Sunday, May 24, 2015

Hexenjager/Demo 2015 Review


  Hexenjager  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  70's  inspired  doom  metal  and  sludge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  demo.

  A  very  heavy bass  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  horror  movie  samples  and  a  minute  later  the  music  starts  adding  in  more  of  a  retro  doom  metal  sound  and  when  vocals  are  added  into the  music  they  are  done  in  more  of  a  clean  style  and  both  of  their  tracks are  very long  and  epic  in  length.

  You  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody  in  both  the  riffs  and  guitar  solos  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  atmospheric  and  psychedelic  sound  at  times  and while  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  70's  doom  metal  sound  the  elements  of  sludge  gives  the  music  more  of  a  heavier  and  modern  sound  and  both  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  slow  musical  direction.

  Hexenjager plays  a  musical  style  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  70's  and  80's  style  of  doom  metal  which  they  also  mix  in  with  a  touch  of  psychedelia  and  the  heaviness  of  sludge  to  create  a  sound of  their  own,  the  production sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  are  written  in  French  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my opinion Hexenjager  are a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Murk".  8  out  of  10.

       

 

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Ampmandens Dotre/Self Titled/Ampmandens Records/2015 Full Length Review


  Ampmandens  Dotre  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  mixture  of  sludge  and  punk  and this  is  a  review  of  their self  titled  2015album  which  was  released  by  Ampmandens  Records.

  Drum  beats  and  melodic  vocals  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  powerful  sounding  bass  guitar  which  leads  up  to  high  pitched  sludge  screams  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  recording  while  also  keeping  around  the  clean  singing  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  both  melody  and  heaviness.

  When  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  add  more  melody  to  the  recording  and  the  mid  paced  sections  are  heavily  influenced  by  punk  rock and  the  faster  sections also  bring  in  the  raw  energy of  that  genre  and  at  times  the  music  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  elements  of  noise  and  hardcore. 

  Ampmandens  Dotre  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  sludge  and  punk  and  mixes it  in with  a  great amount  of  melody  to  create  a sound of  their own,  the  production  sounds  very powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent,  angry  and  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ampmandens  Dotre  are  a  very  great sounding  mixture of  sludge  and  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Militant  Antifacism"  "Black  Fetus"  "The  Killing  Of  Cedric  Williams"  and  "God  Is  Not  Great".  8  out  of  10.

Friday, May 22, 2015

Messenger 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 ep?
    First of all, we have been very busy with writing the new stuff for the forthcoming album. There are a lot of things to do, and we also had to meet our good friend Victor L. Pax in order go give him new input for his second Starwolf-novel, that will be released in December 2015, too.




    2.Recently you had released an ep that contains half original songs and half covers, how would you describe the musical sound that was presented o  the originals and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
    MessengeR itself has a big variety of styles, so it may would be a little bit difficult to compare the style of the band with others. But all songs we have covered have something in common: they are filled with power and energy, emotions and a little bit of madness. These are exactly the treasures of the Captain's Loot.



    3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
    Our lyrics are about our adventures as space-pirates under the flag of Captain Wolf Morgan. The whole story was written down by Victor and is true. Before this, the Sci-Fi has always been big part of our lyrics and also were the fantasy stuff and vikings.




    4.The band has been around since 1990 but there was only a small amount of material released in the early years, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap between releases?
    There are two different periods in the history of MessengeR. The band has started with Hard-Rock/AOR,  in the new millenium we have changed that a little bit and made some demos in order to find our unique style. And to build up a great friendship, which is the most important thing to us. Then we have started the real career of MessengeR - with our first full length album "Under the Sign" up to "See You in Hell", which was released with Massacre-records, "Starwolf" and finally, "Captain's Loot".




    5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Messenger'?
    We are MessengeR and we are spreading our words of freedom around the galaxy.



    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 really had a great time on our tour through europe last year, the crowd has always been amazing, no matter in which country.And no matter how small or big the club is - you can alway count on the metalheads, because they are like pure energy and we are the amplification for them. And this is what our stage-performance is like: pure energy! We have the incredible Merlin on the drums, the evil Dr. Strauss on his strings of deep science, the read-haired madman Pyro Jack on guitar, the warrior Chainmaster on the fiery solo-guitar and myself, Francis Blake, the wicked man on the microphone. We are buccaneers on the stage!



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

    Yes, but nothing we can tell you at this moment. For the other shows, you may feel free to have a look at our page.




    8.On the new ep you had a good amount of covers, can you tell us a little bit more bout them and the decision behind doing your own versions of these songs?

