Cropsy Maniac/Shear Terror/Dead Beat Media/2014 EP Review

  Cropsy  Maniac  are  a  band  with  members  from  both  Kentucky  And  Oregon  and  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal,  thrash  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "Shear  Terror"  which  was  released  by  Dead  Beat  Media.

  Horror  movie  samples  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  more  heavy  and  brutal  death/grind  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  a  mixture  of  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  and  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  80's  and  90's  era  of  brutality  along  with  a  great  amount  of  raw  aggression.

  All  of the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  with  the  longest  one  being  only  a  little  bit  over  2  minutes  and  after  awhile  the  band  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  slow,  mid  paced  sections  along  with  some  elements  of  thrash  metal  as  well  as  bringing  back  the  horror  movie  samples  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  band  also  does  a  cover  of  Haemorrhage's  "Dawn  In  The  Rotting  Paradise".

  Cropsy  Maniac  take  the  most  brutal  elements  of  80's  death  metal,  grindcore  and  thrash  to  create  a  very  raw  and  heavy  recording  that  never  has  a  soft  moment,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the lyrics  cover  violent,  gore  and  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cropsy  Maniac  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  mixture  of  death  metal,  grindcore,  and  thrash  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Creepy  Things"  and  "I  Strangled  Mine".  8  out  of  10.    

Septycal Gorge Interview

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

The recording session finished in May 2014. Since then we worked on  layout, graphics and production of the record. To self produce an album  is a hard work. We are now taking pre-orders and practicing.





2.You have a new album coming out in September, how would you describe  the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does  it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

“Scourge…” is a brutal death metal record. It’s by far our most fresh,  various and musical work. We focused on composing SONGS more than ever  to be sure every track can be recognizable among the others and to make  the record flow without boring moments.





3.This is the first album to be released since 2009, can you tell us a  little bit more about the 5 year gap?

We took a year to complete the composition process properly so we played  our last show in Nov 2011. We had several problems that slowed down our  recording process (which started in Feb 2013 and ended in May 2014 -  !!!). These problems can be summed up in health problems, working  difficulties, lacking of interest and professionalism, disagreements  among band members.





4.The lyrics on the new album are based on Enochian themes, can you tell  us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

Mariano studied the topic at university and he liked it. He told us his  idea to write a concept album on cosmogony discussed in various cultures  and their myths, and dividing it in chapters. We liked it too and he  wrote the whole lyrics and notes. He did a pretty nice job with  reference to Giacomo Leopardi, Omero, the Bible and other interesting  scriptures.





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

Septycal Gorge: an infected cavity, a sick throat. It fits good our  musical style.





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

I really liked our US tour shows. Playing every day makes your skill  improve more and more and the band gains a huge synergy. Those were  great times. In our live shows we simply try to play the best we can and  to move properly on stage to make the audience not to get bored seeing 4  people just standing and playing.





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

We are currently practicing. We have to solve some problems first and  find a bass player.





8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans  of brutal death metal?

Oh well people seem to like our music from very different part of the  world and that’s awesome, also after all this time of silence. We hope  to bring the new album live and see if we still deserve all this love  eheheh…





9.What is going on with some of the other musical projects or bands  these days that some of the band members are involved with?

Dave is very busy with the new Putridity stuff and now it seems that  he’s about to be the new session drummer from Beheaded. Antropofagus is  going to tour Europe this fall with Devangelic, Bloodtruth and other  bands. Me and Mariano are about to enter the studio in the next months  to record a new Ape Unit EP and we have some planned shows for October  here in Italy.





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

I don’t know and I don’t think about it. I prefer to focus my mind on  the present.





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

The composition has been influenced mostly by death metal acts such as  Deeds Of Flesh, Suffocation, Inveracity and Immolation and in small  parts by non death metal bands like Meshuggah or Dillinger Escape Plan. I  don’t know the other guys but the only 2014 death metal record I am  listening to right now is Gorgasm’s Destined To Violate. I’m still  digging my fav death metal albums like Inveracity’s Extermination Of  Millions or Hate Eternal’s Conquering The Throne. In these months I’ve  been listening to very diverse acts: Lighting Bolt, Ulver, Area, Ahab,  Bologna Violenta, Skruigners, Lack of Interest, Don Caballero, Paolo  Conte, Zeus…





12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Drinking with friends, various musical genre gigs, mountain walking, B  movies, my girlfriend.





