Vlad In Tears/Unbroken/NoCut Entertainment/2016 CD Review

  Vlad  In  Tears  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  dark  mixture  of  gothic  rock  and  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Unbroken"  which  will  be  released  in  August by  NoCut  Entertainment.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  gothic  style  synths  and  clean  singing  vocals  while  you  can  also  hear  the  influence  of  metal  in  the  riffing  which  also  gets  very  melodic  at  times  and  the  music  also  incorporates  a  great  amount  of  modern  mainstream  rock   influences  along  with  the  energy  of  punk.

  Melodic  guitar  leads  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  along  with  some  whispers  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  music  also  sounds  like  it  would  be  a  perfect  fut  for  both  AOR  and  modern  rock  radio  stations  while  still  also  having  some  extreme  metal  elements  in  some  of  the  tracks  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  vocals  also  start  getting  more  aggressive  and  one  of  the  later  songs  also  introduces  acoustic  guitars  into  the music.

  Vlad  In  Tears  plays  a  music  style  that  takes  goth  and  mixes  it  with  modern  rock  and  the  heaviness  of  metal  to  create  a  style  that  is  a  little  bit  different,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vlad  In  Tears  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  goth  rock  and  alternative  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blame  Yourself"  "Lies"  "Still  here"  and  "We're  Done".  7/5  out  of  10.  

 

Zed Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Sure thing, we have been pretty busy getting ready for the release of the album most of this year. We did a small southwest US tour immediately after handing the album off to Ripple followed by the work into getting the album ready for release, such as album art, video shooting and editing etc. At the same time we've been writing riffs and parts that we want to return to when we start writing the next album.

2. You have a new album coming out in August, 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 coming in August, "Trouble In Eden", will be our third album that we'e put out and the first for Ripple Music. Every time you make a record, it's a snapshot of a band for that period of time, and when i look at all three albums, or snapshots, I see a definite progression and growth in songwriting, discipline and musicianship. We are known as a riff band and our default writing style is to find a riff and ride that riff to the fullest extent, and we'd approach writing from a riff perspective. Our earlier stuff had some songs where we just put riffs together not really thinking about coherency or song structure. Over time we've disciplined ourselves more and put time into thinking about song structures, making things flow more cohesively, and challenging ourselves as musicians to write parts that force us to step up our chops. What we have created for his album we think is a big sounding heavy groove that draws from various styles but that are unmistakeably ZED. Big, loud rock songs.

3. The band has been around since 2007 but so far has only put out 3 albums, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap in between releases?
I think the big reason is that we took alot of time to define our style as a band. When a band gets together for the first time, they usually need to time to find their own sonic identity, and since we were in no hurry, we took our time and let the sounds and grooves simmer until we felt that they were ready to share with others. This current album was written in a year and thats the fastest we've done it so far.  

4. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
This current album has a consistent theme running through it, which was done deliberately by our singer Peter Sattari. The lyrics deal with societal turbulence, environmental problems and even ones own mental and spiritual well being. there are alot of dark themes in the lyrics which help give the overall vibe a heavy feel.

5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Zed'?
One of the biggest influences the band has is Led Zeppelin, and the name ZED in my mind was a nice way to pay tribute to my all time favorite rock band, putting the Z from Zeppelin in place of the L from Led. Additionally, it conjures up images from Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction which all of us in the band love, so we liked the idea that the name could have that significance as well.

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?
wow we've played alot of shows, but my favorites are always ones where we are in close quarters to the crowd and they are actively along for the ride, participating, dancing and singing the lyrics back to us. I would describe our stage performance as energetic and engaged. We let the music flow through us and I think it comes out with the intensity of the song and in how we interact with each other and the audience. It's therapeutic for us to say the least.  

7. Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
yes we are planning a west coast US tour for October as well as working on going to Europe in 2017.

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of rock and metal?
The feedback has been very positive globally. Fans of rock and metal are always looking for something unique and good, and I think that they pick up on various things that they can relate to in our music. Collectively we come from various musical backgrounds from metal to punk to blue to funk, and we incorporate those elements in our sound, so even if you're an extreme metal fan, or just a blues fan, or a punk rocker, there is something intense and familiar enough there for you to like and pick up on.

9. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
No idea really, we never know where the music will take us until we write it. If you ask me where i would like it to go, then i would say I want to write bigger and heavier grooves that make you bob your head. My favorite part of our songs are the big, bold riffs that make people automatically start moving their heads or hips.

10. 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?
I would say the biggest musical influences on ZED are 1. Led Zeppelin 2. Black Sabbath 3. Clutch 4. Soundgarden 5. Rage Against The Machine. As for me what I've been listening to alot lately are the latest albums from our labelmates Wo Fat and Gozu, as well as alot of old 60's and 70's proto metal, funk and reggae


11. What are some of your non musical interests?
I love reading and watching science fiction, I also love video/film making and editing and ancient history!