    Port Royal and Blackbone Song are one of the most famous pirate-metal-songs from Germany. In our novel, there is even a space-port which is called New Port Royal. For the DIO-songs, we have been asked by our label Massacre-records whether we would record two songs for a tribute-sampler. Kill the King has the power and Dont talk to Strangers has the emotion that ist very representative for our music, too.



    9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of heavy, power and speed metal?

    The feedback of the metal community always had been great, we have fans in every country, which makes us very proud.



    10.Are any of the band members also involved any other musical projects or bands these days?
    N.A.

    11.When can we expect another album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
    Our next full-length album will be released in December 2015



    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?
    N.A.



    13.What are some of your non musical interests?
    sports, history and science.



    14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
    Thanks for this nice interview and thank you all for your interest. And never forget: A SPECTRE IS HAUNTING THE GALAXY...

    1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new ep?
    First of all, we have been very busy with writing the new stuff for the forthcoming album. There are a lot of things to do, and we also had to meet our good friend Victor L. Pax in order go give him new input for his second Starwolf-novel, that will be released in December 2015, too.




    2.Recently you had released an ep that contains half original songs and half covers, how would you describe the musical sound that was presented o  the originals and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
    MessengeR itself has a big variety of styles, so it may would be a little bit difficult to compare the style of the band with others. But all songs we have covered have something in common: they are filled with power and energy, emotions and a little bit of madness. These are exactly the treasures of the Captain's Loot.



    3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
    Our lyrics are about our adventures as space-pirates under the flag of Captain Wolf Morgan. The whole story was written down by Victor and is true. Before this, the Sci-Fi has always been big part of our lyrics and also were the fantasy stuff and vikings.




    4.The band has been around since 1990 but there was only a small amount of material released in the early years, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap between releases?
    There are two different periods in the history of MessengeR. The band has started with Hard-Rock/AOR,  in the new millenium we have changed that a little bit and made some demos in order to find our unique style. And to build up a great friendship, which is the most important thing to us. Then we have started the real career of MessengeR - with our first full lenght album "Under the Sign" up to "See You in Hell", which was released with Massacre-records, "Starwolf" and finally, "Captain's Loot".




    5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Messenger'?
    We are MessengeR and we are spreading our words of freedom around the galaxy.



    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 really had a great time on our tour through europe last year, the crowd has always been amazing, no matter in which country.And no matter how small or big the club is - you can alway count on the metalheads, because they are like pure energy and we are the amplification for them. And this is what our stage-perfomance is like: pure energey! We have the incredible Merlin on the drums, the evil Dr. Strauss on his strings of deep science, the read-haired madman Pyro Jack on guitar, the warrior Chainmaster on the fiery solo-guitar and myself, Francis Blake, the wicked man on the microphone. We are buccaneers on the stage!



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

    Yes, but nothing we can tell you at this moment. For the other shows, you may feel free to have a look at our page.




    8.On the new ep you had a good amount of covers, can you tell us a little bit more bout them and the decision behind doing your own versions of these songs?

    Port Royal and Blackbone Song are one of the most famous pirate-metal-songs from Germany. In our novel, there is even a space-port which is called New Port Royal. For the DIO-songs, we have been asked by our label Massacre-records whether we would record two songs for a tribute-sampler. Kill the King has the power and Dont talk to Strangers has the emotion that ist very representative for our music, too.



    9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of heavy, power and speed metal?

    The feedback of the metal community alwas had been great, we have fans in every country, which makes us very proud.



    10.Are any of the band members also involved any other musical projects or bands these days?
    N.A.
    11.When can we expect another album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
    Our next full-length album will be released in December 2015



    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?
    N.A.



    13.What are some of your non musical interests?
    sports, history and science.



    14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
    Thanks for this nice interview and thank you all for your interest. And never forget: A SPECTRE IS HAUNTING THE GALAXY...


Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Demon Lung/A Dracula/Candlelight Records/2015 Full Length Review


  Demon  Lung  are  a band  from Nevada  that  has  been  featured before  in  this  zine and  plays  an  occult form of  doom metal  and  this  is a  review  of  their  2015  album "A Dracula"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by Candlelight  Records.

  Acoustic  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  heavy doom  metal  direction  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  and  a  good  portion  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  songs  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  80's.

  Clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  while  the  music  is  very  rooted  in  the  old  school   tradition  of  doom  metal  the  music  still  sounds  very  modern  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  dark  and  melodic  and  on  a  later  track  acoustic  guitars  make  their  return.

  Demon  Lung  remain  trues  to  a  traditional  style  of  doom  metal  creating  an  album  that  is  very  slow,  heavy,  dark  and  melodic,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  based  on  the 1977  form form  'Alucarda.

