Hour Of Anguish/Solace of Sorrow/2016 Full Length Review

  hour  Of  Anguish  are  a  duo  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Solace  Of  Sorrow".

  Clean  yet  distorted  guitars  start  off  the  album  which  also  leads  up  to  more  of  a  heavy  yet  melodic  musical  direction  along  with  some  high  pitched  death  metal  screams  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  Melodic  vocals  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  modern  prog  metal  elements and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  growls  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  songs  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  synths  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  used  and  guitar  leads  are  only  used  briefly.

  Hour  Of  Anguish  plays  a  more  modern  style  of  melodic  death  metal  that  also  mixes  in a  great  amount  of  prog  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hour  Of  Anguish  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ouroboros"  "Farewell  To  The  Flesh"  "Countdown  To  The  End"  and  "Sleep  Eternal".  8  out  of  10.

 

 

Peripheral Cortex/Rupture/2016 Demo Review

 Peripheral  Cortex  are  a  band  from  Berlin,  Germany  that  plays  a  very  technical,  melodic,  and  progressive  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  demo  "Rupture".

  A  very  melodic  and  technical  guitar  lead  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  and  both  of  the  tracks  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  prog  metal  elements  along  with  some  growls  being  used  at  times.

  When  the  music  speeds  up a   great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  can  also  be  very  progressive  at  times  and  the  riffs  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  melody.  while  both  tracks  also  stick  to  a  very  heavy  musical  style  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts.

  Peripheral  Cortex  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  on  this  recording  that  is  very  progressive,  melodic  and  technical  sounding  while  also  being  very  heavy  at  the  same  time,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  scientific  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Peripheral  Cortex  are  a  very  great  sounding  technical,  progressive  and  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  demo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Ruptering  Aeons".  8  out  of  10.

Morphing Into Primal/Collateral/2014 CD Review

  Morphing  Into  Primal  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Collateral".

  A  very  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  and  melodic  riffing  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  vocals  are  high  pitched  screams  that  are  done  in  a  death  metal  style  while  the  vocals  also  use  clean  singing  in  some  parts  of  the  songs. 

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a very  melodic  style  while  growls  can  also be  heard  at  times  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  they  also mix  in  a great mixture  of  both  modern  and  old  school  influences  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  synths  on  some  of  the  tracks  while  a  alter  song  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction.

  Morphing  Into  Primal  plays  a  style  of  melodic  death  metal  that  mixes  the  modern  and  old  school  styles  of  the  genre  together  along  with  a  touch  of  thrash  and  power  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  society,  mythology,  personal  issues  and  hate  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Morphing  Into  Primal  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out t his  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Karma"  "Out  Of  The  Blue"  and  "Throne  Of  two  lands".  8  out  of  10.

  

Disphere/Abscience/Rude Awakening Records/2015 CD Re-Issue

   Disphere  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  technical  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  on  this  recording  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2007  album  "Abscience"  which  was  re-issued  in  2015  by  Rude  Awakening  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  fast  grindcore  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  as  well  as  mixing  it  in  with  technical  riffing  while  the  lyrics  are  death  metal  growls  along  with  a  few  high  pitched  grindcore  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  In  my  opinion  Disphere  are  a  very  great  sounding  technical  and  brutal  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  "Hydro.Mental.Challenge"  "Infecting  Skes  With  Mortality"  and  "Desert  of  Devourment".  8  out  of  10.  

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  both  90's  death  metal  and  grindcore  influences  while  also  taking  it  into  more  of  a  progressive  direction  and  the  riffing  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies.

  The  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  an  extreme  metal  style  while  also  being  very  technical  at  times  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  brutality  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  vocals  bring  in  more  of  a  guttural  style  that  was  considered  modern  in  2007  and  the  album  also  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Disphere  plays  a  musical  style  on  this  recording  that  takes  a  very  heavy,  brutal  and  technical  style  of  death  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  grindcore  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  gore  and  scientific  themes.

 

Sad Theory 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 album?

Daniel: We have made quite a progress towards the production of the next album. It is about half written and recorded. Besides that, the band are in the search for the right personnel to fill in the positions of drummer and rhythm guitar player, so that we can start our rehearsals and resume concerting. We are also making a few investments on digital distribution and publicity. We made "Vérmina Audioclastia Póstuma" available on iTunes, Spotify and several other platforms. To get us more known abroad, we partnered up with Against PR for a Press Relations campaign. That will, hopefully, expand our fan base across the Atlantic, thus enabling more ambitious future plans.

2.In December 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?

Daniel: I would describe the current sound mainly as death metal, with  nuances of genres such as thrash, doom and black metal. It makes great use of melody and dissonance and evokes atmosphere and feelings. I was not in the band on previous recordings, but I am a fan of the band since 2003 and it is clear to me that the sound became increasingly cohese, homogenous and heavy, record after record.

Alysson: I think being our fifth record already, we can say it is the Sad Theory way of making metal music. It is a confluence of sonic elements that built itself from “The Lady & The Torch” until “Descrítica Patológica” and beyond. Not only sonic elements, really, but also lyrical and personal ones from the members’ life experiences.

The previous records vary quite a bit from each other, as we were searching for the ideal sound. We think we found it on “Vérmina Audioclastia Póstuma”, but the search never ends. Our next release will probably bring new elements, a new feeling of fulfillment and another cycle, as it is with every new release. The latest one is always the best!


