Pale Horseman/The Fourth Seal/2017 FUll Length Review

  Pale  Horseman  are  a  band  from  Chicago, Illinois  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and   and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "The  Fourth  Seal"  which  will  be  released  in  November.

  A  very  heavy  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  after  awhile  aggressive  vocals  which  also  have  a  melodic  edge  at  times are  added  onto  the  recording  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  groove  and  melody.

  Elements  of  southern  and  stoner  metal  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  music  also  incorporates  a  lot  of  90's  era  industrial and  death  metal  influences  along  with  the  solos  and  leads being  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion,  some  songs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction.

  Pale  Horseman  creates  another  recording  that remains  true  to  the  sludge  and  doom  metal  mixture  of  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  apocalypse,  depression,  sorrow,  drugs  and  misanthropy  themes.

  On  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Pale  Horseman  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge  and  doom  metal,   you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Final  War"  "Bereavement"  "Pale  Rider"  and  "Phantasmal  Voice".  8  out  of  10.

  

Sapata Interview

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

We are Sapata, the dancing dead from Tampere, Finland, formed in 2014.

Saara Šamane vocals, Felix Voltti guitar, TT Suosalo bass, Anttu Puutio drums.

2.In June you had released an album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Deep, sanguine, melancholic sound but still warm, strong and full of energy.

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

Saara:  You might say that I write lyrics from a two different aspect. Some of the lyrics are very intimate and earthly. They are stories about love, depression, stories about dreams and nightmares and my fear of death. For example 'I the Messenger' is a song that I wrote when I had this bad time span of mania and depression dominating my life.

I have a quite romantic relationship to writing. I see stories in my head; landscapes, colours, sounds, and I must write them down. Like 'Gobi'. When I started to write it I saw the song in my head. I saw this bare desert and black night sky full of stars, and this young man who wanted to be fearless and ride through the desert that is full of danger but the story doesn’t tell what is his destiny. I use a lot of metaphors, to me it's very natural way to write. Metaphors are beautiful and interesting way to write about your life without telling the whole story of your lunatic mind. They are poems which every listener can feel and see in their own way. I like to use mysticism in my texts so I have taken influences from old mythologies, religions, myths and believes, things that I’m interested in. In June I made a sequence of photos based on the album lyrics, you can check those in our facebook page. Every photo opens more of the world and stories behind the lyrics.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Sapata'?

Sapata means a dancing bear in native Miwok's language. Coming up with the name was a quite long process with everybody spit ideas back and forth and eventually when we came up with it the name suited our music well.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and slo how would you describe your stage performance?

Every show can be quite different ‘cause is all about the place and the energy between the band and the audience. Our shows are very strong, energic, sometimes dramatic but always honest. Music can create a strong bond between players and the audience and they can feed each others energy in a very hypnotic and therapeutic way. Our best shows have been like this, we’ve been in a trance with the audience.  It’s all about this magnetic, hypnotic energy between everybody.

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

Now we are writing our second album called ‘Reflections’ and it will be recorded this year. We have also some shows in Finland and we are open to have more. Touring starts next spring when the album will be released. We don’t know yet is the album going to be a self release or via some label.

7.The new album was released on 'Inverse Records', are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?

To a rising band like us, label Inverse has been good move, they promote us through their contacts and keep us informed about reviews and sales, while letting us own the rights to our music.

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

‘Satanibator’ has received lot of positive feedback and we are happy to see how people around the world have liked the album. ‘Satanibator’ is musically quite open-minded album and we have noticed that almost all kind of people can find something catchy from it. And it’s great ‘cause our music is meant for everyone.

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

Our music and lyrics are getting more rough and intimate and will take the listener deeper to our world. The theme of the second album is the death’s reflections and it’s called ‘Reflections’. On the new album the theme will be more clearly present on lyrics and graphics that on ‘Satanibator’.

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?

Everyone’s individual influences and musical roots are very different and that creates our sound. We listen bands like Dead Can Dance, Sielun Veljet, Goat, Emma Acs, Oranssi Pazuzu, Monolord, Type o Negative, Devin Townsend, Boston, the Hellacopters, Leprous..

11.How would you describe your views on Occultism?

We don't have a mutual view on occultism. Everyone has their own or doesn't have it at all. 'Sex Magik' is the only occultic love song in the album. Some of us might have some kind of interest on occultism but it's not present in our music.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Saara: Woodworking, diy, graphic designing and art

Felix: Sports, scifi-movies and assisting surgeries

TT: Nature, aircrafts and food

Anttu: Baking

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

Live life with full power love and lunatic groove

Loincloth Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?

