Extremity/Extremely Fucking Dead/20 Buck Spin/2017 CD Review

  Extremity  are  a  band  from  San  Francisco,  California  that  consists  of  plenty  of  veterans  of  the  bay  Area  underground  metal  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  old  school  death  metal, and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Extremely  Fucking  Dead"  which  will  be  released  in April  by  20  Buck  Spin.

  Horror  movie  samples  start off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  death  metal  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  growling  vocals  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  screams  and  melodic  guitar  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  some  riffs  also  add  in  old  school  grindcore  influences  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  keyboards  and  classical  guitars  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier direction.

  Extremity  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  while  also  mixing  in  elements  of  grindcore,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore  and  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Extremity  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  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  "Bestial  Destiny"  and  "Extremely  Fucking  Dead".  8  out  of  10. 

Analepsy/Atrocities From Beyond/Rising Nemesis Records/Vomit Your Shirt/2017 CD Review

  Analepsy  are a  band  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  slamming  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Atrocities  From  Beyond"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Rising  Nemesis  Records  and  Vomit  your Shirt.

  Sci fi  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a heavier  direction  and  spoken  word  samples  are  also  used  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  guttural  death  metal  growls  and  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  elements  of  slam.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  also  mixing  in  harmonics  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  east  coast  influences  throughout  the  recording  and  spoken  word  samples  are  also  used  briefly  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion.

  Analepsy  plays  a  style  of  slam  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  and  sci  fi  orientated,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  aliens,  gore,  murder,  and  esoteric  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Analepsy  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  "Apocalyptic  Premonition"  "Witnesses  Of  Extinction"  "Depts  Of  Agony"  and  "Omens  Of  Return".  8  out  of  10. 

Ethmebb Interview

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

We are Ethmebb.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

The music is a fluid mix between death metal, melodic metal, sometimes black metal, with a ounce of funk and more. We only have one rule : no boundary between music genres ! We try every riff, every idea that pops of our head.

Other than that, here is how we can actually “describe” the sound :
Drums goes “brum brum brum” and “gada gada gada” with cymbal and all
Bass goes “dum dum dum dudududum”
Rhythmic guitar is the same as bass but it sounds more “dirty” and mid-range
Lead guitar is “woooiiiig diligililililiii~” with solo but not too much and melodies
Voice is growling “Uuurrrhh” and sometimes clear voices can be heard. Lyrics are in french and are full of jokes


3.The band has been around since 2006 but so far has only released one ep and one full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the gaps in between releases?

The big part of our music has been composed between 2006 and 2012 but at this time the members of Ethmebb were not mighty enough to play it and were instead playing raw Grindcore in an old farmhouse in the countryside.
Then we decided to go on an adventure, crossing many obstacles and working hard to forge a new musical identity !


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

The music talks about Tathor, a knight who has lost his sex appeal. So he's going for a quest in order to recover it and make sex again with beautiful womens (and mens ?).
He calls his sex appeal his "Grindcore" and you might guess that his adventure is not so far from the story behind Ethmebb itself...


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

Something hard, something strong and powerful, it’s in everyone of us, hidden deep inside your heart. Follow it and maybe you’ll find the answer...


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?

We want to give out more than just a pure musical live performance so we like to bring the crowd in our universe, showing up on stage in a looooong black cape with hood, a white shirt and tie.
We sometimes bring Tathor himself on stage so he can show his awesome dancing skills, playing air-guitar with his sword while fighting a pirate !


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

We only have some occasional gigs, but we are working on a real tour, hopefully in 2017 !


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

Indeed we are actually unsigned, as we have the money and jobs to fulfill the album needs. For this reason, we aren’t really looking for a label, but we are opened to a great opportunity if it shows up.

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

For the moment, we have no bad review all over the world (from webzine nor fans) so we are very proud of our release ! A lot of people communicate with us, and we sent albums all over the Europe to them ! It’s nice to see that they are open minded, and they got the funny side of the music even if it’s mostly written in french.

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

We have already planned the story of Tathor and the atmosphere that will transpire in our next albums.
There will be Electronic/house, Ska, Japanese's like music (does that makes sense ?), ... all this wrapped with epic orchestral music and metal.


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?

