Irate Architect/Visitors/War Anthem Records/2008 CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Irate  Architect  which  continues  their  technical  and  brutal  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  with  the  album  being  released  in  2008 by  War  Anthem  Records  and  called  "Visitors".

  A  very  technical  guitar  lead  starts  off  the  album  being  going  into  a  more  brutal  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  death  metal  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  high  pitched  grindcore  screams  are  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  and  the  vocals  also  get  very  guttural  at  times  and  as  the album  progresses  bass  guitar  leads  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  their  is  also  a   brief  synth  instrumental  before  making  a  return  back  to  a  heavy  and  brutal  direction  and  one  track  also  brings  in  melodic  vocals.

  Irate  Architect  showed  a  great  amount  of  progress  on  this  recording  adding  new  things  to  their  style  while  also  remaining  true  to  their  brutal  and  technical  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  anxiety,  paranoia,  and  dark  humour  based  love  stories.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Irate  Architect  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  brutal  and  technical  death  metal  and  grindcore,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Visitor"  "High  Pulse  Rate"  "Weeping  Eye"  and  "Lonesome  Girl".  8  out  of  10.

Irate Architect/Born Blood Portrait/Third Alliance Records/2005 EP Review

  Irate  Architect  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  technical  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  with  a  touch  of  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2005  ep  "Born  Blood  Portrait"  which  was  released  by  Third  Alliance  Records.

  Avant  garde  sounds  start off  the  ep  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  direction  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  melodies  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  and  screams  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.
 
  Elements  of  grindcore  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  riffs  also get  very  technical  and  brutal  at  times  and  all  of  the  tracks are  very  short  in  length  and  there  is  also  another  avant  garde  intro before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  closing  the  ep  with  an  outro  and  none  of  the  songs  ever  use  any  solos  and  leads.

  Irate  Architect  played  a  style  of  death  metal  on  this  recording  that  was  very  brutal  and  technical  while  also  mixing  in  a  very  heavy  grindcore  influence,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  anxiety,  paranoia,  and  dark  humoured  based  love  stories.

  In  my  opinion  Irate  Artchitect  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  and  technical  death  metal  band  with  a  touch  of  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres, you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Pathfinder"  and  "Chicks  On  Speed".  8  out  of  10.  

 

Carved/Kyrie EleisenRevalve Records/2016 CD Review

  Carved  are  a  band  from  Italy  that plays  a  very  melodic  and  symphonic  style  of  death metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Kyrie  Elesion"  which  was  released  by  Revalve  Records.

  Dark  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  and  they  also  give  the  songs  a  symphonic  and  epic  feeling  and  melodic  chants  and  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  they  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  and  violins  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  after  the  intro  death  metal  growls  make  their  presence  known.

  All  of the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  prog  metal  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  screams  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  clean  singing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  progressive  rock  style  fashion .

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  they  also  bring  in  a  power  ballad  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  following  tracks   and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Carved  plays  a style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  modern,  melodic  and  progressive  sounding  while  also  mixing  in  a  lot  of  experimental  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  philosophical  and  occultism themes.

  In  my  opinion  Carved  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic,  progressive  and  symphonic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lilith" "Heart  Of  Gaia"  "The  Dividing  Line"  and  "The  Hidden  Ones".  8  out  of  10. 

Grilled Human Brain/Horrific Subjugation/Putrescene Records/2016 CD Review

  Grilled  Human  Brain  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  slam  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Horrific  Subjugation"  which  was  released  by  Putrescene Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  slam  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  tortured  screams  in  the  background  and  after  a  few  seconds  guttural  death  metal  growls  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  influenced  by  the  east  coast  style.

  A  small  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  they  also  bring  in  an  electronic  music  porno  song  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  following  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  guitar  leads. and  horror  movie  samples.

