Sad Theory/Entropia Humana Final/Mindscrape Music/2017 CD Review

  Sad  Theory  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  melodic  and  progressive  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Entropia  Humana  Final"  which  was  released  by  Mindscrape  Music.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  screams.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  melodic  vocals  also  being  utilized  briefly  as  well  as  the  clean  playing  and  keyboards  also  giving  the  music  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  when  they  are  used,  one  track  also  introduces  spoken  word  parts  onto  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  blast  beats  are  added  in  some  parts  of  the  music  and  they  close  the  album  with  an  instrumental.

  On  this  recording  Sad  Theory  remains  true  to the  progressive,  technical  and  melodic  style  of  death  metal  from  their  previous  release,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Portuguese  and  cover  poetry,  madness,  disease,  war,  genocide,  introspection  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sad  Theory  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic,  technical  and  progressive  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Willard  Suitcases"  "Inanicao"  "Occipicio"  and  "Before  My  Turn,  Agonizing".  8  out  of  10.    

Foredoomed Interview

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

Most people would categorize us as Melodic Death Metal band. We also have Progressive influences in our music which can be seen in longer and more intricate song structures, for example.

2.A year ago, you had released your first full length, what are some of the things you have done differently musically on this recording that you were not able to do on your previous demos?

Similarly to our previous work, I’ve wrote most of the material but this time we also used a producer. We tried go as far as we could with the album during the pre-production phase.


This time the album had massive amount of small things to take care of, so the recording process had to be more systematic. Because we have no keyboard player this time, I feel it was liberating to work on the keyboards more from a “sound atmosphere” perspective.

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

I usually write lyrics about my life events. I don’t really describe in depth what happened, instead I tend to write about how it felt during the time. I like to use a lot of symbolism too.

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

I came up with the name when we started the band. I think I chose it because I like its mysteriousness.

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover?

I did the first photoshop draft of the cover in summer 2016 I think. We chose it because we thought it had a similar feel to the album’s theme and the soundscape.

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?

I think we’ve steadily improved our live performance after each gig we’ve played, so I really liked our latest show in Marks Rock Club. We tend to have a pretty energetic live show, we move around a lot. We have invested a great deal of effort in keeping our live shows energetic.

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

We’ve had many shows after Ordeal’s release. All of them in Finland; Turku, Helsinki, Joensuu… The next show we play is in Kerubi, Joensuu. It's our second time there, first time being with Ensiferum in late 2017.

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

Actually the positive reaction took me by surprise! When we started working on the album, I never would’ve dreamed about the amount of fans we got. We have fans all over the world. On top of that, a lot of people have ordered our CDs and came to our shows!

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

We’ve had some talk with labels. Inverse Records published our music video ‘Dualism’, but we have no future plans set in stone at the moment.

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

We are currently in the songwriting phase of our next album. It’s still in super early stage so I can’t say a lot for certain. I’d say the recipe is fairly similar to the first album, but I think we’re going to push our most distinct musical elements even further.

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?

From metal bands I think my top 5 influences are (in no particular order) Opeth, Wintersun, Children of Bodom, Symphony X, and Edge of Sanity.


I tend to listen to different types of music. From Igorrr to The Prodigy to Aphex Twin to Bruno Mars to Hannah Diamond just to name a few. Sometimes I think it would be fun to create a public Spotify playlist of all the weird shit I like to listen to.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

I like all kinds of fantasy stories and video games. And I think some of those influences can be heard in some songs, for example, in lyrics and orchestral parts.

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

Keep listening metal! If you’re interested, give our debut album ‘Ordeal’ a listen. We are currently working on our second full length album so find us on our social media sites to keep up with the latest news.



-Atte / Foredoomed

The Odious Construct/Shrine Of The Obscene/The Artisan Era/2018 EP Review

  The  Odious  Construct  are  a  band  from  Sacramento,  California  that  plays  a  very  melodic,  technical  and  progressive  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  "Shrine  Of  The  Obscene"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  The  Artisan  Era.

  Symphonic  sounds  start  off  the  ep and  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  some  melodic  and  technical  guitar  solos  and  leads  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  as w ell a s  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  screams.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,, mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  being  very  technical  at  the  same  time  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  at  times  the music  also  gets  very  progressive.