Each member has his own musical influence and we listen to a wide range of styles.
Rémi (Singing, Rhythmic guitar) and Damien (Drums) like extreme metal...
Rémi is also found of orchestral music. He composes almost 100% of the orchestral backtracks that plays behind us !
François (Bass) is a rock'n roll and rockabilly addict.
Victor (Lead guitar) is into progressive metal like Dream Theater and all.
All those influences flow through our music and we like to mix styles to get something unique.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Rémi likes to hoard useless shit like Batman statues and Pokémon figs, playing video games (spoiler: we all do)...


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

Wardrobe.

Damnation Plan/Reality Illusion/Inverse Records/2017 CD Review

  Damnation  Plan  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  progressive  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of their  2017  album  "Reality  Illusion"which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Inverse  Records.

  Atmospheric  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  touch  of  prog  metal  while  also  using  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  and  screams  make  their  presence  known  along  with  the  music  speeding  up  and  adding  in  blast  beats.

  Throughout  the recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  melodic  vocals  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  a  touch  of  groove  metal  is  also brought  into  the  music  briefly  and  one  track  also  introduces  clean  guitars  onto  the  recording  and  they  close  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Dio's  "Dont  Talk  To  Strangers".

  Damnation  Plan  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  a  melodic  and  atmospheric  style  of  melodic  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  prog  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  critical  self  thinking  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Damnation  Plan  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  and  progressive  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Beyond  These  Walls"  "Blinded  Faith"  "Reality  Illusion"  and  "Dont  Talk  To  Strangers".  8  out  of  10.

 

Deivos/Endemic Divine/Selfmadegod Records/2017CD Review

  Deivos  are  a  band  from  Poland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  brutal  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  with  a  touch  of  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Endemic  Divine"  which  was  released  by  Selfmadegod  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  grinding  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  riffing  also  gets  very  technical  at  times  and  high  pitched  screams  are  also  used  at  times  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  demonstrate  a  great  amount  of talent  and  skill.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  at  times  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  sound  effects  which  gives  the  recording  a  sci  fi  atmosphere  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  brutal  and  technical  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and epic  in  length.

  Deivos  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  technical  and  brutal  style  of  death  metal  from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  suffering  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Deivos  and  if  you are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Damonion"  "Dust  Of  The  Universe"  and  "Endemic  Divine".  8  out  of  10.

Carnal Decay/You Owe You Pay/Rising Nemesis Records/2017 CD Review

  Carnal  Decay  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  brutal  form  of  slam  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "You  Owe  You  Pay"  which  was  released  by  Rising  Nemesis  Records.

  A  very  fast,  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  mid  tempo  sections  bring  in  elements  of  slam  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  hardcore  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  A  small  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  at  times  and  there  is  also  a  small  amount  of  back  up  gang  shouts  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  as  the  album  progresses  and  none  of  the  songs  ever  use  any  solos  and  leads  and  the  album  also  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Carnal  Decay  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  brutal  style  of  slam  death  metal from  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death  and  gore  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Carnal  Decay  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  brutal  slam  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "No  Sequel"  "Show  Your  Fucking  Face"  "Freed From  The  Leash"  and  "Trick  or  treat".  8  out  of  10.

Lock Up/Demonization/Listenable Records/2017 CD Review

  Lock  Up  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  consists  of  many  veterans  and  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Demonization"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  listenable  Records.

  Horror movie  samples  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  grindcore  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  melody  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  spoken  vocals  are  also  used  at  times.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  some tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  back  up  vocals  and  there  is  only  a  brief  use  of  guitar  leads  and  the  album  also  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal  from  start  to  finish.

  Lock  Up  plays  a  musical  style  on  this  recording  that  mixes  the  heaviest  forms  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  to  create  a  very  brutal  album,  the production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  scientific,  corruption,  greed  and  anger  themes.

 In  my  opinion  Lock  Up  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blood  And  Emptiness"  "Demons  Raging"  "The  Plague  that  Stalks  The  Darkness"  and  "Secret  Parallel  World".  8  out  of  10. 

Effrontery/Seven Years Of Agony/2017Full length Review

  Effrontery  are  a  band  from  Hungary  that  plays  a  progressive  and  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Seven  Years  In  Agony".

  A  very  fast  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  Swedish  influences  while  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  the  solos  and  leads  along  with  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams.