  Grilled  Human  Brain  plays  a  style  of  slam  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  and  not  as  technical  as  a  lot  of  the  modern  bands  playing  this  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,  violence  and  porn  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Grilled  Human  Brain  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal,  slam  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Butchered  Into  pieces"  "Serious  Mental  Illness"  and  "Rottenness".  8  out  of  10.

Pighead/Until All Flesh Decays/Rising Nemesis Recprds/2016 CD Review

  Pighead  are  a  band  from  Germany  that plays a  very  brutal  and  slamming  form  of death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Until  All  Flesh  Decays"  which  was  released  by  Rising  Nemesis  Records.

  Horror  movie  style  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  brutal  direction  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  High  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  songs  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  elements  of  slam  can  be  heard  in  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  vocals  also  get  very  guttural  at  times  and  the  also  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  before  returning  back  to  a  brutal  direction.

  Pighead  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  and  slamming  and  heavily  influenced  by  the  east  coast  style  of  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,  aliens,  sickness  and  perversions  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Pighead  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal,  slam  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Eliminate  Alien  Elements"  "Corrupted"  "Until  All  Flesh  Decays  Dies"  and  "The  Piggrinder".  8  out  of  10.       

Killing Addiction/Shores Of Oblivion/Xtreem Music/2016 EP Review

  Killing  Addiction  are  a  band  form  Florida  that  has  been  around  for  more  than  20  years  and  plays  a  brutal  and  old  school  style  of  death  metal  with  a  touch  of  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Shores  Of  Oblivion"  which  was  released  by  Xtreem  Music.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  grooves,  melodies  and  death  metal  growls  and  after  awhile  grindcore  screams  and  melodic  guitar  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  while  also  sounding  very  modern  at  the  same  time.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  demonstrate  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  thrash  and  clean  guitars  are  used  briefly  on  the  last  track  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Killing  Addiction  creates  a  recording  that  is  in  the  old  school  brutal  death  metal  vein  and  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  grindcore  and  they  also  show  a  great  amount  of  improvement  from  their  90's  material,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophy,  religion  and  society  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Killing  Addiction  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  death  metal  band  with  a  touch  of  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cult  Of  Decay"  and  "Into  Shadow".  8  out  of  10.

Skewered/Deathmethyltryptamine/Stillbirth Records/2016 CD Review

  Skewered  are  a  band  from  Ireland  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  gore/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Deathmethyltryptamine"  which  was  released  by  Stillbirth  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  high  pitched  screams  are  also  used  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  influences  from  the  east  coast  style  of  death  metal  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  technical  touch  at  times  while t he  solos  and  leads also  bring  in  more  of  that  style  and  the  album  also  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal  form  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Skewered  plays  a  style  of  gore/death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  while  also  having  its  technical  moments,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,  blasphemy,  torture  and  violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Skewered are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  gore/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  a  fan  of  this musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Curbstomp  Mayhem"  "Viscous  Mucous"  "Colombian  Necktie"  and  "Fucked  With  A  Stump".  8  out  of  10.

Grausig/Di Belakang Garis Musah/Obscure Musick/2016 CD Review

  Grausig  are  a  band  from  Indonesia  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  this is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Di  Belakang  Garis  Musah"  which  was  released  by  Obscure  Musick.

  Horror  movie  soundtrack  music  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  brutal  direction  which  also  introduces  death  metal  growls  onto  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  high  pitched  screams  are  also  utilized  at  times.

  At  times  the  riffs  can  be  very  technical  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in a   great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast parts  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  stick  to  a  traditional  death  metal  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  and  some  of  the  riffs  bring  in  a  touch of  blackened  death  metal  and  the  album  also  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  brief  bass  guitar  leads.

  Grausig  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  and  technical  while  also  having  a slight  blackened  edge  to  them,  the  production  sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics a re  written  in  a  mixture  of  Indonesian  and  English  and  cover  dark and  blasphemous  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Grausig  are  a  very  great  sounding  technical  and  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE "Teokrasi  Bisu"  "Sampah  Moralitas  Dimensi"  and  "Doomsday".  8  out  of  10.   