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

Thank you so much for your interest and to everyone will read this  interview. Our new album is completely SELF PRODUCED so be sure to hit  us up to get your copy atseptycalgorge.bigcartel.com! See ya!

Cannibal Corpse/A Skeletal Domain/Metal Blade Records/2014 CD Review

  Cannibal  Corpse  returns  with  a  new  album  which  shows  the  band  continuing  the  violent  and  gory  style  of  death  metal  that  they  are  famous  for  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "A  Skeletal  Domain"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Metal  Blade  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  more  heavy  musical  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  which  also  leads  up  to  some  high  pitched  screams  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  There  is  a  decent  amount  of  melody  being  mixed  in  with  the  bands  old  school  death  metal  sound  at  times  along  with  solos  and  leads  that  utilize  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  and  even  after  more  than  20  years  their  music  still  has  a  very  violent  sound  and  they  never  have  to  resort  to  any  modern  trends  to  remain  heavy  and  they  also  bring  in  a  very  brutal  sound  to  the  recording  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  as  well  as  keeping  the whole  album  heavy  from  beginning  to  end  and  there  is  never  a  soft  moment  present  on  this  recording.

  Cannibal  Corpse  remain  true  to  their  style  of  death  metal  and  while  there  is  nothing  new  added  into  their  musical  sound  in  the  last  few  years  they  can  still  create  a  very  heavy  sounding  album  that  shows why  they  are  one  of  the  biggest  band s in  the  history  of  this  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violence,  gore  and  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Cannibal  Corpse  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Sadistic  Embodiment"  "Headlong  Into  Carnage"  "Bloodstained  Cement"  and  "Hollowed  Bodies".  8  out  of  10.    

Septycal Gorge/Scourge Of The Formless Breed/Comatose Music/2014 CD Review

  Septycal  Gorge  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  brutal,  technical  and  slamming  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Scourge  of  the  Formless  Breed"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Comatose  Music.

  Dark  and  ritualistic  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  evil  sounding  spoken  word  parts  before  going  into  a  more  brutal  direction  along  with  blast  beats  and  deep  death  metal  growls  which  also  can  be  very  guttural  at  times  and  after  awhile  the  band  start  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  very  technical  feeling  at  times.

  Melodies  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  old  school  and  modern  day  death  metal  influences  into  their  musical  sound  as  well  as   bringing  back  the  ritualistic  elements  of  the  first  track  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  more  slam  elements  are  added  into  the  song  structures  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  which  also  results  in  a  small  amount  of  melodic  guitar  leads.

  Septycal  Gorge  takes  the  brutal,  technical,  slam  and  old  school  variations  of  the  death  metal  genre  and  combine  with  some  ritualistic  sounds  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Enochain  and  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion Septycal Gore  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Urizen  -  The  Burning  Sun"  "Breed  of  the  Rejected  (Sons  of  Enoch  pt.  2)"  and  "Awakening  Of  The  Seven  Serpents".  8  out  of  10.      

7 H. Target/0.00 Apocalypse/Sevared Records/2014 CD Review

  7  H.  Target  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  very  futuristic  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "0.00.  Apocalypse"  which  was  released  by  Sevared  Records.

  A  very  heavy,  brutal  and  slamming  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  deathcore  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  after  awhile  blast  beats  start  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  recording  along  with  a  small  dose  of  melodic  riffing.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording  they  take  the  music  into  more  of  a  technical  direction   and  you  can  also  hear  a  good  amount  of  samples  from  science  fiction  movies  throughout  the  album  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  7  H.  target  takes  the  slam  and  brutal  sides  of  death  metal  and  combine  with  some  cyborg  elements  and  while  the  music  is  not  completely  original  the  band  ,manages  to  pull  of  this  musical  style  very  well,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  science  fiction  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  7  H.  target  are  a  very  decent  sounding  futuristic,  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album>  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mutants  that  Live  For  the  Day"  "Technofetishist"  and  "s-94".  7/5  out  of  10. 