  In  my  opinion this  is  another  great sounding  recording  from  Demon  Lung  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Behold,  The  Daughter"  "Deny The  Savior"  and  "Raped  By  The  Serpent".  8  out of  10.    


Sunday, May 17, 2015

Hela Interview

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

We are a band based in Elche (Alicante, Spain). We started in 2,013 as Hela. Before, we played under another name (The Sand Collector) with another line up. We used to play a stoner-rock/metal style, but after line up changes and start to write darker and heavier songs, more doomish, we decided to change our name to Hela. That´s how we started.

 2.So far you have released a full length and a split, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings?

Broken Cross was our debut album in 2,013. It was released in cd version by several spanish labels, and released by finnish record label Svart Records a year after in vinyl. It´s a doom rock-metal album. There are a few elements of our previous band, but it´s more doom oriented than stoner. There are also a few elements of prog rock and psych. You will like it if you are in the Blood Ceremony/The Devil´s Blood/Windhand style, but also if you like doom metal style like Candlemass, My Dying Bride or the old Anathema.

The songs from the split sound more doom metal. It was released by Marchalenta Records and Discos Macarras (vinyl version) and Third I Rex (digipack version). It´s definitively doom metal. Heavy, dark, yet melodic and melancholic. There are no elements of stoner rock or something like that in the split.



 3.3 of the band members in the band where in 'The Sand Collector', what was the decision behind breaking up that group and starting over again with a new band?

As we said before, line up changes mainly, and then, changing our style of music. We still had some elements of The Sand Collector when we began like Hela, but we sound totally different, as a new band. So...the best was begin again, like a totally new band, and of course, change our name.

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

We use mainly metaphors to talk about things that we see in our lives, news, etc...We also use mythology to talk about those things. Broken Cross talk about the abuse of power and anarchy. There is also a anti-religious feeling in it. Mainly we tried to spit in the eyes of the people that try to control our lives at any cost. In the split we talk about the extinction and how our life is controlled. We used norse mythology (Ragnarok and Norns) to talk about that.



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

We were looking for a short name. And something that could express the kind of music that we do. We are not fans of viking music and that stuff, but looking for the name we saw information about that underground goddess that is Hela. The duality of her body, beautiful but rotted and how short it is, made us choose that name. We know it´s not very unique or original, but fits perfectly with our music, heavy and dirt (the half rotted), but melodic(the half beautiful).

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

We played only a few gigs in Spain. We had been forced to cancel some shows because our rehearsal room was closed for various months. The owner has some problems (urban problems about the construction and legalization of the rehearsal rooms) with the government of our city  and the police closed the place for a couple of months last summer; after that, Isa, our singer, left the band. When Mireia (the new singer) joined Hela, the place was closed again. We still suffering that legal problems and we cannot do nothing but wait. From summer´14 until today, we only rehearsed 3 months or something like that.

So, we played only a few shows...and maybe there are two that we felt our best shows. One in Castellón and the other one in our city, Elche. We felt very comfortable in stage. We try to sound the best that we can when we play live. That is very the main thing for us. And now with Mireia on vocals, there will be more energy and passion in our shows, that´s for sure.

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

Yes, we talked about play some shows in September. There´s nothing booked and we have to wait because of the problems with our rehearsal room and see how soon Mireia learns the songs, but we try to play very soon. And when we have a new record out, we´ll try to tour, Spain of course, but also we will try to tour some places in Europe.

 8.In November you where a part of a split with Lodo, what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the recording?

We are friends for a long time. We shared stage together, when we were The Sand Collector and they played under the name of “Bazooka”. They suffered the line up changes like us, so they changed their name too. We love their songs, and we are very happy to be together in the split. Soon we will share stage together, or at least we´ll try.

 9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of stoner and doom metal?

Very good. We are from Spain, a country without tradition in metal bands, especially in doom, we have no big names in the underground around the world. But we think here there are a lot of good bands and the feedback by fans put us in the list of that good bands, not only here in Spain, also around the world. Broken Cross received a lot of very positive reviews and that makes us really happy. Also a lot of people contact us via facebook our email, telling us that they love our music. That makes us feel really proud of our job.


 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?

Well, Nahrayan is the oldest band we have (Julian and me) it´s a zombie-undead band right now. It is in stand by and maybe in the future we´ll work behind that name, who knows. The other project that we have together is Quebranto. We have a few songs, but...we need more time to continue with that project and record the album. Hope in a few months we could record, because it´s a nice project. It has influences by bands like Blut Aus Nord, Breach, Terra Tenebrosa, Neurosis, The Secret, Celtic Frost, etc...and it´s really dark and agressive, in the vein of Nahrayan, but more darker, a mix of doom, death, black, crust...