  Symphonic  elements  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  getting  more  progressive  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Effrontery  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  melodic  while also  having  its  progressive  and  symphonic  moments, the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  painful  process  that  involved  the  death  of  their  founding  guitarist's  father.

  In  my  opinion  Effontery  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  progressive  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Autoscopic  Journey"  "Profound  Marks"  and  "Seven  years  Of  Agony".  8  out  of  10. 

5Rand Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
5Rand is an extreme metal band from Italy, proposing a sounding mixture of thrash metal with industrial elements, with growl and clean vocals, both delivered by Julia Elenoir's female voice. The lineup is completed by Pierluigi Carocci (Guitars), Riccardo Zito (Bass) and Francesco Marroni (Drums).
Our debut album titled “Sacred/Scared” is coming out on Febreuary 24th, recorded at Kick Recording Studios (Rome, Italy), engineered and mixed by Marco Mastrobuono (Fleshgod Apocalypse, Hour of Penance), mastered at Finnvox (Helsinki, Finland) by Mika Jussila (Nightwish, Children of Bodom).

2.You have an album coming out during the end of February, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Well it’s hard to briefly describe our sound… Speaking of “genres”, ours would be something in between thrash, melodic death and industrial.
We’ve put all ourselves in this album and we hope you’ll feel its pulsating energy and passion. The music is so strong and evocative, in-your-face and yet also strangely subtle. We think we’ve done a really good job in that regard, and the lyrics are not less powerful!

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Even if it’s not a concept album, there are a few recurring themes that we hold particularly dear: the urge to be free and resist social coercions, to rebel against whoever and whatever oppresses and subjugates you, forcing you to be something that you’re not. This is the meaning behind the artwork too: we must not be afraid to taste the fruit from the forbidden tree, because knowledge is everything. Adam and Eve fear knowledge because they were told so; but when she eventually takes the fruit, she discovers that it’s a heart, which symbolizes our longing for a full life. Knowledge has the power to set you free, to make your life worthwile and make yourself a complete being, with all its parts without exclusions. There’s no damnation of the flesh and there’s no determinism, there’s just us trying to live as best we can.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name '5Rand'?
The name 5Rand comes from  a strange story that happened to our guitarist Pierluigi some years ago. In a summer night in his hometown, he met a strange man (who eventually revealed himself as a shaman) and passed a good part of the night drinking and talking with him. When he spoke about his dream to build a metal band, this guy gave him a 5Rand coin from South Africa as a lucky charm and said: “If you make sure that every step is in the direction of the mountain, you'll get there”. That’s why Pierluigi chose this name for the band.


5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
If we have to choose one best show, it would be the one we’ve played in October, supporting Fleshgod Apocalypse… the show was amazing and all the people in the venue literally freaked out when they heard our music, even if we were just the opening act. It was really exalting.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the album is released?
We are currently planning an European tour for this year, but we can’t tell you much more than that because everything is still in progress. We’ll certainly let you notice when the comes, though!

7.The album is coming out on My Kingdom Music, are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?
Yes, we can say we are. My Kingdom has proved immediately interested in our product, we would even say enthusiastic, in fact. For us it is very important that those we work with have a clear and recognizable way, without disturbance and inattention, and finding someone who believes in your work is the basis for a successful collaboration.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of melodic and extreme metal?
Really good, based on the reviews we are getting for the album and the comments on the videos available on YouTube. Our main purpose is to contribute to insane moments of head-banging for our friends and fans, so we’ve completely focused ourselves in achieving this, and it seems that this is happening. So we are really happy to hear that.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We hope to have soon the opportunity to bring our music around the world: playing (and attending to!) live shows is just vital to us. We have to personally communicate with everyone in the crowd our passion and our energy, we’re definitely not a studio band!

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?
This can’t be a straight answer, we’re not that easy to be labelled. We’re mainly a thrash metal band, so naturally we look up to the classics: Testament, Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth to name the biggest ones. But we also aim to a modern sound: we’re really into Gojira, especially their latest work, and we certainly have some contaminations from industrial acts such as Slipknot, Rammstein and Fear Factory. But then, we listen to a lot of death metal as well; so bands like Arch Enemy, At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity undoubtedly are a big influence. And we love our Iron Maiden background!