Lago/Tyranny/Battleground Records/2014 CD Review

  Lago  are  a  band  from  Arizona  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  brutal  form  of  death  metal  with  elements  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Tyranny"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  battleground  Records.

  A  very  dark,  melodic  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  brutal  blast  beats  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  which  leads  up  to  a  mixture  of  growls  and  screams  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  more  in  a  melodic  and  direction  direction  and  the  band  also  bring s in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  There  is  a  good  amount  of  old  school  death  metal  elements  in  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  the  dark  atmosphere  of  black  metal  and  almost  every  second  of  this  recording  has  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  to  it  while  the  songs  display  a  great  amount  of  variety  and  melody  as  well  as  keeping  everything  in  a  very  dark  musical  direction  and  they  also  bring  in  a  couple  of  tracks  track  that  is  over  6  to  7  minutes  in  length  which  also  sees  them  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  folk  instruments  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  last  track.    

  Lago  picks  up  from  where  they  left  off  on  the  ep  continuing  their  brutal  death  metal  sound  while  still  having  a  blackened  edge  to  them  as  well  as  adding  more  melody  in  their  music  this  time  around,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Lago  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  brutal  death  metal  with  a  blackened  edge,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Tyranny  Of  Man"  "Bring  To  Ruin"  and  "Pox  of  the  Weary".  8  out  of  10.

  

Swine Overlord/Parables Of Umbral Transcendence/Gore Houe Productions/2014 CD Review

  Swine  Overlord  are  a  band  with  members  from  both  Florida  and  New  York  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  gore/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2014  album  "parables  Of  Umbral  Transcendence"  which  was  released  by  Gore  House  Productions.

    A  very  heavy  and  brutal  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  growls  which  also  have  a  guttural  feeling  to  them  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  slam  death  metal  elements  in  musical  style  and  the  solos  and  leads  they  use  contain  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  them  as  well  as  some  technical  parts  in  some  of  the  later  tracks.

  On  the  second  track  the  band  starts  getting  more  fast  along  with  some  blast  beats  while  also  using  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  brief  instrumental  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  jazz  fusion  elements  on  a  lter  track  and  the  band  also  brings  in  sound  effects  and  spoken  word  samples  at  times  while  the  main  focus  remains  on  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound.  

  Swine  Overlord  plays  a  style  that  combines  the  gore,  slam  and  brutal  style  of  death  metal  together  and  while  it  is  not  completely  original  the  band  pulls  it  off  very  well,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violence,  gore  and  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Swine  Overlord  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Celestial  Purge"  "Post  Burial  Defloration"  "Chunks"  and  "Seeds  Of  treacherous  Creation".  8  out  of  10.         

Ungrace Interview

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

Right now we’re in process of producing our new album and we’re rehearsing our new program for a few summer festivals we’re gonna participate.

 2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it differs from previous releases?

We’re still in search of our own style and sound, so ‘Feed the Demons’ came out to be a link between our first album, ‘Hostile Revival’ and the next one, which will be out next year.


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

In “Feed The Demons” almost all songs are touching human’s dark sides in one way or another. The idea is that there are some kind of demons that live inside and amongst us. Most time we fight them, but sometimes, when our defense grow weak, demons crawl to our minds, making us do something we would never do in normal circumstances. Maniacs, murderers, crazy people – they all feed their demons.

 4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
Actually we didn’t put some kind of distinct meaning to our band’s name. It was just a good name that wasn’t taken by any dang in the world (of what we know). Basically it means something that’s not graceful, elegant  or  smooth. That became a part of band’s philosophy and lyrics. Also the word ‘Ungrace’ can always be seen on some christian sites as opposite to word ‘grace’ and that goes along nicely with our attitude towards religion.


5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
Well, there was a whole lot of great shows in our history, along with not so good ones. Thankfully, good shows happen more frequently. But no matter if the show was good or bad we always try to give our best show every time we’re on stage.

 6. Do you have any touring plans for the new release?
We’ve already did an European tour  with our friends MORIA and Wasted Heroes along with several gigs and festivals.