Julian also plays guitar in Muerte por mil Cortes, a grind-death band, they continue playing every time they can, and they have released two albums.

I (Miguel) have a couple of projects more. Neptunian Sun. We play doom metal. Our first album was instrumental, but we are finishing the new one and will contain some surprises. More doom/death/black oriented. And also I play drums in another project, without official name. There are some ex-members of Nahemah. More rock-metal, for fans of Solstafir, Ghost Brigade, etc...

Tano played in a couple of projects in the past, but right now he´s playing in a surf band, called The Bearded Gremmies.

And Mireia has her own band, a stoner-grunge band, called Rosy Finch. They will release very soon their first album, after the release of their ep debut.

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

We are working in new songs. We have ideas for...I think 4 new songs. We have to work really hard on each one, but with that ideas and a couple more, the new album will be finished. We hope to record at the end of this year, so, maybe at the end of the year or in the beginning of 2,016, there will be a new Hela album. The way to follow will be the same, write the songs we love and continue playing. And, if it sounds doom, we will be happy.

 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?

Obviously doom, any kind of doom. From My Dying Bride or Anathema to Electric Wizard or Kongh. A lot of metal, old classic stuff to extreme metal (black, death or whatever). Sludge. Rock. Tons of rock, from the 70´s ´til now. Also grunge or jazz or trip-hop. Even dark ambient bands.

Everyone is listening a lot of different kinds of music in the band and has their own influences, and I cannot talk by everybody, but I can name some bands we like and are an influence to our sound, like Subrosa, Pentagram, Yob, Kongh, Anathema (old), The Gathering, Kongh, Arc of Ascent, Spiritual Beggars, Pallbearer, Neurosis, Candlemass/Krux...and a big etc...

 13.Does Occultism play any role in your music?

No. Not really or...not yet. Lyrically, there are a lot of bands talking about occultism. A lot of female fronted doom bands are talking about that and we know it´s not very original. But we are talking about a lyrical concept for our new album and maybe we could try to approach to occultism and witchery. As we said it´s not very original, but if we finally do that, we´ll try to do it in a different way. But that maybe we´ll be the future, and the present is that occultism doesn´t play any role in our music.

 14.What are some of your non musical interests?

Mainly...search for time to rehearse together! Hahahaha. Because our real jobs, it´s really difficult to us rehearse together. And in our leisure...cinema! We see a lot of movies. We all love cinema. From crap movies to big classics. We love terror, scifi, and independent movies. Also some big productions.
We also try to read a lot of books and comics.


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

Just say thank you for this interview. And thank you to all the people who support us around the world. We have a new version of the split in an awesome digipack released by Third I Rex so...if someone is interested, please visit our facebook and our bigcartel or Third I Rex facebook.
Thank you!


Saturday, May 16, 2015

Charge Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
First we would like to thank you, because we are really grateful for this interview. We released our first album in March. It was produced by Francis Caste who also worked with famous bands from the French metal scene, such as The Arrs, Bukowski or Zuul FX. We will play our first gig of the year on the 30th of May in a famous Parisian venue.

2. Recently you have released a new album, 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?
We defined – actually we tried to define – an aggressive, melodic and catchy musical sound. We also wanted it to sound between rock and metal.
This album is mainly made up of songs from our two first EPs. So it doesn't sound much different from the material we have released previously.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Our lyrics can deal with all sorts of topics. I do not think they are very special. 84, the first single of our album deals with the famous novel by George Orwell. Fantasy literally means what it means. We did not sit down and spend hours defining what the songs would be about. We wrote what we felt on the spot.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Charge'?
We wanted something that was straightforward and we wanted it to sound "right in your face".

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We played some our best shows in two of Paris’s most famous venues (Le Batofar and La Flèche d'Or) last year. Concerning our live performances, it's all about being spontaneous and giving energy with no time out. There is no pause, no silence. We keep on moving and never seem to be slowing down. That’s pure energy.

6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We mainly have plans in the Paris area. We're also planning gigs in the rest of France. Of course, we wish we could play all around the world!

7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Our first album is being distributed by an independent record company named "Rebel music/Brennus records".

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of metal and rock?
Pretty good. Surprisingly we received quite a lot of great reviews for a debut album. It's good to have such support. And we even have to admit the negative remarks they make about the record are right!

9. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We may move toward a style that will be more rock than metal. We want to mix the melodies and structures of rock with some metal arrangement and influences.
Our next album will be out next year.

