Oblivion/Called To Rise/Unique Leaders/2013 CD Review

  Oblivion  are  a  band  from  Los  Angeles,  California  that plays  a  very  technical form  of  death  metal  with  some  elements  of  progressive,  black  and  thrash  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Called  To Rise"  which  was  released  by Unique  Leaders.

  "Oblivion Part  1:  The  Chant  Of  Tyrants"  begins  with  distorted  amp effects  and  melodic  chanting  which  leads  to some  aggressive  shouting  and  serves  as  an  intro  for  the  album.

  "Black Veils  of  Justice"  begins  with  some  brutal  guitar riffs  and  drums  which  lead  up  to some  death  metal  growls  and  as  the  song  moves  on  it  starts  adding  in  some  technical  elements  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  high  pitched  screams  and  towards  the  end  there  are  some  brutal  blast  beats  being  utilized.  

  "Between  Suns  And  Lights"  begins  with  some  brutal  guitar   riffs,  blast  beats  and  deep  growls  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  screams  make  their  way  into  the  music  along  with  some  technical  and  melodic  guitar  riffing  and  in  certain  sections  the  music  slows  down  for  a  few  seconds  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brie f use  of  guitar  solos and  leads.

  "Binary  Souls"  with  a  clean  sound  before  adding  in  some  heavy  and  technical  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  which  lead  up  to  some  growls  as  well  as  some  bass  guitar  leads  and  then  the  song  speeds  up in  certain  sections  and  adds  in  some  screams  before  going  into a  slower  direction  before  getting  fast  again and  adding  in  some  blast  beats  and  guitar  leads.

  "Reclamation"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs  before  adding  in  blast  beats  and  growls  which  also  leads  to  the  music  getting  more  technical  and  adding  in  screams  in  certain  sections  of  the  song.  and  a  minute  later  guitar  solos  and  leads  make  their  way  into  the  song.

  "Canon  In  E  Minor"  begins  with  some  melodic  and  technical  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads  and  the  song  is  all  instrumental.

  "Annunaki"  begins  with  some  dark  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  and  adding  in  growls  and  blast  beats  along  with  more  technical  elements  and  black  metal  style  screams  and  the  song  also  slows  down  in  certain  sections  of  the  song.  

  "Reigns  in  Fire"  begins  with  some  heavy  and  technical  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  which  utilize  some  blast  beats  at  times  before  adding  in  some  growls  and  screams  as  well  as  some  melody  and  powerful  bass  guitars  in  the  slower  parts  of  the  song  and  as  the  song  moves  on  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  'Cancer  Of  Wraiths"  begins  with  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  which  also  utilize  some  technical  elements  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  screams  and  growls  making  their  way  into  the  music  along  with  some  melodic  riffing  and  then t he  song  starts  switching  back and  forth  between  slow  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  blast  beats  in certain  parts  of  the  song.

  'Multiverse"  begins  with  some  soft  acoustic  guitar  playing  which  utilize  finger  picking  and  full  chords  and  a  few  seconds  later  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  make  their  way  into  the  music  along  with  some  blast  beats  which  leads  up  to  some  growls  and  screams  making  their  presence  known  in  the  song  and  after  awhile  technical  and  melodic  guitar  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song  as  well  as  the  music  slowing  down  in  certain  sections.

  "Oblivion  Part  2:  Infinite  Descent"  begins  with  some  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  melodic  chanting  and  the  music  gets  more  heavier  and  dark  as  time  goes  on  by  as  well  as  adding  in  some  powerful  bass  guitars.    

  "Black  Veils  Of  Justice  (Instrumental  Version)"  has  all  of  the  same  parts  as  the  regular  song  but  no  vocals  are  being  utilized.

  Shred  I: Multiverse  begins  with  some  violins  and  orchestra  and  this  song  is  more  of  an  instrumental  classical  piece.

  "Shred  II:  Long  Deaf  hate"  is  another  instrumental  classical  piece  that  utilizes  a  string  orchestra  along  with  some  aggressive  sounding  violins.

  "Multiverse  (String  version)"  is  another  classical  piece  which  utilizes  violins  and  orechestra's  but  also a dds  in  some  heavy  drums  and  blast  beats  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls a nd  black  metal  screams.

  Song  lyrics  cover  Alternative  History,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Oblivion  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  and  technical  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Black Veils  of  Justice"  "Binary  Souls"  and  "Annunaki".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Reptilian Death/The Dawn Of Consummation And Emergence/Old School Metal Records/2013 CD Review

  Reptilian Death  are  a  band  from India  that  plays  a  very brutal  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  with  elements  of  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "The  Dawn Of  Consummation  And  Emergence"  which  was  released by  Old  School Metal Records.

  "PrimEvil"  begins with  heavy  guitar riffs,  drums,  distortion  and  deep  growls  along  with  some  melodic  riffing  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  high  pitched  screams and  serves as  an  intro  for  the  album.