 7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of extreme metal?
We’ve received a very warm and cheerful  feedback from all around the world. And we hope that our music will find its place in hearts of more and more people.


8. What is going on with the other musical projects these days?
Every one of us have some kind of side project going along with work in ‘UNGRACE’. Our old side project, ‘BLAST X’ is currently in a state of hibernation due to the lack of time to get it done. Our guitarist, Anton, also plays in a thrash band named ‘Hell:On’, our drummer Lex plays in industrial metal project ‘MIND:|:SHREDDER’, our bassist Evgeny plays with great french singer Pierre Edel in his project “1969” (far away from metal but still kicks ass), and our singer, IoWa, has his solo industrial-metal project ‘ELECTRIFIED’.


 9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
Definitely, our music will be angrier, faster and heavier than ‘Hostile Revival’ and ‘Feed The Demons’. Particularly, the lyrics and vocals will be more violent and hateful, maybe we even will have to get rid of clean vocals in the next release.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
We’re listening to a very wide range of styles of music, everyone have their own priorities that create this mix called ‘UNGRACE’.

 11.Outside of music what are some of your interests?
 All the shit we do leads to music. Anyway!


 12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Stay Metal! Stay brutal! Support an underground metal scene!

Avulsed/Carnivorcity/Xtreem Muisc/2014 EP Review

  Avulsed  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  has  been  around  for  more  than  20  years  and  plays  a  very  heavy  form  of  gore  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  debut  ep  from  the  early  90's  Carnivorcity"  which  also  contains  8  live  bonus  tracks.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  death/grind  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  deep  guttural  death  metal  growls  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  after  awhile  the  band  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  The  first  track  is  8  minutes  in  length  and  the y also  bring  in  a  few  seconds  of  synths  to  make  their  music  sound  darker  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  on  the  last  song  of  the  ep  they  do  a  cover  of  Pentagram's  "Demonic  Possession"  which  has  a  very  raw  and  old  school  feeling  presented  in  the  leads  and  riffs  before  going  into  the  bonus  live  tracks.  

  When  the  live  tracks  start  to  kick  in  the  music  starts  having  more  of  a  raw  and  brutal  old  school  approach  to  death  metal  and  while  they  do  mostly  their  own  songs  they  also  bring  in  a  cover  of  Demigod's  "As  i  Hold  I  Despise"  and  "Brujeria's  "Mantando  Gueros"  and  at  time s they  add  elements  of  grindcore  into  their  musical  sound.

  Avulsed  shows  why  they  are  considered  pioneers  in  the  European  death  metal  scene  with  the  ep  showing  a  raw  side  of  death  metal  that  was  a  bit  more  raw  than  their  American  counterparts  and  the  live  tracks  also  continue  the  tradition  of  true  death  metal,  the  production  has  a  very  heavy  and  raw  sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore  and  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  Avulsed  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Carnivocity"  "Demonic  Possession"  "Bodily  Ransack"  and  "Deformed  Beyond  Belief".  8  out  of  10.  

  

Internal Bleeding/Imperium/Unique Leader/2014 CD Review

  Internal  Bleeding  are  a  band  from  New  York  that  has  been  around  for  a  long  time  and  are  one  of  the  originators  of  slam  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Imperium"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Unique  Leader.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  growling  vocals  and  blast  beats  as  well  a s a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  at  times  you  can  also  hear  some  melodies  in  their  musical  sound.

  The  bands  musical  sound  still  sounds  like  they  did  in  the  90's  and  could  of  been  released  during  that  time   and  after  awhile  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  and  the  album  starts  having  a  more  dark  and  demonic  feeling  to  it  and  you  can  hear  a  lot  of  the  early  old  school  east  coast  brutality  in  all  of  the  songs.

  Songs  4-6  are  divided  into  a  3  part  concept  and  it  also  sees  the  band  adding  in  small  amounts  of  spoken  word  parts,  keyboards  and  acoustic  guitars  which  also  return  on  the  last  track  before  reverting  back  to  a  more  brutal  sound  as  well  as  adding high  pitched  screams  in  the  music  and  there  are  also  some  session  work  from  a  couple  of  members  of  Suffocation.