Beyond Chronicles/Human Nation/Dooweet Records/2016 CD Review

  Beyond  Chronicles  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2016  album  "Human  Nation"  which  was  released  by  Dooweet  Records.

  A  very  distorted  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  album  and  it  leads  up  to  a  more  heavier  and  melodic  musical  direction  and  spoken  word  samples  can  also b e  heard  at  times  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  and  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  clean  singing  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in a  very  melodic  fashion  and  the  music  also b rings  in a  great amount  of  modern  metal  elements  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  most  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard,

  Beyond  Chronicles  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  modern  and  melodic  singing  while  also  using  a  great  mixture  of  both  clean  and  aggressive  vocals,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Beyond  Chronicles  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  "Cold  Vengeance"  "Upon  Them"  "The  Best  At  Everything"  and  "Win  By  Blood".  8  out  of  10.

Face Of Oblivion Interview

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

We played Las Vegas Death Fest and then did a short west coast tour which ended with playing on Bay Area Death Fest. We had a great time touring with Omnipotent Hysteria and Embodied Torment, as well as playing for and spending time with a lot of old and new fans.

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

With CATACLYSMIC DESOLATION we've tried to wear all of our influences on our sleeve. We've got songs that are short, to the point, and straightforward brutality, like Walls of Flesh. Then there are also songs like Shroud of Hypocrisy that explore more melodic and grim  territory with a longer running time than we're used to. We've always tried to focus on writing songs that have their own identity instead of just being a collection of brutal riffs, and we rotted to push that further on this album than we have in the past.

3.This is the first album to be released in 5 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?

After our first album we did some touring, played some festivals, and spent a lot of time working on what became this album. We were very lucky to be working with the amazingly talented James Lee (ex-Origin) as our vocalist, but unfortunately there were many circumstances that led to James and the band parting ways. With the album already nearly complete at that point, we decided to do everything we could to continue as a band, and were fortunate enough to find a new vocalist in Jesse Watson of Incinerate. Once he joined he wrote his own lyrics to the album and immediately hit the studio.

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

Like a lot of death metal bands, we like to explore the depths of human violence and depravity, but we also try to focus on the inevitability of death and the destruction of humanity. We've got several songs that deal with how we're killing ourselves, whether that be individually with our own hands, or inadvertently through the technologies and social structures we've built.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Face Of Oblivion'?

We feel that a lot of the topics we're most interested in exploring force us to stare, without flinching, at the reality that one day we, our families, our cultures, our species, our planet, and even the universe itself, will cease to exist. Through our music and our lyrical themes we want to present, to anyone who is listening, the very face of the oblivion that awaits us all.

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?

Some of the moments we're most proud of range from sharing the stage with our heroes in our favorite bands at huge festivals in front of hundreds or thousands, to playing to a small crowd on an even smaller stage in a town we've never visited before and still getting a massive response. We don't wear costumes or makeup or have any elaborate theatrics for our live performances. We just strive to play as well as we can and hope that you feel the music flowing through you as much as we do.

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

We're currently in talks for a few shows around the Midwest and elsewhere, but we'll hopefully be touring again as soon as possible. We love going out on the road and bringing our music to as many people as we can.

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

We've gotten a lot of great responses from friends and fellow death metal fans all over the globe. We've even had offers to play in several foreign countries, so we're hoping to take advantage of those opportunities sooner rather than later.

9.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?

Jesse is still active with Incinerate, and I  (Ogar) am always playing in and around our home state of Minnesota with my other bands Glutton for Punishment and Acanthostega.

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

We want to continue bringing the highest levels of brutality and technicality that we can, while also staying true to our other influences and our love of crafting coherent, memorable songs.

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?