  "Ichoate" begins  with  heavy  guitar riffs  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  death  metal  growls  and  blast  beats  and  the  song  goes  more  into  a  mid  paced direction  shortly  after  that  while  also  returning  to  fast  parts  at certain  times  along  with  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts.

  "Stimulate  Hike  Impel Tear"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  high  pitched screams  which  leads  to  some  blast  beats  and  growls  before  slowing  down and  switching back  and  forth  between  slow  and  fast  parts  and  a  minute  later t here  is  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  riffing  also  utilizes  some  melody.

  "Soaked  With  The  Imperfections  Of  Puerile" begins with  some  heavy  and  technical  riffs  along  with some  drums  and  a  few  seconds  later  the  growls  start kicking  in  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  but  focusing  more  on  mid  paced  parts  but  speeding up  in certain  sections.

  "Emerge,  Hatred,  Emerge" begins  with  heavy  guitar riffs,  brutal  drums  and  screams  as  well  as  some  growls  before  going  into  a  faster  direction  as  while  as  adding  other elements  to  the  vocals and  towards  the  end  the  song  goes  into  a  slow  yet  still  heavy direction.

  "Distorted  By  Bondage  Blood  And  Bestiality"  begins  a  spoken  word  part before  going  into  brutal  and  technical  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  growls  and  then  the  music  starts  slowing  down  for  awhile  while  also  using  some  blast  beats  in  certain  sections  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  high  pitched  screams  and  melodic  riffing.

  "Unnervingly  Perverted  At  The  Altar" begins  with  heavy  guitar riffs,  blast  beats  and  growls   before  slowing  down  and  going  into  a  more  mid  paced  direction  while  also  speeding  up  in  certain  sections  and  adding  in  screams  and  spoken  word  parts.

  "Patchwork And  The  Art  Of  Skinning"  begins  with  some  guitar  riffs  and  drums  before  adding in some  growls,  blast  beats  and  technical guitar  leads  and  then t he song  starts  switching  back  and  forth  between  slow, mid  paced  and  fast  while also adding  in  some  high  pitched  screams  in  certain  sections.

  'O"  begins  with  fast  and  brutal  guitar  riffs,  blast  beats  and  growls  before  going  into  a  more  slow  and  mid  paced  direction  but  also  returning  to  the  faster  parts  at  times  along  with  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and technical  guitar  riffing  while  also  leads  to  some  guitar  solos  and  leads  coming  in  for  a  short  time  as well  as  some screams.

  "Now  You  Gaze  Upon  Me" begins  with  a  brief  spoken word  part before  going  into  heavy  guitar  riffs,  drums,  growls  and  screams  and  then the  song  goes  into  a  faster  direction  and  starts  adding  in some  blast  beats  while also  slowing  down  at  times.

  "Marvelous  Gods  -  The  Apple  Of  My  Eye" begins  with  some  melodic  and  technical guitar  leads  along  with  heavy  riffs  and  drums  which  leads  to some  growls  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  blast  beats coming  in  as  well  as  some  thrash  influences  and  towards  the  end  the  music  starts  slowing  down  in  certain  parts.

  "Emergence  -  The  Word  Your  Playground"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  before  adding  in some  growls  and  screams  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  faster  riffing  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  slowing  down  in  certain sections  of  the  song  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  leads..

  Song  lyrics  cover  gore, violence  and  dark  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong, powerful,  professional  and  heavy  sound  with  the  bass  guitars  being  mixed  down  low  in  the  mix.  

  In  my  opinion  Reptilian  Death  are  a  very  great  sounding  technical  and  brutal  gore/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are a  fan of  this  musical  genre,  you  should c heck  out t his  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ichoate"  "Emerge,  Hatred,  Emerge"  "Patchwork And  The  Art  Of  Skinning"  and  "Marvelous  Gods  -  The  Apple  Of  My  Eye". RECOMMENDED  BUY.    

  

Izegrim/Congress Of The Insane/Listenable Records/2013 CD Review

  Izegrim  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  i  would  describe  as  being  melodic  death/thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Congress  Of  the  Line"  which  was  released  by  Listenable  Records.

  "Relic  Of  The  Past"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  and  then  goes  into  a  death/thrash  direction  along  with  some  deep  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  and  a  minute  later  there  is  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  leads  that  come  in  and  out  which  leads  to  some  blast  beats  and  then  the  song  starts  switching  back  and  forth  between  slow  and  mid  paced  parts.

  "Decline  And  Fall"  begins  with  fast  drums,  heavy  guitar riffs  and  high  pitched  screams  and  then  the  song  starts  switching  back  and  forth  between  mid  paced  and  slow  parts  as  well  as  adding  in  some  slower  riffing  in  certain  sections  of  the  song.