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 love MetallicA (I myself am one of their greatest fans) Machine Head, Muse and Motörhead – for their unique sound. I also like Red Fang, Godsmack, Slayer and SOAD.

11. What are some of your non musical interests?
I love American football. I am a great fan of the 49ers. I am also fond of Star Wars . I have got a great action figure collection.

12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We want to share our music with as many people as possible. We really want to break all the boundaries between rock and metal. We are setting up a French rock/metal scene so that we may organize tours. And we want to thank all the media who are supporting us. Thank you so much.


Friday, May 15, 2015

Akasava/Strange Aeons/2015 EP Review


  Akasava  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  psychedelic  form  of  occult  rock  with  some  elements  of  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  ep   "Strange  Aeons" which  will  be  released  in  June.

  A  very  dark  and  psychedelic  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  ep  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going into  more  of  a  70's  proto  doom  metal  direction  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  that  also  have  a  blues  rock  feeling  to  them  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  also  stick  to  a  70's  metal/rock  direction.

  While the music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  70's  the  music  still  has  a  modern  sound  to  it  and  some  of  the  songs the  music  speeds  up  and  also adds  in  a  touch of  proto  punk   and  on  the  later  tracks  the  music  starts  to  get  more  psychedelic  and  when  they  add  whispers  into  the  songs  it  gives  the  music  more  of  an  evil  atmosphere.

  Akasava  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  70's occult  rock,  psychedelia  and doom  metal  and  mixes  them in  with  a  more  modern  sound,  the  production  sounds  very professional  for being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Akasava  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  occult  rock,  psychedelia  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Join  The  Ritual"  and  "The  Witch  Is  Rising".  8  out of  10.

 

Membrane 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?

Since the record, we have actively prepared this album release, as it was 4 years since we hadn't released an album, we had to review everything. The composition and recording (mixing and mastering included) lasted 8 months in total (from March to October 2014). a short time because we don't live of our music, we all have a job. From the moment we were all ok for the mastering of Alan Douches, we looked for labels, Big or small, our priority was to take it out on vinyl, and also to have a digital support via internet ...  "Basement Apes Industries" was ok to do it, so we embarked on co-production for this album release and Atypeek was ok for digital sound. It's more interesting to play the music but it was necessary to do the other aspect (promotion, research shows, printing t-shirt, making the video part for the show, vinyl visual, design, etc, check for cd and vinyl pressing ...). We had to create the artwork and the mood of the new album "Reflect Your Pain" then. We also made a new website: www.membranenoise.com (Max manages) and revived the social networks ...  and bandcamp.. we also look for concert dates for promotion. The objective is the release in April, so release party at Paris, and European tour dates with Revok. It is a continuous work, it never stops, you put a lot of energy, we (members of membrane: Nico, Max, Alban) help each other to move forward on some points to advance, it is quite constructive, there is much discussion. and in parallel to all this we create other new pieces in anticipation of a split with another band and to extend the set live.

2.Recently you have released a new album, 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 sound featured on the new album is very heavy, powerful and "opaque", it helps to put a heavy atmosphere with the aim not to allow the listener to breathe ... we wanted a sound that can fit in as much to the compositions and we found it!
other albums are different in composition, the songs were more "Noise" , faster and therefore the sound is different . We also worked every time with different sound engineers for records , so personal keys for each sound texture of each album. " Utility of useless things" is eleven years ago now, and the pieces at the time was less speed and noise! We were satisfied every time for the sound, it fitted us! for " Reflect Your Pain " we did a vinyl mastering different and the sound is even better , much heavier and freezing! and on this album I put more despair for singing, which accentuated the effect of heavy atmosphere!

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

For themes of the songs , I went on this album about death, the double personality of an human being , the cerebral state of a person under the ground, on the pain, evil thoughts , hopelessness, mental distress , fall , assault we hear in our heads , the reflection of his image, loneliness and all that with time some glimmers of hope ! etc .. it was also a lot in connection with music. At the beginning of the musical writing I had my themes, then once we had the pieces , I harnessed the words , and it was a very important moment for me, I spent nights making that, to become crazy! and registration had to be given to the texts all this intensity! "Breath" for example , where I started alone on guitar and vocals and other instruments then arrives and ends with a female voice , I think this song is representative to make you want to spend as image of this album "Reflect Your pain"!

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

we chose the name " membrane " because it has several interesting definitions, and we wanted a short band name and thought that it sounded good. 15 years ago , when "Membrane" was formed , I was a fan of the film " Existenz " David Cronenberg and also films of David Lynch where music have a very important role in his films , so the name came pretty easily . A membrane is both a substance surrounding an organ, a cell but also a part of a vibrating transducer under the effect of an acoustic pressure , sound wave , and finally a sealing wall for separating the compartments, and acts as a diaphragm!