3.The band was broken up for 7 years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?

Guga: Several reasons were the cause of the split but, in short, I ended up having disagreements with Carlos as well as with Juan, and left the band. After my departure, they chose to disband instead of continuing, the band then became inactive for several years. By 2013 or 2014 (I can’t precise it), Irala and myself reunited and decided to record some songs, which were to be a different project at principle. Even after years have passed, they still sounded like Sad Theory, but without the silliness and the “artistic” interventions that annoyed me so much about the previous era.

We decided then to reform the band as a duo, doing everything as we saw fit, without any input from external sources or previous members. The result was “Vérmina Audioclastia Póstuma”, our best album so far, in every sense. I’m not saying that I dislike the previous works, but in my mind, they seem like a past that I would change a lot if I could. “Vérmina…” is 100% what we wanted to do!

4.The lyrics on the new recording are part of a concept album, can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical content?

Daniel: It tells the story of an unnamed, generic protagonist that is afflicted with an unspecified disease that is both degenerative and incurable. At the start, while still being totally apt physically and mentally, he shows arrogance, scorn and denial, minimizing the bad news that his doctor had just given him.

As the illness grows in, and his ableness starts to diminish, he realises his universe is getting increasingly smaller. He embitters himself even more and contemplates suicide, but is unable to carry the act on. The disease progresses and soon he is trapped inside his own mind, which is becoming increasingly erratic. He spends the remaining of his consciousness reviving soothing memories, that soon give way to terrible ones of conflict, lost love and, lastly, of trauma and abuse lived in his childhood. He then dies.

To assess the protagonist's health state throughout the album, we made references to a scale used in Medicine, mainly in Oncology, that goes from 100 to zero - the Karnofsky Performance Status Scale - and used it as a recurring lyrical theme, similarly to what Pink Floyd did in "The Wall" with the "Another Brick in the Wall" set of songs.

5.Over the years you have covered literature,  poetry and other art forms with your lyrics, are their certain literature writers or poets that have had a huge influence on your music?

Daniel: I can't really speak for the pre-split stint of Sad Theory because I wasn't yet in the band - I was only a fan.  The main lyricist back then was Carlos Machado. Carlos would be best suited for answering, but he is no longer a band member.

Charles Baudelaire's "Les Fleurs du mal" was a main lyrical influence for the second record "A Madrigal of Sorrow". By the third album, the range of influences diversified, and as the main language of the lyrics shifted from English to Portuguese, a greater focus was given to brazilian poets such as Augusto dos Anjos and Cruz e Sousa - especially the latter, whose works "Tédio" and "Antífona" bacame lyrics for two Sad theory songs, one of which is still to be released.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Sad Theory'?

It might sound weird, but we really can’t remember! The name was given by people who are no longer in the band, so it is a mystery, even to us. It has a connotation of negativity, that resonates with the musical and lyrical content of every record, but we can’t really precise its true origin.

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?

Guga: Sad Theory had great live moments, especially when it would be the opening act of international shows. For me, playing with Vader and Nevermore - bands that I am a huge fan - were really touching events.

As for the stage performance, Sad Theory always excelled onstage. We never had rookie musicians on the line-up, and everyone knew exactly what to do: our attunement in that sense was perfect. It’s kind of silly to praise oneself, but Sad Theory was great on stage!

Alysson: We really had an above average attunement on stage, largely due to our zealous discipline in rehearsing frequently. With the new formation we will make sure to keep this tradition up.

I simply can’t avoid mentioning our opening act for WASP. I’ve been always a fan, and playing on the same stage as Blackie Lawless and his band was fantastic.

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

Alysson: We surely have plans for promoting “Vérmina…”. Besides gigs in Brazil and Latin America, we want to play in Europe and North America. In the meantime, while that doesn’t happen, we are in studio recording the next album.

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

Guga: The four previous records were released by brazilian labels (MegaHard Records and Die Hard Records). We chose to do “Vérmina…” independently, but for the sixth one we are already discussing terms to sign with a brazilian label.

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

Daniel: We are still working to get ourselves better known outside Brazil. So far we've got positive reviews from music critics, and praise from several people who are into death metal and listened to the new record. We are also getting a lot of positive feedback from the old fans, who resented the end of the band. We know, though, that for making our music reach a worldwide audience there is a long road full of hard work ahead of us. But that ain’t stopping us.

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

Alysson  Irala: Besides Sad Theory, I also play in Motorbastards, which is a Motörhead tribute 7 years old, that released an album with original compositions in 2015. I am also in Shadow Maze, a gothic rock band formed in late nineties, with whom we are recording an album with new songs, which is to be released early 2017.

Daniel: I have a project named "Rotpeter" that just released its debut. It was, just like Sad Theory's latest release, recorded and produced by Irala at Funds House Studio (his home). It sounds more like an ambience focused progressive rock, but has its metal moments, too! We are already recording the second album at Funds House.

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

Alysson  Irala: I, particularly, foresee a great future for Sad Theory. We got back with the drive and willpower of a beginner band, but with almost 20 years of experience. We are now able to make decisions more wisely and manage our expectations with more maturity, without giving up chasing our dreams. Dreams, after all, are what make heavy rock bands in Brazil keep going.