  "Celebrity  Gunfire"  begins  with  some  fast  guitar  riffs,  blast  beats and  high  pitched  screams  before  going into  a  direction  that  includes  mostly  slow  and  mid  paced  parts  while  also  speeding  up  in  certain  sections  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  of  the  song.

  "Endless  Strife"  begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  which  then  lead  to  some  screams  and  a  minute  later  guitar  solos  and  leads  start  coming  in  and  out  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  growls  being  utilized.

  "Deterioration  From Perfection"  begins  with  some  blast  beats,  fast  guitar  riffs  and  screams  before  slowing  down  and  adding  in  some  growls  which  leads  to  the  song  switching  back  and  forth  between  slow  and  fast  parts  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  "Unchallenged  Dominance"  begins  with  some  melodic  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  screams  and  after  awhile  the  song  starts  adding  in  some  blast  beats  for  a  few  seconds  as  well  as  some  powerful  bass  guitars.

  "Modern  Day  Freak"  begins  with  some  circus  samples  before  going  into  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  also  utilize  some  blast  beats  and  then  the  screams  and  growls  start  kicking  in  and  a  couple  of  minutes  later  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  come  into  the  song  for  a  few  seconds.

  "The  Legion'  begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  drums  and  high  pitched  screams  and  deep  growls  and  then  the  song  starts  speeding  up  and  adds  in  some  blast  beats  and  towards  the  end  there  are  some  guitar  solos  and leads  being  utilized  briefly.

  "Carousel  Of  Death"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  high  pitched  screams  and  after  awhile t here  is  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  riffing  as  well  as  some  leads  and  solos  being  utilized.

  "Manifest  of  a  Megalomaniac"  begins  with  some  thrash  style  guitar  riffs  which  leads  to  some  drums,  growls  and  screams  and  then  the  song  starts  switching  back and  forth  between  slow  and  mid  paced  parts.

  "Carnival  Of  Deception"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  and  some  melodic  guitar  leads  start  kicking  in  and  out  a  few  seconds  later  and  then  the  screams  and  growls  start  kicking  in  as  well  as  some  powerful  bass  guitars  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  being  utilized  briefly

  Song  lyrics  are  a  concept  based  on  the  evil  in  the  deceiving  human  nature,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Izegrim  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Relic  Of  The  Past"  "Endless  Strife"  "Carousel  Of  Death"  and  "Carnival  Of  Deception".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.    

          

Death Toll Rising/Infection Legacy/2013 CD Review

  Death  Toll  Rising  are  a  band  from  Alberta,  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  brutal  and  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their self  released  2013  album  "Infection  Legacy".

  "Infection  Legacy"  begins  with  some  spoken  word  samples  and  a  minute  later  heavy  and  brutal  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  blast  beats  start  kicking  into  the  music  which  leads  to  some  deep  growls,  high  pitched  screams  and  melodic  riffing  while  focusing  more  on  being  heavy  and  brutal  and  the  blast  beats  also  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  song  and  towards  the  end  there  are  some  guitar  solos  being  utilized  along  with  some  powerful  bass  guitars.

  "Judas  Cradle"  begins  with  some  powerful  drums  which  lead  to  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  technical  parts  which  then  leads  to some  deep  death  metal  growls  and  blast  beats  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  screams  make  their  way  into  the  song  and  towards  the  end  there  are  a  few  seconds  of  guitar  leads  being  added  into  the  song.

  "Scorched Earth  Policy"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  blast  beats  and  a  minute  later  high  pitched  screams  make  their  way  into  the  song  along  with  some  deep  growls  and  melodic  guitar  riffing  and  a  few  minutes  later  old  school metal  guitar  leads  along  with  some  thrash  influenced  riffing  make  their  way  into  the  song  

  "Born  To Defile"  begins  with  some  brutal  death  metal  guitar  riffs,  growls,  screams  and  drums  which  then  evolve  into  blast  beats  and  then  the  song  starts  switching  back  and  forth  between  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  adding  powerful  bass  guitars  in  certain  parts  and  after  awhile  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  leads.

  "Malice  Incarnate"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  and  after  a  few  seconds  melodies  are  added  to  the riffing  before  the  growls  kick  in   which  also  lead  to  some  blast  beats  and  guitar  leads  along  with  some  high  pitched s creams  a  few  seconds  later.

  "Crack  Open  A  Cold  One"  begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  old  school  metal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  deep  growls  being  adding  in  some  fast  parts,  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  and  in  the  middle  of  the  song  there  are  some  guitar  solos  or  leads  being  utilized.

  "Slaughter  To  Survive"  begins  with  some  old  school  death  metal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  to  some high  pitched  screams  and  technical  guitar  leads  that  come  in  and  out  of  the  song  as  well  as  some  powerful  bass  guitars  and  in  certain  parts  of  the  song  there  are  some  blast  beats  being  utilized.