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

The best shows are those where we played support with bands such as Unsane, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Mouth of the Architect, Kylesa, Kong, Ufomammut  and more because you play with bands that you enjoy and you'll put the mental pressure! You are obliged to give you in depth, and you give all your energy on stage! and when bands members say to you "Crazy show guys", you become aware of the impact of your music! there is also a great time to the Eurockeéennes festival in 2004 !, it was our first big festival as musicians, a great moment! we were also younger! and then played Jr Ewing and Mono on the same stage! There is also an amazing time in Poland in Wroclaw (2010) where people were trans, cry, dance to our music and it was a crazy concert! full of emotions, I still have a lot of images in my head! and recently the European tour in May 2015 has strengthened us to defend our last album, the shows were more and more intense emotions, and scenic and visual expressions, we really found a symbiosis between us and we thoroughly!

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

 Yes! We were a 10-day tour with Revok (band of paris) and others shows in April. You can see photos and comments all day of the tour: https://revokbuntaufgrau.wordpress.com/  We did some dates in eastern France too, and nearly the release party 2! at "Home" and a show in Switzerland (june 4). We seek a maximum of dates to promote the new album for the Automn (mainly in France) and we also think about another European Tour for next year.


7.The new album was released on Basement Apes Industries and Atypeek Music, can you tell us a little bit more about there labels?

Membrane Basement Apes Industries, this is a great "Love Story"! Fred Bouchet, the manager of the label, trusted us since the beginning, our first album was released in 2004! and since we are still working together! His ideas and his conception of the music industry correspond to ours. He was always there to promote the band, and edit all our albums, he worked on some album covers, too, it is always fully invested, and since its creation (in 2003), he worked with many groups, this year it is in its fiftieth out! He Has Worked very Actively for the release of the latest album. . Regarding Atypeek Music is a recent meeting, Christophe Feray followed us for a long time and contacts were made well before the album was finished, he trusted us on the production of the album, and we are very satisfied! The label Explored a surprisingly wide range of genres, principally Noise bands! digital media is important now because people are also increasingly linked to what is going on the internet via itunes, deezer, etc... People also another way to listen to music and discover bands. Atypeek Music Allows us to exist and to be distributed on digital platforms. Both labels have become complementary to us, and they worked together to also promote the album, and it also served to streaming the album for a week over "New Noise magazine" just before the official release.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of noise rock and hardcore?

The feedback is very good ! even better than before! we feel a clear evolution , social networks have played a big part! I'm on networks that only last year and this facilitates much better spreading our music and connections worldwide . I feel that people are really receptive to our music , I now correspond with people from Japan, Usa, Mexico, Brazil , Norway, Poland etc ... in our albums, there is always the fiber " Noise" !, our identity ! and I think we touch different people now , whether in the "Noise" , "Post- Hardcore" , "Rock", "Metal", "stoner" , "doom" , "sludge" etc ...

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

I think the band really found its guideline, we try to give all our emotions through our music , music is an exutoire / outlet and we will give the most attention . we already let's create other songs , with the same vein as Reflect Your Pain. We already play in concert, and we see that it sounds well, and we think even record a few songs at the end of the year. Always quite long songs , between 6 and 8 minutes each.

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 listen different musical styles, whether of Pop to Death Metal ! We are all fans of Neurosis , Unsane , Breach and Amen Ra , so it plays a lot on our music. For me, I am a  Sonic Youth fan since adolescence, I always liked the saturated guitars !!! and I 've always had this attraction to "Noise Music" !!! I think this album has managed to distance with those great bands developing our own style ranging from the Noise and Metal, to have our own personality ... now we're listening the last album of Metz ! terrible !, also Kenmod , Wovenhand , Terra tenebrosa , Envy, Buildings and more, more ...

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Nico: red wine, the design of the fifties and sixties , skateboarding, BMX, the design/vintage market , and looking after my family
Alban : the great wild spaces , good drinks , my wife and my daughter .
Max : Tennis, horror movies , family.

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

 In the future, near or far, we would be really happy to see membrane open a bit more to the world, that would be really fun to be able to come and play in England or even beyond Europe. The music is an important link between people, and allows you to meet so many different people at each place where you play . Strongly following the events !  Thank you for your interest in our music, it's a pleasure to see people put the ear on our "Reflect Your pain" album. THANKS

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Obsidian Sea 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?

Anton: We are trying to spread it around, let people hear it and we’re busy making some live shows happen. Some new ideas are already starting to emerge but we’re taking our time with them

2.Recently you have released  a new album, 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?

