Origin/Unparalleled Universe/Agonia Records/2017 CD Review

  Origin  are  a band  from  Kansas  that  plays  a  very  technical  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  with  touches  of  groove  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Unparalleled  Universe"  which  was  released  by  Agonia  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  sound  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  technical  guitar  solos  and  leads  which  also  leads  up  to  death  metal  growls  and  screams  being  added  into  the  music  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  Throughout  the  album  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  mix  in  elements  of  grindcore  while  also  adding  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  grooves  into  the  riffing  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  one  track  also  adds  in  a  few  seconds  of  operatic  vocals  while  the  main  focus  is  mostly  on  a  heavy  and  brutal  style  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

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

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Origin  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Accident  And  Error"  "Truthslayer"  "Burden  Of  Prescience"  and  "Revolution".  8  out  of  10.

 

Afterbirth/The Time Travelers Dilemma/Unique Leader Records/2017 CD Review

  Afterbirth  are  a  band  from  New  York  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  slam  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "The  Time  Traveler's  Dilemma"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Unique  Leader  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  guttural  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  alter  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  at  times  the  music  also  gets  very  technical  along  with  the  riffs  also  using  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  Screams  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of t he  songs  and  during  the  mid  tempo  section  parts  of  the  tracks  a  great  amount  of  slam  elements  can  be  heard  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  very  technical  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  mix  in  elements  of  progressive,  space  rock,  noise,  and  jazz  which  also  gives  the  songs  an  avant  garde  feeling  at  times  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  a  couple  of  instruments  can  also  be  heard  and  some  tracks  also  bring in  a  small  amount  of  clean  guitars.

  Afterbirth  creates  another  recording t hat  is  in  the  brutal  slam  death  metal  style  but  also  getting  more  technical  and  experimental  this  time  around,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover philosophical,  religion,  science  fiction  and  horror  literature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Afterbirth  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  slam,  brutal  or  technical  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Maggots  In  Her  Smile"  "Multiverse  Dementia"  "Timeless  Formless"  and  "Devouring  The  Hungry  Ghost".  8  out  of  10. 

 

     

Lurking Terror/Morbus Grave/Omega Doom/Lord Of The Flies Records/2017 Split CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Italy's  Lurking  Fear  and  Morbus  Grave  called  "Omega  Doom"  which  was  released  by  Lord  Of  The  Flies  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Lurking  Terror  a  band  that  plays  a mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore.

  Their  side  of  the  split  start  out  with  a  horror  movie  style  intro  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while t he  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  and  after  awhile  guttural  death  metal  growls  make  their  presence  known  but  in  more  of  an  old  school  way.

  When  guitar  leads a re  utilized  they  are  done  in an  old  school  death/grind  style  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of t he  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  their  side  of t he  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  grim  screams  are  also  used  at  times  and  they  close  their  side  of  the  split  with  a  cover  of  Sacrilege's  "Life  Line",  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Lurking  Fear  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  "World's  Decay"  and  "Deafening  Void".

  Next  up  is  Morbus  Grave  a  band  that  plays  a  dark  down  tuned  form  of  death  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  horror  movie  style  intro  before  going  into  a  very  dark  and  heavy  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording  while  the  screams  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal.


  Death  metal  screams  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  their  side  of t he  recording  along  with  the  music  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  they  also  bring  in  a  cover  of  Death's  "Mutilation",  the  production  sounds  very  old school  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  darkness,  and  blasphemous  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Morbus  Grave  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  old  school  death  metal  band  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Descent  Into  Dark  Abyss"  and  "Drowning  By  Nightmares".

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  old  school  death  metal  and  grindcore.  8  out  of 10.   
 

Synthetic Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
The band was formed in 2014 and two years later released its debut album by the tile Here Lies The Truth. Our music is a hybrid of melodic death, progressive and classic heavy metal bringing together elements from the Scandinavian, British and American scenes. During the creation of our debut album we were fortunate enough to collaborate with major established figures such as Ettore Rigotti of Disarmonia Mundi and Dirk Verbeuren of Soilwork who is now the permanent drummer of Megadeth. The band is currently performing live as much as possible and we are in the process of putting together our second album.

2.So far you have released one album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
We had a wide variety of styles packed in the first album, which inevitably added a lot of intricacies and latent qualities in the sound. There are a lot of atmospheric and dark moments delivered by the extensive use of keyboards and epic, symphonic choruses, and on the other hand you will find a number of more direct and edgy elements bordering with thrash and death metal. That’s why we recommend that new listeners play the album through their headphones the first time, there’s a lot to discover. 