We love bands like Gorgasm and Suffocation as a whole, and take a lot of influence from them and other extreme metal bands from Misery Index to Dark Funeral, but we all listen to a wide variety of music. It's not uncommon to hear us getting down to Immortal Technique, Portishead, Fleetwood Mac, Bruno Mars, and tons of other non-metal music.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Through the band, there are tons of other interests from cars and guns to comic books and body modifications.

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

I'd just like to thank anybody that's supported us in any way, whether that's coming to see us at a show, wearing a shirt or buying a CD, or giving us food and a place to crash on the road. We appreciate it more than we can express.

www.facebook.com/FaceofOblivionMN

Sin Of God Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
Lupus Canis: Our new record “Aenigmata” is out on the 23rd of September. Satanath Records from Russia and italian Murdher Records released it on CD format. We gonna have it on tape also by hungarian label, Neverheard Distro. Now we are waiting for our copies to arrive. I am now giving interviews, spreading the news of the album, anyone who creates/writes/releases music knows what is really going on when new materials are ready and out.
And just to let anyone know, our complete line-up is:
Balázs Botyánszki – drums, Csaba Sándor – bass, László Páll – guitars, Zoltán Borka – guitars and me on vocals.

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?
Lupus Canis: I do not like to compare Aenigmata to previous releases, nor its sound. It is completely different in a lot of aspects. Most important, it is like a full circle for me, a completed solar work.

3.This is the first album to be released in 4 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
Lupus Canis: Well I am the newcomer in the band, I joined them almost a year ago but I know them personally for like 11 years. We had different vocalists after Limbus (our first full-length) and another one on the Satan Embryo EP before. We gave concerts in Hungary, promoted the first album, made a music video for the song “Demonshrine”, etc. After their vocalist left they asked me to fill in. And I said yes, so I became the part of the machine. Aenigmata is the musical monolith of 5 different individuals. They wrote the whole album and I had to build up completely new vocal structures and write nine completely new lyrics. We recorded all vocals at No Silence Sound Studios in Gyula. So was there the music of Aenigmata recorded too, except guitars and bass: our mate, Dróti (Gábor Drótos from Gutted) helped recording them. And Simi, our sound engineer did a fucking great job. I am pretty pleased with his work for Aenigmata. We began to play as a five-piece again and made our first European tour with portugese gore-brothers Holocausto Canibal. It was a success with nice memories. Now, we are here and ready to destroy.

4.Your lyrics cover Occultism and Alchemy themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those subjects?
Lupus Canis: Occulstism and Alchemy are important parts of the whole concept. But there are much more in the texts. It’s more complex. I get inspiration from everything I may find interest in. For example, I like to read Béla Hamvas. He was a Kossuth-award winning writer and philosopher from Hungary. His writings are really inspiring. Such as the work of Carl Gustav Jung or Terence McKenna, just to name a few.

5.Originally the band was called 'Dezorman', what was the cause of the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Sin of God'?
Lupus Canis: You did read the Metal Archives, did you? As far as I know Dezormon has nothing to do to SOG. The only connection is that Dezormon was the first band where the Páll brothers began their musical careers.

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?
Lupus Canis: Since I am the youngest participant in the band, I only have a dozen of examples, maybe the one in Sombor (Serbia), Sounds Of Awakening Festival. Small, friendly place with a cool atmosphere. People started moshing, smashing each other to our music. No fucking around. True underground feeling. Really nice people over there and Jelen pivo is the best.
Stage performance? Destructive, fast, energetic. Everyone should witness it, who likes brutal death metal music, we deliver the same furious stuff as you can hear on our records.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
Lupus Canis: We always have plans. We always think forward for the next step. Hopefully we gonna tour Aenigmata after it’s officially out. A few club concerts, festivals here and there, inside and outside the borders. Video-shooting. And much-much more to come…

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?
Lupus Canis: Enormously big, to be honest. It has been always great. We even got back response and feedback from the other side of the world, people made fan-videos to our songs from the Satan Embryo EP back in the days. We hit the myspace players like 60k per songs in the now defunct myspace era. Aenigmata is almost out and the interest in that the death and black and extreme metal underground shows to us is mindblowing. I could not be more thankful for that.