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Well, Julia loves to cook and she always prepares something special to eat for the band, often some new dish that she wants to try with us. She really puts our weight to the test! Pierluigi is an amazing painter, Riccardo reads an awful lot and travels to northern countries whenever he can, while Francesco enjoys skating and street art.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks for reading us, we hope to meet you soon in some shows! Follow us on www.facebook.com/5randofficial and the other social media (you’ll find all the links on www.5rand.net) to stay up to date on where we’re going to play; remember the release date of our album "Sacred / Scared": February 24th. We’re almost there! In the meantime, take a look at our video clips on youtube ;)
Thanks again and keep banging your head!

Depeseblo Interview

Answers by Dennis / DEPESEBLO


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

Yes of course.. Depeseblo is a project I started just for fun, to create something on my own, in my way, and play guitar in that way I like.

2.Recently you have released an album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

I wanted an old school heavy sound, and I think that is what I achieved, and I also like melodic guitars, my way of creating the sound to this recording was to combine these two.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects that you explore with your music?

Evil mankind, religion, war, apocalypse. It is about the evil of mankind and the desolation we bring.

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

It is actually really simple, I tried to find a name that did not exist, but after a great deal of searching I got the idea that I take the first part of my first, second and last name, and that is Depeseblo

5.With this project you record everything by yourself, how would you compare it to working with a full band?

It is always more fun to play and work with a full band, but this gave me the possibility to work when I had time, and to do everything on my own.

6.The album was released on 'Selfmadegod Records', are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?

Yes, I am very happy with the support from Selfmadegod, they do a great job, and they allways respond quickly.

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

I dont know yet.? Hehe.. Great I hope.

8.What is going on with the other musical projects these days that you are a part of?

I am a part of some upcoming project that I can not tell you so much about right now, but you will see me in a new project with Rogga Johansson and Jocke Ringdahl.

9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?

Of course I hope I have the opportunity to release recordings, and I hope that people like it. But anyhow I will continue to make music because it is fun. I also like to play live with some projects.

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?

Influences: Amon Amarth, Dissection, Revolting. I listen to so much music nowadays but I prefer to listen to W.A.S.P and melodic death metal..

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I enjoy the woods, especially during winter, when I have lit a fire and cook some food.

I follow the political situation in the world.

Old cars.

I like to learn about survival/prepping and I like to build/improve things.

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


I want to thank all who made these release possible, and I hope you like the record.


Cheers

Infestus/Origen/Xtreem Music/2017 Compilation CD Review

  Infestus  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  very  dark  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  compilation  "Origen"   which  was  released  by  Xtreem  Music  and  consists  of  their  1992  "Unnatural  Legacy"  1994  "Atmosfera  De  Asfixia"  and  2015  "Origen"  demos.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  compilation  along  with  some deep  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  very  dark  and  chaotic  sounding  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  grindcore  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  Throughout  the  compilation  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  is  on  the  demos  sound  very  brutal  for  the  era  they  where  recorded  and  some  of  the  riffing  also  brings  in a  small  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  the  second  demo  had  a  more  raw  feeling  along  with  a  brief  synth  intro  before going  into  more  of  a  brutal  direction   which also  shows  high  pitched  screams  being added  into  the  music  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  solos  and  leads  on  the  2015  demo  get  more  melodic  and  a  couple  of  instrumentals  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  acoustic guitars .

  Infestus  played  a  style  of  death  metal  on  the  early  demo's  that  was  very  brutal  and  underrated  for  its  time  while  the  newer  material  shows  a  more  melodic  side,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  Spanish  and  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

 In  my  opinion  Infestus  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  and  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  compilation.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Unnatural  Legacy"  "Madera  Muerta"  "Immolacion"  and  "Fauna  Inerte".  8  out  of  10.

In Thousand Lakes/Age of Decay/Xtreem Music/2017 CD Review

   In  Thousand  Lakes  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Age  Of  Decay"  which  was  released  by  Xtreem  Music.

  A  very  heavy  yet  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal growls  and  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  Swedish  tradition  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  you  can  also  hear  an  influence  of  traditional  metal  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  20  years  ago  and  as  the  album  progresses  melodic  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  and  later  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  guitars  and synths  while the  main  focus  is  on  a  heavier  style

  In  Thousand  Lakes  plays  a  style  of  melodic  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  Swedish  tradition,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  In  Thousand  Lakes  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Death  train"  "Age  Of  Decay"  "Ethereal"  and  "4  Walls  (Scars)".  8  out  of  10.

