Seven Ends Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

We’re a modern- thrashmetal band from The Netherlands. We’re a newcomer in the scene, trying to establish our position with our recently released debut-album “To the Worms”.

 2. How would you describe your musical sound?

Fast raw and aggressive thrash with some death influences.

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

Social, political and religious topics. But also, like one of our favorite bands Hatesphere states, blood beer and satan.
 
 4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

There’s a little story to it: We couldn’t find a suitable bandname when we needed it, so our drummer Cor used to write down everything he thought of. After a night of heavy drinking he found this piece of paper with Seven Ends written on it, not knowing how he came up with that. Somehow we thought it sounded like us, so we went with that.

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

Well, our highlight is definitely playing at Wacken Open Air after winning the Dutch metal battle. That was our first and so far only really big show, so for us that was kind of impressive. But we certainly have some really good experiences with smaller shows. For example, we played in Floersheim (Germany) a while ago in a tiny venue. But what a party! I had a massive headache the day after, so it must have been good.

 
 6. Do you have any future touring plans?

We are talking with a booker for shows/tours. Right now we have no tours confirmed. We’ll keep you posted on our website www.sevenends.com.
 
 7. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by fans of
 extreme metal?

I don’t think we can talk about a worldwide level just yet. Most responses are from our own or neighboring countries. Though we did receive some fan mail from Russia. We get some completely different responses. Offcoarse some people like what we do and others don’t. We just hope we can bring something extra for the fans of the genre.

 
 8. What is going on with the other side projects these days?

Business as usual.

 9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

We are always working on some new material. We’ll keep heading straight forward. We don’t have the intention to try something new. I think if you really try to find an original sound these days it can only become weird. We’ll stick to what we know, thrash.
 
 10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your
 music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Mmmm….Slayer, Testament, Exodus. I know, everyone says that, but still, they kick ass. Hatesphere and The Haunted have been a great influence aswell. Machine Head and Chimaira.  Most of our Deathmetal influences come from band like Vader and Vomitory.
 
 11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Is there anything else?
 
 12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Yeah, we hope to welcome you one day on one of our live shows and drink a beer with us..…..and buy the album!! Cheers.

Seven Ends/To The Worms/Massacre Records/2012 CD Review

  Seven  Ends  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  death  metal,  thrash  ans  groove  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "To  The  Worms"  which  was  released  by  Massacre  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  melodic  death  metal  with  thrash  and  groove  metal  with  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  chaotic  and  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  melodic  death  metal  screams  that  have  a  thrash  feeling  to  them  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  hateful  and  everyday  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Seven  Ends  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  death/groove/thrash  metal  hybrid  and if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Death  Machine"  "Nation  Of  Fear"  "Hypocrites  Of  Faith"  and  "Rats".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Zero Degree Interview

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

Greetings! We got a huge amount of interviews to answer these days, ha ha. The band is working hard, we’re stuck quite in the middle of the promotion of our album “Surreal World” and everything is going fine so far.

2.       How would you describe the musical sound of the new material?

The album is like a mixture of 90’s melo-death paired with classical heavy metal and a bit of modern stuff in it. I think an old school metal head could like it as well as a young kid.

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

“Surreal World” mainly deals with modern society. The album contains a concept but not every song has a clear connection to it. It’s also about personal growth and the manipulation by modern lifestyle.

4.        What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band’s name?

The main intention behind the name is its ambiguity. We liked the different ways to interpret the phrase and it fits well to a metal band.

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

Very difficult question, because there are a lot of good memories left in “ZERO DEGREE’s” history. Maybe the shows in a small village near our hometown were quite memorable gigs. Up to 600 people from our region went to those parties. Too sad - these events don’t exist anymore. Opening gigs for bigger bands like “MERCENARY”, “SUIDAKRA” and “MAROON” were also quite cool. Our performance is like celebrating the metal together with the audience. We like the closer connection to the people and our singer Thomas is quite good in entertaining the crowd.