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
We pay a lot of attention on our lyrics, we believe they are part of a complete music proposition. We mostly write about inner self battles, society issues and politics. We try to portray our views of the world and the individual, in an admittedly dystopian manner, drawing inspiration mainly from personal experiences. The words may be carefully crafted but they come straight from the heart rather than being the result of a mechanical or tactical process. We urge the audience to read our lyrics as they travel through the music, give their own interpretation and experience a holistic journey. You will see parts of you somewhere in our words, no doubt.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Synthetic'?
The literal meaning of the word ‘synthetic’ comprises terms such as manufactured, processed and unnatural. Although from a branding perspective we are not doing ourselves a favour by using those connotations, our belief is that today’s world and society are unfortunately built on those negative principles. Our food, our clothes, our music, our relationships even, are synthetic. As a band we digested that, but we do not accept it. So, our name is an attack to the system acting as constant reminder and alert, hoping that one day the human race will wake up and realize that we are being subjected to in our daily lives and eventually revolt. 

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We have played in some great festivals in the UK so far and shared the stage with some amazing bands. Our latest appearance in Cambridge for the Daze of the Tron Festival was by far the most memorable to date – the venue was packed, everywhere we looked there were people wearing Synthetic t-shirts, many of them knew the words to our songs, that’s an incredible feeling. Our stage performance is something we constantly work on to improve further. We are now tighter than ever and a lot of people say to us that we belong to bigger stages. We feel that as and when we hit bigger stages our shows will become even more spectacular and energetic as we will have more space to move and to bring additional props, such as banners, lights, guest appearances etc. 

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We have a number of gigs planned in the UK in the next few months. No major touring plans so far. We’d love to tour widely and visit countries outside the UK but that’s not as easy these days. We will probably stick around the UK for the next year or so where people know us better and the logistics are easier. Unless of course we get an invite and a deal that we can’t refuse. 

7.Can you tell us a little bit more about 'Access In Music?
We decided that it was the right time for us to get a band management company onboard to support us with our continuous marketing efforts. We had a look around, we spoke with a few companies and in the end we felt that Access In Music was a better match for us. We are pleased with our choice so far and we are only in the beginning. We are convinced that this relationship will flourish and that both parties will benefit from each other.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme and melodic metal?
We have received a plethora of positive comments from around the globe and our album has travelled as far as Japan. We see a lot of support coming especially from Greece, the UK, the USA, Germany, Sweden, Finland and Russia. It seems that people appreciate the hybrid nature of our music and see it somewhat refreshing. There’s a little bit of everything for everyone in our album and we believe this brings people together and that we can reach a wider audience as it’s hard to pigeonhole our style. 

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We will definitely retain a good balance between melody and groove. Perhaps we will push for a slightly more unified style next time. Generally, we will try to keep all the good elements of our debut album and discard the not so good aspects. You should certainly expect influences from Scandinavian and British metal but the bottom line is that we play what we feel sounds right to us at that given moment. One thing we can promise is that we will always sound like Synthetic.

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?
Each one of us has different influences to bring to the band. Some of our main influences though include bands such as Soilwork, In Flames, Dream Theater and Iron Maiden amongst others. The list is too long really. Overall, we are huge fans of the Scandinavian soundscape and the classic British metal and rock sound.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
We have people in the band who are keen photographers, video makers and game designers. Others are fitness enthusiasts and others love to travel. All of us are in full time employment and we love our jobs too. So, quite busy lives outside music.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We’d like to thank you ever so much for the opportunity to be featured in your pages. We need the support of people like you and we deeply appreciate it when we get it. We would like to say a warm big ‘thank you’ to all the fans who invested in Synthetic so far, either by buying our album and merch or attending our shows. For the new potential fans, we can only promise better music, better videos, and better performances in the future. We would like to invite every metal fan out there to become part of the Synthetic family. We encourage everyone to find us on Facebook and other social media platforms and interact with us. Let’s connect and spread the word together! 

Scalpel/Methods To Delusion/2017 Full Length Review

  Scalpel  are  a  band  from    Massachusetts  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  brutal  death  metal  and  gore/grind  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  :Methods  To  Delusion"  which  will  be  released  in  July.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  screams  and  death  metal  growls  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in the  90's while  still  having  a  good  amount  of  modern   day  elements.

