Kalopsia Interview

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

Matt: We’ve been really focused on promoting “Angelplague” at a level like we’ve never done before. So doing press, booking shows, nailing down our new live sets. It’s been a really fun and active time.



2.You have a new album coming out in May, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Matt: It’s by far our most diverse and aggressive material to date. Our last album was focused on adrenaline and dexterity, this album is a bit slower and meaner. So it’s a little more knuckle dragging on the musical side. But as always, there’s a blend of melody and a variety of elements from thrash to grindcore to hardcore, all weaved throughout. I know it’s cliche, but I think it’s the best thing we’ve ever done.



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

Matt: This album is centered around the themes of sickness, death and religion. I lost some people close to me over the course of making this record, and dealing with concerns like “burial or cremation” and the religious rituals around death. I’m atheist but my family is not. So those themes were very much stirring under the surface. “Destined to Return” is about accepting death. “Christened Upon the Slab” is about the business side of death. How for some people, a body is a body. You can’t do an autopsy on a person, you have to do it on a body. “Scorched Earth and Blackened Skies” is about how we build things over the course of our lives in defiance of our mortality, but in the end it gets washed away by the sands of time. It’s not a concept album, but these themes are weaved throughout.



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

Matt: It was just something I stumbled upon. It basically means, “the delusion of beauty,” which I thought was interesting. I also liked that the ambiguity of it meant it could evolve as the band did.



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?

Matt: We’ve been really fortunate to play with a lot of incredible bands, including opening for some of our favorites, like Suffocation and Internal Bleeding, for instance. We also have our regional buddies, Dysentery, Forced Asphyxiation, Hypoxia and Cognitive, who we’ve played with more than a few times. New Jersey Deathfest was great. Packed show, solid performance, but it was a thousand degrees in there! Haha

When you come to see Kalopsia you’re going to get a no-bullshit, full on auditory assault of high energy death metal! Stage diving is welcome!



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

Matt: We are currently booking regional shows and making plans for a broader tour. These things are delicate and can collapse quickly, so I can’t say more than that until details are finalized. Tell your local promoters you want to see Kalopsia!



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

Matt: We’re this sort of interesting case of old-school meets new-school, so people don’t immediately know what to make of us. The pure-breed brutal fans dig the rawness of our riffs, but think we could tune lower, haha. The old school purists are like “What’s all this mosh crap?” Yes, I’m talking about you Mr. Bouks. Haha





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

Matt: I am also in a band called Ruinous. Our debut album “Graves of Ceaseless Death” came out in November on Dark Descent Records. Our bassist Drew is the mastermind behind Hammer Fight, who released “Profound and Profane” on Napalm Records. It’s an incredible record from an awesome band. Justin, our drummer is in Hammer Fight, as well as Abacinate, who are a personal favorite. He also plays drums live sometimes for Dysentery, whose new album “Fragments” is out now. Steve plays guitar in Deteriorot, who I think are writing new stuff. I mean, I’m so fortunate to be surrounded by all these mega-talented people, though scheduling things can be a bit challenging at times! Haha!





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

Matt: The promise I made when I started this band was that the core elements of catchy death metal would remain. Anything else is not Kalopsia. Doesn’t mean I can’t do other stuff, just means I need to call it a different thing. So the core elements of sort of death metal, thrash and hardcore will remain. It’s always a question of proportion. “Amongst the Ruins” was a very thrash-oriented death metal album. “Angelplague” is a little more focused on slower and heavier. For the next one we will probably go even more neanderthal before swinging back to the faster, more dexterous stuff. No promises, but also no compromises! Haha





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?

Matt: In the old days, it was second wave death metal, bands like Deicide, Malevolent Creation, Suffocation, etc, meets classic thrash, meets 90s hardcore. So bands like Hatebreed, All Out War, NJ Bloodline, Walls of Jericho, For the Love Of... , etc. Those influences combined to form the early incarnation of Kalopsia. Of course bands like Slayer, Megadeth, Gwar, Pantera and Metallica were already in my DNA, so those influences remain in everything I do.

Nowadays it’s almost embarrassing how much great music is out. I literally can’t keep up. The new Cognitive is awesome. New stuff from Abnormality and Dysentery. Horrendous is great. Gorephilia. Artificial Brain. The new Immolation record is fantastic. I mean, the list goes on and on and keeps getting longer. Temple of Void, Heisenberg. Oh and Vomit Remnants has a new record coming out! On the non-metal side Three Six Mafia, Run the Jewels, Zomboy, Excision, MF Doom. Honestly, if I had a year to do nothing but listen to all this incredible music that has come out in the past 5 years, I still wouldn’t have enough time.





11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Matt: I’ve spent so much of the last three years working on “Angelplague” and “Graves of Ceaseless Death” that I haven’t really had time for much besides work, Netflix, family stuff and books. It’s been a dream come true to have these two fantastic records get out of my head and into the ears of the metal world. Now I need to recharge the batteries before writing the next two. It’s a blessing to be so busy with such great people doing such fun, creative work. For a death metal dude, I sure do smile a lot these days! Haha





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

Matt: Thanks for taking the time to talk with me, and thanks to your readers for taking the time to read this far. “Angelplague” is out May 19th on HPGD Productions (cd) and Proper Death (vinyl). You can find all our info on our website www.kalopsia.org.

Keeping with the theme of the record, hug the people you love, build the life of your dreams, and don’t wait. The reaper’s watching! Thanks for the interview.



 http://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/indexmain.html

Immortal Shadow/Horror Circus/2017 Full Length Review

  Immortal  Shadow  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Horror  Circus".