13.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?

Alysson Irala: “Vérmina…” was influenced by Sad Theory’s own music. Of course I must cite my own influences: Death, Sepultura, Morbid Angel, Emperor, also from Melodic Death: such as At The Gates, Carcass, Dark Tranquility, Arch Enemy (old).

Guga: I listen basically to Death Metal. I do not have shades of gray when it comes to musical taste. To mention a band that I am listening a lot nowadays, it would be “Deeds of Flesh”.

Daniel: I am a huge fan of Pink Floyd, listen to lots of prog rock bands of the 70’s, like Genesis, ELP, Yes and so on. I love most genres of metal as well, even the more extreme ones.  I am also into shoegaze, post-rock and post-metal, and listen a lot to bands like Mogwai and Cult of Luna.

14.What are some of your non musical interests?

Alysson Irala: None. I am 100% involved with music, it is my bread earner. I am a music teacher, professional musician and music producer at Funds House Studio. That takes away all my free time, but I am grateful for that.

Daniel: Besides movies, Poetry and Literature in general, I have an acquired taste for Psychoanalysis. I graduated in Medicine in 2010 and am currently working as a family health physician in a small city in the countryside.

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

We would like to thank Varietyofdeathzine for this interview, for making its viewers outside Brazil know more about us. Stay Brutal!!!

Countless Skies/New Dawn/Kolony Records/

  Countless  Skies  are  a  band  from  the  united  Kingdom  that  has  been  featured  before  in this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "New  Dawn"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Kolony  Records.

  Tragic  sounding keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  seconds  the  music  starts  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  also  introducing  melodic  guitar  leads  onto t he  recording  while  also  mixing  in  symphonic  elements  at  times  and  there  are  also  a  great  amount  of  modern  metal  influences  present  throughout  the  recording.

  When  vocals  are  added  onto t he  recording  they  use  a  great  mixture  of  both  screams  and  growls while  the  riffs  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  prog  metal  elements  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced and  fast  parts  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars,  whispers  and  clean  singing  vocals  on  a  few  tracks  and  there  are  also  a  couple  of  songs  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Countless  Skies  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  melodic  death  metal  style  of  their  previous  ep  while  also  demonstrating  a  great  amount  of  progress  as  musicians,  the   production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Countless  Skies  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Heroes"  "Daybreak"  and  "Return".  8  out  of  10.

Archaic Decapitator 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?
A) Well, at this time we're in that limbo area between having the product on hand and waiting to release it! It's scheduled for June 7th, 2016, for which we are all very much excited. We've played one gig a few weeks back with Decedent (some former members of Capharnaum) and our friends, Xenosis, who put on a Death Tribute gig on Chuck Schuldiner's birthday, which was crazy. Basically the entire band of Xenosis is also known as Cross-Turned Dagger, a Death cover band, and they killed it with a chronological performance with a tune from each Death record! Played flawlessly, might I add. It was definitely one of the best experiences I've had because for most of us in the metal community, Death was so monumentally influential. It felt great to see so many people from various backgrounds come together (as one!) and celebrate the life of Chuck.

2.Recently you have released a new ep, 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) Oh yeah, this EP has very little similarity to what we've released in the past. As far as the music, it's definitely taken a turn for the melodic with some touches of black and traditional death metal. When Archaic started we were essentially teenagers who worshipped bands like Blood Red Throne, Decapitated and Bloodbath, particularly the 'Nightmares Made Flesh' record. That band was by far our biggest influence, and so we focused on writing evil-sounding death metal, and that's what it was back then. Dirty, zero-fucks-given death metal! Over time I grew as a guitar player and a writer, my tastes shifted and evolved. My focus has always been primarily on the feel and less on the technicality. If you're playing to impress I think that's awesome, but personally I have to be able to fully feel the energy of the music to perform as musician. Archaic essentially split in 2010 when I moved out to San Francisco for 4 years. When I lived out there I wrote music sporadically, never with any goal or focus, and the songs weren't ever really polished, it was more of a reflection of how I felt at any particular, yet random, time, spaced out over the 4 year period. 'The Catherine Wheel' EP, which we released last year, was the result of those random songs molded together onto one disc. With this year's release, things have definitely changed, I feel that I have finally been able to identify my own sound and there's a consistent feeling, a common denominator for each track.

3.In the beginning the band was more of a pure death metal band but the newer music shows more of a melodic side of the genre and also has some thrash and black metal influences, what was the decision behind going into this musical direction?
A) Well, as I've said it was more of an evolution than anything else. Even with the old death metal/grind stuff we did there were some touches of black metal in the mix. Our singer, Kyle, was drumming back then and he was a huge fan of Windir and Absu. For a time we even had the headset-mic setup and played as a two-piece! Personally, my inspiration comes from a wide musical spectrum. Metal-wise, however it would have to be Peter Tagtgren and Hypocrisy! That guy is a monster. Beyond that, I'm huge into 90's and 2000's era of Swedish death metal/melodic death metal. The thrashy stuff you hear is mainly inspired by Dew-Scented, a band from Germany that I've loved since I was in high school. Also bands like Hatesphere and Carnal Forge.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
A) The new EP is quintissentially about enlightenment and acceptance. It is also somewhat of a concept record about an individual struggling with bipolar disorder who goes through manic and depressive states which fluctuate with each song. Throughout the record the character is dealing with his instability and trying to accept reality and the inevitable. Kyle and I have always had a fascination with the psychological aspect of life and it has been a big part of our lyrical content over the years. I was a psych major in college and have been a social worker in the mental health field for close to 8 years at this point so quite a bit of the inspiration is from personal and vicarious experiences.