6.       Do you have any touring plans?

A longer tour is not planned so far. We all have family and friends, and are working in regular jobs. So it is hard to manage a tour with our jobs. But that would be a great goal to reach for “ZERO DEGREE”. Club gigs are planned for the end of the year and some shows will be announced soon.

7.       According the metal archives page, the album originally came out in
2010 and now it is being re released by Massacre Records, what is your
opinion of the re-issue?

Yes, the original album was produced by us and was released in the fall of 2010. We decided to try a more professional way to promote the band by sending demos to record companies. “MASSACRE RECORDS” came up with their deal and it turned to be a good decision. The album is easier to get even for people around the globe and we reach way more metalheads than before, which is awesome.

8.       I have noticed that the band uses 3 guitar players, how would you
compare that to bands that mostly just use one or two guitarists?

We have the possibility to recreate the album with every guitar that’s heard on the record. Most bands have to decide whether they play the rhythm or the lead guitars live and that’s a fact we wanted to leave out since the very beginning. But sometimes it is a bit hard to assert yourself between two other guitar heroes, especially when they have whammy bars on their guitars, ha ha.

9.       On a worldwide level how has your music been recieved by fans of
melodic death metal?

Very good so far. On platforms like facebook it is noticeable that even international people like our stuff and are interested in ZD. It is great to get their feedback, we absolutely appreciate that.

10.   Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full
time line up?

Since 2008 I think no member of the band has been involved in other projects than “ZERO DEGREE”. Maybe ZD is too time-consuming for everyone and as I mentioned before we are all into our “normal” lives.

11.   What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

I really can say that there won’t be a progression to other music styles or the modern kind of melodic death metal. It will be the same melo-death as it is but with an established songwriting and maybe with more mature playing techniques.

12.   What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your
music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

The bands from the Gothenburg-scene are our main influences. “In Flames”, “Dark Tranquillity” and “At the gates” are the fathers of that style and we don’t want to conceal that fact. “Iron Maiden” is another band that everyone in ZD likes and which left some traces on our blueprint. There are a lot of other bands we like from the Scandinavian-scene like “Dissection”, “Amon Amarth”, “Arch Enemy” and so on. I’m a big fan of “Paradise Lost” and am looking forward to their upcoming album, I think it’s going to be fantastic.

13.   Outside of music what are some of your interests?

That’s really many-sided. I’m into riding my mountainbike through the forest near my hometown or playing videogames, lately “Mass Effect 3” which is absolutely epic. I really like to read science-fiction books, especially classics like “Brave new world”, “1984” or “Blade Runner”. The other guys are into different things as well. Pascal and Thomas are interested in mechanical and electrical engineering beside their work. André plays in a local rugby team.
Tobias is very open minded and tries several things like downhill-biking, paintball and likes to travel around the globe. Maik is the one who’s way more into heavy metal than we all are. He surely has other hobbies but his guitar and his vinyl LP collection is his passion. Something we all like is to party together while listening to heavy metal and drinking some “Korncola” (a drink from our local area).

14.   Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thanks for the interview and for spreading the word about “ZERO DEGREE”!

Zero Degree/Surreal World/Massacre Records/2012 CD Review

  Zero Degree  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Surreal  World"  which  was  originally  released  in  2010  and  re-issued  by  Massacre  Records  during  the  year  of  2012.

  Drums  range from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars,  as  for  the  synths  which  are  only  used  briefly  they  bring  an  industrial edge  to  the  music.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  melodic  death  metal  riffs  with  some  of  the  riffing  having  a  thrash  feeling  to  them  in  addition  there  is  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  on  the  last  song  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads  and  at  times  you  can  hear  some  classic  metal  elements.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep  death  metal  growls,  high  pitched  screams  and  some  clean  singing,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and professional  sound  to  them.