12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks to all who have taken an interest in our music, we hope that you all like the next chapter in the ZEDstory, and we look forward to seeing you out on the road!

Season Of Arrows/Give It To The Mountain/Static Tension Recordings/2016 CD Review

  Season  Of  Arrows  are  a  band  from  Nashville,  Tennessee  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  post,  sludge,  doom  and  stoner  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Give  It  To  The  Mountain"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by Static  Tension  Recordings.

  Acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  percussion  beats  and  the  music  can  also  be  very  atmospheric  and  experimental  at  times  and  after  awhile  the  music  goes  into  a  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  musical  direction  as  well  as  adding  in  clean  singing  female  vocals  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  70's  doom  metal  feeling.

  At  times  the  music  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  while  some  of  the  retro  style  riffing  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  stoner  rock  vibe  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  post  metal  and  clean  playing  also  makes  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction.

  Seasons  Of  Arrows  creates  another  recording  that  brings  in  a  very  retro  stoner  and  doom  metal  style  while  making  it sound  more  modern  by  adding  in  elements  of  sludge  and  post  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  darker  sides  of  life.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Seasons  Of  Arrows  and  if  you  are  a f an  of  post,  sludge,  stoner,  and  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Farewell  To  the  Horsemen"  "New  Sorcery"  and  "From  The  Wilderness  We  Return".  8  out  of  10. 

100 Years Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Basically we're a bunch of old guys who stopped playing to please others long ago. All the music we've played individually up to this point has lead to this band, and represents who we are now. We're scattered around Sweden, and although we live far from each other geographically, we come from the same city and have known each other since forever. Our goal is to just dig down, focus and make as much music as we can, because that's what we love.

2.Recently you have released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
For me (Pontus), it can take a lot of effort just making a single riff or verse, because I can't bring myself to leaving even a single note to chance. Everything has to make sense to me, and I hope that comes across in the music. The sound is harsh, mellow, grinding. It's my outlet of every feeling.

3. All of the band members are veterans who have played in other bands, what are some of the things you bring into this group that you where not able to do with the other band?
This is a new arena, we have nothing to prove to anyone, and with no expectations you can do anything.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
The lyrics aren't story based, they lean more towards descriptions of emotions or situations. High and low, mostly low.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name '100 Years'?
Initially, the idea was to allow a certain amount of time in the beginning of a song for the listener to "get into" it before it actually kicked in. We thought about the concept of time, and we felt that 100 years is the maximum amount of time a person can grasp. Longer than that, and it just becomes vague.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We had an awesome gig at Klubben in Stockholm that really set the tone for how we want our stage performance to be. We want the music to be the focal point on stage rather than us, and we want the audience to experience something other than an average bang-your-head-metal-show. We try to set a mood and a vibe that speaks to your spine rather than your eyes.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We're looking into some possibilities at the moment, and hopefully we'll be able to do some gigs this fall.

8.The new album came out on 'Give Praise Records' are you happy with the support they have given you so far?
As a Swedish band it's great to have a foreign platform to start from, it makes it a whole lot easier to spread your music beyond your backyard.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of metal?
According to some sources, we have a surprising number of fans in Indonesia, which is awesome. It's a bit too early to talk about fan bases, but we'd love to play in other parts of the world for sure.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Maybe a bit more violent, who knows. The essence will probably remain, though.

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?
Everything from Swans to Napalm Death, The Cure to Killing Joke, Voivod to Celtic Frost has inspired us. I (Pontus) listen to Norwegian bands Årabrot and Okkultokrati a lot right now. Motorpsycho (also Norwegian) is probably my biggest musical influence and my all time favorite band, and they're definitely responsible for the jazziness of 100 Years.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Food & beverage are huge interests for some, technical recording nerdy stuff, golf, weed, working on the house, visiting the in-laws, hanging out with the kids etcetera.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
If Donald Trump is your next president, we won't come.

Into The Storm Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
    We are already back to writing new music and suffocating in the tiny box we call a practice space. Expect a reasonably quick follow up release as a possible split with another Seattle band. In the mean time we are hoping 'Where the Merfalo Roam' is cool enough to keep us relevant for at least 3 months.

2.You have a new album coming out in November, 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?
    This album captures the most accurate representation of seeing us play live we have ever recorded. Derek Moree and Brad Boatright did an amazing job mixing and mastering the album to produce the highest fidelity version of our tones we have ever heard. Highly suggest cranking it and letting the low end hug you. 'Where the Merfalo Roam' is heavier, cleaner, and harder hitting than anything else we have ever released.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
    The lyrical concept is a journey through discontent, oppressive governments, dystopian eras, and the connection between the cycles societies go through.