This new album marks the final chapter for Loincloth. Our mission is complete. We are extremely excited that Southern Lord will be bringing this slab of sickness to the hands and ears of our fellow riff mongers out there in the world!!

2.You have a new album coming out during the end of September, 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?

 Loincloth first and foremost is about density of HEAVY and twisting rhythmical concepts into knots. On the new record we created a little more breathing space as opposed to our first record "Iron Balls of Steel", which is non-stop claustrophobia. Fear not though, "Psalm Of the Morbid Whore" is still quite twisted!

3.This is your first album in 5 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?

 We were writing and playing shows during this time.

4.So far all of the albums have been instrumental, what was the decision behind going into this direction instead of using vocals?

We had flirted with the idea of having a track or two with sparse vocals, but the idea behind Loincloth has always been about instrumental music. The drums are our vocals.

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

 Primitive, HEAVY and absurd!!

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?

Although Loincloth didn't perform a ton, we were lucky to get to be a part of a lot of of great shows and festivals from The Day Of Doom Barcelona, Power Of The Riff in LA , GWAR-BQ in Richmond, VA to shows with Dysrhythmia, El Drugstore, Demon Eye and Dead in the Dirt, just to name a few. A personal highlight for me was doing a string of Dates with Sunn O))). I'm huge fan, so it was nothing short of sublime pleasure to be crushed by their unholy power several nights in a row. As far as stage performance, we keep it dark and let the riffs be the show!

7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

No, we will have no final live performances.

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

 Very good! The metal community has always been a global tribe and I'm honored to be a part of it. Loincloth's music is not easy to digest, but I'm thrilled that their are people out there that crave the kind of weird meal we offer. The support for this band has been incredible.

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

 We all have things we are currently working on. Steve, who is also the long time drummer for the Doom Metal band Confessor is working on a new record with them. Loincloth's bass player Tomas, and I have a heavy/ambient project named Gauchiste and are working on our second record. Besides that I have another twisted riff project forming named PRIZELIE.

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?

 Loincloth is a strange beast. There are wide ranging influences in this band. VoiVod, Trouble, Celtic Frost, King Diamond, Melvins, Mekong Delta, Sabbath, Halen and Rush are regular reference points when in rehearsal. For me, other bands like Ruins (from Japan) or Univers Zero and NOMEANSNO (just to name a few) can creep into the mix as an influence in one way or another. These influences might be hard to detect, but they are in there, at least abstractly. We might reference something, but for the most part we allow a riff to take its own course, relying on the language we have created for ourselves.
As far as what I'm listening to, that could be a long list as I'm always listening to a ton of stuff.  I love the new Circle record. Looking forward to new records by Krisiun, VoiVod, Unsane and Dead Rider. I've been having a great time with old Scorpions, Accept and Priest lately!!

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

 I spend a lot of time with my brain in various arts from the visual to the written. I've loved poetry since I was a kid. I commit a lot of time to exploring various poets of the world.

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

Thanks for the interview and thanks to all that have been with us for so many years!!

May Satan be Yours!!

Stay Heavy!!

Neck Deep In Filth Interview

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

We just released our self-titled debut EP. You can stream/buy it at www.neckdeepinfilth.bandcamp. com


2. How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the ep?

Others have been saying it sounds like a combination of hardcore and crust. So, I guess we can go with that description.


3. A lot of the lyrics cover political themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

Well, unless one plans to stay wilfully ignorant, it’s impossible not to have an interest in what’s going on around us. The dominance of the right wing, the bigotry, the hateful nationalism, it all starts weighing down on you. The lyrics therefore serve as an outlet for me.


4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Neck Deep In Filth'?

Living here, we’re surrounded by scum racists, bigots, misogynists, Hindu fundamentalists, and dumb ultranationalists. We’re neck deep in filth.


5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We’ve only played two shows thus far and both have been great. As for describing our stage performance, I have no idea. That’s a question for the audience haha


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

We’ll definitely be playing a lot more shows but touring isn’t on the agenda.


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

No interest from labels so far but we’d love to get tapes out.


8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of crust punk and hardcore?

The response has surpassed our expectations.

We worked with our friends in Qabar - Extreme Music PR (www.facebook.com/qabarpr) for this release, and they’ve pretty much gone all out in spreading the “filth” haha. We never could have gotten the reach and feedback we’ve received on our own. Riz from Unite Asia (uniteasia.org) / Dagger (facebook.com/daggerhk/) too has been instrumental in getting the word out.


9. 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?

Our drummer plays in a technical death metal band called Asphyxiate (https://www.facebook.com/ asphyxiatenep/). They recently released an EP. Our guitarist plays in a punk band called Squirt Guns (https://squirtgunsnepal. bandcamp.com/) and our bassist and I are part of a metallic hardcore band called Jugaa (https://jugaa.bandcamp.com/). Squirt Guns and Jugaa are on an indefinite hiatus right now, however.