  When  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  add  in  more  of  an  old  school  death  metal  style  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  psychedelic  elements  are  also used  at  times  and  on  some  of  the  tracks  the  vocals  get  more  guttural.

  Scalpel  remains  true  to t he  gore/grind  and  brutal  death  metal  mixture  of  previous  releases  while  also  adding  in  more  psychedelic  elements  this  time  around,,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,  disease,  horror,  scary  and  ghost  stories.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Scalpel  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  brutal  death  metal  and  gore/grind,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Cleaner"  "Feeding  The  Worm"  "Brooding  In  The  Gloom"  and  "Intensified  Festering".  8  out  of  10.

Witch Vomit/Poisoned Blood/20 Buck Spin/2017 EP Review

  Witch  Vomit  are  a  band  from  Portland,  Oregon  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  while  also  taking  that  style  and  mixing  it  with  grindcore  on  this  release  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2017  ep  "Poisoned  Blood"  which  will  be  released  on June  30th  by  20  Buck  Spin.

  A  classic  horror  movie  style  intro  starts  off  the  ep  before going  into  more  of an  old  school  yet  heavy  gore/grind  direction  that  also introduces  guitar  leads  and  blast  beats  and  guitar  leads  onto  the  recording  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  along  with  Finnish  and  Swedish  influences are  added  onto  the  recording. 

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  riffs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  high  pitched  screams  are  also utilized  at  times  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  heavy  direction.

  Witch  Vomit  continues  the  old  school  death  metal  from  their  previous  releases  while  also  adding  in  more  gore  and  grindcore  elements  this  time  around,  the production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  necrophilia,  death  and  depression  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Witch  Vomit  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school  death  metal  and  grindcore,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Doomed  In  The  Realm  Of  The  Dead" and  "Fevers  Of  Torment".  8  out  of  10.

Jotnar Interview

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

We are JOTNAR, we come from Canary Islands, Spain, and we play some kind of Melodic Death Metal… very inspired by the Scandinavian Melodic Metal, but with our personal style and feeling.

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

Well, it’s not easy to define yourself or the way you see your music but I could say our music is an aggressive melodic Death metal… Very aggressive in one hand, with powerful riffs and heavy drums but at the same time very melodic, where the melodies on guitars is one the most important in the songs as well a great mix and balance between growling and clean vocals. We love melody and that’s way clear when you listen our music.

3.This is your first release since 2012, can you tell us a little bit more about what was been going on during that time frame?

It’s been a long road with lots of ups and down. After the release of “Giant” in 2012, we toured a lot in Spain and Europe. Our idea was to release the EP and then a full album a few months later but the EP worked so great that we couldn’t reject the gigs.
Then we decided to stop playing live to focus in the new album, preproduction, recording, etc and when everything was recorded but vocals and was the singer time, he got some personal problems that continue pushing the recording back. We began the vocal recording, but we could never finish it. This lasted about a year and a half of trying to record… was insane. At the end he accepted he cannot do it and told us that the best would be to leave, so… we then had to find a new singer. That’s when we met Mario Infantes and he joined the band. We decided to start from scratch with him, instead of simply track everything as we had so far, so we started working in the vocal demos and preproduction. We also re-arranged and polished all songs and back to the studio again. It was a little pain in the ass but at the end, it worth all the wait and hard work.

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

I think it’s hard to explain it because each lyric is different from the other. I mean, we don’t have any writing line or common theme to write, but instead they share a similar feeling. All lyrics are very dark, and not much “happy”. They all share this kind of base, coming from frustration, anger, fear… You only need to sit and watch the world, see how fucked up is everything and you can get all the inspiration you need to sink yourself into this desperation mode to write. I don’t see myself writing happy lyrics for this kind of music, it’s completely impossible for me.

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

It comes from the Norse mythology. JOTNAR were the giants from the Scandinavian mythology who lived in Jotunheim, somewhat in the middle between Gods and human. I’m a true lover for this tales and myths, and since our style is Scandinavian inspired, we thought it was a perfect match.

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?

For me it was the Metalcamp 2012 (nowadays Metaldays), in Slovenia. That festival is located in one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been, a real paradise in the middle of the mountains next to an amazing river. Best fest location I’ve ever been, and I’m dying to be able to play back there.
About our performance… we have a very energetic performance but with any additive, no fires, no smoke, etc… just pure metal. We like to play as hard as we can and try to have as much fun as possible.