9.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?
Lupus Canis: I can only speak of myself. Lot of people may know me from black metal band Gholgoth (which is now in some kind of a deep torpor) and old-school grindcore act, Sunstroke. Sunstroke is a fully functioning band I do vocals for since 2008. Zoltán (our other guitar player in SOG) was also the bass-player of Sunstroke but we parted ways. Things and line-ups are always changing. So as life. We also played together in Gholgoth as well, but that’s a long-long story.


10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Lupus Canis: Into the very heart of Hell. To the core of destruction. We continue our path as it has to be continued. With full force.

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?
Lupus Canis: I listen to every kinds of music, but abstraction, experimentalism and surreal soundscapes play a major part in my musical taste. Sound architecture, freeform structures, noise. In the past I was inspired by the magick of black metal and the ritual bestiality of death metal musick. This has still a huge impact on me but has nothing to do to my vocal work, nor to the lyrics. I walk my own way. Philosophy, art, movies, sculptures, paintings, technology and ancient places are more in the focus than just listening to albums night and day.
Nowadays my playlist includes the following inspiring artists and performers in no particular order: Puce Mary, Pedestrian Deposit, Abelcain, Autechre, Aosoth, Sinmara, Mayhem, Coma Cluster Void, Venetian Snares, Xanopticon, Ion Dissonance, Ulcerate, Neurosis, Herder, Ommadon, Schammasch, Plebeian Grandstand, Randal Collier-Ford, MAAA, Aether, Ulver, The Body, Trap Them, Dead In The Dirt, Veér, Kolp, Svoid, Skogn, Sunn O))) etc.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Lupus Canis: I already mentioned a lot before. Personal life is full of impulses, but books, movies and especially ART and every form of experimental art inspires me and I am really into them. Even Nature is one of my biggest influences. And our Universe.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Lupus Canis: Buy our record Aenigmata. Support independent and underground artists in every genre. Feel free to check out our facebook for current news!
Igne natura renovatur integra!

SIN OF GOD:
https://www.facebook.com/sinofgodhu

CD & DIGITAL:
www.satanath.com

TAPE:
www.neverhearddistro.blogspot.com

Face Of Oblivion/Cataclysmic Desolation/Comatose Music/2016 CD Review

  Face  Of  Oblivion  are  a  band  from  Minnesota  that  plays  a  very  brutal and  technical  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Cataclysmic  Desolation"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Comatose  Music.

  Deep  death  metal  growls  and  technical  riffs  start  off  the  album  and  the  vocals  also  get  very  guttural  at  times  while  the  music  also  brings  in  elements  of  slam  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  riffing  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in a   very  technical  style  and t he  songs  also  bring  in a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid paced  and  fast  parts  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  and  the  album  also  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the recording.

  Face  Of  Oblivion  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that is  very  technical  and  brutal  while  also  mixing  in  a  touch  of  slam,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Apocalypse,  torture,  death  and  war  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Face  Of  Oblivion  are  a  very  great  sounding  technical  and  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Embracing  Damnation"  "Futility"  "Paradoxical  Understanding"  and  "Shroud  Of  Hypocrisy".  8  out  of  10.      

Across The Burning Sky Interview

1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Hi there, first we would thank you for the interview and your interest in Across The Burning Sky. It is very likely that no one has heard from us, because ATBS just started in 2014. But we are no „newbies“. We have been in the business for around 20 years, being active in several bands and projects.  Maybe you know some of them. Maybe not. We do not care about names, because it’s not about the people, it’s about our music. All what we do, and all we want to do, is play the music we love.


