  which  is  also  more  close  to  his  own  band  and  every  track  sticks  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction  while  the  album  closes  with  a  cover  of  Black  Sabbath's  "Electric  Funeral"  and  some  songs  also  add  in  acoustic  guitars.

  Paul  Chain  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  occult  doom  metal  style  of  previous  recordings  while  also  having  a  more  up  to  date  approach  to  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Paul  Chain  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of   traditional  and  occult  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Roses  Of  Winter"  "Three  Water"  "Static  End"  and  "Sepulchral  Life".  8  out  of  10.   

BattleX Interview

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

We’re a four-piece from Maribor, Slovenia that plays a mix of thrash metal and heavy metal with some modern elements to keep it interesting.

2.In January you had released your first full length, 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 first EP was, in a sense, more “traditional” in terms of song structure. We also had a dedicated singer, who had a completely different vibe than what the album offers.
The album is what I’d call straightforward but effective. We didn’t overdo the production elements; we went with a simple but powerful sound that conveys what we wanted to without making too many detours. We wanted to write a varied but relatable piece that every metal fan could enjoy and find themselves in, which I think we’ve achieved.

3.The band has been around since 2007 but so far has only released an ep and a full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap in between releases?

It was mostly due to line-up changes and difficulties with securing a rehearsal space. We usually mention 2007 as the band’s “birthyear”, but in reality, the band has been active since 2010 and though the line-up has been the same since then, it has only been stable since early 2013. That’s why it took a bit longer than most bands to make our first record and EP.

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

The topics explored are mostly socially critical; nearly all the songs deal with an aspect of modern society. Corruption (Dignity), war (Whispers in the Sand), prejudice and mistrust (Circus of Trust), religion (The Hierophant), hypocrisy (Face to Face) and of course, the human obsession with destruction (Imminent Downfall). Even Break Your Bones and Raise Hell, which are a bit lighter in tone have a social undertone since they are about the metal community. Final Confrontation stands out a little because it deals with personal struggles, overcoming something that burdens you.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'BattleX'?

The inspiration is a bit anti-climactic; I wasn’t in the band at the time, but I believe the band simply chose a word that sounded cool and added X to the end. To be honest, I wasn’t particularly fond of it when I joined the band, but over time, it subconsciously grew on me and the more I wrote both music and lyrics for the band, the more meaning it came to have. To me, it means remaining a combative spirit, fighting for (or against, whichever fits your situation) something, whatever it may be.

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?

Actually one of the best shows we’ve had was pretty recent: we played on the End of All Nights festival in Temelin, CZ. Our time slot was really late, I broke a string, Simeon broke a spring on his double-bass pedal, but even though it seemed like everything went wrong, the crowd went crazy and we had a really good time.
Also, a local show in Maribor in early 2016 really blew my face off. There were a lot of people, but folks we know and new faces, we gave it everything we had and the people fed us the energy right back.
I’d say people appreciate our relentless energy and no-bullshit approach. Recently I’ve noticed a lot of bands give speeches between songs (mostly American bands, for some reason) on God knows what (usually not particularly related to the song) and while I respect those bands (not dropping any names), I think it’s a waste of time and the people’s attention. Plug in, rock out.

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

Right now we’re buckling down again to write some new material and hopefully make another music video. We had a ton of fun making the video for “Imminent Downfall” and we want to do another one.

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

Nothing so far, but we hope our debut will stir up enough attention to land us a record deal.

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

Pretty positive actually! We’ve had positive reviews from South American and European webzines, and our like count on fb went up a lot after we released the video. If any of your readers would like to review our album and post it on-line, for example on http://metal-archives.com, you can hear it on our bandcamp site: http://battlex.bandcamp.com.

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

We have two (well two and a half, I guess) songs for the new record and I’d say they’re moving in a more intense and streamlined direction than the previous record. I’m still a bit torn on the vocal style for the future, so far I’d say it’s also leaning towards the heavier side of the spectrum.

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?

We come from very different musical backgrounds, but heavy metal and thrash is what we all seem agree on. 80s thrash bands like Testament, Kreator or Metallica were a huge influence on us, there’s no secret there. There are also less conspicuous moments, like the intro for Whispers in the Sand, which was inspired by Pink Floyd and 70s psychedelic rock, or the bass line in the chorus of Face to Face, which is basically “walking bass”, not something you’d normally have in thrash. Like I said, we like varied music, and I think it shows.
Personally, I keep moving from one thing to the next fairly often; nowadays, I’m on a huge mid-2000s Exodus kick, Tempo of the Damned and Shovel Headed Kill Machine all day long. Lately I’ve also been rolling Satan’s Atom By Atom; Satan is one of my favourite bands and while I still prefer Life Sentence, Atom By Atom is a Satan record through and through.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Support metal bands both small and big, buy the merch, discover new bands, share your on the music and above all, never stop headbanging!