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

We’ve just made a Spanish Tour with Sonic Syndicate, which was really funny. We have two festivals, the Straevil Fest in Italy and the RockFest Barcelona, a huge festival here in Spain with bands like Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Airbourne, and a huge list of awesome bands.
We are also working on another Spanish tour with a great band, but we cannot say anything yet. Also, our plans is to try to get into a good tour pack and make a good European tour and play in as many cities as possible, as well as in all festivals possible. 

8.On the new album you also had some guests, can you tell us a little bit more about who they are also their contributions to the recording?

Well, first one needs to presentation, Björn “Speed” Strid, singer of “Soilwork” and “The Night Flight Orchestra”. He is such a an amazing singer and a awesome guy. We made a duet with him in the song “Broken Esteem”, which we also have a video, and we had a lot of fun working with him, a real beast!
Jennie Nord also sang with us in the song “The Portrait”. She is from Gothemburg and she is the singer of Ultimate Fate. She also wrote the lyrics of the part she sings. I really love how her voice fitted with Mario’s growling.
Santi Suarez is an amazing guitar player, he was the lead guitar of Sphinx and is a great friend of mine. He was hanging out with me when we recorded “The Portrait” and I asked him to add some acoustic guitars in the break. He is really talented and the result was so great.
In that same song, we have Bruno Pardini, an amazing musician, who made some orchestral lines at the end of the song. We wanted something big an epic. We explained him what we had in mind and he totally overpassed all our expectations!
Last, but not least, we also had Alessio Nero Argento who made most of the synths and programming for the whole album. He has worked with Disarmonia Mundi, and he is the best!.

9.On the album you had also did a Nelly Furtado cover, what was the decision behind doing your own version of one of her songs?

I ‘ve always loved that song, and every time I listened, I pictured it in my head with that heavy rhythm… and I decided to made my own version. I loved the idea of making it sounds like JOTNAR, so I made a demo a couple years ago. When we started working in the vocal demo with Mario, I showed him the version and asked him to make a try. The final result was as nice that we decided to add it to the album. It sounds really like a pure JOTNAR song and it fitted perfectly with the rest of the songs.

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

So far so great! We’ve received many messages on Facebook and youtube with good comments about our music. We’ve also received many reviews from specialized metal magazines and webzines with great reviews as well.
And in a personal level, the best comment has come from Jesper Strömblad, founder of In Flames, who shared the video of “Starved of Guidance” in his Facebook page and wrote: “You want highest quality MDM, you got it:)! And visit their page and support!! You will hear a lot of this band in the future. One of the finest in a long time, and have a bright future ahead! Enjoy”

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

At the moment we are only working really hard on JOTNAR. Our singer Mario, sometimes sings in a Jazz orchestra from time to time, besides that, we are 100% devoted to JOTNAR.

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

I don’t see myself doing anything different, really… I love what we do and this is the way I play, and the way I write. We don’t follow any rule or any guide, so most likely, we will keep on doing Melodic Death Metal the best way we can.

13. 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 are infinite… some of then had a bigger influence than others but… to name a few, from Metallica, Pantera, to In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, At The Gates, Arch Enemy, and tons of other great bands.
And about what I’m listening now…. Well, all kind of music, from the classics to new one. I’m totally hooked to Atoma, latest Dark Tranquillity album, as well as latest from Evergrey. Amazing albums. Another great band I discovered is Vengha, from Sweden, and also listening a lot Sixx AM, The Night Flight Orchestra, and a very long etc... Our singer for example is completely in love with Tesseract. We all listen some kind of different bands and styles who actually help us to open a our mind to different styles and arrangements.

14. What are some of your non musical interests?

Besides music, which is pretty much the most important for me… I love architecture and movies from the 80’s and 90s. I love Star Wars, and good TV series.

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

Well, Just invite you all to check our music, you can find us on Spotify, our official Facebook or find our latest videos on YouTube. And if we play near your hometown, don’t hesitate to come and say hi after the show… we will take some beers then. 

Displeased Disfigurement/Origin Of Abhorrence/CDN Records/2017 CD Review

  Displeased  Disfigurement  are  a  band  from  South  Africa  that  plays  a  brutal  form  of  slam  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Origin  Of  Abhorrence"  which  was  released  by  CDN  Records.