5.On some of your early material you also covered some satanic and occult subjects, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?
A) Haha! No, no, no... there was never any occult or satanic content. For example, the song 'Skullfuck Satan' was lyrically more comical than anything else, it was written about the elitist black metal kids that we would run into everywhere that hated all music except the rawest, blackest, trvest, sounds-like-it-was-recorded-into-a-trashcan-black metal. Most of the other songs were just about your run-of-the-mill death metal content, like chopping someone in half. It was fun!

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Archaic Decapitator'?
A) Honestly? It sounds brutal.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
A) We used to open for a lot of wicked cool bands at the Webster Theater in Hartford in the 2000's when it was under different management. We got to play with a ton of cool people back then, including Opeth, Naglfar, Unleashed, GWAR, Devin Townsend, Dark Tranquillity, Soilwork, Daath, Hypocrisy, the list goes on. We also opened the first Summer Slaughter there, the one with Necrophagist! (I think that was the first one), which was definitely a highlight! Ralph's Diner up in Massachussetts is one of the coolest metal venues we've played and we can't wait to play the new stuff for the folks up there! Last summer we played at The Metronome with Begat the Nephelim in VT, that was awesome! (That Heady Topper IPA is delicious). In all honesty, we haven't been able to play more than a handful of gigs in the last 2 years for various reasons. I'm always looking forward to the next one.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
A) As of right now it's difficult to say. I want to say yes but we need to find stable members, primarily a rhythm player and a drummer. The age-old drummer search for a death metal project is an arduous process, but hopefully that will be settled before too long and we can get back into the normal swing of things.

9.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
A) Not yet! We've just been more focused on the music itself, releasing solid material that we are all proud of and putting on the best live performance we can whenever we have the opportunity! All of us are living our own lives outside of this endeavor, so I think we have a 'come what may' perspective. The project is most certainly a priority but none of us have any delusions of grandeur or anything like that. If something happens, it happens, if not then I still wouldn't trade this experience for the world.

10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?
A) Overall it's been very well received from what I hear! Which is great! We're very excited to finally release this new record on June 7th! I feel like the current state of the musical content is something that Archaic always strived toward, and we all feel that much closer to that goal with 'Light of a Different Sun'.

11.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
A) Our bassist, Craig, also played bass in Formless. However, I think Formless split after releasing 'Eon'. Their guitarist, Ken, plays in Xenosis and I'm not really sure how everyone else is dispersed. Besides that, Craig, Kyle and myself are just focused on Archaic now.

12.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
A) At this point in time I can't really say if I'm planning to write an LP's worth of material to release. It doesn't make sense to me, as an underground act, to pump out that much music at once. I'd much rather stick to 5-to-6 song EP's in the meantime and focus more on a half-hour's worth of cohesive music that's filled with feeling and power. Even if the opportunity presented itself in the future, I think I'd focus more on infusing more progression into the same amount of songs and having a longer record rather than having 10 or 12 separate tracks. Quality over quantity, I guess.

13.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) As I've mentioned before, mainly Hypocrisy. Besides that, from the metal side of things, I've derived great influence from Vehemence, Bloodbath, Emperor, Naglfar, Yyrkoon, Soilwork, Kalmah, The Black Dahlia Murder, Anaal Nathrakh, Dimension Zero, Mors Principium Est, Old Man's Child,  Insomnium, Amorphis, Dark Tranquillity, Arsis, Strapping Young Lad, Theory In Practice, things like that. There's a ton of others of course. Definitely have to throw Gorod in there! I've loved that band for so long, I'm so glad they are finally getting some well-deserved recognition worldwide! Currently I've been listening to a lot of atmosheric stuff, kind of like Esoteric, Atoma, Enshine, Exgenesis, Atlantis, and exploring that side of the woods, it's really a whole different level of depth. There's a really cool proggy band called Caligula's Horse that I've been getting into. Throughout the work-week I barely listen to metal, I find myself throwing on a lot of Devin Townsend, Pain of Salvation, Leprous, Muse, Steven Wilson's stuff, Queen, Zappa, Allman Brothers.

14.What are some of your non musical interests?
A) Video games! Horror movies, the goriest of anime's! I know, pretty typical. And school, I'm going back this year to an RN program.

15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
A) Just a big thank you from all of us in Archaic to everyone that's taken the time to check out 'The Three Poisons" in the last few weeks and our music in general! We live off of this stuff, spiritually. Everything else is really secondary, so if you guys enjoy it as well then the journey's been worth it so far! We're premiering one more new one, 'Cult of Reanimators', before the official release of 'Light of a Different Sun' on June 7th! I hope you enjoy it and perhaps we will see you at a show sometime in the future! Thank you!

Katalepsy Interview

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

So, now we’re preparing for summer festivals in Europe and rehearsing a new set-list containing new songs. We have just played Siberian tour and this was the first time we played the new songs live. Definitely, we have no time for the rest, we’re just moving forward.