Condemned/His Divine Shadow/Unique Leader Records/2017 CD Review

  Condemned  are  a  band  from  San  Diego,  California  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  gore/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017 album  "His  Divine  Shadow"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Unique  Leader  Records.

  Sci-fi  orientated  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  death  metal  growls  and  heavy  riffs  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  a  great  amount  of  brutal  blast  blast  beats  and  some  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  breakdowns  bring  in  both  east  and  west  coast  style  brutal  brutal  metal  elements  and  the  riffs  also  demonstrate  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  and  sci-fi  sounds  also  make  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  while  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  when  they  are  utilized  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding. 

  Condemned  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  modern  and  brutal  sounding  mixing  both  the  east  and  west  coast  styles  together,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  coare  a  concept  album  based  upon  a  darkened,  parallel  universe  inhabited  by  a  humanoid  insect  civilization  that  lives  dominated  and  enslaved  by a  dark  mysterious  ruler  they  call  "His  Divine  Shadow".

  In  my  opinion  Condemned  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dawn"  "Nefarious  Sanguine  Decree"  "Pestilential  Reign"  and  "World-Reaving  terror".  8  out  of  10. 

Lectern Interview

(Fabio)

LECTERN
Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
Fabio "We took more than ten days to film five clips, as we will focus our next promotion also by this side too. A huge selection has been also made, for press, venues and everyone who could help the band to spread Precept Of Delator in particular, everywhere and anywhere. Things like Internet, social websites, banners, merchandise, layouts, photographs,endorsements and whatever are very important. Any new idea can capture a possible new fan and make the audience active to reach Lectern stuff also in a short space where we move right now, due as we are not still a huge entity. Where we cannot arrive as band and with our label Via nOcturna, must be set with an agency and through other channels, I mean with Youtube but not only, but through things like that".
Marco "High and lows. But we sold very well, we are satisfied how the fans received the new album. And we gained new ones  with the videos we made this summer. It was my first time editing and writing music videos. I'm glad. I didn't fuck them up".

In September 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?
Fabio "A more greasy songwriting and guitarsound! This was my fist aim, then we added great drums patterns, vocals and so on. We are very pleased with that, helped in studio by Giuseppe Orlando, who has produced our last two efforts, and we will choose him again, for our next records for sure! Tracking an album is a sort of study by now! You have to manage all the fucking things in every detail!".
Marco "In the first album we were a little show off. We wanted to unfold from the very first song, what we could do with our instruments. This second album, is not only the result of a line up change, but also of a more reasoned and accurate  composition period. We focused this time more on the atmospheric side, leaving the technique only a few spaces".
Fabio "We gotta the right compound of riffs in the exact moment!".

From 1999 to 2010 there was no new material being released, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time frame?
Fabio "I played in different projects, so I felt skimmed to other things paying attention elsewhere, as I was also looking  for someone interested in joining Lectern. Rebuilding the line up of the same band for years, it's exhausting! You know what  you have to do, but you are not able to find any continuity  around you, because you formed the outfit, but your expectations don't correspond at others' too. To work out on the same principles, makes you nervous very often! Also the mailbox lacked of contacts for a lot of time, and you can well understand what that does it mean when no one got in touch with you writing  anything for months and months! But here we are, once again and that's not a problem anymore".

Your lyrics cover some Satanic topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in Satanism?
Fabio "Satan I am talking about is ourselves! Myself! I am possessed by me, myself and I! I believe this band is Satan! Christ, God and angels are only the result of the result of what is considered good. In this mess, we fight our battle, but  for us first! I don't look at the Devil as a deity I must adore, I don't care about the other bands or what common people think about that. We go on for our long road, straight forward and something will happen, be sure!".

What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Lectern?
Fabio "It's where the evil Bible is set, in order to command through malign deeds. You can also use it, like a synonym of  pulpit. I was looking for a particular, brief moniker to remind, an infernal logo and a great artist to draw it. Justfound in the awesome person of Christophe Szpajdel. If you don't still know him, check is artworks around!".