  In  my  opinion  Zero Degree  are  a  very  good  sounding  melodic  death  metal  band  and  of  you  are  a fan  of  this  style,  you  should c heck  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tomorrow  Dies  Today'  "Grapes  Of  Wrath"  "Surreal World"  and  "The  Fog".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.  

  

Septekh/The Seth Avalanche/Abyss Records/2012 CD Review

  Septekh  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  dark  form  of  death/thrash  metal  with  a  blackended  edge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "The  Seth  Avalanche"  which  was  released  by  Abyss  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  in  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  the  most  brutal  elements  of  death  and  thrash  metal  together  with  some  black  metal  influences,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  chaotic  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads  that  have  a  rock  music  edge  to  them  at  times.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  blackened  death/thrash  metal  screams  and  deep  death  metal  growls,  while the  lyrics  cover  dark,  hateful  and  occult  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful  and  heavy  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Septekh  are  a  very  great  sounding  death/thrash  metal  band  with  a  blackened  edge  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fuckslut  From  Hell"  "Shoot  Em  All"  and  "The  Set  Avalanche".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Perishing Humanity/The Monument Of Human Lies And Hypocrisy/Metal Scrap Records/2012 CD Review

  Perishing  Humanity  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  a  mixture  of  brutal  technical  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "The  Monument  Of  Human  Lies  And  Hypocrisy"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  some  heavy  death/grind  riffs  that  dominate  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  that  are  very  heavy  and  brutal  sounding  ehich  combine  death  metal,  grindcore  and  deathcore  together  with  alot  of  technical  sounding  riffing  being  thrown  into the  music,  while  the  lead  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  are  very  technical  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  mixture  of  deep  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  grindcore  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful  and  everyday  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments   that  are  present on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Perishing  Humanity  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal/technical  death  metal/deathcore  hybrid  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Interminable"  "Bloody  Red  Product"  and  "Left  To  Die". RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Job For A Cowboy/Demonacracy/Metal Blade Records/2012 CD Review

  Job  For  A  Cowboy  are  a  band  from  Gelendale,  Arizona  that  has  been  around  for  awhile  that  plays  a  style  that  mixes  deathcore  with  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Demonacracy"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Blade  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  death/grind  riffs  that  dominate  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  death  metal  with  deathcore  mixed  in  with  a  great  amount  of  technical  and  melodic  riffing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  technical  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads  mixed  in  with  some  melodic  parts  that  have  a  traditional  metal  feeling  to  them.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  grind/deathcore  screams,  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  apocalypse,  society  and  politics,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  great  album  from  Job  For  A  Cowboy  and  while  this  band  has  been  around  a  long  time  this  is  the  first  time  I  have  heard  a  whole  album  from  them  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  might  enjoy  this  recording  and  this  album  is  more  closer  to  being  a  death/grind  album  instead  of  deathcore  which  I  know  the  band  has  been  categorized  as.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Children  Of  Deceit"  "Tongueless  And  Bound"  "The  Diety  Misconception"  and  "Fearmonger".  RECOMMENDED  BUY. 

Despite Exile/Scarlet Reverie/2012 EP Review

 Despite  Exile  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  progressive  metal,  death  metal/deathcore  and  hard/metalcore  and this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  EP  "Scarlet  Reverie".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  apced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  traditional  and  melodic  death  metal  with  progressive  metal ,  deathcore  and  metal  core, while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  and  technical  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  range  from  deep  death  metal  growls,  high  pitched  screams  and  a  brief  use  of  hardcore  style  yells  and  clean  singing,  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful  and  everyday  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  heavy,  powerful,  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Despite  Exile  are  a  very  god  sounding  progressive/death  metal/deathcore/hardcore  hybrid  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Stand  Alone"  and  "Pure  Crimson".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Neuronia/Follow The White Mouse/Metal Scrap Records/2011 CD Review