2.You have a new album coming out in May, 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?

Each release of KATALEPSY differs and doesn’t look like previous. You won’t be able to find two similar songs – this is the reason why we spend a lot of time to compose new songs. The sound on GRAVENOUS HOUR is very powerful, but very clear and legible. You can hear each trait, each note and each drum kick. There is no place to jumble-muddle. A lot of nowadays death metal bands try to mask their record’s mistakes and their own unsoundness under “chaotic”, “dark and grim” or “like in 90s” sound. But we practice and we don’t need to hide anything.

3.Your lyrics cover philosophy, Lovecraft myths, dark science fiction and apocalypse themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

I’m a big fan of the world which was created by H.P.Lovecraft. Also we don’t want to use usual gore splatter themes in lyrics and arts – there are a lot of more frightful things around us except primitive visual brutality. Mute insanity which crawls to you, inevitability of losing your soul, dark nights full of whispering voices and after all of that not death or oblivion, but eternal personal inferno.

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

At the beginning of KATALEPSY’s way each former member wrote 5 names from his own names list and the winner was “Catalepsy”. As we knew a lot of bands with that name we walked to black metal path and used one “wrong” letter, you know, all these “kaos”, “kult”, “dukk” and so on.

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?

Most impressed for us were Mountains of Death’2008, Death Feast Festivals in different years. But the most of all we are under the impression of Brutal Assault – that was really great experience for us and we’ll carefully keep it in our memory for life. Also we are looking forward to PartySan Open Air this summer – it’s promising to be awesome and memorable too.
On stage we try to share all the energy and power of our music with fans. We don’t stand stoned, we join with our music – we join with metal!

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

We just came back from tour through Siberia and now preparing to festivals in Switzerland and Portugal. In August we are going to join PartySan Open Air in Germany and will come back to Europe in September with 2-weeks tour.

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

Most of our fans are from foreign countries – especially from Germany, United States and Great Britain. We receive messages from all over the world: from Venezuela and Guatemala, from Iraq and Iceland. Internet is great thing – it erases borders and distances!

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

We have no time for additional projects because all of us have regular jobs and families. So KATALEPSY is our single way to be. Our vocalist Igor is in another band called BIG END BOLT – they were a full line-up band before Igor joined KATALEPSY, but now it’s only studio project. BIG END BOLT play techno death metal with a bit of thrash influences and great solos. Right now Igor finishing their second album, entitled KILLSTRUMENTS & DEATHODS and I hope it will be released this year. Keep your ears and eyes open and don’t miss it!

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

We don’t have any plans for the future – life is unpredictable thing and plays tricks with us often. We have some ideas for new songs, for the next album, but now is the time for GRAVENOUS HOUR.

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

Each of us listens to different kinds of music: punk rock, alternative, all kinds of core music, death metal, black metal etc. But I hope that the music we play come out from our hearts and souls and not depend on our preferences. Sometimes I listen to very bizarre stuff, hehe!

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

All my leisure time I try to spend with my wife and son. My family is most important thing in the world for me. Also, I read a lot (basically science-fiction, historical or horror books), walk in the forest and watch old films time to time.

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

I want to thank all extreme music fans all over the world. All who listen to this great music, buy CDs and merchandise, visit shows, mosh in the pit, stage dive and slam – you rule, guys! We’re playing for you, we put our energy into it, we travel few thousands kilometers to play for you! Horns up and stay sick! See you on the road of death metal!

Art Of Deception/Shattered Illusions/Crime Records/2016 CD Review

  Art  of  Deception  are  a  band from  Norway  that  plays  a  melodic  form of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Shattered  Delusions"  which  was  released by  Crime  Records.

  Classical  guitar  playing  starts  off  the album  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sound  a  few  seconds  later  as  well  as  introducing  melodic  guitar  leads  onto  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  done  in  a  death  metal  style  of  growling  and  the  music  sounds  very  modern.

 When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  high  pitched  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  some  of  the  solos  and  leads  bring  in  elements  of  traditional  metal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  classical  guitars  also  make  a  return  in certain  sections  of  the  recording  wile  the  main  focus  remains  on  a  heavy  sound.

  Art  Of  Deception  plays  a  style  of  melodic  death  metal  that  is  more  closer  to  the  modern  side  of the  genre  while  also  having  a  lot  more  heaviness  than  most  bands  of that  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes  along  with  a  t  ouch  of  occultism.

  In  my  opinion  Art  Of  Deception  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lunar  Eclipse"  "Kraken's  Awakening"  "Molested  By  The  Beast"  and  "Evil(bitch)".  8  out  of  10. 

Nothing Lies Beyond/Fragile Reality/2016 Full Length Review

  Nothing  Lies  Beyond  are  a  band  from  Israel  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Fragile  Reality"  which  will  be  released  in  July.

  Noises  and  thunder  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  atmospheric  synths  and  after  the  intro  melodic  guitar  leads  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  heavy  riffs  and  once  the  music  speeds  up  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  a great  amount  of  Gothenburg  death  metal  elements.

  Death  metal  growls  can  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  along  with  some  influences  from  modern  American  metal  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  classical  guitars  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Nothing  Lies  Beyond  plays  a  style  of  melodic  death  metal  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  the  Swedish  style  while  also  mixing  in  some  American  influences,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Nothing  Lies  Beyond  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Closed  In  Chains"  "Never  Back  Down"  and  "We  Are  The  Revolution".  8  out  of  10.