  The  Odious  Construct  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is very  melodic,  progressive  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  hallucinations, darkness  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Odious  Construct  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic,  progressive  and  technical  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vortex  of  Self"  and  S"hrine  Of  The  Obscene".  8  out  of  10.       

Chabtan Interview

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

Hey there ! First, we have had some nice reviews of our new album “Nine Levels” and a lot of support messages which means a lot for us. We also had the pleasure to play on stage for the first time some new songs. It was sick!


2.In April you had released a new album, what are some of the things the band did differently on this recording that you where not able to do with your previous releases?

The writing process of this album was actually close to what we did for the previous one. We always work the same way : Jean-Philippe and Dimitri (the guitar players) write the basis of the songs (the melodies and the guitar parts) then we do some musical arrangement during rehearsals. The only difference is that we have a new drummer (Charles Philly) who is a professional musician. He is very good in programming samples and creating atmospheres, so we took time to create music with a lot of samples. This guy wrote the music for the video game “Onirism” : it’s a crazy work.


3. Both the band name and lyrics are based upon Aztec, Mayan and Olmec Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about how you got interested in this topic and also do you have any interest in the mythologies of other culture?

Basically this topic was an idea of our former guitar player Jean-Phillipe. To be honest I didn’t know anything about these civilizations when I was recruited in the band. Today I’m reading some books or articles about Aztecs, Mayan and Olmec. I’m currently reading a book of Bartolomé de las Casas. He was one of the first Christian to strongly condemn the colonizers behavior.


4. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover?

It’s a cover realized by Colin Marks. We are big fans of his job. On this album you can see the God of violent death Ah Puch. I like the way Colin designed him. He really reminds me the “Scarecrow” in Batman. It’s kind of a modern and dark interpretation.


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

To me our best show was the show we did in Barcelona in 2015. There was a lot of crazy people and the sound was huge. Now we are preparing a new show. We wear some special clothes, put some make-up. We are trying to create an atmosphere which is both very dark and still hardcore rooted.


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

Touring is too expensive for us. So we are planning some shows but we cannot do a real tour for now. Maybe in the future. We are open to all proposals !


7. The new album was released on 'DarkTunes Music Group', can you tell us a little bit more about how you get in contact with this label?

They gave us an interesting response. They are really behind us and push us to develop our aesthetic more and more. They have also allowed us to develop some new shirts and realized our lyrics videos for free. That’s really cool. Many labels ask you money to do things and Dark Tunes are not like this, we appreciate it.


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

Well. I  really don't know. Many reviews say that our music is cool so I think fans of extreme music like our stuff. We are not a famous band so many fans of extreme music still don’t know us. So spread the word !Everybody must know that a Mayan demonic war is coming to crush our world !


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

Musically we will continue to develop atmospheres and a conceptual approach. I would like to write a record from an historic point of view, about the meeting of Europeans colonizers with the people from what we nowadays call “South America”. We could make a metal album with traditional Mayan and Aztec instruments and instruments from the Europe on XV or XVI’s century.


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

In the band we are all fans of death metal and heavy metal. There are many bands that we like but I don’t know if they really are an audible influence for someone who is listening to our music. Obviously you can feel when you listen to our music that we are fans of In Flames, but I don’t think that you can imagine we are fans of The Faceless, Cryptopsy or Textures.


11. What are some of your non-musical interests?

Philosophy is definitely the thing I enjoy the most in my life. And I think that we will use some references to philosophers in our next album. A lot of them wrote about the meeting of Mayan and Aztec with colonizers. To John Lock they are barbarians without morality; to Montaigne they are no more barbarians than us; to the optimistic philosophy of Leibniz we live in the best of the possible worlds so Mayan and Aztec have an “instinct of morality”. When Europeans met Americans they really discovered a “New World” and discovering a New World begets many different views on it.


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

Thank you very much. I hope to see you on stage very soon.

Illusion Of Control/Grim New World/Loud Rage Music/2018 EP Review

  Illusion  Of  Control  are  a  band  from  Romania  that  plays  a  very  progressive  and  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  ep  "Grim  New  World"  which  was  released  by  Loud  Rage  Music.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  a  few  seconds  later  before  adding  in  death  metal  growls  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  acoustic  guitars  also  giving  the  songs  more  of  a  progressive  feeling.

  Clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  screams  and  whispers  also  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  when  guitar  leads a re  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Illusion  Of  Control  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  melodic  and  progressive  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  and  dystopian  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Illusion  Of  Control  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  and  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Downtrodden"  and  "Dystopia".  8  out  of  10.  

Surgery Interview

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

Surgery:
Well, since the recording and release of the new album the band has been performing quite a bit and also  working on new songs.


2.In February you had released a new album, what are some of the things you have done differently with the newer music that you where notable to do with previous releases?

Surgery:
The previous album was less melodic than our new one. With the new album we wanted to preserve the energy, something from the 1990s and we feel like the songs sound even better than from our last album.
We also wanted to make it look good so the songs wouldn't blend into like just a pile of songs. Each song is different and unique.

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

Surgery:
To put it simple, we released out first album in 2012 called Descent. We released this album at our own expense. It was financially demanding and time consuming. It is a pity that the album wasn't advertised as well as it could have been since we were only two members in th  band and at that time it was really hard for us.


4.From 2002 to 2010 the band was put on hold, what was the decision behind getting back together after all these years?

Surgery:
Since the year 2002 we have just been playing shows locally. In october 2005 we got a chance to play at a festival called The Slovak Death FEST II. , alongside bands such asVital Remains, Wasteform , Insidious Decrepancy, Flesh grinder, Sanatorium, Mental demise, Perversity… and so on. After this we took a short break due to some work, family issues and responsibilities.Until 2010 we were a band without a recording and then we released at our own expenses CD-R ( EP) Pullet by the rope.

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

Surgery:
Regarding the topics, we tell stories about brutality,death,life issues. Just some raw death metal texts. No crap about love or butterflies :-)


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

Surgery:
When we came up with the name, we thought 'Surgery' sounded brutal and original for a death metal band you know. All we thought of when we heard the name was blood, dead bodies and stuff :-)
 With the arrival of the internet we found out that there are already bands with a similar name. But to this day there is only us and a Mexican band with a name 'Surgery'. They are much younger and play a different genre so there is no mistaking us with them.

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?

Surgery:
The best shows are at home. A city where we grew up called Poprad. We have a strong fanbase in our hometown. Regarding the stage performance, I would just say you can expect a good music, a lot of fun and a sore throat if you know what I mean :-)

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

Surgery:
.No we don't have any touring or shows planned. We are over 40 years old in the band. Everyone has a family and a stable job. We are a humble band and selling merch, CDs or performing on weekends is all that matters and brings joy to us. We are really happy when our fans like our music that feeling can't top anything.
  With that said i don't think there will be any tours anytime soon.


9.The new album was released on 'Support Underground', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Surgery:
'Support Underground' is a small czech label which is managed by one individual. He is a huge death metal fan and does his maximum effort to advertise only czech and slovak bands. It is his hobby, advertising bands he likes without looking at the current trends and sales.

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

Surgery:
The reactions were fantastic so far. We get a lot of positive comments, reviews and we get played by foreign radio stations which we are really happy for.

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

Surgery:
We will be on the tour where we will make Morbid Angel and Deicide :-) No, now seriously.As I  said before we are a humble band , we don't think we will be doing any tours anytime soon. But you never know what the future holds.

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?

Surgery:
We got inspired by the bands from the 1990s that we grew up on. Here is a few examples Suffocation, Death, Slayer, Obituary, Bolt Thrower, Malevolent creation, Morta skuld, At the gates , Dismember, Entombed, Kataklysm.
  There is a lot of bands we like. I personally have quite a wide range of music i listen to. Genres such as Death metal , trash, doom anything that grabs my attention or I really like. There is a group called Morgoth that returned on the scene with an album Ungod that i have been listening to recently. There is so many bands I would like to mention.


13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Surgery:
We all got caught up in a cycle of family,work,family,work... That's what we are really focusing on. There isn't much time for anything else. We are happy when we get some free time to grab a beer together as a band.