  "Revelation  Despair"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  melody  getting  added  to  the  riffing  as  well  as  some  blast  beats  which  lead  to  some  screams  becoming  a  part  of  the  song  as  well  as  the  music  speeding  up  in  certain  sections  which  also  lead  to  some  growls  and  as  the  song  moves  on  you  can  hear  some  bass  guitars.

  "Septic  Entity"  begins  with  some  melodic  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  growls  and  after  awhile  the  music  gets  more  brutal  and  adds  in  some  screams  and  after  awhile  you  can  hear  some  powerful  bass  guitars  and  towards  the  end  there  are  some  acoustic  guitars  and  spoken  word  parts.

  Song  lyrics  cover  gore  and  violent  themes,  while t he  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound.

  In  my  opinion  Death  Toll  Rising  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  brutal  and  melodic  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Infection  Legacy"  "Born  To Defile"  "Slaughter  To  Survive"  and  "Septic  Entity".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Markradonn/Final Dying Breath/Bluntface Records/2013 EP Review

  Markradonn  are  a  band  from  Orlando, Florida  that  plays  an  experimental  form  of  death  metal  with  elements  of black  metal,  aboriginal  and  soundtrack  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  ep  "Final  Dying  Breath"  which  was  released  by  Bluntface  Records.

  "Final  Dying  Breath"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  riffs,  synths,  drums,  death  metal  and  growls  and  a  minute  later  the  song  starts  throwing  in  melodic  death  metal  guitar  riffs,  leads  and  solos  as  well  as  some  powerful  bass  guitars  as  well  as  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  briefly  and  towards  the  end  there  are  some  acoustic  guitars.

  "Internal  hate  Unbounded"  begins  with  some  spoken  word  parts,  drums,  orchestra  and  guitar  riffs  which  start  utilizing  some  melody  after  a  few  seconds  before  adding  in  some  guitar  leads  and solos  which  then  leads  to  the  music  going  into  a  more  heavy  and  atmospheric  direction  along  with  some  deep  death  metal  growls  which  lead  to  more  guitar  leads  and  some  blast  beats.

  "No  Redemption,  No  Forgiveness"  begins  with  nature  sounds  along  with  a  full  orchestra,  guitars  and  drums  and  there  are  no  vocals  present  on  this  recording  with  the  music  being  all  instrumental  and  the  song  closes  with  sounds  of  rain.

  "Frenzied  Winter  Sorrow"  begins  with  drums  and  a  few  seconds  later  blast  beats, orchestra's,  fat  guitar  riffs  and  black/death  metal  vocals  start  making  there  way  into  the  song  and  as  the  song  moves  on  their  are  elements  of  ethnic  music  being  thrown  into  the  mix  and  a  few  seconds  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  utilized  along  with  some  avant  garde  elements  towards  the  end.

  "Cathartic  Spiritual  Purgation"  begins  with  some  shamanistic  style  percussions,  Australian  folk  instruments  and  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads and  the  song  is  all  instrumental  with  no  vocals  being  present.

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark, depressing  and  violent  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  with  the  bass  guitars  being  mixed  down  low in the  mix.

  In  my  opinion  Markradonn  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  death  metal  and  if  you are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Final  Dying  Breath"  and  "Frenzied  Winter  Sorrow".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

Mortal Decay/The Blueprint For Splatter/Comatose Music/2013 CD Review

  Mortal  Decay  are  a  band  from  New  Jersey  that  has  been  around  for  more  than  20  years  and  plays  a  very  heavy,  old  school, gory,  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "The  Blueprint  For  Splatter"  which  will  be  released  by  Comatose  Music.

 "Anatomy  Turned  Chaotic  Puzzle"  begins  with  some  horror  movie  spoken  word  samples  and  a  minute  later  the  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs,  drums  and  deep  death  metal  growls  kick  in  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  a  mixture  of  mid  paced  and  fast  riffing  but  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  slow  parts  and  technical  guitar  playing.  

  "Ocular  Haze"  begins  with  some  technical  guitar  leads,  drums  and  deep  growls  as  well  as  mixing  in  some  heavy  rhythm  guitars  and  high  pitched  screams  and  in  certain  parts  of  the  song  it  starts  speeding  up  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  high  pitched  screams.

  "Blueprint"  begins  with  some  brutal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  deep  growls,  powerful  bass  guitars  and  small  amounts  of  technical  leads  and  then  the  song  starts  switching  back  and  forth  between  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  also  mixing  in  a  brief  use  of  high  pitched  screams.

  "Mourning  Euphoria"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  deep  growls,  technical  guitar  leads  powerful  bass  and  high  pitched  screams  and  in  certain  parts  you  can  hear  some  melody  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  towards  the  end  there  are  some  old  school  death  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  utilized.  