Pyrrhon/Running Out Of Skin/PRC Music/2016 EP Review

  Pyrrhon  are  a  band  from  New  York  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  technical  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Running  Out  Of  Skin"  which  was  released  by  PRC  Music.

  A  very  heavy  and  technical  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  high  pitched  grindcore  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  after  awhile  guttural  death  metal  growls  make  their  presence  known  in the  music.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  one  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads a re  utilized  they  remain  true  to  a  technical  style  and  the  whole  ep  also  remains heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording and  they  close  the  ep  with  a  cover  of  Death's  "Crystal  Mountain".

  Pyrrhon  creates  another  ep  that  is  rooted  in  technical  death  metal  while  also  expanding  on  the  grindcore  influence  that  they  started  experimental  with  on  the  last  release,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  myths  and  philosophical  themes.   

  In my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Pyrrhon  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Statistic  Singular"  and  "Crystal  Mountain".  8  out  of  10.

Archaic Decapitator/Light Of A Different Sun/2016 EP Review

Archaic  Decapitator  are  a  band  from  Connecticut  that  plays  a  very  melodic,  technical  and  progressive  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  ep  "Light  Of  A  Different  Sun".

  A  very  heavy  and  technical  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  melodic  riffing  and  all  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem  and  after  awhile  growls  and  screams  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  very  melodic  and  technical  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  prog  metal  elements  and  spoken  word  parts  along  with  clean  playing  is  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  slight  black  metal  influence  and  one  tack  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  synths.

  Archaic  Decapitator  plays  a  style  that  takes  the  melodic  side  of  death  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  more  progressive  and  technical  style  of  the  genre  along  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  mental  decline  and  psychological  disorders.

  In  my  opinion  Archaic  Decapitator  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic,  progressive  and  technical  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Light  Of  A  Different  Sun"  and  "Cult-Of-Reanimators".  8  out  of  10. 

In Sanity/Ocean Of Black/2016 CD Review

  In  Sanity  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays a  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "Ocean  Of  Black"  which  will  be  released  in  July.

  Dark  field  recordings  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  soundscapes  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  melodic  musical  direction  along  with  some screaming  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  takes  the  music  into  more  of  a  melodic  death  metal  direction  and  the  solos  and  elads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Clean  singing  vocals  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  remain  true  to  a  melodic  musical  direction  and  there  is  also  a  few  seconds  of  psychedelic sounds  and  keyboards  can  also  be  heard  on  plenty  of  the  tracks  and  the  songs  also  bring  in a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  there  is also  a  brief  use  of  back  up  gang  shouts  and  one  song  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars.

  In  Sanity  remains  true  to  the melodic  style  of  death metal  of  the  previous  recording  while  also  showing  a  great  amount  of  progress  and  skill  as  musicians,  the  production  sounds  very professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  personal  struggles,  social  issues,  literature,  and  fiction  themes.

  In  my opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  In  Sanity  and  if  you  are  a fan  of  melodic  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Invasion"  "Ocean  Of  Black"  "All  Life  Fades"  and  "Force  Of  Nature".  8  out  of  10.

Black Bile Interview

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

Pedro: We are just 4 guys from L.A. California that grew up jamming together and listening to metal. We all live apart now but we decided to start releasing material again.

2.Recently you have released an ep, 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?

Ronnie: The Ascension Ep has a progressive, death metal, melodic, and death-core sound to it. It’s heavy, fast-pace, and groovy all together. Our previous Ep had more a death-metal and death-core vibe with a bit of prog in it as well but nothing compare to our new Ep. This new Ep really shows our musical growth that we’ve had over the years. 

Ivan:
I feel like our sound is maturing on this ep. And compared to the stuff released in the past I feel like the music was cool but it wasn't as refined and not as heavy, but I feel like we're getting where we want to be, sound wise.

3.The band was broken up for awhile, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?

Ronnie:
The cause of the split is due to our responsibilities with college, work, and other new interests that were barely beginning to develop at that time. The decision to reform Black Bile was to come back to the scene with new music and see how far can this band really go since now we have new technology and social media to gets ourselves more out there.

Ivan:
I feel like it was just life hitting most of us, with me focusing more on work, our drummer and bassist at the time going to school, and our main man moving, it was just put aside for awhile.

George:
Probably what really split us overall was when our guitarist, Pedro, got accepted to a new school in Colorado and flew on over there. That left only 2 members of the band local to each other while the other two were pretty far. The decision to reform really came as a shock to me, i got a call from Pedro saying "hey i wanted to start recording some of those tracks again, send me a bassline to these tracks..."

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

Ivan: Well, we mostly explored some political and agnostic topics. Mostly about our views on life and society and I guess self reliance, to put it shortly.

Pedro: Yeah I think because we were influenced by hardcore there's a bit of self-reliance themes in there. Since it's violent music it's an outlet for us and hopefully our fans.

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

Ivan:
I think we were just pretty young when we agreed on the name, but I like to think of it as we are the black bile of society, darkest most guttural shit you'll hear man. Haha.