2. You have an album coming out in October, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
In just a few Words: Melodic Death Metal. These are the words that describe our album best. It is not our intention to invent new music.  So there are no experiments. Just rocking - haha. We have recorded and produce the album by ourself, so the production is not on the „perfection“ level which one might expect from many current releases. Its a rough and intense production, without being overproduced, meets the rockin' charm of a live recording. Without claiming to be flawless, but always kicking asses! There is a huge amount of melodies present on the album, with a lot of feeling. Fast. Slow. Stirring. Poignant. We try to captured the feeling of the beginning of this genre in the Nineties, like the early tunes of Bands like Unanimated, At The Gates, Cardinal Sin and similar. It’s the music that accompanied us for half of our lifetime. Just as it is with our sound. We like music from a time in which not every album was produced equal sounding.  ‪in those days‬ each band had its own special sound. That made it exciting to listen to different bands of the same genre. It made the band more tangible, had charm and it was much more to the music.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Because we are metalheads and our roots and preferences are in this genre, the topics in our lyrics are also. In addition to topics such as religion and mythology, there are also some personal themes on the album. They have their origin in our thoughts - and feelings. Love, hate, despair. It is lyrically at the end become a quite personal album. We have all written primarily for us. At the beginning it was not obvious that it finds its way to a release on a label one day.


4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Across The Burning Sky'?
„Across The Burning Sky“ describes the feeling that we associate with our music. „Sky“ as a symbol for expansion and freedom. „Fire“ as a symbol for intensity, roughness, wildness - a threatening force of nature. Just imagine the feeling of a burning sky - and you are right in the middle of it. Across the burning sky, as a master of the elements. that’s our music. intense, rough, unconquered, unruly but also majestic, extensive and free.


5. What part of Northern Europe is the band from?
We can, of course, the curiosity behind this question understand. But basically it does not matter. The music and the feelings behind them are not better or worse, whether you come from Scandinavia, Germany and the maybe the baltic countries. Perhaps only this: here does not seem all year sun - haha. We want not be judged by our origins. The only thing that matters is: Either you like our music, or you do not like. We hope that it like the people. But if not, it's how it is.


6. Has the band done any live shows or is this strictly a studio project?
We have not yet played live shows as Across The Burning Sky. But it is also not an „strictly a studio project“, so never say never. Let us see first how the whole develops. The album release is the end of October.  If we will get interesting offers, maybe we think about. If we got an interesting festival offer, we will think about it for sure. But we are old man haha, so at the moment we can not assume to play small gigs over and over again through the country for a crate of beer or something like this. Those times are left behind us.  We have played tons of live shows in our past. Remember, as we start with writing these songs, we do this particularly for us. we had our 15 minutes of fame, we had a lot of fun.  We did not originally seen the need to ever play live. But maybe that will change in the future :-)


7. The album is coming out on 'MDD Records' can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
about what? oh you mean these decrepit one….  haha - just kidding ^^ So seriously, MDD is a great label. They have great bands their sign and they have a good distribution network throughout Europe. It has existed for over 20 years, and we know it and some of his releases also since about the late nineties. Markus has always been quite active in the scene, far beyond the borders of Germany. It is still a small label, rooted in the Underground. But what he does, he does with passion. MDD tries to resist commercial pressures. Of course, here the expenses have to be covered at some point. From air and love today can no longer survive. But MDD tried to solve this in a very pleasant and almost familiar, friendly way. The label motto „others make business - we make rock’n’roll“ is to take almost verbatim.  MDD makes you feel that it comes to music in the first place.  For Across The Burning Sky MDD is probably the best label we could find. And we are very happy and proud to have received the offer to publish "The End Is Near" on MDD. MDD and Markus in particular, live for what they do. And that was us at any time more important than budget, money or anything else.  As we started it was not even expected that "The End Is Near" will be released on a label. We wanted to make it just for us. Possibly with a release on Bandcamp, or maximum digital stores like Spotify and  iTunes.  And at this moment I hold also one of the first copies of the album in my hand. That would not have been possible without MDD.