  "Chloroform  Induced  trance"  begins  with  some  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  growls,  faster  riffs  and  high  pitched  screams  and  then  the  powerful  bass  guitars  kick  in  and  the  songs  starts  going  in  between  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  slowing  down  and  goes  into  a  technical  direction  along  with  some  bass  and  guitar  leads  and  solos.

  "Nucuous  Compulsions"  begins  with  some  fast  and  heavy  guitar  riffs,  and  deep  growls  and  then  then  starts  switching  back  and  forth  form  slow  and  fast  as  well  as  adding  in  some  heavy  bass,  melodic  riffing  and  high  pitched  screams  as  well  as  blast  beats  in  the  faster  directions  and  the  song  closes  with  some  sound  effects.

  "Deviant"  begins  with  some  heavy,  fast  and  brutal  guitar  riffs,  blast  beats  and  deep  growls  before  going  into  a  mid  paced  direction  and  adding  in  powerful  bass  guitars.  technical  elements  and  high  pitched  screams  which  leads  to  the  music  getting  fast  and  brutal  again  as  well  as  mixing  in  some  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  "Jugular  Gargle"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs,  drums  and  deep  growls  and  then  goes  into  a  faster  direction  and  then  switching  back  and  forth  from  slow  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  mixing  in  some  guitar  solos  and  leads  in  certain  sections  of  the  song  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  synths.

  "Altruistic  Masochism"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs,  drums  and  deep  growls  which  then  lead  to  some  melody  and  technical  elements  getting  the  music  and  then  its  starts  getting  more  heavy  and  brutal  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  blast  beats.

  Song  lyrics  cover  gore,  horror,  and  violent  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on t his  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Mortal  Decay  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy,  brutal,  old  school  and  technical death  metal b and  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Anatomy  Turned  Chaotic  Puzzle"  "Mourning  Euphoria"  "Deviant"  and  "Altruistic  Masochism".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.       

In The Burial/Born Of Suffering/PRC Music/2013 CD Review

  In  The  Burial  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  with  elements  of  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Born  Of  Suffering"  which  was  released  by  PRC  Music.

  "Born  Of  Suffering"  begins  with  some  sound  effects  and  alarm  clock  noises  and  then  brings  in  a  heavy,  fast  and  brutal  guitar  riff  along  with  some  brutal  blast  beats,  deep  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  some   bass  guitars  and  then  the  song  starts  switching  back  and  forth  from  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  adding  guitar  leads  in  certain  sections  of  the  song  and  the  song  closes  with  the  sound  effects.

  "Scourge  of  Humanity"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  deep  growls,  high  pitched  screams,  technical  guitar  riffing  and  brutal  blast  beats  and  then  the  song  goes  into  a  more  mid  paced  direction  but  returning  to  the  faster  parts  at  times.

  "Mala  evolutionte"  begins  with  some  sound  effects  and  spoken  word  parts  and  serves  as  an  intro  for  the  next  song.

  "Amarnthine's  Departure"  begins  with  deep  growls,  brutal  blast  beats,  fast  guitar  riffs  and  high  pitched  screams  and  then  goes  into  a  more  mid  paced  but  brutal  direction  and  then  adding  some  synths  into  the  mix  and  then  the  song  starts  switching  from  mid  paced  to  fast  parts  while  also  mixing  in  some  technical  guitar  leads.

  "Portantes  de  Morte"  begins  with  brutal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  before  going  into  a  more  technical  direction  and  adding  in  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  this  song  is  a  minute  long  instrumental  with  no  vocals  being  present  and  it  closes  with  spoken  word  parts.

  "Bleeding  The  Innocent"  begins  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  deep  growls  before  going  into  a  faster  direction  and  adding  in  some  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  slowing  down  and  adds  in  some  guitar  solos  and  leads  which  are  only  used  briefly  before  returning  to  a  more  brutal  direction  while  also  adding  some  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing.

  "Solace  In  The  Arms  Of  The  Dead"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs,  brutal  drums  and  deep  growls  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  powerful  bass  guitars  shortly  after  that  and  then  the  music  starts  speeding  up  a  bit  and  adds  in  some  blast  beats  before  going  into  a  mid  paced  direction  and  adding  in  some  guitar  leads  which  lead  to  the  music  getting  alot  more  fast  and  brutal  along  with  some  background  synths  and  then  the  song  starts  switching  back  and  forth  from  mid  paced  to  fast  parts  as  well  as  adding  in  more  guitar  leads  and  the  song  closes  with  some  sound  effects.

  "Mortuary  Procession"  begins  with  some  brutal  guitar  riffs,  drums,  deep  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  and  as  the  song  starts  moving  on  it  starts  adding  in  some  technical  guitar  leads  as  well  as  going  more  fast  and  brutal  and  bringing  in  some  blast  beats  before  switching  back  and  forth  between  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  melodic  guitar  solo.  

