Zephyra/As The World Collapses/Inverse Records/2016 Full Length Review

  Zephyra  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  death  metal  and  thrash  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "As  the  World  Collapses"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Inverse  Records.

  Dark  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  elements  of  electronic  music  before  adding  in  heavy  guitars  and  melodic  riffs  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  screams  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  there  is  also  some  clean  singing  vocals  being  utilized  at  times.

  At times  elements  of  groove  can  be  heard  in  the  music  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful  and  some  songs  bring  in  back up  gang  shouts  and  blast  beats  along  with  a  great  amount  of  thrash  influences  can  be  heard  in  the  music.

  Zephyra  creates  a  recording  that takes  melodic  death  metal,  thrash  and electronic  music  and  mixes  them  together  while  also  making  everything  catchy,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Zephyra  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  death  metal  and  modern  thrash,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Virago"  "Resurrect  The  Shame"  "Gone  By  Dawn"  and  "As  the  World  Collapses".  8  out  of  10. 

Cancerous Womb/It Came To This/Rising Nemesis Records/2016 EP Review

  Cancerous  Womb  are  a  band  from  Scotland  that  plays  a  brutal  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016 ep  "It  Came  to  This" which  will  be  released  in  July  by  Rising  Nemesis  Records.

  A  very  heavy  sound s tarts  off  the  ep  along with  some  brutal  blast  beats  and  a  few  seconds  later  death  metal  growls  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  high  pitched  grindcore  screams  can  be  heard  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sound  very  powerful. 

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  music  can  also  get  very  technical  at  times  and  on  of  the  tracks  brings  in  saxophones  while  a  lot  of  the  riffs  can  be  very  progressive  and  technical  at  times  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  modern  death  metal  feeling  while  some  riffs  also  add  in  a  touch  of  thrash.

  Cancerous  Womb  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  brutal  and technical  death  metal  and  mixes it  in  with  grindcore  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,  horror  and  violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cancerous  Womb  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  and technical  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  "The  Shrieking  Of  Idiots"  and  "When  All  is  Said  And  Done".  8  out  of  10.

 
 

Myth Of A Life Interview

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

Myth of a Life is a 4 piece melodic death metal band from Sheffield, UK formed in November 2013. Although the band was formed in the UK, none of the founding members originate from the UK. Initially the band started out as a one-man project by Japanese guitarist Takanori Shono.The project was then joined by Italian drummer Damiano Porcelli (ex-Golem) and by Greek death metal vocalist Phil‘Core’ Dellas, thus forming the core line-up of Myth of a Life. In August 2014, the band released their debut EP entitled 'Erinyes'. In March 2015, Myth of a Life inked a three-year record deal with giant Greek record label Sleaszy Rider Records in order to release the band’s debut full-length album. In May 2016, the band announced that they had amicably parted ways with founding member and longtime drummer Damiano Porcelli. A few weeks later the band revealed a new line-up consisting of Liam Banks (ex-Lacrota) on bass, William Price (Psython) on guitar, Alexander Bond on drums and Phil'Core' Dellas on vocals, leaving him as the only original member. In June 2016, Myth of a Life released their debut album 'She Who Invites' via Sleaszy Rider Records.

2.So far you have released an ep and a full length, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?

The full-length 'She Who Invites' is essentially a continuation on the themes which we set with our 'Erinyes' EP; melodic death metal with a lot of thrash metal, metalcore and straight up death metal parts. The 'Erinyes' EP has a more old-school production vibe in contrast with 'She Who Invites' that has a more modern and polished production.

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

Most of the band’s lyrics focus on describing but also reflecting the emotions generated by a dramatic moment. This moment might be of historic, social, religious, mythical or of personal nature.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Myth of A Life'?

The band name is a wordplay of the meaning of the word 'myth'. It revolves around a person. This person can be anyone. We can say that "He has lived a myth of a life". This means that his life has become a traditional, urban story through the various social, natural or even supernatural events and phenomenons that he has been through. As a result his life has achieved legend or 'Myth' status. Alternatively, the urban story told about this person is a widely held but false idea and a lie, thus showing that his life was nothing but a 'Myth'.

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

One of the most important shows of Myth of a Life was at the Sheffield O2 Academy back in May 2015. The performance ethic of the band is making sure that every night, no matter what the circumstances are, we give 100% on stage whether it is in front of 5 or 500 people.

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

We have a a show in July in our home town Sheffield. This will be a special gig for us since it will be the first one with the new line-up and the first since the release of our debut album 'She Who Invites'. Then we will take a short break and from September we are looking to start promoting our full-length across the UK.

