Blunt Knife Idol/Greed Heritage/Herrie Records/2015CD Review

  Blunt Knife  Idol  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays an  old  school  mixture  of  death metal and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Greed  Heritage" which  was released  by  Herrie  Records.

 A very fast  and  brutal  grindcore  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  the  music  also  brings  in  melodic  riffs  at  times  along  with  a great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  most  of  the tracks are very  short  in  length  with  one  of  their  originals only  getting  as  long  as  3  minutes.

  While  the  faster  sections  are  in a  grindcore direction  the  slower  and  mid  paced  parts  have  more  of  a  death  metal  style  and  high  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  songs  going  for  more  of  a  modern  death/grind  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  one  of  the  tracks  brings  in  a  doom  metal influence and  the  band also brings Naplam Death  and  Led  Zeppelin covers  onto  the  recording.

  Blunt  Knife  Idol  takes a  style  of  death/grind  that  is  heavily  rooted  in t he  90's and brings  a  more  modern  twist  to  that  style,  the  production sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover violent  and  hateful  themes.

  In  my opinion  Blunt  Knife  Idol  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  metal and  grindcore and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "No  Light  At  The  End"  "Streams  Of  Death" "Mountains  Of  Disorder"  and  "Order  And  Obey".  8  out  of  10.

         

 

Tormentor Interview

All questions answered by Carlos Rodelo (Vocals)

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

We’ve been working hard on new material and preparing for our upcoming tour in the summer. We were told that we should wait and savor the new album before we start work on our third but we just love writing, it’s a never ending thing with us.

2.In October you had released a new album, 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?

I would say the easiest way to describe us is Technical Melodic Progressive Death Thrash…or just metal too ..I guess.

You know we draw inspiration from all sorts of music. I think the biggest difference between this new album and our first is the diversity in it. Our first record featured more of a straight up thrash approach to it but as we got better as musicians we started incorporating a lot of new elements and it’s made for some really interesting song writing. The main thing we added though in my opinion is the progression and mood changes in the songs. One minute the song is going light speed and then suddenly it all just comes crashing down on the listener. We want to keep people on their toes when they listen to us.

3.Your lyrics cover some science fiction and conspiracy theories themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

To be honest our lyrics are impulsive one minute the song is expected to deal with the subject of suicide bombings and after one episode of “Ancient Aliens” It becomes a song about reptilians.

When it boils down to it though we’re big nerds haha We write about things we can relate to in personal lives. We have songs that deal with some serious topics as well but we try not to take it too seriously all the time.

4.Why did you pick the name 'Tormentor' for the band and also are you aware of the many other bands that use the same name?

We actually get this question a lot, I did know about it’s previous use which is why we spell it with an E at the end instead of an O. There seems to be a mixed response about it. I felt that name perfectly represents our sound and style at least in the way that we look at it. There was a point where we were thinking of changing it to something else (fun fact it was almost changed to Paroxysm but that doesn’t sound as cool) but we received a lot of support from a bunch of different people not to change it (mainly because they really liked the logo). I think people who take it to task though need to chill, it’s just a name and only a very few people even care anyway. It’s just a name.

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

We’ve been very fortunate to be part of some killer shows down here. Our shows with Exodus and Forbidden have been some of our favorites as well as our first headlining show back in 2008. We do great shows all the time though and in recent years we’ve made leaps and bounds in our live show. We used to be the type to just stand still and head bang but not it’s a lot more physical and a lot more crowd interaction. We try to grab the audiences attention right from start to finish.

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

We are going to be heading out on a small headlining tour in July, “Unrest in the Southwest” 2015 with our friends in Concrete Sledge. And we will also be doing some cool festival shows that have yet to be announced (can’t spill the beans yet sorry haha) later this year.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of thrash and death metal?

It’s been great! I feel that people are hesitant to check us out sometimes for whatever reason, but we get told a lot that once they do they dig it right away. Even globally we have gotten a great response considering we’ve never left the United States; we get orders from every continent (except Africa and Antarctica…for now). There are so many bands out there that you can’t really blame someone for not checking you out but we are very grateful for everyone that has.