  Internal  Bleeding  remain  true  to  their  slam  style  of  death  metal  as  well  as  well  as  creating  a  perfect  example  of  old  school  brutality  with  this  recording,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  anti  religion  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Internal  Bleeding  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Visitant"  "Patterns  Of  Force  -  Act  1  -  The  Discovery"  "Placate  the  Ancients"  and  "Castigo  Corpus  Meum".  8  out  of  10.

Ichor/Depths/Bastardized Recordings/2014 CD Review

  Ichor  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Depths"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Bastardized  Recordings.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  giving  the  recording  a  feeling  of  a  horror  movie  soundtrack  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  death  metal  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  a  good  amount  of  technical  yet  melodic  guitar  solos  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  along  with  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill.

  High  pitched  screams  and  melody  are  utilized  on  a  regular  basis  throughout  the  recording  and  at  time s the  music  has  a  blackened  death  metal  feeling  to  it  at  times  and  some  of  the  later  songs  show  the  band  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  sound  effects  from  the  intro  also  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  While  the  earlier  tracks  where  in  a  pure  death  metal  direction  the  deathcore  elements  start  coming  on  more  and  more  after  a  few  tracks  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  the  death  metal  side  of  things  along  with  one  of  the  tracks  using  a  small  amount  of  symphonic  sounds  before  going  back  to  a  more  brutal  direction.

  Ichor  creates  a  style  of  death  metal  that  combines  the  brutal,  melodic  and  technical  sides  of  this  genre  together  while  also  adding  in  a  bit  of  deathcore  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  occult,  anti  religion  and  and  the  destruction  and  downfall  of  mankind.

  In  my  opinion  Ichor  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of   death  metal  and  deathcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Aphosis"  "The  Beasts  Approach"  "Leviathan"  and  "Cthulus  Sons".  8  out  of  10.   

Putrefy Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Hi! Thanks for the interview. Since the recording of the album we’ve been basically trying to find a new home by means of a label since leaving Metal Age and of course playing some shows here and there, trying out some of the newer material. We finished recording the record in 2013 and we sent promo packs out to labels who we dug and one of those happened to be Sevared Records. We have a lil bit of cool history with Sevared as we met Barrett who owns the label, 10 years ago in the States, Chicago to be more accurate, when we played the Illnois deathfest. We traded shirts and css then. Barrett really dug our new material and offered as a deal so were super stoked be on his label. Of course, for me personally, I’m chuffed to bits to be label mates with bands like Pathology, Peshmerga and Putrid Pile. Theres been quite abit of positive feedback on the newer stuff so thats pretty cool. Hahaha well be glad to get it released.

2.You have a new album coming out in October, how would you describe the musical sound of the newer recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
For this album, we tried to write a honest album and by that i mean just a cool death metal album. We made a subconscious effort to not to follow trends by means of regurgitated slam riffs, which is pretty damn popular these days. Were influenced by the likes of Suffocation, Internal Bleeding and Pyrexia but to name a few and we tried to use these influences to create something that we all could listen to and think, “Fuck, thats a cool album!” This album has a more old school vibe to it than our previous records and i think it really shines through on it. Lyrically, we don’t sing about gore so much on this one, i mean, theres bloody references shall we say, but its not the focal point. The samples/porno/gore references got real boring and not what the bands about these days. Dare i say,we’ve grown up hahahah. On this album we’ve gone for sheer heaviness and impact!

3.This is going to be the first album released since 2009, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on for the last 5 years?
In the last 5 years!?!?!? I can barely remember this morning!!! hmmmmm, lets see, well since “One Nation Under Gore”, we have underwent a lot of line up changes, myself and Jason (drums) being the only consistent ones from then. I think we found Aaron around 2010 who joined up on guitar and has been in the band since then. Bass players have come and gone in that time period and we jammed shows as a 3 piece, myself on vocals/guitar, aaron on lead guitar and jason on drums, as we couldn’t find a reliable and dedicated bass player. That went on for a few years like that and truth be told wed all kinda got used to the idea of not having a bass player but then we got a message from Ross on a local forum who said he’d like to try out and he’s been with us ever since for just over 6 months. Its real cool to have a bass player again and i wish he could have played on the new album (i laid the bass on the new album). Obviously, in that time period we did a lot of writing and tried to play as many shows as we could, money and jobs permitting. We did a tour of the uk in 2011 which was very cool and definitely good to see old friends on the road!