8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of melodic death metal?
At the moment there are not a lot of feedback yet, because release date is 28th of october and the promo for our album is just started. But the first reactions are very positive. Finally, I sit here and give this interview, which is probably a positive response :-)
However, we have published a long time ago some rough mix snippets to bandcamp, reverbnation and soundcloud, whereupon there was already a great feedback. We have been constant in the top 30 on reverbnation charts, some magazines have reported and our Facebook page has since a growing number of followers. Now we are naturally curious to see if the album can continue this trend. We hope that there are people who enjoy our music. And  i’m sure that MDD hope, the one or the other a copy of "The End Is Near" buys :-)


9. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
If it be the case that we record and release another album in the future there will be no musical surprises. No experiments, no stylistic variations. Across The Burning Sky is,- and will be - Melodic Death Metal. We are too old and know too well what we do. There is no need to the music "develop" to something else . Of course, a possible second album will be "better" haha :-) With the knowledge that we have acquired during production process we would make also something better in retrospect. We have recorded a lot of albums as musicians in the past, but never made such a production itself. Perhaps a second album will be more brutal, maybe more atmospheric, maybe more filigree. But it will be definitely melodic death metal. Otherwise, it will not appear under the name „Across The Burning Sky“.


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?
We grew up in the 80s. We have the first Death Metal wave experienced firsthand the early nineties. This time has shaped us and with certainty whether consciously or unconsciously, influenced musically. Whether old classics like Priest or Maiden, Thrash icons like Overkill, Exodus or Testament, or later, the first album of Dismember, Edge Of Sanity, At The Gates ... To be honest, these are the bands and albums that we still hear today. Sure, we know that we live in the year 2016, but a big part in us has remained well hang in the nineties. Of course, we personally also hear many modern albums, but to be honest, many sounds very interchangeable.  Musically, however, we hear still everything possible from the metal genre. It does not matter to us whether it is Power Metal, Thrash Metal, Death Metal or Black Metal. For us and personally me, there are only good or bad music. And this is found in all (classic) styles of Metal. Only with quite fangled stuff we can not do much. Since we are already rather purists - haha. Admittedly from a purely technical point of view is this Djent and similar neo-modern stuff interesting. But it is not our cup of tea. For us, a feeling is worth more than technical skills. And in many newer styles within the Metals it seems only ludicrous technique to go speed or other abilities while feeling remains (in our opinion) be forgotten.


11. What are some of your non musical interests?
Music really takes a big part of our interests. Although the now sounds really cliché, but our non musical interests are mostly in art and literature. We like books, pictures and sometimes even movies. But the music dominates everything.


12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks alot for this Interview and the support. Check out our album which will be released on 28th of october.  It will be also available on several digital plattforms where you can hear it. If you like it, feel free buy a physical copy, to support our work and the work of our label.
Support the underground and finally:
KEEP THE FIRE BURNING!

Science of Sleep/Hellmouth/Bastardized Recordings/2016 CD Review

  Science  Of  Sleep  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  been  featured before  in  this  zine  and  plays deathcore  while  also  mixing  in influences  of  black,  death  and  dark  metal  on  this  recording  and this  is  a  review  of their 2016  album  "Hellmouth"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Bastardized  Recordings.

  A  very  distorted yet melodic  guitar  lead  starts off  the  album  along  with  some heavy  riffs  a  few  seconds  later  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot of  metalcore  elements  on  the  recording  along  with  the riffs  also  using  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be heard.

  Throughout  the  recording t here  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album progresses  the  music  starts  incorporating  more  elements  of  brutal  death  metal  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  songs  and clean  guitars  are used  briefly  on  the  last  track.

  Science  Of  Sleep  creates another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  deathcore  style  of t heir  previous  releases  while  also  mixing  in  more  black,  death  and  dark  metal  elements  this  time  around,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  politics  and  social  issue  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Science  Of  Sleep  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  deathcore,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hellmouth"  "Feed  To  Pigs"  "Condemned  To Burn"  and  "Todestreiben".  8  out  of  10.