8.The original version of the album was released by EBM Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

EBM is based out of Mexico City and they have been putting out our music since our debut full length album. They’ve released albums by a lot of cool bands like Hirax, Bio-Cancer, Zombie Holocaust and a lot more. We felt it was time to move on though and set our sights on something bigger which is why we signed with Static Tension Records in May and we will be re-releasing the album in late July through them.

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

That’s a good question, we’ve already been working on material for our third album, and there will definitely be some elements from “Prophetic Deceiver” but we’re putting more thought into song writing. We want to continue to put out killer pulse pounding thrash metal but we want to be able to demonstrate our musicianship as well.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Biggest influences have been Testament, Death, Demolition Hammer, and Sepultura among others.

Lately speaking for me personally I’ve been listening to a lot of Revocation, Carcass and The Black Dahlia Murder in terms of non-thrash bands. Thrash wise I’ve been really into Warbringer, Havok, and Ultra-Violence from Italy. We also listen to a lot of instrumental music because we feel there is a lot we can take away from it.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Man where do I begin, as I said above we’re big nerds man, we love reading comics, watching sci-fi and horror films, we love checking out obscure places to munch and drink. We’re people you know? We like to do all the same stuff everybody else likes to do that’s really how I can sum it up. We’re all big sports fans and we like to joke around with the idea of songs being played at these events knowing it’ll never happen haha

12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Just thank you to everyone that has supported us over the years, We’ve been around for 8 years now which is a hell of a lot longer than I thought we’d be doing this so from the bottom of hearts thank you to everyone and keep your eye because this is only the beginning.

Cromm Cruac/Senecio/ViC Records/2015 CD Re-Issue Review

  Cromm  Cruac  are  a  band  from the  Netherlands  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1998  album  "Scenecio"  which  will  be  re-issued  in  June  by  Vic  Records.

  Clean  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  adding  in  death  metal  growls  that  also  takes  the  music  into  more  of  a  very  and  technical  musical  direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  solos  and  the  leads  the  band  uses  add  a  great  amount  of  melody  onto  the  recording.

  High  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  long  and  epic in  length  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording and  the  songs  also  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  also  speeding  up  a  bit  at  times  and  towards  the  end one  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken word  parts.

  Cromm  Cruach  played  a  style  of  death  metal  on  this  recording  that  was  very  mid  tempo,  melodic  and  technical  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for the  time  era  it  was  recorded  while the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cromm  Cruac  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  technical  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Passed  Moment"  "Careless"  "The  Pain  Within"  and  "Down-Under".  8  out  of  10.

   

Deus Otiosus/Six Mortuus Mondo/Godeater Records/2015 EP Review

  Deus  Otiosus  are  a  band  from  Denmark  that  has  been  featured  before  in this  zine  and  plays  an  old  school  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "Sis Mortuus Mond'  which  was  released  by  Godeater  Records. 

A  very  fast  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep   along  with  some  blast  beats  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  few  seconds  later  death  metal  growls  and  screams  are  added  into  the  music  and  the  songs  also  start  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Both of the  songs  are heavily  rooted in  the  mid  80's  to  early  90's  style  of  death  metal  and  they  also  add  in  elements  of  thrash  and  death  metal  along  with  some  very  old   school  metal  solos  and  leads  and  while  the  music  sound s very  old  school  the  production  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  modern  day  feeling  

  Deus  Otiosus  remain  true  to  their  old  school  death  metal  sound  and  bring  in  2  tracks  that  are  very  heavy,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  horror,  occultism  and  torment  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Deus  Otiosus  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Greater  Horror".  8  out  of  10.  

 

Bone Gnawler/Cannibal Crematorium/Pulverised Records/2015 CD Review

  Bone  Gnawler  are  an  international  band  with  members  from  both  Florida  and Sweden  that  play  an  old  school  form  of  gore/death  metal  along  with some  legendary  death  metal  musicians  having  a  quest  appearance  on  each  song  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album "Cannibal  Crematorium"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Pulverised  Records.