  "Merciless  Carnage"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  riffs,  technical  leads,  drums,  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  which  leads  to  some  blast  beats  as  well   as  the  song  switching  back  and  forth  between  mid  paced  and  fast  and  adding  guitar  leads  in  certain  sections.

  "In  Death  Absolution"  begins  with  some  spoken  word  samples  before  going  into  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  lead  to  some  high  pitched  screams  that  have  a  heavy  black  metal  influence  to  them  and  then  speeding  up  and  adding  in  blast  beats  and  deep  death  metal  growls  which  lead  to  the  song  going  into  a  more  heavy  and  mid  paced  direction  and  then  the  song  starts  making  switches  back  and  forth  between  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  getting  more  technical  and  as  time  goes  by  there  is  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  female  vocals  which  also  start  getting  aggressive  after  awhile  and  then  the  song  goes  into  some  clean  guitar  playing  before  getting  heavy  again  and  adding  in  some  melody  as  well  as  some  guitar  solos  and  leads  before  going  silent  for  a  couple  of  minutes  and  then  returning  with  some  brutal  drumming,  technical  guitar  leads  and  fast  rhythm's  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  deep  growls  and  then  going  for  a  more  mid  paced  but  brutal  direction  but t he  faster  parts  do  return  at  times.

  Song  lyrics  cover  gore,  horror,  death  and  violent  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of   the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  with  the  last  song  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  In  The  Burial  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy,  brutal  and  technical  sounding  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Born  Of  Suffering"  "Amarnthine's  Departure"  "Mortuary  Procession"  and  "In  Death  Absolution".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.          

Hybreed Chaos/Dying Dogma/PRC Music/2013 CD Review

  Hybreed  are  a  band  from  Montreal,  Quebec,  Canada  that  plays  a  very  heavy  and  technical  form  of  gore/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Dying  Dogma"  which  was  released  by  PRC  Music.

  "Birth  Of  Chaos"  begins  with  some  sound  effects,  high  pitched  screams,  brutal  drums  and  serves  as  an  intro  for  the  album.

  "A  Machine  For  Pigs"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs,  brutal  drums,  deep  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  as  well  as  adding  in  some  melody  and  powerful  bass  guitars  and  as  the  song  moves  on  it  starts  adding  in  more  technical  parts.

  "Dismembered  Purity"  begins  with  some  spoken  word  movie  samples  and  then  goes  into  some  heavy  guitar  riffing,  drums  and  deep  death  metal  growls  along  some  some   powerful  bass  guitars,  melodic  riffs  and  high  pitched  screams  and  after  awhile  the  song  starts  mixing  in  some  technical  parts.

  "Emperor"  begins  with  some  drums  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  which  utilize  some  dark  sounding  melodies  and  after  a  few  seconds  deep  death  metal  growls  and   high pitched  grindcore  style  screams  make  their  presence  known  before  adding  in  some  technical  guitar  riffing  and  then  the  song  speeds  up  a  little  bit  and  brings  in  some  blast  beats  before  slowing  down  and  towards  the  end  the  song  starts  getting  brutal.

  "Defiled  Servitude"  begins  with  some  brutal  and  technical  guitar  riffs,  drums  and  high  pitched  screams  which  then  lead  to  some  deep  growls  becoming  a  part  of  the  song  as  well  as  going  into  a  lower  and  heavy  direction  and  as  the  song  moves  in  it  starts  getting  brutal  in  some  parts  and  the  bass  guitars  get  alot  heavier.

  "Charogne"  begins  with  some  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  which  leads  to  some  deep  growls  and  as  the  song  moves  on  it  starts  getting  more  technical  and  brings  in  some  powerful  bass  guitars  but  remains  heavy.

  "Silent  Agony"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  along  with  some  bass  guitars  which  then  lead  to  some  deep  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  and  as  the  song  moves  on  the  music  starts  getting  more  technical.

  Song  lyrics  cover  violent  and  gore  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Hybreed  Chaos  are  a  very  great  sounding heavy  and  technical  gore/death  metal  ban  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Birth  Of  Chaos"  "Emperor"  and  "Silent  Agony".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.      

http://youtu.be/Zhj_gQ6HLms

Among Rats Interview

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

In the year 2009, Zwirch and Manuel where bored with their Bands, there was not much going on with them, so they decided to start something brutal!

2.Recently you have put out a new album, can you tell us more about the musical direction it is in and also how does it differ from the demo you released a couple of years back?

The Musical direction is still the same as on the Demo, but we all got better on our Instruments, so we could write the songs in a more professional way.

The Direction of our Music is to create simple and short Songs without to much dead weight! The main direction is Death Metal the way the gods played it in the early 90ies, mixed with some Thrash, Grind or Hardcore!

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores and how would you describe the  songwriting progress over the last couple of years?