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
As i already mentioned, we’ve sort of backed away from the all out gore and porno influences as its just abit boring nowadays. For this record, the lyrics are inspired by apocalyptic scenes and demons. Revelations stuff if you will. There is a little bit of inspiration from the Hellraiser movies but merely to explore that world with which they live. I mean, there is gore, just not as literal. Its still brutal in context but the lyrics are darker than before, less tongue in cheek.

5.The band has been around since 1992, what is it that motivates you to keep going after 2 decades?
Yep the bands been about since 92, it took a little break for jason to play hardcore with some friends but other than that its been around for a loooooong time!! i have been in the band for 15 years and on my behalf i think the best answer i can give is simply, the love of the music

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Putrefy’?
To rot and decay!! Its rather fitting for the music!!

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
For me, it would be between,  Caos Emergente in portugal In 2008 or chicago illinois deathfest in 2004. Both very cool shows for entirely different reasons. Both very well attended and we met some seriously cool people along the way. Live we try to deliver some serious heavy death metal with a fuckload of groove!

8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released
The new album is due to drop in Oct and we’ve got a show with Squash bowels in dublin then and a festival, The siege of limerick which were really looking forward to. But with regards to lengthy tours,sadly nothing planned but I’m sure you’ll see us about :)

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of brutal death metal?
its got to be said we’ve a fairly decent following worldwide and the support has been great. I’m not on Facebook myself so i don’t get to see all the feedback as it comes in but Facebook can go fuck itself. I don’t rock it.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
At this point and time its hard to say as myself and aaron in the band are writing for another project that we have in the pipeline. The last album took along time to write and record so the creative juices are drained for now. well have to see what comes our way after the release of the album. see what inspires us,ya know?!

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
My influences generally don’t change!! its always Suffocation, Internal bleeding, Pyrexia and skinless but to name a few. These bands are always the driving force band the music for us. I find with new music that i don’t really listen to newer stuff so much. I find that i listen to my favourite records over and over again. I know I’m not the only one who does this!!

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

I like to lift weights! it gives me method and and discipline to daily life. Its good for the body and mind! Although these days I’ve been plagued with injuries so I’m recovering from them at present!



13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks for the Interview mate, glad you rocked the album!! Hope everyone else enjoys it too!! spread the word and thanks for your support!
cheers

Arcania/Totalitarion Dystopia/Unique Leader/2014 CD Review

  Arcania  are  a  band  from  England  that  plays  a  mixture  of  brutal  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Totalitarion  Dystopia"  which  will  be  released  on  August  19  by  Unique  Leader.

  A  dark  and  distorted  sounding  drone  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  more  heavy  deathcore  direction  along  with  some  growls  and  after  the  first  track  the  music  starts  going  into  a  more  mid  paced  slam  direction  as  well  as  adding  in  some  high  pitched  screams  and  blast  beats  and   you  can  also  hear  some  melodic  grooves  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  When  fast  parts  are  added into  the  music  the  album  starts  having  more  of  a  technical  feeling  as  well  as  taking  the  band  into  a  more  brutal  direction  while  the  main  focus  remains  mostly  on  a  mid  paced  slam  style  of  deathcore  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  few  seconds  of  acoustic  guitars  are  added  into  the  music  which  also  leads  up  to  the  band  bringing  in  some  melodic  guitar  solos  that  display  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill.

  When  spoken  word  samples  are  added  into  the  album  the  music  starts  having  a  more  dark,  violent  and  chaotic  atmosphere  to  it  and  they  also  bring  in  one  track  that  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  while  the  music  is  very  heavy   and  modern  you  can  also  hear  a  bit  of  the  early  90's  death,  groove  and  nu  metal  style  sound s in  their  music  at  times.