Tankobot Interview

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

Currently we are all excited about seeing an exposition on the hidden evolution of secret duck societies, since we are heavily into all things duck-related.

Apart from that we're writing songs, playing them on stage and leaving happy people, as long as they like extreme music. We're pretty happy with that ourselves.



2.In October you had released your first demo, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Shredding, blasting, pounding … for thrash metal to really unfold you need a sound that's warm and dry at once, and Torsten nailed that in the mix. The guitar sound and drum conditions were pretty high level to begin with, but he put it all together just right.



3.The band has been around since 2011 but waited until 2015 to release any music, can you tell us a little bit more about the first 4 years?

Tankobot was more of a meeting spot plus songwriting among friends until I (Metin) joined. Once we realized how cool we sounded we still had no singer which caused some delay. Finally Jo Fingergrinder stepped up to the task and did very good in amazingly little time and it went from there on. We've been playing since and recording in the spare time. Jo proved to be a natural front man That's the first years.



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

Things we see and do not like. Well, mostly people we do not like, and why we do not like them. Human societies around the globe are an endless source of disgust, and sometimes it is so bad or just so shitty we just have to write about it. I think your description of the lyrics „touching dark and real life themes“ is a good summary. No satan, no orcs, no vikings. Just realities that are so much harsher than anything else.





5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Tankobot'?

Our inspiration were tanks and robots. And ducks.



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?

Our stage performance is us stepping on stage, doing what we do. There are no effects, costumes or alter egos, just the songs (as befits the lyrical contents). And when you're on after we're finished you'll really have to deliver.

Best shows – so far there were no bad ones, really. Even the smallest and crappiest venues were fun because we had other good bands with us. A really cool one was opening for Night Demon, because the place was packed to the ceiling and we got great reactions from a crowd that came for a whole different kind of music.



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

Yes and yes.



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

Yes, yes and yes. We are currently entering first talks, but that's all there is to say right now. In any case we'll only take a deal that's reasonable or unreasonably good for us, or go independent.





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

We got love from the Ruhr area – the most important region for this music worldwide – down to south america, thrash land as well.



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

We'll be recording later this year. But with 2016 being half done I guess the release will take until next year.



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?

Besides the obvious roots in Thrash and Florida Death Metal we have strong influences in Punk and Hardcore, and bands who crossed from there. Suicidal Tendencies, Nuclear Assault, S.O.D. …

We all dig lots of classic bands like Iron Maiden, Motörhead, Ozzy or King Diamond. Apart from Metal and Rock there's bluesy stuff as well, ZZ Top and Dr. John spring to mind. And then there's Kyuss. Tough question to answer shortly.



Plus everyone brings along different personal favourites, from Ministry through Mastodon, Triptykon, Rush or Guns 'n' Roses to Toto and Pink Floyd.

And we love Slayer.



12.What are some of your non musical interests?

The usual – art, science, cultural and political studies, frozen pizza, pornography and video games. Jo partakes in the very, very german concept of schrebergardening, which means you have a little garden apart from your home, among other such gardens. Come weekend, all the gardeners hang out there in front of little sheds or caravans, and of course you have to be a member of the local gardener's association. It's all extremely german, and the image of Jo Fingergrinder right there in the middle is fucking hilarious.



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

Sorry, no thoughts, but thanks for having us.





Kind regards and thanks for your support,

Torsten

Lightsabres/Hibernation/Medusa Crush Recordings/2016 Cassette Review

 Lightsabers  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  stoner  rock  with  some  psychedelic  and  alternative  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Hibernation"  which  will  be  released  in July  by  Medusa  Crush  Recordings.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  guitars  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on the  recording  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  yet  melodic  musical  direction  and  the  vocals  are  done  in a  clear  singing  direction.

  Influences  of  alternative  rock  can  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  dome  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  doom  metal  in  some  of  the  heavier  riffing  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  elements  of  psychedelia  while  also  adding  acoustic  guitars on  later  tracks  and  there  are  a  lot  of  70's  elements  in  the  music  that  are  added  in  with  a  more  modern  style  and  all  of t he  songs  stick  to  a  slow  musical  direction.

  Lightsabers  plays  a  style  of  stoner  rock  that  they  take  into  more  of  a  psychedelic  and  alternative  style  to  add  something  different  to  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Lightsabers  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  alternative,  psychedelic  and  stoner  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out t his  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Endless  Summer"  "Breaking  Bones"  "Satan's  Pilgrims"  and  "Blood  on  the  Snow".  8  out  of  10.