House Of Atreus/From The Madness Of Ixion/Iron Bonehead Productions/2018 CD Review

  House  Of  Atreus  are  a  band  from  Minnesota  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "From  The  Madness  Of  Ixion"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Iron  Bonehead  Productions.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  screams  also  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  death  metal  growls  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  utilizing  a  lot  of  melody,  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  fast  riffing  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  they  also  bring  in an  instrumental.

  House  Of  Atreus  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  melodic  death  metal  style  that  was  established  on  their  previous  album,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Greek  Tragedy,  War  and  Shakespeare  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  House  Of  Atreus  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  death  metal,  you  should  check  out t his  album.  RECOMMENDED TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Zealous  Inequity"  "Call  To Thee,  Concubines"  and  "Bonded  beyond  Supremacy".  8  out  of  10.  

Aesthetics Of A Loss/I' Egoisme/2018 EP Review

  Aesthetics  Of  A  Loss  is  a  solo project  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  death metal  with  some  experimental  and  ambient  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2018  ep  "I' Egoisme".

  Heavy  yet  melodic  riffing  starts  off  the  ep  while  clean  playing  is  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  the  vocals  being  mostly  death  metal  growls  and  screams  and  clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  when  the  music  speeds  up.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  experimental  and  ambient  elements  are  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  the  music  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  Swedish  tradition  of  the  genre  and  the  closing  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Aesthetics  Of  Loss  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  melodic  while  the  experimental  and  ambient  elements  gives  the  music  more  originality,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  melancholic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Aesthetics  Of  Loss  is  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  death  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Heritage  in  Ruins"  and  "An  Eulogy  For  Hope'.  8  out  of  10.      

Ominous Eclipse/Sinister/2018 Full Length Review

  Ominous  Eclipse  are  a  band  from  Ottawa,  Canada  that has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  with  some  elements  of  black  and  groove  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Sinister"  which  will  be  released  on  September  14th.

  Symphonic  sounds  start  off t he  album  before  going  into a   heavier  direction  while  the  screams  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  while  the  vocals  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  lot  of  blast  beats  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  technical  style.

  A  great  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  elements  of  thrash  and  groove  metal  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Ominous  Eclipse  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  melodic  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  from  their  previous  release  while  still  having  influences  of  black  and  groove  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  war,  death  and  Armageddon  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ominous  Eclipse  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  death  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Death  By  Dissection"  "No  Redemption  FOr  The  Damned"  and "Eye  Of  The  Raven".  8  out  of  10.    

The Odious Construct Interview

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


A: We were formed back in early 2015.  Wes and I (KC) had departed from a thrash metal project that kinda just lost its spark overall.  Took some they had floating around and wrote Flatline, (last song of our self titled EP) and asphyxiation, which has currently been unreleased.  Shortly after writing a few tunes we got ahold of our buddy Ben, who actually played drums for a band called Legions Requiem, and was also someone that Wes and I grew up in the sacramento metal scene with for quite a number of years.  Having dabbled in guitar just a little, Ben picked up everything super fast, and quickly became proficient enough to help write.  You’ll hear a lot of his stuff on Shrine of the Obscene.  Sam and Casey were a bit tough to find, scouring craigslist and social media, we all got in contact with each other and it just worked perfectly.  We have great chemistry and I couldn’t imagine having other band mates honestly.  We’re all musically on the same page for the most part, so it’s nice to be able to work with like minded people. -KC 


2.You have an ep coming out in October, what are some of the things you have done different musically with this recording that you where not able to do on your previous ep and demos?


A:Our upcoming EP has more experimentation with different orchestra instruments. We used the harp alot for our last EP, but we expanded on that and used a koto, viola, choirs, and of course more harp to keep the songs more interesting and dynamic. Our next EP also has a lot more character to it since everyone had more input and was more involved in the song writing process. The last EP was mostly just me and KC since it was older songs we had written before we found the right band members. Our single, Shrine of the Obscene is a pretty good representation of everyone’s hand in the songwriting process, and musically it creates something more interesting. - Wes


3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?


A: The lyrical content on our upcoming EP addresses a range of issues concerning darker aspects of human suffering. More specifically the effect of what this suffering has on the individual or society experiencing it. Most of the songs, besides the title track, are from the first person perspective of someone who experiences a traumatic or damage inducing situation; mental illness, addiction, etc. The title track is more of an overall portrayal of how we as a modern society tend to relish in the pain of others, as a form of escape from our own suffering. The “shrine of the obscene” is a physical representation of this worshipping of others suffering. Our older lyrical material was also expressed from first person perspectives, just of various different topics concerning similar types of pain people experience. -Casey


4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'The Odious Construct'?


A: Ben had originally came up with the name.  We were just shooting ideas back and forth and its actually super difficult nowadays to come up with something remotely creative.  But it actually works with the lyrical content Casey puts out.  Just kinda a general representation of humanity, and how shitty people can be.  -KC


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


A: The EP title, Shrine of the Obscene was a name that we had already come up with before finding the art. The song, Shrine of the Obscene, was originally titled Desolate Shrine as a working project title.  When Casey presented the lyrics, the song name had change to what it is now.  We actually just randomly stumbled across the art, and it happened to fit perfectly lyrically with the track. -KC


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


A:We’ve played quite a number of shows so far, some super good, some unfortunately not so good.  We’ve played with some pretty cool bands too.  Unearth, Lord of War, Decrepit Birth, Cattle Decapitation, Intronaut and Entheos.  Played to lots of people, and then maybe like 10 haha.  But it happens right?  Our stage presence is getting there.  Especially with these new songs, they require a lot more concentration and focus.  We currently in the process of setting up a light show though, which we think will be pretty cool. -KC


7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new ep is released?


A: We have our CD release show set up with Decrepit Birth right now, a good friend of ours, Gabe Seeber (The Kennedy Veil) is dragging them out to Sac to headline the show, so were pretty grateful about that.  As far as touring, nothing yet set in stone.  We’ve talked with some label mates and might set up a smaller west coast run next year, but yea, nothing for sure yet. -KC


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


A:The reaction to our music has been surprisingly well received from around the world. We had a guy from Norway buy our last EP and i think another one from Mexico, and several places outside of California. I really didn't think our music would reach outside northern california. I also saw some of our music posted on some weird russian website, so its getting out there. - Wes


9.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?


A:  Absolutely!  We’ve already started writing for the full length.  We’ve learned a lot from the latest EP, and were all pretty excited to continue writing and see what comes out.  As far as i know we just want to keep writing and evolving our sound.  I think everyone is pretty happy with whats going on now, so hopefully its only up from here!  -KC


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?


A: We all have a pretty diverse range of metal music we personally listen to, ranging anywhere from numetal to prog to brutal death metal to synthwave! -Casey


A: I think originally black dahlia was a big musical influence on how we wrote.  But nowadays i dont think any of us really listen to stuff that has any influence on the way we write our music.  Maybe we might reference some stuff from other bands if were looking for ideas on how to structure, but from actual like, progressions and stuff like that, at least to my knowledge i dont think there is really any modern acts that help us with that stuff. 



11.What are some of your non musical interests?



A: Im obsessed with yoyo’s . Im always yoyoing at practice during setup or breaks in between songs. -Casey



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


A: Not really man, we just hope this EP does well and people give it a chance!  Everyone put in a pretty big effort to get this where its at right now, and were pretty proud of it!  And thanks for having us!  -KC

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.