What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Fabio "I must say with Incantation in Latvia, the Riga concert. Even if the venue was not full, we had great moments with John McEntee, Skinned, audience, the crew who made perfect sound for us as we never had! Also, because playing in the  Baltic area is cool, modern countries and great cities, with their grey touch and great places of the Communism that was there in the past for a long time, and which still lingers over there.  I felt a very great moment as a kid and like a member of Lectern, don't ask me why, but it was!".
Marco "For me, the best, is the Riga live, supporting Skinned and Incantation. We met amazing men and musicians and a great crowd. Why should we describe it? Come and see by yourself!".

Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Fabio "We have some festivals in Finland, Czech Republic and Wales, maybe a tour, but nothing is for sure yet. We are also planning other gigs here and there in Italy".
Marco "We still need to find the right partners for it. A good agency to help us with that".

 On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of brutal death metal?
Fabio "Quite acceptable. But the word worldwide, as amazing it is, it's biggest for us right now. We are not well known, but we are doing everything we can about that. As I said before, we are the managers of ourselves, so if a band like Cannibal  Corpse does thousand, we must double our efforts into two thousand. It doesn't mean we can follow the rhythm of Alex Webster and company, but an underground band is known only by the  Internet. Press, is the next level for example.Without a lot of exhibitions on stage and without other forms of commercials, we are pretty nothing. We cannot believe, that anyone comes unto us like insects as the next big thing, we must ask for this and that, every day. Creating a fan base is important, with different expedients, that could be gluing a Lectern sticker on the wall for example. Anything, a tactic!".
Marco "We received a lot of positive reviews, some average and a few negative, but mostly complaining about the lyrics that they don't understand, only because we use very specific Biblical therms".

Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
Fabio "I play with Perfidy Biblical, Pietro with Noctifer".
Marco "I'm starting a collaboration with a band with a total different genre. Medieval music band called Rota Temporis".

Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Fabio "First of all, with Gabriele on the other guitar and the returning as a four members band, must be the very first thing  for our line up! Also, a new and highest form of death metal at its finest, modern and stunning ideas, sounds and  arrangements. The instruments may also help us, with brand sponsors. But it's not easy if you don't play the right number of dates, also clips on the Intenet market could be helpful. I wanna Marco on Sick Drummer! Now, that the right sport is to  find out new solutions for the music. I don't think that a return to tapes and vinyls could be a right choice, if people and fans don't buy records but only downloads, which are often open to the masses on Internet for free".
Marco "I hope for the Download Festival!".

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?
Fabio "I am always addicted to Florida death metal, then I keep my years to rock, progressive and pop especially from the Eighties. Dire Straits, Cher, Sting, Tears For Tears, Inxs and Depeche Mode. All the heavy metal and thrash bands make me  going insane, especially Iron Maiden. I still browse old Kerrang pages, looking how Black Sabbath and Metallica who made the history, were. I don't recognize myself in the metal scene of today! Where are all the hues of the 1980's and early 1990's?".
Marco "I created my own drumming on a solid power metal base but this new album has been influenced by some classics like Lombardo and Sandoval stuff. On the other side, I can't stop listening to Havok and their thrash!".

What are some of your non musical interests?
Fabio "Arts, tattoos, comics, Satan, myself, travelling, seasisde, food, burial grounds, magazines, records collection, underground scene, books, football and movies".
Marco "I'm a graduating marketing student. I also like video games and film making. But my main interests are martial arts, cosplay and bdsm".


 12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Fabio Bava: vocals, bass
Pietro Sabato: guitar
Gabriele Cruz: guitar
Marco Valentine: drums

www.lectern.in
www.facebook.com/lectern666
www.reverbnation.com/lectern
www.myspace.com/lecternband
www.metal-archives.com/bands/lectern
www.twitter.com/lectern666
www.instagram.com/lectern666
lectern@mail.com

Bisbetical (1999)
Salvific Of Perhaps Lambent (2010)
Lectern (2013)
Fratricidal Concelebration (2015)
Precept Of Delator (2016)

Altar/And God Created Satan To Blame For His Mistakes/Vic Records/2017 CD Re-Issue Review

  Altar  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  played  a  very  blasphemous  form  of   death  metal  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  on  this  recording  and  this is  a  review  of  their  1992  demo  "And  God  Created  Satan  To  Blame  For  His  Mistakes"  which  will  be  re-issued  in  March  by  Vic  Records  and  consists  of  7  live  bonus  tracks  that  where  recorded  in  1993.