  Neuronia  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  plays  a  melodic  form  of  heavy/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "Follow  The White  Mouse"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  brutal  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  synths  when  they  are  utilized  bring  a  dark  sound  to  the  music,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  melodic  death  metal  with  traditional  heavy  metal  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  chaotic  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads  that  also utilize  influences  from  traditional  rock  music,  as  for  the  acoustic   guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  and exotic  sounding  scales  to  enhance  the  darkness  of  the  music.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep  death  metal  growls  and  rough  sounding  clean  singing  vocals  that  bring  in  a  groove  and  traditional  metal/rock  element  to  the  music  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  hateful themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Neuronia  are  a  very  good  sounding  melodic  death  metal/heavy  metal/hard  rock  hybrid  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band. RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Make  them  Die"  "November  Sky"  and  "Put  Your  Dukes  Up".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Fatal Error/Conglomerate/Metal Scrap Records/2011 CD Review

  Fatal  Error  are  a band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  very  brutal  from  of  death  metal  mixed  in  with  some  grindcore  influences  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2011  album  "Conglomerate"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrape  Records.

  Drums  range  from  mid paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  intro  had  a  dub-step  feeling  to  it,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  some  brutal  death/grind  riffing.

   Rhythm  guitars  range  mid  paced  to  brutal  death  metal  riffs  that  have  some  grind  and  deathcore  influences  to  it  and  there  are  little  to  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep death  metal  growls,  hardcore  style  growling  and  pig  squells  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  samples,  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful  and  violent  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Fatal Error  are  a  very  good  sounding  death  metal/core  hybrid  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band. RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "It's  Wav"  "Amputated  Happiness"  "Eternity  Of  Inhumanity"  and  "Simulator  Of  the  Life".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Eclipse/Triumph Of The Pain/Metal Scrap Records/2011 CD Review

  Eclipse  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  death/grind  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2011  album  "Triumph  Of  The  Pain"  which  was  released  by  Metal Scrap  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  the  most  brutal  elements  of  death  metal  and  death/grind  together  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  chaotic  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  pig  squeels  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful  and  violent  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful  and  heavy  sound  to it.

  In  my  opinion  Eclipse  are  a  very  great  sounding  death/grind  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band. RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ak-47"  "Last  Breath"  "Dream  Forgoten  After  First  Try"  and  "Epilepsy  Bout".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

The Tide Will Take Us Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before

We are all from Collingwood/Wasaga Beach, Ontario. We started the band when an old band we were in disbanded and we needed to keep playing live shows to satisfy our love for playing music. So we got a group of guys together and started making some songs, showed some friends and ended up playing our first show in April of 2011. Over the last year we've played a decent amount of shows and had a really good response from people about this band.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

Thats a really good question. Its also a very difficult one to answer because our music incorporates a lot of elements that are not found in deathcore, or hardcore. I  guess the best way to describe our music would be groove metal. We have so many different kinds of music in our music. We have deatchore elements, hardcore elements, metalcore elements and death metal. But we also have jazz elements and rock elements in our sound as well so like I said, its really hard to put us in a category. Our sound is a heavy sound that constantly is evolving.

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

When writing lyrics I try to stick to things that are real and happening in my life. Putrid Dynasty was written about a lot of emotions that I have been going through in the last few years of my life. More recent events will tend to stick out in this album because I was in a darker place while writing most of them. Personal reasons backing more then half the album. Other songs such as "Mouth Breather" was written about my loss of faith I have experienced probably around 3 years ago. I was raised in a catholic family so this for me was a life changing experience that has dragged on for quite some time. Songs such as "Metastasize & Consume" and "The Dead Call" are about my point of view in how I see our society today, from wars to the things we are constantly force fed by the media.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

Mike has an irrational fear of large bodies of water. He hates flying over them, you couldn't get 'em on a fucking boat if you paid him all the money in the world. He just can't do it.. which will suck if we started touring over seas (laughs). The name was actually the name of a project he was working on which is now called Abigail's Threnody. The guys saw it and liked it and since we had no name at the time, we went with it and its sort of stuck.