Pedro:
I always liked how our name just sounds gross; like we could be a goregrind band or something but there is a deeper meaning. Our band name is a reference to "humorism" which suggests the human body is filled with four basic substances [black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood]. Black Bile was thought to be the cause of melancholia, introversion and depression; however you also need it to be focused and concientious. This yin-yangish notion was just really cool to us at the time.

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?

Ronnie:
Some of the best shows that we’ve played were at the Whiskey A-Go-Go in Hollywood and backyard shows. It’s cheap and the perfect place to get a large crowd of people to come out and listen to new local bands. Venue shows can sometimes be hard to bring out people especially if there are a few bands in the line-up that no one really knows about or cares about.

Pedro:
Backyard shows are cooler than venue shows to me. We shared the stage with some of my favorite bands like DOAK, So This Is Suffering, and Face Your Maker because of house shows.

Ivan:
I remember playing this house show [...] we were sharing the back yard with Destruction of a King, and we got a very good response from the crowd, everyone was pitting and kinda losing their shit, so it was very cool man. And I feel like our stage presence wasn't bad, we were always moving especially Pedro.

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

Ronnie:
Not at the moment, since we do need a bit of funds to get a van and hit the road.

Ivan:
I would hope to eventually play some shows again, but I feel that the backyard scene has died down a bit, so we would probably have to try to book shows at little venues, or bars. Which is still cool, I just wanna play.

Pedro:
Yeah maybe when we all settle down with school we can book a bunch of venues in the west coast and do a mini-tour. For now we'll be pushing new music and production.

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

Pedro: We are open to a label or distributor. We would want help getting our music to an audience and in record stores.

Ronnie:
So many good labels are out there but [whenever someone] comes at us with the best deal, we’ll know from there.

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

Ronnie:
The feedback that we have gotten from our fans lately has been pretty good. It’s awesome to have people buy our music online and support what we do. It’s people like them that inspires us to write new music.

Ivan:
I feel like we've always had good responses towards our music from fans of the genre, but I feel like when we would play live, it would take people a little longer to get into, physically. But people have genuinely liked our stuff.

Pedro:
I remember what Ivan means. Our first EP sound was very technical and chaotic, like Brain Drill or Psyopus and when would play people would just freeze and stare at our playing haha. Our local scene was really used to the generic-hardcore-formula bands (like "2-step here, circle pit here, mosh here"). I think that's what gave us some notoriety, the fact that we were different but still fit in in the death-metal, thrash and any-core scene. Things a different after dropping this EP though.

George:
After releasing Ascension, we got some pretty positive feedback. Many people were in disbelief of how different we sound now compared to before, but I'd say its definitely for the better.

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

Ivan:
I hope to see us becoming a little more unified, and bringing a different, reminiscent sound to people again.

George:
I see us definitely trying to put out more new music and hopefully setting up more and more gigs to really get this game going

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

Ronnie:
Some of the bands that really influenced my style of playing will have to be bands like Burning the Masses, Fallujah, Necrophagist, Lamb of God, and The Black Dahlia Murder. Lately I’ve been listening to Entheos, Plini, Gorjia, and Intervals.

Ivan:
I used to listen to a lot of Black Dahlia Murder, Cattle Decapitation, The Red Chord, and  Arsonists Get All The Girls. But I would dabble in a lot of genres at the time too. I still do. Lots of jazz, indie, hip hop/rap, 80s hardcore, new wave. Lots of stuff.

George:
Bands that really influenced my style of playing were Northlane, Born of Osiris, Aegaeon, Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, Necrophagist and Veil of Maya.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Ivan:
Non musical interests include using psychedelics to expand my mind once in a good while, and going out and exploring nature and traveling. Most of this is also done to get inspiration for music too, so maybe they don't count. Haha.

George:
Non musical interests are hard for me to describe seeing as my life of revolves around music. Im majoring in Music Composition at UCR, and im also in an idie/jazz group that hired me, as well as taking control of my main goals of being a producer/DJ (which a release is currently underway). I dont have time for anything else, and all that is music.

Ronnie:
I’m usually taking photographs or shooting small film projects when I’m not making music.

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

Ivan:
Ummm... I guess I appreciate the interest you took in the band and the music man. It's cool to hear from someone like this, and it's pretty fun to do stuff like this too man. Thanks!

George:
For all the Black Bile fans out there, thank you so much for supporting us, and big props to those following us since '09. Were gonna come back and bring more for you guys, so just stay put... it will be worth it

Ronnie:
For all of our fans out there, keep supporting your local bands and stay tune for more heaviness!

Sad Theory/Vermina Audioclastia Postuma/2015 Full Length Review

  Sad  Theory  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  progressive  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016 album  " Vermina  Audioclastia  Postuma".

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  the  faster  sections  using  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful   sound  to  them.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  high  pitched s creams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  very  melodic  and  technical  sounding  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  along  with  some  elements  of  speed  metal  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  getting  more  progressive  without  losing  its  heaviness  and  there  is  also  a  brief  acoustic  instrumental  while  the  remaining  tracks  shows  the  music  going  back  into  a  heavier  direction  and  the  music  is  very h eavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  heavier  instrumental.