  A  sci-fi  orientated  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  more  brutal  direction  along  with  some  guttural  death  metal  growls  and  the  mid  tempo  sections  also  mix  in  elements  of  slam  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  A  small  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  none  of  the  songs  ever  use  solos  or leads  while  spoken  word  samples  do  make  a  brief  return  on  a  later  track  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  heavy  and  brutal  direction.

  Displeased  Disfigurement  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavy,  brutal  and  guttural  while  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  slam  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Displeased  Disfigurement  are  a  very  decent  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  "Parasitic  Devourement"  Malignant  Misery"  and  "Human  Cattle".  7  out  of  10       

Synthetic/Here Lies The Truth/2017 Full Length Review

  Synthetic  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  atmospheric  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Here  Lies The  Truth".

  Electronic  music  elements  and  angry  growls  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  gives  the  songs  a  more  progressive  edge  while the  synths  give  the  tracks  and  atmospheric feeling  while  also  mixing  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.

  Symphonic  elements  are  also  utilized  in  some  of  the  tracks  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads a re  utilized  they  are  done  in  a very  melodic  fashion  and  clean  singing  is  also  used  quite  a bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem.

  As  the  album  progresses  more  Swedish  melodic  death metal  influences  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  a  few  growls  and  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  when  the  music  speeds  up  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts and  some  songs  also  add  in  spoken  word  parts  along  with  some  elements  of  American  style  metal  and  acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  closing  track. 

  Synthetic  plays  a  musical  style  that takes  atmospheric  and  melodic  death  metal a nd  mixes  it  in  with  touches  of  American  grove,  progressive,  and  traditional  metal  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  inner  struggles  and  society  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Synthetic  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  death/heavy  metal  band  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  different,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lie'  "Memories"  "Walk  This  Line"  and  "Scream  In  Your  Dreams".  8  out  of  10. 

 

Hitwood Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
My name is Antonio, I started to play guitar from 2007 and in the same year I have founded my solo project after some dreams where an old man called Hitwood, a wise of japanese origins, "contacted” me every night and try to dialogue with me with celestial melodies instead of words. So, after some of these dreams I’ve started to record on my phone what I remember immediately after awake. In dreams the melodies sounds more celestial so I’ve elaborated them to fit with my favorite music style: Metal. So, the overall sound is more dark from what I’ve heard in dreams but I tried to keep them are as catchy as Hitwood intended them to sound. After 9 years, in 2016, the project left the shadows with the debut album “When Youngness.. Flies Away..”, all these years was necessary to elaborate all the melodies dreamed and compress them into a flowing song structure capable of connecting directly to your subconscious. In April 2017 I’ve released “As a Season Bloom” EP with a more multicolored sound and many other music genres influences.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?
   I don’t want to be classified in a music genre because of the variety of my style but just to give to you an idea I’m very influenced by Melodic Death Metal scene, Post Metal and a bit by shoegaze but, as you can hear I            can’t be classified in no one of these categories. To me is simply dreamy music.

3.So far all of your music has been instrumental, are you open to using any vocals in the future?
Yes, this what I’m working on right now. I’m in the recording process of the new EP and I’m trying to define all the song structures. I will invite some guest vocalists to do the job and you will have some surprises also you could appreciate some of the story behind dreams now explained with word instead of only melodies.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Hitwood'?
Hitwood is the old man who appears in dreams of many people, he called the people connected with his dream world “messengers”, because he give us the mission to break the dividing line between the real world and the dream world, trying to find a connection to overcome the dream and tell to humanity what’s our future which Hitwood had predicted. I’ve never meet other “messengers” in real life but I’m trying to spread what I've experienced in these dreams with my music. I don’t know what the Hitwood name means, probably "hit the woods" but I can’t figure out if it has a real meaning

5.On the albums you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians  or do you prefer to remain solo?
   In the past I’ve tried to have band members but I realized that by myself I could be more productive and without limits. This is as well more satisfying to myself. I’ve learned to play guitars and drums with the purpose to do it all by myself.

6.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Some undergrounds labels have contacted me but I've refused the proposal because for now I prefer to remain independent. If in the future, if the project will grow, I could evaluate to work with a label but for now I can handle it alone.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of post and melodic death metal?
  I’ve never do much promotion about this project so for now it’s a really underground project and I begin to see some results only in these few months. The feedback I’ve received by fans by the way are awesome, some people love that kind of music and the continue to support me. I think the mix between post and melodeath it’s the winning element but I know that Instrumental music isn’t a thing for everyone.. but in the future with the new songs this will change.