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

I believe the EP is the perfect medium when it comes to hardcore/punk so I’m really not in favor of recording a full length for that reason. We’ll probably be putting out another EP next year but before that, we’re dropping a split with another South Asian band. Musically, I hope our sound gets darker.


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?

On my part, when it comes to NDIF, it’s Cursed, Left For Dead, and Haymaker. Our guitarist is into crust bands like Alpinist and Downfall of Gaia, along with some screamo. ��I’ve been listening to the new Integrity and All Out War lately. And lots of old Paradise Lost.


12. How would you describe the metal, punk and hardcore scenes in your home country of Nepal?

The underground here is great. We probably have the best scene in all of South Asia currently, to be honest. Don’t believe me? Come to the shows.


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

I like reading. I like drinking. I also collect band shirts, but that’s probably related to music.


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

Thanks for the interview. Listen to our EP.

Evil Invaders/Feed Me Violence/Napalm Records/2017 CD Review

  Evil  Invaders  are  a  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  mixture  of  speed  and  thrash  metal  with  a  touch  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Feed  Me Violence"  which  will  be  released  on  September  29th  by  Napalm Records.

  A  very  fast  and  aggressive  thrash  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  elements  of  speed  metal  while  the  vocals  bring  in  a  semi  melodic  style  of  singing  which  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  aggression  along  with  some  touches  of  death  metal.

  A  great  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  along  with  a  couple  of  brief  instrumentals  which  introduces  synths  and  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  recording  and  the  songs  also bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast parts  and  they  also  make  an  80's  style  sound  more  modern.

  Evil  Invaders  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  thrash  and  speed  metal  together  along  with  some  power  and  death  metal  influences  to  create  a sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  angry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Evil  Invaders  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  thrash  and  speed  metal  along  with  some  touches  of  death  and  power  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "As  Life  Slowly  Fades"  "Feed  Me  Violence"  and  "Among  The  Depths  Of  sanity".  8  out  of  10.

    

Demoniac/Intemperance/Witches Brew/2017 CD Review

  Demoniac  are  a  band  from  Chile  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  thrash  metal  with  some  touches  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  'Intemperance"  which  was  released  by  Witches Brew.

  A  very  heavy  80's  influenced  South  American  thrash  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  solos  and  leads  stick  to  a  very  raw  yet  melodic  old  school  extreme  metal  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  Vocals  are  in  the  more  aggressive  style  of  thrash  metal  along  with  some  touches  of  1986  era  death  metal  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and classical  guitars  are  also  used  briefly,

  A  couple  of  the  tracks  are  instrumentals  along  with  first  one  also  bringing  in  traditional  metal  elements  while  the  later  is  an  acoustic  song  before  returning  back  to  vocal  tracks  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  and  back  up  gang  shouts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks a re  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Demoniac  plays  a  style  of  thrash  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  early  death  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  occultism,  death,  anti  Christianity  and  destruction  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Demoniac  are  a  very  great  sounding  thrash  metal  band  with  a  touch  of  death  metal  an d if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Unacceptable  Truth"  "When  Witchcraft  And  Cult  Rises"  and  "Forging  Our  Sorrow".  8  out  of  10.

    

Heavy Traffic/The Mad Doctors/Twin Earth Records/King Pizza Records/2017 Split 7 Inch Review

  This  is  a  review of  a  split  7  inch  between  New  York's  Heavy  Traffic  and  The  Mad Doctors  which  will  be  released  on  September  22nd  as  a  joint  effort  between  Twin  Earth  and  King  Pizza  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Heavy  Traffic  a  band  that  plays  a mixture  of  psychedelic, doom  metal, noise  and punk.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out with  distorted  amp  sounds  along  with  some  clean  vocals  start  off  their  side  of  the  split  along  with  some  psychedelic  elements  while  the  riffing  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal  and  the  solos  and  leads  give  the  song  more  of  a  retro  edge  as  well  as  adding  in  some  noise  and  punk  influences,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  humorous  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Heavy  Traffic  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  psychedelic,  doom  metal,  punk  and  noise  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.

  Next  up  is  The  Mad  Doctors  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  garage,  punk,  doom,  surf  and  sludge  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  garage  punk  style  riffing  while  heavy  more  of  a  sludge  metal  heaviness  while  the  vocals  are  done  in  a  melodic  fashion  along  with  some  clean  playing  also  being  utilized  briefly,  the production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  humorous  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Mad  Doctors  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  garage,  punk,  doom,  surf  and  sludge  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.

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