  Sad  Theory  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  dark,  melodic  and  progressive  in  the  more  underground  90's  tradition,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  their  native  tongue  and  cover  feelings,  darkness  and  poetic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sad  Theory  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  and  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Algofobia"  "Acalanto  (Soothing  Memories)"  "Psicose"  and  "Karnofsky  40-0  (vito  Letal)".  8  out  of  10.

Stagnant Project Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Currently we are promoting our fresh EP and building our audience. At the same time we are working on some new stuff to release it after summer brake. Probably, it will be new single.

2.Recently you have released a new ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
It's loud, direct, with no shame to do it on the edge of madness and thug life. The mood is more like punk rock and hardcore. I guess it's the exact vibe for eastern europe metal, in general.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
First of all, every next record we try to do different.  Just like an another book, or story. On the EP the main theme, I guess, is a dark sense of humor, but the message is more serious in general, it’s like ironic call to be smarter in nowadays’  life flow. It's cool to be such a rebel dickhead and party hard, of course.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Stagnant Project'?
In the beginning, it was more like project name for the beginner band, with almost no hope to make it like commercially successful for local band. The main idea was to make fun of making music, but still in a proper way. The first problem was not just to find good musicians, but also good guys. May be even best friends, it’s almost impossble deal and could take a lot of time. But we are lucky, everything went so fast and accidently we needed a name to take a part in a local festival, punk rock festival, by the way. After the gig there were tons of good reviews, so it was a good sign. Also, it sounds weird for metal band, as we are.

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?
I guess, the Anniversary gig of the most famous rock club in Riga - Melna Piektdiena (Black Friday) last year. The crowd was so alive and impressive, so there were a lot of jumps form cabinets and amps during breakdowns. Haha! It was fun cause mainly people there have seen our live show a million times before, but this night was crazy. It's our main fan base, our crowd there, friends, community and they deserve the best.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
At the moment we have no confirmed shows and we plan to get back next club season. In nearest future we want to promote our EP in internet and finish some cool projects during the summer. Also, we desire to make some bigger tour than we had before.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We had some offers, but everything ends up with your own investment in to the label and their future. So we think it's better to be independent and work on promotion on our own for a while, until we will get more loyal offer.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of industrial and extreme metal?
Some call it modern thrash metal, metalcore, someone even noticed Norwegian black metal influence. But mostly people categories it as melodic death metal and industrial metal, let them choose, they will decide with whom to share it. But on my personal view categories suck , as Chuck Schuldiner said. But we respect such a discussion around our style, it's fun to do.

9.What is going on with 'Lifeform' these days, a band that shares a couple of the same members?
You need to ask them, haha! Honestly, I'm very loyal to side projects and stuff, but i think, we became more like symbiosis these days and we are as on. Maybe we'll re-record some of their old stuff just to compare which band is better. Haha!

10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We've got some thoughts around it, but every new record we try to do it in a special way , for example our release Zombie Show EP (2014), had a whole story plot behind the music, musically it's far away from what we have done on our last record. The same with our single Satanican Dream, the only thing we need is big enough  inspiration to make it big next time. Furthermore, we don't want to stuck in the recording process for years until we will be forgotten.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I guess, mainly Swedish Melodic Metal, of course some Metalcore and Thrash metal. But we all got very various tastes, Me personally, I’m a huge fan of Fear Factory, Devin Townsend and polish black death metal, but also I'm a huge fan of punk, flamenco, nature ambient, drone and all of those relaxing music. At the moment am in to Guardians of the Galaxy OST Awesome Mix Vol 1, love it.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Comic books, before it was cool. Haha! Cinema, visual design, psychology and for sure engineering, cause it's related to my day job, I really love all the technical stuff and it helps me in music, I'm nerdy in guitar and sound equipment. I love small cars and big bootys.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Work hard and have fun!)


Thanks!

Deceased/Fearless Undead Machines/Transcending Obscurity Classics/2016 CD Re-Issue Review

  Deceased  are  a  band  from  Virginia  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  have  been  around  for  30  years  and  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  with some elements  of  traditional  metal  and  grind  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1997  album  "Fearless  Undead  Machines"  which  will  be  re-issued  by  Transcending  Obscurity  Classics.

  Horror  movie  samples  which  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  which  also  introduces  melodic  guitar  leads  onto  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  elements  of  traditional  metal  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  that  are  very  easy  to  understand.

  Elements  of  thrash  can  be  heard  throughout  the  recording  and  while t he  bands  musical  style  was  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's  it  still  sounded  very  modern  for  the  mid  90's and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast beats  can  be  heard  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  acoustic  guitars  while  a  couple  of  tracks  have  preludes  and  some  of  the  horror  movie  effects  give  the  music  more  of  an avant  garde  feeling  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  keyboards  which  also gives  the  music  more  of  a  haunting  atmosphere  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  heavy  style.

  Deceased  played a  musical  style  on t his  recording  that  mixed  death  and  thrash  metal  together  with  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  also  brought  in  enough  heaviness  to  fit  in  with  the  other  death  metal  band s of  the  era  while  also  being  a  little  bit  more  original  and  different,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  zombies  and them  taking  over  the  world  along  with  some  apocalyptic  and  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  Deceased  and  while  most  of t heir  fans  probably  already  own  this  album,  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  death,  thrash  and  heavy  metal.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Silent  Creature"  "Night  Of  the  Deceased"  "Mysterious  Research"  and  "The  Psychic".  8/5  out  of  10.