Joey uses different themes in his Lyrics, some are just pure Horror and Gore Themes, but many other songs have a critical Message! The Album Title „Intact World“ means that so many assholes promise an Intact World, but in reality they just rip you off! Or people telling you that their world is intact, but when nobody is watching man are beating their wife and kids and so on, there are so much interpetations possible!
The Songwriting is mostly my part, i create the riffs and i form a rough structure of the song, after this, me and the drummer are putting it together to a song, then its Joeys part to write the lyrics and ready is a song haha. it goes really fast because we don´t think to much about songwriting, what comes out of our heart and feels good for us is good for a song!

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Among Rats?

So many assholes live on this planet, they lie, they rip you off, they use you for your own advantage, and so much more! In Austria we call such people Rats, so the meaning of our name is that we live among rats!

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

One of the best experiences was our trip to the Malta Death Fest last year, where we had a great time and met alot of really cool new friends! Another awesome gig was on a benefit show, where the crowd went totally cracy!

Its hard to descripe your own performance, but we just go on stage and have as much fun as possible. Alot of banging and moshing on stage, and Joey´s „Zombiewalk“ during „Crazy Scientist“ already got a trademark, haha!

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

Not really a tour so far, but we have many shows booked in austria and germany for the rest of this year, and we are really looking forward to have a good time on stage.

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the new album by fans of death metal and grindcore?

The release of the Album is just a few days ago, so we don´t have that much feedback, but a few dudes had already the chance to pre listen, and the feedback is amazing, the people just like our way of making honest music!

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

My old Band Morbid Breed is dead, Zwirch is still in Zombiefied, but they don´t play very often and Jaky is still active with his Blues Band.

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

We are not changing our direction, we just try to make it better! We hate it when bands we like change their style! In case of Among Rats this will not happen, rather we would change our name!

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

Our Influences are the gods from the 90ies like Morbid Angel, Deicide, Obituary, Dismember, Napalm Death, Terrorizer and the good old Thrash Bands like Sodom, Anthrax, Municipal Waste! And thats what we are listening to nowadays. There is also a lot of other stuff we are listening to! I think its stupid to focus just on one style of music, there is so much great music out there to discover, and i love to discover music!

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

I like to take pictures, and i am involved in a project called Extreme Music Televisionhttp://www.facebook.com/extrememusictelevision

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

Thx to you for giving us the chance to present Among Rats to your readers! We would apreciate if your readers check us out on facebook! And if you want the Rats to come to your town, just get in touch with us! Thx! Cheers

Goregast/Covered In Skin/FDA Rekotz/2013 EP Review

  Goregast  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  that  combines  grindcore  with  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  ep  "Covered  In  Skin"  which  was  released  by  FDA  Rekotz.

  "Covered  In  Skin  -  Skopie"  begins  with  heavy  death  metal  guitars  with  some  drums  kicking  in  shortly  after  that  and  after  awhile you  can  hear  some  melody  and  bass  guitars  which  lead  to  a  faster  direction  along  with  some  growls  and  blast  beats  and  then  going  back  to  a  slower  and  heavier  direction  but  utilizing  many  different  styles  of  riffs.

  "Mindcreeper"  begins  with  heavy  guitar  and  bass  riffs,,  drums  and  high  pitched  screams  before  getting  a  little  faster  and  utilizing  some  deep  growls  before  going  into  a  mid  paced  direction  for  awhile  and  then  getting  fast  with  some  blast  beats  and  then  making  a  switch  back  and  forth  between  slow  and  fast  parts  and  adding  in  some  melody  in  certain  parts  and  towards  the  end  there  is  a  brief  use  of  guitar  leads.

  Song  lyrics  cover  gore  themes,  while  the  production  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  ep.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Goregast  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Mindcreeper".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.    

Noumena Interview

Interview answered by Hannu Savolainen (bass)

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

  Well, we are getting rid of summer days and heading for gloomy autumn and winter. In the meantime we are getting ready to release our latest album in continental Europe. We are touring in Finland and making some plans to invade foreign countries.

2.Recently you put out a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about it and also how does it differ from previous releases?

  Our fourth album "Death Walks With Me" was released in Finland and other Nordic coutries in April. It is our gloomiest and heaviest album so far. There are lots of old Noumena trademarks on that album: catchy melodies, aggressive and tranquil moments and so forth. But there is also many new elements. We didn't want to play it safe, but used variety of instruments and ideas.

3.The song lyrics cover Sadness,  Darkness, and Loss, can you explain what these topics mean to you?

We write lyrics about the inevitablities and how different people try to cope them. A good example is our album title. Writing lyrics and music is a great way to deal with dark emotions and anger. Some of Noumena's texts are very personal, some deal with historical and philosophical themes.

4. I know that some of the band members are involved with The Crescent, do the occult aspects of the band also have an influences on your music?