  Organs  and  church  choirs  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  the  sounds  of  evil  which  also  leads  up  to  a  very  fast  and  brutal  direction  that  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  growls  and  when  high  pitched  screams  are  utilized  they  add  in  a  touch  of  black   metal.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  generate  a  great  amount  of  chaos  and  melody  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  heavy  musical  direction  and  one  track  also  mixes  the  heavier  material  in  with  evil  sounding  synths  and  the  bonus  live  tracks  have  more  of  a  raw  feeling  to  them  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Altar  played  a  style  of death  metal  back  in  the  early  90's  that  was  considered  very  brutal  and  blasphemous  for  the  era  it  was  recorded  and  also  brought  in  a slight  black  metal  influences, the  production  sounds  very  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  anti  christian  and  atheism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  Altar  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blasphemous  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Throne  Of  Fine"  "Cross  The  Bridge  Of  False  Prophecies"  "Cauterize  The  Church"  and  "Jesus  Is  Dead".  8  out  of  10.  

  

Xysma/Yeah/Vic Records/2017 CD Re-Issue Review

  Xysma  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  has  been  around  for  almost  30  years  and  played  gore/grind  in  their  earlier  days  before  getting  more  experimental  and  this  is  a  review  of their 1991  album  "Yeah"  which  will  be  re-issued  in  March  by  Vic  Records  and  also  the  "Above  Mind  Of  Morbidity"  12  inch  and  the  "Fata  Morgana"  ep  from  1990  as  bonus  tracks.

  Atmospheric  sounds  along  with  some  heavy  yet  melodic  riffing  starts  off  the  album  and  you  can  hear  touches  of  alternative  rock  in  the  riffing  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  tracks  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion  and  synths  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  add  in  a  progressive  touch  along  with  the  tracks  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  briefly  and  a  great  amount  of  70's  rock  influences  can  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  some  of  the  fast  riffing  also  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  while  the  mid  tempo  sections  utilize  a  great amount  of  groove  and  when  the  album  goes  into  the  bonus  tracks  they  music  starts  bringing  in  more  of  an  early  gore/grind  style  along  with  some  guttural  growls  while  high  pitched  screams  are  also  used  at  times.

  Xysma  on  the  full  length  played  a  style  of  death  metal  that  was  very  different  for  its  time  being  experimental  and  adding  in  elements  of  classic  rock while  the  earlier  material  was  done  in  a  gore/grind  style  that  also mixed  in  a  touch  of  Swedish  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  the  era  it  was  recorded  while  the  lyrics cover  gore,  philosophy  and  society  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  collection  from  Xysma  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  death  metal,  death'n'roll  and  gore/grind,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "On  The  Hill  Of  Desecration"  "There  Is  Only  One  Sun"  "Dismembered  In  Trance"  and  "Embodiment  Of  Morbidity".  8  out  of  10.

   

Lectern/Precept Of Delator/Via Nocturna/2016 CD Review

  Lectern  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  technical  form  of  satanic  death metal  with  a  touch  of  slam  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Precept  Of  Delator"  which  was  released  by  Via  Nocturna.

  A  very  heavy  and   brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  mixture  of  both  old  school  and  modern  death  metal  elements  and  after  awhile  growling  vocals  and  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  while  the  riffing  also  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  they  bring  in  both  a  technical  and  old  school  side  of  the  genre  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  vocals  also  get  guttural at  times.

  Some  of  the  riffing  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  thrash  influences  and  elements  of  slam  are  added  into  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  melodic  chants  and  a  lot  of  the  fast  riffing  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  when  sound  effects  are  utilized  briefly  they  give  the  songs  more  of  a  sci-fi  and  ritualistic  atmosphere.  

  Lectern  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  takes  the  old  school,  satanic, brutal,  technical  and  slam  styles  of  the  genre to  create  a  recording t hat  is  very  diverse  while  also  being  100  percent  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Lectern  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  and  technical  satanic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Gergal  Profaner"  "Distil  Shambles"  "Garn  For  Debitors"  and  "Discorporation  With  Feral".  8  out  of  10.