8.Are you also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
No, this project and my main job are just enough to me (laughs, ndr)

9.Where do you see yourself heading into as musician in the future?
   I’ve no plans for the future, As long as the dreams are recurring I keep doing what I’m do, If the dreams will stop, I probably change moniker to begin a new musical path

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?
As I’ve already said, Melodic Death Metal is a huge influence to my songwriting. My favorite bands are In Flames and Dark Tranquillity but I like all the gothenburg sound scene. From the “post metal” scene I’m very into Agalloch, Alcest, Solstafir, Drudkh, Pelican, Dornenreich and bands like that. Also Metallica was one of my favorite, in particular their leader James Hetfield give me the inspiration to learn to play guitar 10 years ago. I have no limits in my music tastes, I could jump from Metal to Rap and ending to listen folk music; I think this is important as an artist to know all the music panorama

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
I’m a nature lover, so travel is one of the things I prefer to do. I’m a bit into photography and when I have a bit of free time I dedicate myself to cycling. I’m also beer lover and tea addict, the culture that lies behind about this one always fascinates me.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
   First, I would thank you for this interview. Second, to all of these ones who have read up to this point, I hope you could enjoy my music, download the albums on Hitwood Bandcamp page, it’s completely free, close your eyes and dive into my dreams. Third, stay tuned because the best is yet to come!

Hitwood/As A Season Bloom/2017 EP Review

  Hitwood  are  a  solo  project  from  Italy  that  plays  an  instrumental  mixture  of  melodic  death  and  post metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2017  ep  "As  A  Season  Bloom".

  Clean  guitars  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  that  also  mix  in  elements  of  post  rock  and  drum  beats  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  none  of  the  songs  ever  use  any  vocals  or  lyrics  and  always  remains  instrumental.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  while  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  influences  and  acoustic  guitars  are  also  utilized  briefly  along  with  a  small  amount  of  symphonic  style  synths  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  blast  beats  are  added to  the  closing  track.

  Hitwood  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  post  metal  while  also  keeping  everything  instrumental  to  create  something  very  original  and  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Hitwood  are  a  very  great  sounding  instrumental  mixture  of  melodic  death  and  post  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Memories  From  A  Gentle  Summer  Evening"  and  "Awakened  By  A  Winter  Blast".  8  out  of  10.

Cytotoxin/Gammageddon/Unique Leader Records/2017 CD Review

  Cytotoxin  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  technical  form  of  slam  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Gammageddon"  which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Unique  Leader  Records.

  Technical  guitar  leads  and  blast  beats  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  that  also  have  their  guttural  moments  along  with  riffs  that  mix  the  brutal  and  progressive  styles  together  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  Elements  of  slam  can  be  heard  in  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  and  spoken  word  parts  cam  also  be  heard at times  along  with  a  small  amount  of  nuclear  power plant  samples  and  the  songs  also  bring  in   a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  riffs  also  mix  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  at  times.

  Cytotoxin  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  and  technical  while  also  mixing  in  elements  of  prog  and  slam,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Nuclear  Disasters  and  Chernobyl  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cytotoxin  are  a  very  great  sounding  technical  and  brutal  death  metal  band  with  elements  of  prog  and  slam  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Radiatus  Generis" "Chernopolis" "Corium  Era"  and  "Outearthed".  8  out  of  10.   

Mordenial/The Plague/Black Lion Records/2017 CD Review

  Mordenial  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  very  melodic  from  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "The  Plague"  which  will  be  released  at  the  end  of  July  by  Black  Lion  Records.

  Clean  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  and  after  awhile  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic  direction  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording.

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  90's  Swedish  tradition  along  with  the  fast  riffs  using  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  show  a  small  amount  of  thrash  influences.

  Mordenial  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true to  the  melodic  death  metal  style  that  was  established  on  the  previous  release,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  have  a  concept  to  them  dealing  with  people  using  a  god  or  gods  to  justify  terrible  acts.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Mordenial  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  death  metal,  you  should  check  out this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKSINCLUDE  "The  Plague"  "Salvation"  "Follow  The  Cross"  and  "The  End".  8  out  of  10. 

Deus Otiosus/Opposer/Great Dane Records/2017 CD Review

  Denmark's  Deus  Otiosus  have  returned  with  a  new  recording t hat  continues  their  death  and  thrash  metal  mixture  of  previous  releases  along  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2017  album  "Opposer"  which  was  released  by  Great  Dane  Records.