  Spoken  word  and horror  movie  samples  start  off  the  album  and  after the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of a  brutal  death  metal  direction  along  with  some  growling  vocals  and  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  grind  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  melodic  sounding  and  the  horror  movie  samples  also  mix  in  with  the  heavy  parts  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  some  melody  being added  in the  heavier  riffs  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  members  of  Fondlecorpse,  Cardiac  Arrest,  Wirchclan,  Gruesome  Stuff  Relish,  Acheron,  Crypticus,  Down  Among  The  Dead  Men,  Fetid  Zombie,  and  Dead.

  Bone  Gnawler  plays  a  style  of  gore/  death  metal  that  goes  back  to t he  90's  style  while  also  still  sounding  modern  at  the  same  time,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics   cover  cannibalism  and  butchery.

  In  my  opinion  Bone  Gnawler  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  gore/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Modern  Day  Cannibal"  "Chawed,  Mauled  And  Gnawed"  "Below  A  Murder  Of  Carrion  Crows"  and  "Cannical  Crematorium".  8  out  of  10.  
     

Dying Humanity/Deadend/Bastardized Recordings/2015 CD Review

  Dying  Humanity  are  a  band  from  Germany  that has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of melodic  death  metal  and  thrash  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Deadened"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  bastardized  Recordings.

  Exotic  sounding  music  instruments  start  off   the  album  before  adding  in  clean  playing  which  is  also  used  on  later  songs  as  well  and  a  more  distorted  and  heavy  sound  which  also brings  death  metal  growls  and  blast  beats  onto  the  recording  and the  riffs  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  band  also  adds  in  brutal  death  metal  and thrash  influences  into  the  songs.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  true  to  a  melodic  style  of  death  metal  and  the  songs  also  use  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  adding  clean  singing  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  The  band  also  brings in  a  great  amount  of  modern  metal  elements  into  their  musical  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  is  also  some  high  pitched  screams  being  utilized  at times  and  a  later  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitar.

  Dying  Humanity  creates  an  album  that  takes  a  melodic  style  of  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  thrash,  groove  and  modern  metal  to  create  a  very  heavy  sounding  album,  the  production  sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  mental  disorders.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Dying  Humanity  and  if  you  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy this  album.  RECOMMENDED TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Deadended" "I  Am  King"  "Ashes  Of  Destiny"  and  "Bloodshot  Eyes".  8  out  of  10.  
.
 

Coathanger Abortion Interview

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

Haha, a lot since it was actually recorded two years ago! It's been a difficult process, which is typical for us. We did Comatour last year with Lust of Decay and Devangelic, including LVDF. Several other shows and two mini tour in 2013.

2.You have a new album coming out this spring, 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?

It doesn't stray from our original sound. Still raw and dirty with a variety of style, structure, and sound. I think the main difference is a more straight forward writing style.

3.The band has been around for 15 years but so far have only released a demo and 2 full lengths, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap between releases?

We are simply lazy, slow Americans. Haha. We all have families and that's most important, so we get to the band when time allows.

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

Same as always and even with the music. It's all over the place. Drug abuse and addiction, alcoholism, hypocrisy, movies, zombies, etc (observations of humanity)

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Coathanger Abortion'/

It was from a friend that was attempting to make another friend sick by talking about it. A Coathanger Abortion ( clothes hanger abortion) would be a self induced brutal abortion with the metal wire untwisted. It started as a joke and just "stuck". Get it? Haha

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

Any time we play we are on a moon shine fueled path of destruction! My favorites would be Toronto, San Antonio, LVDF, CIM, and Chattanooga.

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

We have a few random shows here and there.
We are playing Full Terror Assault in September, which should be great! We want to do a California and Mexico tour next year and a European tour in 2017.

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

Is been pretty good actually. We have stood the year of time. Haha. I think people realize they're getting something different.

9.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

Yes. I'm in Southern Mental Illness (SMI), Ryan is in lust of decay and cesspool of vermin, Phil is in about twenty bands including lust of decay and necrotic disgorgement.

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

Where no man has gone before.... Probably not straying far from the path. I think that's where a lot of bands screw up. Maybe more variety and quirkiness.

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?

I literally listen to everything except country and techno. I know people say that, but it's true.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Anything with my family, grilling, skate videos, Xbox, guns, jiu jitsu, motorcycles, tattoos, more things than I have time for haha.