Anton: I guess you can say the sound is still rooted in the traditions of what is called “doom metal/rock”, but with a dreamlike and sometimes uneasy air to it. I don’t know how others will feel, but to me it’s a quite introspective album that you can drift away to.

The main difference with what we did in the past is that we didn’t have the desire to stick strictly to the “canon” this time around. We gave ourselves more freedom with the songs and as we also had some line-up changes the sound naturally changed too.

When I look back, I feel the debut was much too straightforward and while this is not necessarily a bad thing, the current one is to put it simply, better musically. Of course, every band probably declares the same thing for their latest work, but I think there’s a lot more from our personalities put into “Dreams, Illusions, Obsessions” so it’s a more accurate representation of our band and the energy behind it.

3.This is the first album to be released in 3 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time period?

Anton: First of all, we added a bass player (Ivaylo Dobrev) in late 2012 so I’d say we were getting used to writing and playing our music as a trio both live and in the rehearsal room, working out what sounds best for this line-up and of course, writing the current album. Three years between albums seem like a long time when we look back but it didn’t really feel that way especially when you consider the mundane day-to-day activities, work etc. that we have to deal with in order to keep the band going.

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

Anton: There isn’t a strictly defined concept but I think the album title fits quite well with what we are trying to achieve. In the end these are all stories about Man and his fate: his journeys inside his own soul and mind and the connection he has with what lies beneath the surface of our everyday existence – ecstasies, dreams, faith, the wanderings in which one could lose himself and become detached from his own beliefs and suffer.
This is probably not the common routine “reality” at first glance, but then again, this is what really matters and what defines us as humans, I believe.

The particular inspirations, I think, are not so important. All the lyrics are based more or less on our own life experiences so they might look distant and abstract to some, but for me the main goal as a lyricist is to evoke a certain mood, a subconscious and emotional reaction with them, rather than preach or “say” something self-righteous to someone which is to be understood in a literal way. I have no ambition to do that.

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

Anton: Again, there isn’t a hidden “true” meaning behind it but when I came up with it I had this picture of the night starlit sky in my head. Subconsciously I’ve always associated music with the element of water, with the waves and the sea. So there you have it. I never felt that I have to explain the name to myself and to others, I think it just goes well with our music.

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?

Anton: I haven’t thought too much about it. First of all, we haven’t played so many shows because there aren’t a lot of places in Bulgaria you can go and play especially outside of the capitol – Sofia - and we are just starting to arrange things for abroad.
Anyway, we’ve done memorable shows with 1000mods and Ufomammut (both great bands) but I believe we are getting steadily better live and for me personally our very last performance -  our album promo this April - was actually our best in terms of overall atmosphere (which is the most important in the end).

About the stage performance – we are not a band who tries to interact too much with the crowd or try to get them fired up or whatever – I’d say when we get on stage we enter our own little spaces and sometimes it feels a bit trance-like to me, so we try to accentuate that with the lights and with some little touches on how the stage itself is set. We don’t do anything really expansive or flashy – we just focus on the atmosphere and try to instill our own mood and temperament into those who watch us live.

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

Anton: We are working on it. We have a couple of shows in Bulgaria planned for June and we were also invited to a fest in Serbia (you can look it up here: http://www.puljp.org/ ). Hopefully we’ll be able to do something of a mini-tour in some of our neighboring countries at least: Greece, Romania, Serbia, but that is still to be arranged properly. Anyway, if someone is interested in offering us a stage – we are open to any invitations, you know.

8.The new album was self released, are you open to working with another label again in the future or do you prefer the DIY approach a lot more?

Anton: Both ways have their good and bad sides. We worked with Solitude Productions from Russia for the first album and I cannot say we were unhappy with them but we wanted to try and do things ourselves this time in order to really know what’s happening and to have full control over the band’s dealings. It’s pretty hard work and we are still getting experience of how to do it properly, but we manage for now.
Anyway, we are not against working with labels in the future. We’ll see how people react to the album, it was released in 500 copies so I wouldn’t exclude even a future re-release if someone is interested, of course.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of doom metal?

Anton: It’s still early to say, but there are people from around Europe and the US who bought it and so far we’ve seen some positive reviews (one of them was yours for which we thank you, of course) so that makes me hopeful for the future. However things are not moving too fast, because we’re not the most well-known band in the style so we’re working on getting a wider distribution for the album. Things will happen in time.