Our main songwriter and guitarist Ville Lamminaho has been a member of Enochian Crescent/The Crescent for a couple of years. We have a common rehearsal place nowadays. There are a few anti-religion lyrics in Noumena discography, which can be seen as a common factor with the bands. Ville has developed as a guitarist, thanks to his "black metal hobby". Because of that he has wrote some new kind of riffs and melodies for Noumena.

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

  Noumena comes from Kantian philosophy. It means the universe of ideas beyond perception and only reachable by reason. When we formed Noumena, some of our members were into philosophy. That's the story behind the name in short.

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

  We have played awesome shows for example in Lübeck and Berlin. Last month we performed at Mökäfest, nice and small inside metal festival. 

The crowd was just great! We are quite intensive and energetic on stage. Luckily we have some midtempo and slower songs, too. When you're headbanging and sweating under spotlights it's good to have some tranquil moments.

7. What are the touring plans for the new release?

  We are touring in Finland during this autumn and we are looking for possibilities to tour abroad as well. We made a booking deal with Austria-based Catapult Promotion just a couple of weeks ago, so we are very excited at the moment.

8. I have noticed when I listen to the album you mix in growls with melodic vocals, do you feel it makes the music alot more stronger and powerful?

  We have combined growls, clean male and female vocals since our first demo-CD back in 1998, so this is a kind of trademark as well. 

Growls have been the main vocal style, but there are emotions, athmospheres and moments you can only deliver through female vocals. 

Of course it keeps the songs and albums versatile and interensting to mix vocal styles. On the latest album our new female vocalist growls, too. It's awesome!

9.The band has been around for 15 years, what is it that motivates to keep going and writing music after all  of these years?

  Originally there were five members in Noumena, Suvi Uura joined the band in 2009. So, we five guys were friends even before Noumena. I think that's why we have stayed together without any line-up changes. 

There are music inside us and we enjoy composing and playing together. 

I think it's as simple as that. I hope Noumena has still much to achieve!

10.The new album came out on Haunted Zoo Productions, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

  When we composed music for our latest album and recorded some demo versions, we approached several labels. We didn't receive deal proposals which we would have found satisfactory. We began to ponder if we could establish our own label to release music and take care of other aspects of Noumena meaning merchandise, gigs and so on.

During the years we have gathered loads of experience and partners in music scene, so we decided: What the hell, let's take it all into our hands! At our level, this isn't any million-dollar business, but with our own label we can direct all the money from the sold albums and gigs into our next album. So there are less middlmen taking their share. And all the copyrights stay in the hands of band members. This is very important.

11.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of melodic death metal?

  It took almost seven years to release a follw-up for our acclaimed album "Anatomy of Life". Lots of metal fans forgot Noumena, but diehard-fans kept waiting and piling up expectations. When DWWM was released, it introduced Noumena to many new metal heads, they heard Noumena for the first time. They have liked what they have heard and begun to look for the previous albums.

Most of our old fans were pleased with the new album, but of course you can't fulfill everyone's hopes and dreams. Lots of new bands have emerged during last years, but it's great to see, melodeath fans still value good melodies and gloomy moments.

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

  This is a tricky one to answer. We haven't rehearsed together in a couple of months and we don't have any songs waiting in our musical warehouse. I guess our guitarists Ville and Tuukka have written some new stuff, but I don't have any clues about it. But you can't turn a freight train into an aeroplane, so I guess whatever we'll do, it shall be melodic death metal widely understood.

13.I have noticed that there was a 7 year gap between the last and new album, what was going on during those years?

  After releasing "Anatomy of Life" our label Spinefarm Records didn't want to use their next option and our mutual journey ended. We wrote and rehearsed new songs, recorded demo versions and played gigs. But we didn't find any decent label for us. In the meantime we had lots of going on in our private lives, studies, families and that sort of things. It took us time to gather enough money and courage to form our own label and get the wheels turning.

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

  The songs on DWWM spread on the timeline, the oldest are from 2009 and the newest from August 2012, written just before the studio session. There are hints of old death metal, black metal, doom, thrash and even punk/hc. If you want some namedropping I could mention following artists which gave us inspiration or ideas concerning the new album: Edge of Sanity, Deicide, Candlemass, Mar de Grises, Hypocrisy and Ennio Morricone. I have expanded my musical sphere already for several years, even though metal really makes my motor hum. I listen to bands from Sabaton to Samael, from Florence + the machine to Machine Head.

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

  Finnish nature is quite important for every Noumena member whether it's hiking, orienteering, hunting or gathering mushrooms in the forest. I'm into history, cooking and Scotch single malts. And there is an enthusiastic group inside Noumena which loves American football.

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

I want to thank every last fucking metal head who have supported Noumena. You make our music meaningful and give us energy to continue. 

Horns up!