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

Think for yourself. Always. See you on the road... Thanks for the interview
www.comatosemusic.com

Skinless/Only The Ruthless Remain/Relapse Records/2015 CD Review

  Skinless  are  a  band  from  New  York  that  has  been around  for  a  long  time  and  plays  a  brutal  form  of  death  metal  with  a  touch  of  grind  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2015  album  "Only  The  Ruthless  Remain"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Relapse  Records.

  Whispers  and sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  brutal  death  metal  direction  that  also  introduces  growls  and  blast  beats  onto  the  recording  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  along with  some  riffs  utilizing  melodies.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain true  to  a  brutal  style  of  death  metal  and  some  of  the  songs  also bring  in  a  touch  of  slam  and  there  are  also  a  few  tracks  that  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount of  high  pitched  screams  while  the  faster  sections  bring in  grindcore  influences  and  on  of the  later  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean playing  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction.

  Skinless  creates  another  album that is  brutal  and  shows  that while  they are  veterans  they can  still  sound  very  modern,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  gore and  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Skinless  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Serpenticide"  "Flamethrower"  and  "Funeral  Curse".  8  out  of  10. 

Mass Hypnosis Interview

Q

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

A:

Hey, we are in the process of making our new album, single and also new video for our last song on the album called "Codex Alimentarius".

Q

2.Recently you have released a new album, 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?

A:

Yes, in the past we have one album called "DISIN4MATION". I'm personally not very proud on that material, but it is behind us now. We are trying to sound dark, cold and also groovy. People like to say that we play Industrial-metal.

Q

3.Your earlier stuff was more in a death metal or deathcore direction, but the music on the new album is more closer to industrial and groove metal, what was the decision behind going into this musical direction?

A:

Yes, in the past i have few other people in the band who want to be up to date with the music style, but popular styles changing really fast, and after few years the music sounds really silly, and all bands sounds the same in the end. Not all, but a lot of bands in the particular genre, exactly that happened to us with the first album, we have a death-core album in the sea of death-core albums, and i'm not happy about it at all. It was not decision, i just start to make almost everything by my own. 

Q

4.This is the first release to be put out in 3 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?

A:

It was not a easy period for me at all, i was in the big struggle to find people who will play live shows with this kind of music with me. Croatia is really a not good place to be if you are in this genre of music that we are now, or in any genre of art at all.

Q

5.The lyrics cover some new World Order, Political, Dystopian and Conspiracy Theories, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

A:

I was always love really direct and honest lyrics, i never was into some kind of fantasy stuff like lot of metal bands are into. And i really hope that i will stimulate someone to think what's going on in the world during listening to our stuff, maybe to change some views in good direction.

Q

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'mass Hypnosis'/

A:

Of course it is an old Sepultura song.

But it is also really well showing us what is going on in the world right now, we are all in the really deep state of Mass Hypnosis and the name is going really good with our lyrical expressions. Also it is very simple and direct, yo uknow., tells the story.

Q

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?

A:

The best show for me was in the "Metal Camp" festival, just because we have a proper equipement on stage. Our stage performance is to try to not to play wrong tones during headbanging.

Q

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

A:

Yes, we have, but as we are independent it is very hard to plan any tours, we are still living here, in the bottom of the europe and struggling to

survive, i have a great luck to even have a equipment. 

Q

9.The new album was self released but the band has been on a record label before in the past, are you open to working with another record label again in the future?

A:

Yes, we was on the record label with the first album, but the label do 0 effort for us, so it is better to be independent 

that on the label like that. Yes, we are very open to work with some serious people in the future.

Q

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

A:

I'm very satisfied with the feedback from now on. Let's take the fact that the album is out for very short period of time.

Q

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

A:

I can not see where is going i can only hope that we will replace our living rooms with real studios.

And i would also love to work with professionals in the future.

Q

12.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?

A:

I really often had a really strange periods of music listening, so right now i'm in some kind of Reagge period. I'm also hooked up on early Static-X albums, first two to be particular.

Q

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

A:

I have no interest except musical.

Q

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

A:

I would like to thank to all the people who read this interview to the end and i hope you will heard of us more in the future.

FUCK THE SYSTEM

p.s.

thank you John for thinking about us!