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

Surgery:
In the name of our band we are thankful for your support. This is the first time we are doing an interview with someone from the United States.
   We are grateful for this opportunity.And to our fans if you want to buy some merch or CDs contact us via our producer Support Underground.

https://www.facebook.com/Surgery.Poprad/
http://www.supug.cz/

The questions were answered by our guitarist Rado Body.

Chabtan/Nine Levels/DarkTunes Music Group/2018 Full Length Review

 
  Chabtan  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  death  metal  and  deathcore  with  a  touch  of  Mayan  folk  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Nine  Levels"  which  was  released  by  Dark  Tunes  Music  Group.

  Mayan  folk  instruments  and  ritualistic  chanting  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  tribal  sounding  percussion  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style. 
 
  Vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  along  with  some  screams,  extreme  metal/hardcore  style  shouts  and  spoken  word  parts  being  utilized  at  times  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  folk  elements  also  being  mixed  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  When  synths  are  utilized  they  give  the  songs  more  of  an  atmospheric  and  symphonic  feeling  feeling  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  closing  track  being  an  instrumental.

  Chabtan  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  death  metal,  deathcore  and  Mayan  folk  music  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of t heir  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Mayan  Mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Chabtan  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  melodic  death  metal,  deathcore  and  Mayan  folk  music  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  last  Mayan  King"  "Mayan  Messiahs"  "Nourished  by  Four  Gods"  and  "The  Last  Mayan  God".  8  out  of  10.
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Imperial Domain Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
We have been recording a video for the song ”The Future Is Lost”, that you should check out on YouTube if you haven’t seen it! And we have started with rehearsals and doing promotion for the album. Hopefully we are gonna do some live shows. 

2.Recently you have released a new album what are some of the things you have done different with the newer music that you where not able to do with previous releases?
We have worked with the arrangements in a way that we couldn’t do before.  Nowadays its much easier to work with in digital platforms with synth arrangements and overall recording. We have our own recording studio where we can sit and work in our own pace.

3.The band was broken up for almost 10 years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
Lazyness… well, it just kind of faded away. No specific reason. Everybody went on with different bands and projects. The motivation disappeared.  We have to give credits to Alvaro and Peter who came up with the idea to start the band again. Peter had talked to Philip numerous times over the years and then we bumped into each other at a metal festival and Alvaro said ”stop fooling around,  lets start NOW!” and a week later ”True face of war” was written.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
The lyrics are about total loss, betrayal, death and disasters. The song ”The Deluge” for example is about nature strikes back at mankind.  We try to write the lyrics so they got similar vibe and goes along with the music.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Imperial Domain'?
It´s just a cool name that our former singer Tobias came up with. After several different names, this was the one that we thought represents both the music and the band.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
Our idea was to have a big stormy sea with big waves and stuff, then we contacted Pete Alander at Bandmill who sent us different ideas for the cover. And we ended up with his vision of it. Pete also did our logo. He came up with a lot of amazing ideas. He is a great guy to work with. He also did the artwork for ”The True Face of War” single.

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?
The best show so far was the last show we did with our former singer Tobias at Fellini Rock Club in 2005. Lots of people and lots of beers! Our stage performance is based on hitting hard with a lot of energy.
8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
Yes, of course. We are on planning stage right now. Hopefully we are gonna be on the road some time soon.

 9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of melodic death metal?
Overall it´s has been really good, ever since the start.  So far the spreading and reviews on the new record has been very good.

10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Peter and Alvaro are members of Sarcasm who are about to start the recording of a new album. Alvaro is also a member of a new band called DeathSwarm with a new album to be released some time soon, and also Thirdstorm´s new album with release in October. Andreas is working on a new Lou Siffer and the Howling Demons album as well. Philip produces and record different projects.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We are gonna write new songs and keep true to our sound. 

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?
It´s a hard question because we listen to a lot of different kind of music and got influenced by almost everything. 

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
We are family fathers nowadays so most of the time is doing family stuff. Peter would like to have a surfing career though. Andreas likes to play tennis. Philip is a zumba instructor. Alvaro loves fishing trips.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We would like to take the opportunity to thank all our fans who likes and shares our posts and videos, and all the dedicated independent radio stations and webzines out there who really works hard spreading music around the world! Thanks!! That means a lot to us!