    'Where the Merfalo Roam' is a call to a bygone era where great waters covered much of the open the plains and large aquatic mammals grazed, Merfalo. You can still see evidence of this time in the derelict buildings scattered beside the highways of America.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Into The Storm'?
    We all get into the storm. The storm is both a physical concept and a mental/emotional concept that happens in all of our day to day lives and in the turmoil that seems to be a constant in our societies. It's a weird wild world out there that you can't avoid being pulled into.  

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?
    Playing Smooth Sailing's album release for XoXo was one of the most amazing shows we have played. Packed house. Close friends. Memories worth a fortune. It's hard to analyze your own stage performance so here is some stuff friends have said to us, "that was awesome, but it made me feel like my mom was yelling at me for some reason", "that was like watching Bob Ross paint but on guitar", "that would be really cool if there was less yelling and you guys weren't so loud"

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
    Yes, but nothing set in stone yet.

7.The new album is coming out on 'Alive And Breathing Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
    It's great they have helped us with getting promotion and financing pretty much everything from this and every record we have ever put together as a band. We are obligated to put this quote in on their behalf, "two brothers in a van and then a meteor hits, and they ran as fast as they could from giant cat monsters and then a giant tornado came and that’s when things got knocked into 12th gear. A Mexican armada shows up with weapons made from tomatoes. And you better bet your bottom dollar that these two brothers know how to handle business. In: ALIEN INVASION TOMATO MONSTER MEXICAN ARMADA BROTHERS WHO ARE JUST REGULAR BROTHERS RUNNING IN A VAN FROM AN ASTEROID AND ALL SORTS OF THINGS THE MOVIE. Hold on, these’s more. Old women are comin’ and they’re also in the movie and they’re gonna come and cross attack these two brothers, but let’s get back to the brothers because they’re, they have a strong bond. You don’t want to know about it here, but I’ll tell you one thing: the moon, it comes crashing into earth and what do you do then? it’s two brothers and it…and..and they’re gonna…" - Rick and Morty

8.On a worldwide level how has the feed the feedback been to your recordings by fans of heavy music?
    Russia likes it.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
    More guitars, more amps, more punishing, and more beautiful. Basically more of everything.

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?
    CKY, Sublime, Oasis, Harvey Danger, Botch, Converge, Tombs, Tool, Mastodon, Baroness, Metallica, Queens of the Stone Age, Gospel, Gaza, Cult Leader, Yautja, The Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza, Gojira, Chelsea Wolfe, Rumors by Fleetwood Mac, Cloud Rat, Perturberator. Some of those are old influences but most of that list is still on a regular rotation.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
    Sleep depravation and pop culture. Some of us do the adult thing, not all of us.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
    Can't emphasize enough that this record sounds the best real loud. Derek Moree, who engineered and mixed it, did an incredible job making sure the hits hit and that everything is super full sounding. Turn it up!

Friend Or Foe/Foe/Flatspot Records/2016 EP Review

  Friend  Or  Foe  are  a  band  from  Richmond,  Virginia  that  plays  a  straight  edge  form  of  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Foe"  which  will  be  released  in August  by  Flatspot  Records.

  Distorted  guitar  noises  and  spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  very  fast  hardcore  direction  along  with  some  shouting  style  vocals  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  the  energy  of  punk  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  80's  and  90's  NYHC  influences  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Back  up  gang  shouts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recordings  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  and  you  can  also hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording    and  all  of the  tracks  stick  to  a  heavy  musical  style   while  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  can  be  heard.

  Friend  Or  Foe  plays  a  style  of  hardcore  that  goes  back  to  the  mid  80's  and  early  90's  era  of  the  east  coast  sound  while  also  mixing  in  the  raw  energy  of  punk  rock,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent,  angry  and  realistic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Friend  Or  Foe  are  a  very  great  sounding  straight  edge  hardcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Never  Loosen Your  Grip"  and  "True".  8  out  of  10. 

 

Mine Collapse/Self Titled/Nefarious Industries/2016 EP Review

  Mine  Collapse  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  metal  and  noise  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  self  titled  2016  ep  which  was  released  by  Nefarious  Industries.

  Natural  noises  start  off  the  ep  before  adding  in  heavy  riffing  and  melodic  guitar  leads  that  bring  back  some  of  the  early  90's  noise  rock  style  and  the  guitar  riffs  also use  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  the  vocals  are  done  in  a  shouting  style  that  also  gives  the  music  a  touch  of  post  hardcore.

  The  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  can  be  heard  in t he  guitar  riffing  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  at  times  also  brings  in  the  energy  of  punk  rock  and  one  of t he  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  pianos  and  the  tracks  also  stick  to  mostly  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  fast  playing  and  blast  beats.

  Mine  Collapse  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  noise  rock  and  post  hardcore  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mine  Collapse  are  a  very great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge  metal  and  noise  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres, you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mouthpiece"  and  "Coward".  8  out  of  10.