Dysentery/Fragments/ComatoseRecords/2015 CD Review

  Dysntery  are  a  band  from  Massachusetts  that  plays  a  brutal  mixture  of  slam  death  metal  and  guttural  deathgrind  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2015  album  "Fragments"  whichwill be  released in July  by Comatose  Records.

 A  very heavy  and  slamming  death  metal sound starts  off  the  album  and  the music  also  brings in  a  decent  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  at  times  and  after  the  intro  the  music  speeds  up  a  bit  and  adds  in  blast  beats  and  guttural  growls  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound to  them.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  influenced  from  the  east  coast  style  of  death  metal  and  the  faster  sections of  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  grindcore  elements  and  as  the  album  progresses  high  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of the  recording.

  Dysentery  plays  a  style  of  death  metal t hat  is  brutal  and  mostly  in  a  mid  paced slam  direction  while  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of grindcore  in  the  bands  musical  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional while  the  lyrics  cover  blasphemy,  gore  and  torment  themes.

  In  my  opinion Dysentery  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  brutal slam  death  metal  and  grindcore  and if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Paranoid  Division"  "Invocation  of  A  Parallel  Bloodlet"  "Within Descending  Skies  They  Will  Suffer"  and  "Oblivion". 7  out  of  10.   

Tormentor/PropheticDeceiver/Static Tension Recordings/2015 CD Review

  Tormentor  are  a  band  from  California  that  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  death  metal  and  thrash  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Prophetic  Deceiver"  which  will  be  rleased  in  July  by  Static  Tension  Recordings.

  Clean  guitars  start off  the  album  along  with  some  heavier  riffs  that  also  takes  the  music  into  more  of  a  brutal  thrash  metal  direction  along  with  some  aggressive  screaming  vocals  that  are  very  heavily  rooted in  the  mid  80's  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in more  of  a  melodic  death  metal  style and the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts   and  on  some  of  the  songs  the  vocals  also  bring  in  some  rough  sounding  melodies  and  a  few  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  middle  eastern  musical  scale  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts mixing in  more  old  school  death  metal  influences  as  well  as  some  growling  vocals  while  also  adding  in  back  up  gang  shouts,  an  instrumental  track  and  a  brief use  of  power  metal  style  screams. 

  Tormentor  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  mid  80's  thrash  metal  but  done  with  a  more  modern take  and  they  also  mix  in  elements  of  melodic  death  metal  which also  helps  their  music  stand  out  a  lot  more,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Tormentor  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  thrash  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hanging  From  A  Noose"  "Critical  Stasis"  "Sacrilege"  and  "Pulse  Of  Terror". 8  out  of  10. 

WRVTH/Self Titled/Unique Leader Records/2015 CD Review

  WRVTH  are  a  band  from  California  that  plays a  very  progressive  and  technical  mixture  of  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their self  titled  2015 album  which  was  released  by  Unique  Leader  Records.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  and  a  minute later  the  music  starts  getting  more  heavy  and  melodic  as  well  as  adding  in  high  pitched screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  clean  sections  also  bring  in  elements  of  post  rock  and  death  metal  growls  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recoridng.

  The  guitar  solos  and  leads  that  are  utilized  are  very  melodic  and  technical  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  a  decent  amount  of  blast beats  and  the  songs  also  mix  clean  and  heavy  parts  together  in  the  same  song  and  a  good  portion  of the  tracks are very long  and  epic  in  length.

  At  times  the  music  can  be  very  progressive  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  an  influence  of  post  hardcore  along  with  a  touch  of  djent  and  some  of  the  vocals  also  have  a  screamo  feeling  at  times  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  synths  that  give  the  music  more of an atmospheric  style  and  as  the  album  progresses  elements  of  jazz  music  are  brought   into  some  of  the  songs. 

  WRVTH  plays  a  style  of  death  metal that  is  very  technical  and  also  mixes  in  elements  of  deathcore, djent,  atmospheric,  progressive and  post rock  as  well  as  a  touch  of jazz  to  create  some  very  original  sounding  music,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  very  dark  and  emotional  themes.

  In  my  opinion  WRVTH are  a  very great sounding  progressive  and  technical  mixture  of  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  if  you are  a  fan  of  those  musical genre, you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Looming  Sigils"  "Forlorn"  "Larkspur"  and  "Cease  To  Exist".  8  out  of  10. 