  Arcania  takes  the  slam  style  of  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  more  of  a  deathcore  sound  while  also  having  more  of  a  heavier  and  extreme  edge  than  most  bands  that  represent  this  musical  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  pure  intolerance  for  humankind's  downfalls.

  In  my  opinion  Arcania  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  slam  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Totalitarion Dystopia"  "A  Gluttonous  Abomination"  "Messiah  Of  Manipulation"  and  "Disillusion  In  A  Discordant  System".  8  out  of  10.    

Winter Gate/Dis-Illumination/Transcending Obscurity India/2014 EP Review

  Winter  Gate  are  a  band  from  India  that  plays  a  very  progressive  and  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "Dis_illumination"  which  was  released  by  Transcending  Obscurity  India.

  A  very  melancholic  sounding  keyboard  starts  off  the  ep  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  into  a  more  fast  and  melodic  death  metal  direction  along  with  some  solos  that  display  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  which  also  leads  up  to  growls  and  screams  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  bands  musical  sound.

  There  is  a  good  mixture  of  clean  and  heavy   parts  being  utilized  throughout  the  recording  and  they  give  the  ep  a  progressive  feeling  and  the  band  also  uses  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  throughout  the  recording  and  both  of  the  regular  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  band  also  uses  some  clean  singing  briefly  and  the  second  track  displays  even  more  of  their  death  metal  sound  with  the  song  having  blast  beats  and  a  bit  of  the  early  90's  Swedish  sound.

  Winter  Gate  creates  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  melodic  and  progressive  while  also  having  a  bit  of  the  old  school  early  90's  in  their  sound,  the  productions  sounds  very  heavy  and  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  melancholy  and  nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Winter  gate  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  progressive  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Death's  Embrace".  8  out  of  10.      .

Exhumation Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new ep?
Vasily: We’ve been working on the new material since then, and we are looking forward to release a new full length album end 2014. Unfortunately our drummer and the founder of the band Alexey Kovalev decided to quit due to some personal reasons, so this EP may probably be our last collaboration with him. Luckily, we’ve found the replacement quickly, this fall we feature our new drummer Yuri Cherdantsev, currently we are working hard to get our show together and continue gigging.

2.Recently you have released a new ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Vasily: Our current line-up is completely different from the initial one. We’re making headway since Ira joined us, the band has found not only the aggressive female voice, but also a real front-men. Our music has slightly changed, too. Since the current members of the band prefer different genres of metal, it also affects our music, making it more versatile; we all bring our personal influences to the songs.
Ira: Sometimes we are like five bears in one cave)

3.The band was broken up for a few years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
 Vasily: Yeah, Exhumation was quite successful in Russia at the end of 90th - beginning of 00th. Unfortunately, we all considered ourselves as rock-stars that time. That led to tensions inside the band and finished with a split. It was my suggestion to revive the band, only after 8 years of silence. Together with Alex we made a decision to “exhume” Exhumation.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
Ira: Our songs reflect what’s in our own heads and closets, and what surrounds us – we never write about the things we don’t care about. In some of our lyrics we appeal to the dark side of human soul, its hidden wishes and fears. This world is tricky, you know, we’ve got all sorts of strange things nobody actually cares about, and all sorts of demons right here in peoples’ heads.
 Vasily: We are open to new ideas and if we have a feeling that some idea is good it'll become a song.

5.Can  you tell us a little bit more about the band name "exhumation' and also are you aware of all of the other bands that share the same name?
 Vasily: Heh, yeah that’s a tricky question! The band name was created in early 1994 by Alex Kovalev, since there were no bands with the same name at that time. But later we found out, that, actually, there was one in 1998, in Greece. We had long tensions with Marios Iliopoulos, the founder of the Greek “Exhumation” (currently no more existent), as he registered his band as a trademark that time. However, the war has finally come to an end this year, and we’ve played a great gig along with his current band “Nightrage”, here in St. Petersburg; this laid the foundation of friendly relationships between the two bands.  So now more war, only music. As for the rest of the bands with the same name, we actually don't care. We’ve appeared long before them and can prove that :)

 6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Ira: Oh, we’ve played lots of good shows, there was, by the way, a real good one last spring in Helsinki, Finland, “Liberte” club – the place was pretty small, but chock-full of absolutely crazy headbangers, all enthusiastic, jumping, screaming, singing along with the band and yelling out for more – the atmosphere was amazing – and the sound, too! We only had a real short sound-check, and everything was ready for us to get started. They were not letting us go, so we’ve played some of the stuff we were not going to play initially! Every performance is an absolute kick-ass experience for us, each of them is unique, so we do our best to drag all the demons out of everyone…or at least to make a couple of pussies wet)

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Ira: Yeah, we’re planning to have some shows in Russia and, maybe, Finland this fall, and we are also going to take part in some of the European metal fests next summer.