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

Not as energetic as it could be we've got a lot of stuff we'd like to incorporate into our stage show, so we can get everyone moving more.. in all the places we've played so far we've had a few Wall's of death and they've been successful we haven't had any complaint's about our live show so far. Our best show was in Huntsville, Good turn out. Good crowd. Played a solid set and the response was awswome. After every song the crowd would chant TIDE! TIDE! TIDE! over and over again couldn't even hear Matt introduce the next song, some girl got knocked out in the first 30 seconds of the set which was shitty but also shows we can move a crowd.

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

We are scheduled to tour for the month of May to support the release of the record. Its a small Canadian tour that takes us out East and we have a few stops in some smaller towns but it's mostly the bigger cities we are playing. It doesn't stop there though there is already talk of going on another short tour for the summer and another month one come fall.

7. Currently you are unsigned are you looking for a label and if so what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for the music?

We are unsigned and looking to shop our album but not in any rush to get signed right from the get go. We would like to experience what it's like to tour together as a band and what the road life is really like. As for labels it really depends on what we're offered and what feels right to call this bands "home".

8. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by fans of extreme metal and deathcore?

I would say it's typical for a band at our level. We've got some awesome fans from all over the world, which is pretty crazy to think but it's one of the pros for using facebook, your site gets out there and you're able to track who and where is "liking" your page. As for metal fans go though we're on the right track i'd say. Take "Choke On Your Regret" for an example almost 700 views since it's Jan 21st release. 11 "likes" and 3 "dislikes" we win some, we loose some. Your not going to always be able to grab peoples interest but what matter is your gaining their attention and that our name is getting out there. Good or bad.

9. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full time line-up?

Mike has a solo project called Abigail's Threnody.. our drummer Dave Hilder and guitar player Jesse Carter jam with some buddies and had a jam band called Soundshock Labyrinth  but other then that no .. we don't have any other band's or projects that take presidence over TTWTU.

10. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

We Obviously want to mature musically but we won't be having standard structure to a song refering back to the label question, we like having our full creativity when writing. We are defninetely looking towards a  more matured, tighter, emotional sound. Something that will really be imprinted into the listeners mind.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to now?

As far as vocals go I try not to sound like someone and just go with pitches that i'm comfortable with and that sound good for that part. As for writing lyrics, I stay away from being inspired by someone else work just because I wouldn't want my work to turn out like theirs. What really interested me into trying to do vocals were such acts as Suicide Silence, Dr.Acula, Parkway Drive and Lamb of God. Jesse is heavily influenced by Zapa and even dabbles in jazz fusion and things like that. As for Dave, he's a go with the flow kinda guy, if it's good he'll listen to it. Mike has been really into older metal lately. Like, metal from early 2000's but his big influences are bands like Oceano and Suicide Silence

12.Outside of music what are some of your interests?

I have a daughter so I try being as much as a father figure as I can. I love my child and spend most of my free time with her. Other then that friends and being outside. I love nature and what it has to offer. Jesse and Dave are big music heads, and are jamming all the time. Mike plays a lot of video games and spends a lot of time with his girlfriend. Band consumes our lives though. Everything comes back to band. In a good way, dont get me wrong. But we all have different interests outside of music.

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

For any people out there trying to pursue music, know it's a very long and rough road but if you keep your heart in it and keep your mind focused you can accomplish anything and make your dreams come true. You have to surround youself with the right people to guide you and have a solid foundation in place to lean on, otherwise this business can chew you up and spit you out. There's always another band ready to take your place.