Amanita Virosa/Asytole/Inverse Records/2015 Full Length Review

  Amanita Virosa  are a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  musical  style  they  refer  to  as  hospital  metal  and  this  is a review  of  their  2015  album "Asytole"  which will  be  released  in  June  by  Inverse  Records.

  Classical  guitars  and  synths  start  off  the album  and a few  seconds  later  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  direction  while also  mixing in  with  the  more  calmer  sounds  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  throughout  the  recording are  very  melodic  and  after  the  intro the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  fast  melodic  death  metal  direction.

  Vocals  use  both  screams  and  screams  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  a  great  amount of  blast  beats  and  the  heavier  parts  also  mix  in  with  the  more  symphonic  elements  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a very  powerful  sound  to them  and  you  can  also  hear  the  more  melodic  side  of  deathcore  in  the bands  musical  style  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount of  black  metal  influences  and  the  classical  guitars also  make  a  return  on  one  of  the  tracks.

  Amanita  Virosa  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in the  Finnish  style  of  melodic  death  metal  and  they  also  add in  symphonic  elements  and  touches  of  hardcore  and  black  metal  to  create  their  own  musical  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  real life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Amanita  Virosa  are  a  very  great sounding  symphonic  and  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "My  Slightest  Hope"  "Dead  Inside"  and  "Dead  Body  Love".  8  out  of  10.      

Carnalation/Ghosts/Inverse Records/2015 EP Review

  Carnalation  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  brutal  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "Ghosts"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  inverse  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  death/grind  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  blast  beats  a  and  a  mixture  of  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  modern  extreme  metal  elements  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  melodic  guitar  leads  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  back  up  gang  shouts  at  times  while  some  of  the  songs  also  utilize  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  some  of  the  faster  sections  also  take  the  music  into  more  of  a  brutal  direction  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing.  

  Carnalation  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  mixes  it  with  groove  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  and  mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Carnalation  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  death,  groove  metal  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Drown  in  Silver"  and  "Prometheus".  7/5  out  of  10.   

Human Waste/Harvest Remnants/Xtreem Music/2015 Compilation Album Review

  Human  Waste  where a band  from  Spain  that  played  a  very  experimental  and  progressive  form  of  gore/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  compilation  album  "Harvest Remnants"  which  was  released  by  Xtreeem  Music  and  consists  of  their  demo  material  from  the  90's.

   A  very  distorted  guitar  lead  starts  off  the  album before  going  into  a  dark  and  melodic  musical  direction and  all  of  the  musical instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them and  once  the  growls  kick  in  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  death  metal  direction which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  high  pitched  screams.

  Growls  on  the  recording  can be  very  guttural  at times  and  for  1993  they sound  very  cutting  edge  for  that  era  and  the  songs  also  use  a  great  mixture  of  slow, mid  paced  and  faster  parts  along  with  the  faster  sections  utilizing  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  when  the  music  goes  into  the  92  demo  they  music  gets  more  experimental  and  avant  garde  while  also  mixing  in  more  of  a  raw  death  metal  sound.

    Some  of  the  tracks  also  have  a  slight  black  metal  feeling  at  times  and  the  last  track  from  92  also  incorporates  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  when  the  compilation  goes  into  the  91  material  the  music  starts  sounding  even  more  dark  and  raw  bringing  in  somewhat  of  a  mid  80's  death  metal  feeling  at  times  and  they  close  the  compilation  with  a  cover  of  Celtic  Frost's  "Circle  Of  The  Tyrants".

  Human  waste  where  a  head  of  their  time  in  the  early  90's  playing  a  style  of  death  metal  that  was  very  experimental  and  progressive  as  well as  using  guttural vocals  and  slam  elements  on  the  later  material  when  no  bands  where  barely  doing  it  back  in  the  days,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  considering  all  of  the  albums  on  here  are  demos  while  the  lyrics  cover  pessimism  and  melancholy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Human  Waste  where  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  and  progressive  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  compilation.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE "So Is  Death"  "The  Hegemony  Of  Reality"  "Human  Waste"  and  "Psychic  Fear".  8  out  of  10.