Serenius/Metanoia/2018 EP Review

 
  Serenius  are  a  band  from  France  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  self  released  2018  ep  "Metanoia".

  Clean  playing  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  riffs  also  using  a  decent  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  screams.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  tracks  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  one  track  also  brings  acoustic  guitars  and  clear  vocals  onto  the  recording  and  synths  are  also  added  onto  the  closing  song.

  Serenius  creates  another  recording  that  remains  very  true  to  the  melodic  death  metal  style  of  their  previous  release,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recoridng  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  a  woman  discovering  the  secret  of  humanity.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Serenius  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Demonic  Trial"  and  "Demonic  Interview".  8  out  of  10.

  

Æpoch/Awakening Inception/2018 CD Review

  Æpoch  are  a  band  from  Ontario,  Canada  that  plays  a  melodic,  technical  and  progressive  form  of  death  metal  with  some  elements  of  black  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Awakening  Inception".

  A  very  heavy  thrash  influenced  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  the  music  getting  very  technical  at  times  and  when  screams  are  utilized  they  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal.

  Blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  progressive  elements  at  timed  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  technical  style  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  some  of  the  tracks.

  Æpoch  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  the  brutal,  technical,  progressive  and  melodic  sides  of  death  metal  along  with  some  elements  of  black  and  thrash  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  alternative  history,  esoteric,  anti  religion,  space  and  corruption  themes.

  in  my  opinion  Æpoch  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic,  progressive  and  technical  death  metal  band  with  elements  of  thrash  and  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Time  Perspective(Ouroboros  Rec=born)"  "Tabula  Rasa"  "Burn  Them  At  the  Stakes"  and  "Awakening  Inception".  8  out  of  10.   

    

Under Threat/The Prisoner/Hateworks/2017 Full Length Review

  Under  Threat  are  a  band  from  Columbia  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "The  Prisoner"  which  was  released  by  Hateworks.

  A  very  dark  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  some  clean  guitars  also  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  screams  and  death  metal  growls  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  solos and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  as  well  as  a  couple  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  closing  track  which  is  also  an  instrumental.

  Under  Threat  plays  a  style  of  melodic  death  metal  that  goes  back  to t he  90's  to  2000's  era  of  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  destiny,  death  and  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Under  Threat  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A.I  Aftermath"  "Terror  management  Theory"  "Empire  Of  Ashes"  and  "The  Existencialist".  8  out  of  10.

Foredoomed/Ordeal/2017 CD Review

  Foredoomed  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  death  and  progressive  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Ordeal".

  Symphonic  sounds  start  off  the  album  while  clean  male  and  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  some  acoustic  guitars  also  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  the  heavy  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  and s creams  while  the  music  also  incorporates  a  great  amount  of  progressive  elements  along  with  some  blast  beats  also  being  utilized  when the  music  speeds  up  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks a re  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Foredoomed  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  death  and  progressive  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Foredoomed  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  melodic  death  and  progressive  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ghost  Recurrence"  "Dualism"  and  "Ordeal".  8  out  of  10.  

Hitwood/Marea/2018 Full Length Review

  Hitwood  is  a  solo  project  from  Italy  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  death  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Marea".

  A  very  dark  and  new  age  orientated  intro  starts  off  the  album  which  also  introduces  clean  playing  onto  the  recording  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of t he  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  Vocals   are  a mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  screams  while  elements  of  post  metal  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  variety  of  many  different  quests  as  well  as  some  blast  beats  also  being  utilized  when  the  music  speeds  up  and  as  the  album  progresses  spoken  word  parts  can  also be  heard  briefly  and  a  later  track  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  vocals  and  there  is  also  an  instrumental  before  closing  the  album  with  a  vocal  song.

  On  this  recording  Hitwood  expands  on  his  mixture  of  melodic  death  and  post  metal  by  adding  in  vocals  which  are  done  mostly  by  session  musicians,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dreams  and  sadness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Hitwood  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  death  and  post  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Apocalyptic  Omen"  "This  Picture"  "The  Scene  You  COuld  See"  and  "Harikiri".  8  out  of  10. 

  

Surgery/Absorbing Roots/Support Underground/2018 CD Review

  Surgery  are  a  band  from  Slovakia  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Absorbing  Roots"  which  was released  by  Support  Underground.