8.The new ep was self released but the band has worked with record labels before in the past, are you open to signing with another record label again in the future?
Vasily: Sure we are, but we do not see any point in signing with any label in RU. What our labels do is mostly a CD distribution, which is pretty dull. With the help of services like TuneCore we can get some money for our music, you see, not just the name of the reconcilable. Don't get us wrong, we are enthusiasts; we don't expect record label to make our pockets full, but at least some help with promotion would be much more useful.
Ira: We’re looking forward to signing with some good European or American label – why not? What we are interested in is touring, live shows, that’s what we expect from the label.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of melodic death metal?
 Vasily: Positive, definitely)
Ira: Yeah, since our latest release we’ve receiving reviews and letters from different parts of the world. Actually we didn’t even expect such reaction, even though we knew our stuff’s good)

10.When can we expect another full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Ira: We plan to release our new full length end 2014, we’re already working on the new material and we’ve already got some real good stuff! We also plan to shot an official video end 2014-beginning 2015. As for the nearest future, we hope to go on tours around Russia and Europe after releasing the new album.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Vasily: Allegaeon, Arch Enemy, Anterior, Dissection.
Ira: Pantera, Children of Bodom, Slayer, Guns ‘n’ Roses, WASP... oh, too many! I also play the guitar, so I like those “guitar heroes” – Slash, Marty Frideman, Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Satriani. To tell the truth, guitar is my original instrument, not vocals)

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Vaasily: Snowboarding, computer games, beer, blondes :)
Ira: Snowboarding, BMX, workout – that’s a real kicks ass stuff! I’ve been doing snowboarding for ages, and BMX is my newest “addiction”. To tell the truth, any extreme shit can do for me. I don’t care about the blondes, and I don’t think they care about me…well, maybe some of them do))

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Ira: Dudes, don’t waste your time on social nets and TV, that’s fu*king sh*t, better up your ass and come to the concerts! We do it all for you guys to come!

Putrefy/Knelt Before The Sarcophagus Of Humanity/Sevared Records/2014 CD Review

  Putrefy  are  a  band  from  Ireland  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  gore/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Knelt  Before  The  Sarcophagus  Of  Humanity"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Sevared  Records.

  Dark  and  epic  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  more  brutal  death  metal  direction  which  also  utilizes  blast  beats  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  adding  in  some  guttural  vocals  which  also  leads  up  to  some  slam  death  metal  elements  becoming  a  part  of  their  musical  sound.

  You  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  old  school  death  metal  elements  in  their  music  being  mixed  in  with  the  more  modern  and  brutal  take  on  this  genre  and  after  awhile  the  band  starts  adding  in  early  90's  Florida  style  death  metal  solos  into  their  musical  style,,  ambient  style  sound  effects  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  briefly  before  the  band  returns  back  to  a  more  heavy  and  brutal  sound.

  A  good  portion  of  the  fast  parts  the  band  brings  into  the  music  go  back  to  raw  origins  of  true  death  metal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  on  this  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  you  can  also  hear  melodies  being  added  into  the  bands  musical  sound  at  times  while  the  focus  remains  mostly  more  on  the  brutal  side  of  things.

  Putrefy  play  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  while  also  having  a  bit  of  an  old  school  feeling  which  makes  their  musical  style  sound  a  lot  more  interesting,  the  production  has  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  song  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Putrefy  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wading  Through  Human  Blood"  "Smashed  Down  With  Iron"  "Bring  Out  Your  Dead"  and  "Knelt  Before  the  Sarcophagus  Of  Humanity".  8  out  of  10.