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  solos  and  leads  that  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up a   great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  screams  and  death  metal  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  thrash  at  times.

  Clean  singing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  also h ear  all  of the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  album  and  the  songs  also bring  in  a  perfect  balance  between  both  modern  and  old  school  influences  and  the  album  also  remains  very  heavy  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Immortal  Shadow  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  melodic  and  also  incorporates  a  great  amount  of  Swedish  influences,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Immortal  Shadow  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Shadow  of  North"  "They  Would  Be  Better  Dead"  "Veil  Of  Maya"  and  "Fear  In  my  head".  8  out  of  10.

 

Karma Zero/Monsters/2017 Full Length Review

  Karma  Zero  are  a  band  from  France  that h as  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  death  metal,  deathcore  and  metalcore  and  this  is  a   review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Monsters"  which  will  be  released  in  April.

  Aggressive  hardcore  style  vocals  and  heavy  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal growls  and  screams  a  few  seconds  later  and  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  while t he  guitar  riffing  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  A  great  amount  of  both  death  and  metalcore  style  breakdowns  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit throughout  the  recording  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  singing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  a  brief  use  of  bullet  samples  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction.  and  when t he  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  adds  an  influence  of  black  metal  onto  the  recording  and  there  is  also a  few  seconds  of  synths  and  clean  guitars  and  they  also  bring  in a  cover  of  Korn's  "Blind"  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Karma  Zero  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to t he  melodic  death  metal,  deathcore  and  metalcore  mixture  of  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  the  mythology  of  classic  horror  movies  and  comics  from  the  1950's/

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Karma  Zero  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  death  metal,  deathcore,  and  metalcore,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Trapped"  "Swamp  Things"  "Horror  Film"  and  "Modern  Promtetheus".  8  out  of  10.    

Kalopsia/Angelplague/Horror Pain Gore Death Records/2017 CD Review

  Kalopsia  are  a  band  from  New  Jersey  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  gore/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Angelplague"  which  will  be  released  in  May  by  Horror  Pain  Gore  Records.

  A  very  fast,  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  death  metal  growls  also  make  their  presence  known  a  few  seconds  later  along  with  some  screams  also  being  used  at  times  and  the  riffing  also  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  groove.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  mid  tempo  sections  also  add  in  a  touch  of  slam  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  the  whole  album  also  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal  from  beginning  to  ending  of  the  recording.

  Kalopsia  plays  a  style  of  gore/death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  in  the  east  coast  approach  to  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional   while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,  violence  and  evil   themes.

  In  my  opinion  Kalopsia  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  gore/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "As  The  Serpent  Devours"  "Source  Of  My  Evil"  and  "Bitter  Sacraments".  8  out  of  10.

  

Hostage of Fate/It Takes Life/2016 EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Greece's  Hostage  of  Fate  which  is  also  in  the  death,  thrash,  post  metal  and  grindcore  direction  and  the  ep  was  released  in  2016  and  called  "It  takes  Life".

  A  very  heavy  yet  melodic  thrash/grind  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  a  few  seconds  later  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  they  also  have  a  great  amount  of  80's  and  90's  influences  while  also  being  very  modern  at  the  same  time.

  Most  of  the  songs  are  very  short  in  length  and  touches  of  post  metal  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  also  always  remaining  very  heavy  and  none  of  the  tracks  ever  bring  in  any  guitar  solos  and  leads  while  melody  can  still  be  heard  in  some of  the  riffing.

  With  this  recording  Hostage  Of  Fate  stick  to  the  heavier  side  of  the  thrash,  death,  post  metal  and  grindcore  genres,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recoridng  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  and  historical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Hostage  Of  hate  and if  you  are  a  fan  of  death  metal,  thrash  and  grindcore,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Trojan  War".  8  out  of  10.

Hostage Of Fate/III - To Bring You Back/2016 Full Length Review

  Hostage  Of  Fate  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  with  a  touch  of  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2016  album  "III  -  To  Bring  You  Back".

  Heavy  guitar  riffing  and  death  metal  growls  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  thrash  and  grindcore  influences  a  few  seconds  later  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  along  with  a  great  amount  of  influences  from  the  80's  and  90's.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  a  very  melodic  old  school  metal  style  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  when  clean  playing  are  used  briefly  they  add  in  a  touch  of  post  rock  and  there  is  also a   brief  use  of  movie  samples  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking.

  On  this  recording  Hostage  Of  Fate  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  death,  thrash,  post  metal  and  grindcore  to  create  something  very  different,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Hostage  Of  Fate  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  death,  post  metal,  and  grindcore,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kiss"  "Universe  In  Her  Eyes"  and  "Side  by  Side".  8  out  of  10. 

   

Hideous Divinity/Adveniens/Unique Leader/2017 CD Review

  Hideous  Divinity  are  a  band  originally  from  Italy  but  currently  resides  in  Norway  and  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical  style  that  is  in  the  brutal  and  technical  death  metal  vein  with  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Adveniens"  which  will  be  released  in April  by  Unique  Leader.

  Spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  direction  along  with  a  great  amount of  blast  beats  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of t he  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  black  metal  influences  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  high  pitched  screams  and  melodic  riffs  also  being  utilized  at  times  while the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  technical  fashion  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Hideous  Divinity  creates  another  recording t hat  remains  true  to  the  brutal  and  technical  style  of  death  metal  from  previous  recordings  while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  black  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Hideous  Divinity  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  technical  and  brutal  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ages  Die"  "Angels Of  Revolution"  "When Flesh  Unfolds'  and  "Embodiment  Of  Chaos".  8  out  of  10.