  A  very  heavy  and  old  school  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  the  vocals  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  a  few  seconds  later  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  music  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  riffs  also  utilizing  a  lot  of  melody  as  well  as  one  track  also  bringing  in  horror  movie  samples  and  the  music  always  remains  heavy.

  Surgery  plays  a  style  of  melodic  death  metal  that  goes  back  to  the  90's  era  of  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  brutality  and  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Surgery  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Absorbing  Roots"  "Paradise"  "Mental  Demise"  and  "Depressive  Reality".  8  out of  10.

Aethereus/Absentia/The Artisan Era/2018 CD Review

  Aethereus  are  a  band  from  Tacoma,  Washington  that  plays  a  very  technical,  progressive  and  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Absentia"  which  will  be  released  on  August  10th  by  The  Artisan  Era.

  Classical  guitars  and  atmospheric  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in a   very  melodic  and  technical  style  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  as  well  as  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  screams.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  songs  also  bring  in a   great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  piano's,  whispers  and  spoken  word  parts  also  being  used  briefly  as  well  as  the  music  also  getting  very  progressive  and  atmospheric  at  times,  a  few  of  the  tracks  are  instrumentals and  they  also  add  in  a  couple  of  songs  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Aethereus  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  melodic,  progressive  and  technical  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are based  upon  the  Kubler-Ross  5  Stages  Of  Grief.

  In  my  opinion  Aethereus  are  a  very  great  sounding  technical,  progressive  and  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cascade  Lights"  "Fluorescent  Halls  of  Decay"  and  "The  Pale  Beast".  8  out  of  10.  

Into Eternity/The Sirens/M-Theory Audio/2018 Full Length Review

  Into  Eternity  are  a  band  from  Regina,  Saskatchewan,  Canada  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  progressive  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "The  Sirens"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  M-Theory  Audio.

  A  very  symphonic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  elements  of  classical  music  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.

  A  lot  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  along  with  some  clean  male  and  female  vocals  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  they  also  add  in  a  touch  of  power  metal  as  well  as  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  classical  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  at  times  the  music  gets  very  progressive.

  Into  Eternity  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  progressive  and  melodic   death metal  and  mixes  them  with  some  elements  of  power  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  fantasy,  life  and  personal  struggle  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Into  Eternity  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  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Sirens"  "This Frozen  Hell"  and  "Devoured  By  Sarcopenia".  8  out  of  10.

 
  

Imperial Domain/The Deluge/Inverse Records/2018 CD Review

 
  Imperial  Domain  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "The  Deluge"  which  will  be  released  on  August  10th  by  Inverse  Records.

  Tragic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  a  few  screams  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  on  one  of  the  tracks.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  symphonic  elements  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  tracks  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  without  ever  utilizing  blast  beats  and  they  also  bring  in  a  classic  guitard  instrumental  before  closing  the  album  with  a  heavier track.

 Imperial  Domain  plays  a  style  of  melodic  death  metal  that  is  both  influenced  by  the  modern  and  old  school  eras  of  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  despair,  chaos,  death  and  dreams  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Imperial  Domain  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "True  Face  of  War"  "Conspiracy"  and  "Ever  Since  That  Day".  8  out  of  10.       

At The Gates/Gardens Of Grief/Dissoance/2018 Demo Re-Issue Review

  At  the  Gates  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  has  been  around  for  almost  30  years  and  are  pioneers  of  the  melodic  death  metal  style  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1991  demo  "Garden  Of  Grief"  which  was  re-issued  in  2018  by  Dissoance.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  demo  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

   Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  screams  along  with  some  atmospheric  soundscpaes  being  used  briefly  as  well  as  the  music  being  more  straightforward  death  metal  than  later  releases  and  some  of  the  riffing  also  adds  in  thrash  elements  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  synths.

  On  this  recording  At  The  Gates  had  more  of  a  raw  approach  to  death  metal  while  also  being  very  melodic  at  the  same  time  along  with  the  later  mentioned  becoming  more  dominant  on  later  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  death  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  At  The  Gates  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Souls  Of  The  Evil  Departed"  and  "City  Of  Screaming  Statues".  8  out  of  10.