Flying/Graceful Murder/Metal Scrap Records/2012 CD Review

  Flying  are  a  band  from  Ukraine  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "Graceful  Murder"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  used  at  times  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitar  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  melodic  sounding  death  metal  riffs  that  have  some  thrash  influences  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads  that  have  a  traditional  metal  feeling  to  them,  as  for  the  classical  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  to  add  a  different  element  to  the  music.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  melodic  death  metal  screams  with  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  and  spoken  word  parts,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  emotional  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  Flying  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of this  style,  you  should  check out  this  band. RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Break  The  Spell"  "The  Answer"  and  "Reborn".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

The Tide Will Take Us/Putrid Destiny/2012 CD Review

  The  Tide  Will  Take  Us  are  a  band  from  Wasago  Beach,  Ontario,  Canada  that  plays  a  very  melodic form  of  deathcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  album  "Putride  Destiny".

  Drums  range  from slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  is  coming  out  of  the  guitars,  as  for  the  synths  they  are  only  used  for  a  few  seconds  and  they  bring  a  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  to  the  music.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  brutal  deathcore  with  melodic  death  metal  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  and  technical  sounding  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads  that  utilize  a  great  amount  of  skill.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  deep  death  metal/core  growls  and  high  pitched  melodic  death  metal  screams  with  some  hardcore/groove  metal  style  yells  being  used  at  times  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  hateful  and  everyday  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful  and  heavy  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  The  Tide  Will  Take  Us  are  a  very  good  sounding  melodic  deathcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  style,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE  "Concubine  Queen"  "Putrid  Destiny"  "King  Of  Damnation"  and  "The  Dead  Call".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

The Obscene Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
 
We are a 4 man unit from the north east of England. We evolved from Death metal band Salute to the sun and Black metal band Nebula rising. The 4 members are myself (Tom - vocals) Chris (drums) Jonny (guitars) and Garry (Bass).
 

2. How would you describe your musical sound?
 
We play old school death metal with a modern day twist. Thats not to say that we use clean vocals or breakdowns. We mix the old school death metal sound with black metal elements and grindcore. Fuck the trends!
 

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores?
 
Death, murder, chaos, hatred, blasphemy, war, prostitution. All the good stuff! It's easy writing lyrics when you live in a world this disgusting!
 

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name, and why you changed it from the old name?
 
I'm not sure about the inspiration because Chris (Drums) came up with the band name. The name was changed because Salute to the sun didn't really reflect the band anymore. It was also cool for myself to join a band and start fresh, with a new name. Our lyrical content is all about the obscene side of life, The Obscene works well for us.
 

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
 
We have yet to play a live show. We aim to play some select dates in the future but at the moment we are putting all out efforts into the first full length release, Architects of Deliverance.
 

6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?
 
  We will just have to see what happens in the future. No plans to tour at this time the moment though.
 

7. Currently you are signed to Pest Records, how did you get in contact with this label and how would you describe the support that they have given you so far?
 
We are no longer with Pest Records. Originally, Chris (Drums) and Adrian at Pest were in contact and they arranged to have our EP, The Torment of Sinners, released and distributed via Pest Records. The release was a good one and it was distributed well. Pest have spread our filth all over Europe and we will always be grateful to Adrian at Pest Records for the support \m/ Chris (drums) has started his own record label, UKEM Records, so we decided it made sense to control everything ourselves.
 

8. On a worldwide level how has your music been recieved by fans of death metal and grindcore?
 
Overall, we have had a very good reception from metallers all over the globe. Our debut EP as been reviewed a fair few times now and all the feedback we are getting is positive. Cheers to everyone who got hold of a copy of The Torment of Sinners and thanks to all the reviewers! 
 

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
 
Well, we want our future releases to not only progress musically, but we also want to move towards a more polished production. In recording The Torment of Sinner, we intentionally set out to capture that ugly and raw production. We now wish to record something that sounds just as disgusting as our EP but with a clearer and deadlier production. The material for the new album is faster, heavier and will provide more hatred than an Islamic street cleric.
 
 
 

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
 
A whole evening could be spent discussing our influences. I'll say Abored - Zyklon B and everything decent in between. Bands that i am listening to at the moment are Arkhon Infaustus, Vorkreist, Darkspace and Wulpurgisnacht. Just to name a few.
 