  A  very  fast  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  as  well  as  some  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  before  mixing  in  thrash  elements  and  death  metal  growls  while  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  all  of t he  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  while  the  solos  and  leads  add  in more  of  an  old  school  extreme  metal  style  and  also  having  their  melodic  moments  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  synths  can  be  heard  and  clean  singing  is  added  onto  the  closing  track.

  Deus  Otiosus  creates  another  recording   that  remains  true  to  the  old  school  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  from  previous  releases  while  also  having  a  touch  of  black  metal  to t hem,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while   the  lyrics  cover  death,  horror,  occultism,  and  torment  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  fear  sounding recording  from  Deus  Otiosus  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  death,  black  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kneel"  "Haunter"  "Return  To  Slavery"  and  "March  Of  The  Unworthy".  8  out  of  10.

 

Trinity Site Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
[Jochen]Everything started somewhere around 2009 after the split of Fulltanked, a metal cover project. Being tired of performing music of other bands, my brother and I decided to begin composing music. Every member of our band will agree that we never intended to limit ourselves to a certain musical genre. Therefore we had always strived to commit ourselves to illimitability in the process of creating our own musical trademark. Most people say it's melodic death metal and perhaps this is the closest genre we fit into, but we won't guarantee that this will always continue.

2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Compared to our EP EX INFERIS we technically tried to achieve a stronger organic or maybe more natural sound for all instruments. For me personally it´s not that typical modern sounding record with every life squeezed out of the dynamics as you can hear a lot nowadays. Of course there are synths and samples to fill out the gaps which ought to put emphasis on some sections but we are still a band that prefers honest handmade music.

3.According to your fb page, you label your music as 'aggressive self therapy', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?
[Jochen] Haha, everyone wants to know something about this phrase. I said this five years ago during an interview for a german magazine and we placed it in our bio because it has some kind of teasing character that will inevitably lead to a lot of curiosity. Mainly it just emphasizes that I make or write music for my own needs and not to please anyone. And yes, our music is aggressive.

4.The band has been around since 2009 but so far has only released an ep and a full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the gaps in between releases?
We proudly released Ex Inferis five years ago but after that event the band suffered a lot of seemingly neverending line up changes that threw us back so often that we nearly lost track. A few songs from After the Sun have already been written in 2013 so the writing process covers all the ups and downs we endured in the past.

5.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
[Ronny] On After the Sun we concentrated on topics that will or could concern the average person in a far future. Dealing with oneself, the society and enemies for example. But we also wrote about the evolution of machines in our daily life. Humanize Me is a good example: the protagonist realizes that he is more machine than man like all other people at that point in time. Totally shocked, he wants to reverse the process.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Trinity Site'?
Trinity Site is the name of the testing area where the first atomic bomb detonated. The code name for the bomb was Trinity. How bizarre is it to link a weapon of mass desctruction to the holy bible? This perfectly shows the madness of man.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Tough to describe because I haven´t seen us live, just on recordings but we seriously kick butts. Really outstanding experiences had been the Wacken Metal Battle, Out and Loud Festival, the support for Sepultura and also for Der Weg einer Freiheit.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
Of course we do play some shows this year but unfortunately there are no touring plans. We recently signed with a booking agency and I hope they will really help getting the gigs up and running.

9.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We apply to labels for every release but haven´t signed one yet. Maybe we are too picky but we don´t want to sign any contract we don´t totally agree with. Mostly they want us to pay for every service or force us to transfer the song-rights. Sometimes it´s easier to stay unsigned until you make yourself a name in the scene.

10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of melodic death metal?
We are still alive so I think we are not that bad at all ;-) Joking apart, we receive a lot of positive feedback for our music and we already sold copies to far-off continents like Australia.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We will make the next release sound different to After the sun like After the sun sounds different to Ex Inferis. We are still in the initial stage of our next release so I cant give you more insights on that matter at the moment.

12.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?
[Jochen] Me and my brothers all time favourite is Iron Maiden but of course we listen to all styles of metal. Sascha likes the old stuff as well but also has a strong relation to black metal. Ronny and Simon are way younger and more into these modern core-styles. Our new drummer Marc (my brother left the band during the release) has a lot of influences from jazz to technical death metal and is quite open minded about all kinds of music like the rest of us.