7.The new album was released on 'Sleaszy Rider Records', are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?

We are extremely happy with the help, guidance and support that the guys from Sleaszy Rider have given us. We couldn't have asked for a better label to release our debut album and we are proud to be part of the Sleaszy Rider family.

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

So far the reviews and feedback have been great. We really put a lot of effort into making this album, so we are quite happy that the fans and the people of the industry have responded well to it.

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

We don't really know yet and we don't want to decide on a specific musical direction before we start writing. We definitely want to build on the sound that the band has created and see what other different elements we can add to our sonic identity when the time comes to start writing again.

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?

While there are a lot of bands that have influenced us, the one band that has had the biggest impact on Myth of a Life so far is At The Gates and the Swedish death metal scene. Nowadays we listen to many different things but we are all quite excited about the recent Kreator album 'Phantom Antichrist' and the new Obscura album 'Akroasis'. So don't be surprised if in our next offering you hear a twisted mix of thrash metal and progressive death metal.







11.What are some of your non musical interests?

We all enjoy watching movies especially of the horror genre. Recently we had the chance to watch The Conjuring 2 which was incredible.


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

Check out our debut full-length album 'She Who Invites', grab your copy from our bandcamp page and stay tuned on our facebook page for news and updates of the band and as always stay metal! \m/

Beansidhe/Mont/Via Nocturna/2016 CD Review

  Beansidhe  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  plays  a  melodic  form  of  death  metal  with  elements  of  black  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Mont"  which  was  released  by  Via  Nocturna.

  A  very  fast  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  melodic  yet  epic  guitar  leads  which  are  also  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very long  and  epic  in  length  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with some  progressive  elements.

  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  while  black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  more  thrash  influences  can  be  heard  in  the  music  and  the  fast riffs  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount of  classical  guitars  and  one  track  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of melodic  singing  while  the  last  song  adds  in  symphonic  and  classical  music  touches.

  Beansidhe  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  melodic  and  progressive  while  also  mixing  in  influences  of  thrash  and  black  metal  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  spiritual  and  nature  themes.

 In  my opinion  Beansidhe  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  and  melodic  death  metal  band  with  touches  of  thrash  and  black  metal  and if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Spazi"  and  "Diavol".  8  out  of  10.

 

Cannibal Accident/Encyclopedia Cannibalicum:Minimal Results With Maximal Effort/Nailjar Records/2015 CD Compilation Review

   Cannibal  Accident  are  a  band  from  Finland  that has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  that  plays  a mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  compilation  album  "Encyclopedia  Cannibalicum:  Minimal  Results  With  Maximal  Effort"  which  was  released  by  Nailjar  Records  and  consists  of  some  of  their  older  albums,  ep's  and  songs  from  split's  and  compilations.

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  compilation  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  and  after  awhile  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  direction  that  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  and  death  metal  growls.

  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  elements  of  groove  while  the  vocals  can  also  get  very  guttural  at  times  while  most of  the  songs  bring  in  more  of  an  old  school  approach to  grindcore  and  as  the  compilation  progresses  they  bring  in  a  cover  of  Nephritis's  "Abominable  Death"  and  Torture  Killer's  "Motivated  To  Grill"  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  heavy  musical  direction.

  Cannibal  Accident  plays  a  very  brutal  mixture  of  grindcore  and  death  metal  throughout the  compilation  with  some  songs  being  on  the  raw  and  aggressive  side  while  some  are  more  on  the  groove  side,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,  murder,  butchery  and  cannibalism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  compilation  from  Cannibal  Accident  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  brutal  death  metal  and  grindcore,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Accidental  Cannibal"  "Eat  The  Prisoners"  "Torso  Fucker"  and  "Dawn  Of  The  Dead".  8  out  of  10.

Unlit Face Interview

 1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We started playing together in 2009 and had a few line-up changes so far. All current members come from different countries and have different music backgrounds, but we have met in Gothenburg, which is a really cool place for playing heavy music. The idea from the beginning was to play some form of metal incorporating influences from the Gothenburg scene but also from several other styles.
During that first year we released a demo which got pretty good reviews and we could play many gigs around gothenburg. The next step was the EP "Your Truth Lies” which was also received well.

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> 2.You have a new album coming out during the end of June, 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?
The backbone is somewhat the same from the beginning, but we wanted to explore and experiment more, using what each one of us is best at.  At the same time we wanted to revisit some old influences and we wanted to sound heavier. The result is a quite varied record with a strong link between the songs and very clear progressive elements. The guitars are heavier and more detailed, the drums are quite dense, the vocals focus on growls and cleans, and the synths are based on the 70s/80s and more present than before.