11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
 
Drinking, fucking, the occult and misanthropy!
 

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
 
Cheers for the support. The Torment of Sinners will see a re-issue in a very limited run, with new and improved artwork/package. 
 

Laceration Interview

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

Currently I am recording material for a split CD, writing more music for a full length album and gigging at least once a month.

2. How would you describe the musical sound of the newer material?

Faster, more brutal, more atmospheric and less slam. I try to combine my favourite bits of my favourite bands. The fast bits of Disgorge and Putridity with the atmosphere of Condemned, the groove of Dying Fetus and the ridiculous evil slams that Defeated Sanity throw in now and again.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects your new music explores?

Negative aspects of the human mind. Depression, isolation, self loathing. One song is about hating everyone and going insane and killing people to try and create your own Frankenstein race of people that won’t do anything to hurt you.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

It was a memorable 'brutal' sounding name. I wish it was something different now but it could be worse.

5.Have you thought about adding any other musicians to the band or do you choose to keep the project solo?

Live I'm keeping it solo for sure. In the studio for the full length album I will have Chris Ryan from Party Cannon playing bass and Tom Walker from Scatorgy on drums.

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

I'd say the Death Metal Tea Parties in Glasgow and Edinburgh have been the most successful as well as the dates I played on tour with Cerebral Bore and Scordatura. The crowd were well into it and I put on a good show! My stage performance is as good as it can be for one man with a guitar, I try to keep my banter on stage quite light hearted.

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

I should have toured at least once by the end of the year but there are plans for more it's just they might not work out. I doubt I'll be playing outside of the UK in 2012 sadly.

8. Currently you are signed to UKEM Records, how did you get in contact with this label and how would you describe the support that they have given you so far?

Chris got in touch with me about reissuing my 2011 promo cd a couple of months ago and I thought I might as well jump on it. I don't consider myself 'signed' to the label, it was a one off limited run and I plan on signing a different kind of deal for the full length album. I think Chris has done a great job in trying to get the cd well distributed and reviewed and I thank him for what he has done but I do plan on moving up the ladder and seeing what happens next.

9. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by fans of death metal/

Thanks to Youtube and facebook my music is listened to across the world, I know people in Europe and the US regularly buy t-shirts and contact me on facebook. It's a good feeling. I was reached about playing a European festival but that fell through due to cost but the fact they got in touch meant a lot to me.

10. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

More technical. With each song I write it gets more interesting, less one dimensional. As I progress as a musician my songs will keep evolving to reflect that.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

I mentioned some earlier but here are some bands that influence me: Disgorge, Defeated Sanity, Condemned, Inherit Disease, Putridity, Dying Fetus, Suffocation, Cerebral Effusion, Gortuary, Despondency, Brodequin, Disentomb, Embryonic Depravity, Guttural Secrete, Human Mincer, Septycal Gorge.

I've been listening to the new Condemned album pretty much as soon as it was released on constant rotation  and the last thing I bought was the Indecent Excision album. In the next week or so I'm planning on buying the material New Standard Elite records has been releasing. All the samplers sound awesome.

12. How would you describe the death metal scene in Scotland?

Getting better surprisingly. As long as it's in Edinburgh or Glasgow people are actually turning up to brutal death metal shows. Band such as myself, Scordatura, Agonised Deformity, Party Cannon and Cancerous Womb have a fairly big local following and people do turn up. Cerebral Bore are from Glasgow and are now arguably becoming one of the worlds biggest death metal bands. Every few months a new band pops up here and it is awesome!

13. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Not hellish much. I go to University and spend a lot of time with my girlfriend. I'm not your average ‘metal head’, I go out to clubs and have a good time but gigs come first.

14. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Check out the facebook page at www.facebook.com/LacerationUK check out the local bands I've mentioned, get excited about the upcoming releases, keep supporting the underground and thanks for the interview!