13.What are some of your non musical interests
[Jochen] Everyone in the band is doing sports or playing games while I am eating ;-)

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We really want to say THANK YOU to all the people coming to our shows, buying our cds and supporting us in digital or in real life. Just for the record, one of the first songs Jochen ever wrote for Trinity Site is called thoughts;-)

Mauo Mindu Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Well, we're a close group of individuals with a common goal: creating dark, heavy, groovy music. Our guitarist, Lewis Thomas, is the original mastermind behind Maou Mindu. He founded the group and has remained diligent through variations of the group before falling upon this one. The group now consists of: myself (Max Warwick, vocalist), Lewis Thomas (rhythm guitar), Alex Juskevicius (lead guitar), Cameron Bambrick (bass), and Hugo Remilliard (drums). Three years after its conception in 2014, we're ready to take down the world one greasy pillar at a time.

2.Recently you have released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
It is everything we wanted out of a debut release. It grinds, it slams, it mutilates. We have a common vision for the band that involves the raw aggression found in older grind music with delicate refinements found in modern death metal. We managed to achieve our vision through the recording process in the old dingy basement of our previous jamspace and living spaces of various band members. It is a validation of what can be done in minimalist arrangements from an underground band. At the end of the day, it rips.


3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
I personally write all the lyrics, sometimes inspired by song titles credited to Lewis. The lyrical content is typical to the death metal style. A lot of grotesque imagery of death in many forms (and sometimes some societal commentary). However, I try and separate myself by telling intriguing stories behind the gore. Take "Skullfucking the Trepanned" for example... This involves imagery of one literally having intercourse with the hole bored in another's skull. I try to take it to another level by personifying the "clarity" of infinity and the conscious state one might achieve through trepanation. Then I fuck their skull.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Maou Mindu'?
Maou Mindu was named by Lewis, who comes from an aboriginal background. The meaning behind the name, in his native tongue, is the "devil" or the "trickster". Certainly suitable for the dark music we are creating.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Since forming the new lineup we've played just one show. We have another coming up this weekend. Our live performance is energetic and engaging. I like to get in people's faces and really connect with them on an intense level. We'll be pushing more live shows over the next year as we continue working on new music.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Just the show this weekend currently. But we'll be planning on more, and pushing out into Quebec as well as toward the rest of Ontario.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
So far we haven't looked into any record labels. The stage of the process we're in is manageable independently, although perhaps gauging the response on a second release will have us seeking label support.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal and grindcore?
It has been fantastic. We've received support from several media outlets around Canada, the US, UK, and Europe. More than we could have asked for from a debut release.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I can definitely see us taking things to a further extreme as things move on. Our newest material that we are debuting live this weekend, is faster, heavier, more technical, and more complex in musical arrangements than any previous installments. Just taking things to that next gear.

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?
Definitely inspired by various levels of grind from Exhumed to Cattle Decapitation. Also bands like Bloodbath, Amputory, Cephalic Carnage. Personally I've been listening to a lot of Rumplestiltskin Grinder lately as well as my buddies' band Voltang. Some good up-tempo tunes to get the day going.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
I can't speak on behalf of the other members interests, although I've heard something about Lewis trying on women's clothing and reciting the lines to Titanic in the mirror... But in all seriousness, I like to write. I've been working on a sci-fi horror novel for some time. That and video games are pretty much what take up my spare time.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Would just like to thank you for your time to ask these questions and help get us out there. For the readers, if you like some really heavy music, go over to maoumindu.bandcamp.com right now and download the album. It'll make you hate yourself and punch your teeth through your tits and it'll be great. Cheers.
________________________________

Maou Mindu/Grind Against Humanity/2017 EP Review

  Maou  Mindu are  a  band  from  Ottawa,  Ontario,  Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released 2016  ep  'Grind  Against  Humanity".


  A  very  heavy  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  small  amount  of  melody  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  screams  and  death  metal  growls  are  added  into  the  music along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  great  amount  of  grindcore  elements  can  be  heard  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  some  of  the  mid  tempo  sections  add  in a   touch  of  slam  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording they  give  the  music  more of  an  old  school  death  metal  feeling  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  bass  guitar  leads  while  some  technical  elements  are  added  onto  the  closing  track.

  Mauo Mindu  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  old  school  forms  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  add  in  a  touch  of  modern  slam  to  create  something  very  different,  the production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Maou  Mindu  are  a  very  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  "