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> 3.This is your first release in 4 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
After the release of the EP we felt like we needed to take a step back to work more on our music and find our own sound. And that’s what we’ve done during most of that time span. We also had some line-up changes with our previous guitarist leaving and Rafael taking over all the guitars for the album.

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> 4.The lyrics on the new album cover a lot of the different mythologies across the world, can you tell us a little bit more about which cultures you have explored lyrically on the new album?
The concept of the album is about the creation of the world and mankind based on several different mythologies. But the approach is not to talk about gods and mythological places and creatures, but rather write in a more subtle way, using one or several stories as inspiration. It was difficult to choose the cultures because there is a lot of nice stories, but in the end the selection is:
Overcoming the Sky – Sumerian
Child of Chaos – Chinese
Failed Creation – Native North American
Three Worlds – Eskimo
Foundation – Slavic
Conception of Souls – Maya
Voice of Thunder – Native South American
Conquering Darkness – Egyptian
Everlasting Transformation – Nordic

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> 5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Unlit Face’?
It is about the parts of us that we hide away, but that can at some point appear in different forms. We all are very complex and can be social chameleons, adapting to the situations. But there are some features in our personalities that are rarely shown to others. Sometimes they emerge in stressful situations, sometimes only in very close relationships and sometimes they are not even morally right or socially accepted, but they are nevertheless part of who we are.

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> 6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We had some nice concerts around Gothenburg playing with some of our friend bands. Our stage performance is quite energetic, with a dense sound, but at the same time we deliver the songs with precision.

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> 7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
We are currently organising the release show in Gothenburg and will play around Scandinavia in the autumn. In the beginning of next year we are planning to go for an european tour. More news will be posted on our Facebook page soon.

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> 8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of progressive and melodic death metal?
So far we’ve released just the video for “Overcoming the Sky” and it has been going very well. It seems that most of the fans are concentrated in Sweden and Europe, but also Brazil since Rafael still has quite tight connections there. Recently we’ve got a few reviews before the album is released and they have been positive.

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> 9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We are quite pleased with the result of the album, although there is always room for improvement. I would say that we will probably continue in roughly the same direction in the near future. At the same time we will for sure add other elements and explore different things in the next album. It will probably be a concept album as well. But it is a bit early to say exactly how it will sound and what it will be about.

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> 10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
We are quite broad in music styles that we listen too. All the way from some forms of progressive music to death metal and a lot in between. Some of the influences are Dark Tranquillity, Paradise Lost, Opeth, Machine Head,  Amorphis, but also Karnivool, Animals as Leaders and TesseracT. Lately there has been quite a lot of good releases, but In Mourning, Fallujah, Enshine, Alkaloid and Ihsahn have been looping in our players.

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> 11.What are some of your non musical interests?
All of us work with technology and practice some sports. And all of us are into series and films.
Rafael is very interested in music and keeps digging up new bands and records all the time. He is also into books, specially sci-fi and fantasy.
Roberto is a swimmer. Trains several times a week and also likes to swim in open waters. Traveling is in his top list of hobbies and every now and then plays along some cool bass lines at home.
Tomas passion besides music is cooking. He explorers all kind of cuisines, and is very keen on capturing the original taste from different countries.

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> 12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We would like to thank you for this opportunity and thank everybody who’s supported us so far. We are really looking forward to release the album, start playing live and meet people.

Deathfare/Shotgun Surgery/Heathen Tribes Records/2016 Full Length Review

  Deathfare  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  brutal  death  metal  and  this is a  review  of  their  2016 album  "Shotgun  Surgery"  which  was  released by  Heathen  Tribes  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  riffing  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  music  more  brutality.

  A  lot  of  90's  influences  can  be  heard  in the  music  while  the  songs  still  sound  very  modern  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  of t he  riffs  also bring  in  elements  of  grindcore  and  there  is also  a  quest  appearance  from  Attila  Csihar  which  also  brings  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of dogs  barking  and  one  track  also  adds  in  a  few  seconds  of  clean  playing  and  melodic  guitar  leads  are  added  onto  the  last  track.

  Deathfire  plays   a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  old  school  death  metal  while  also  mixing  in  influences  of  grindcore,   the production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death  and  violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Deathfire  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  style  death  metal  band  with  a  touch  of  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Final  Cut"  "Kitchen  Massacre"  "Great Minds  Think  Like  Me"  "10.000  Nightmares".  8  out  of  10.