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

Anton: It’s hard to say. I’m not really interested in doing the same thing over and over again. I’m happy with the current album’s direction and I think we still have some nice songs in us in that vein, but there’s not a lot of new material for now… We’ll see. It’s not unthinkable for me to do something completely different in a couple of years if we feel like it.
Actually from what I’ve seen, people really focus on the very traditional element of our music, which is nice, but I feel there’s an unusual atmosphere to it that you can catch if you really listen. It’s not straight “doom” or only “metal” to me and probably we’ll add more strangeness in the future.


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?

Anton: Well, obviously the biggest influences are classic doom bands from the 70s and 80s like Trouble or Pentagram (you all know them) but also early Judas Priest albums, Budgie, Wicked Lady. I also like to listen to soundtracks quite often – Goblin and Fabio Frizzi, some stuff from John Carpenter or say, Angelo Badalamenti’s score for Twin Peaks all come to mind. But it’s an influence in terms of mood and approach to music more than anything.

Anyway, the list would take too long and I’m really not so sure what really goes into our playing so perhaps people would find some completely different similarities.

However I can say for sure that our current sound owes a lot to great Italian bands such as Black Hole, Paul Chain, Death SS or Epitaph.

Apart from all that, nowadays… I listen to almost the same as always, some of the things I mentioned already too. I’m pretty slow in discovering new music. Boring, I know, but it makes me feel comfortable that way.

I can say that one of the last bands I saw live was Wovenhand and I was really impressed...


12.How would you describe your interest in the occult?

Anton: It’s strange, because this is a question we are often asked in interviews, but the truth is we don’t have a real profound experience with it nor do I feel we need to pretend just for the sake of image like many others do.

However, if we expand the answer to whether we are interested in the nature of being, of the world, of ourselves and ultimately – in the truth which unites all this, then yes, we are, as everyone who is working through any form of honest inspiration is…

And I think knowledge and experiencing life are one and the same but knowledge should be approached with honesty and not pride and there are lots of paths to it, be it philosophical, esoteric, imaginative, creative or even the most simple of practical experiences, but it has to be done with pure heart.

And to be honest, I have found that even the experience of not simply “playing”, but actually letting music sound through you is often more profound than the very superficial “wisdom” some sources offer under the pretense of truth.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Anton: I don’t want to sound pretentious, but my main interest is living in an authentic way. I studied philosophy, graduating a few years back and I always had an interest in the ways of fantasy and imagination so this defines my taste in books and movies too.

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

Anton: Thank you for the interview and for showing interest in the band.
There’s no need to talk too much, music says it better anyway. Take care!

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Goatsnake/Black Age Blues/Southern Lord Recordings/2015 CD Review


  Goatsnake  are  a  band  from Los  Angeles,  California  that  plays  a  stoner  form  of  doom  metal  with  a  touch  of  sludge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Black  Age  Blues"  which  will  be  rleeased  in  June  by  Southern  Lord  Recordings.

  Pianos  and  clean  singing  start  off  the  album  along  with  a  very  lo-fi  atmosphere  and  after  a minute  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  and  melodic  doom  metal  direction  along  with  clean  singing  that  also  adds  a  70's vibe  to  the  recording  while  the  music  still  sounds  very  modern  and  the  later  tracks  bring  in elements  of  stoner  rock  and  sludge.

  Most  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  very  slow  yet  heavy  musical  direction  and  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  harmonicas  in  certain sections  of  the  recording  which  also  adds  a  touch  of  blues  rock  to  the  album  and  when solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  also add  more  of  a  stoner  rock/metal sound to  the  recording  as  well  as  enhancing  the  retro  vibe  of  the  songs  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.    

  Goatsnake  plays  mostly  a  melodic  style  of  doom metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  70's  and  80's  but  also  mixes  in  elements  of  stoner  rock  and  sludge  along  with  a  more  modern  sound  to  create  a  musical  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Life  Experiences.

  In  my  opinion  Goatsnake  are  a  very  great  sounding  stoner/doom  metal  with  a  touch  of  sludge  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Elevated  Moon"  "House  Of  The  Moon"  "Graves"  and  "A  Killing  Blues".  8  out  of  10.   

Monday, May 11, 2015

Exorcism/World In Sin/Dream Records/2015 EP Review


  Exorcism are  a  band  an  international  band  with  members  from  Serbia,  U.s,  United  Kingdom  and  germany  that  has  been  featured  before  in this zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  heavy  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "World  In  Sin"  which  was  released  by Dream  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  doom  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along with  some  keyboards  in  the  background  that  also  appear  on  some  of  the  other  songs  as  well  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  all  clean  singing  done  in  an  80's  fashion and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a very  powerful  sound to them.

  When  solos  and  leads  are utilized  they  remain true  to  an  old  school  and  traditional  style  of  metal  and  while  the  music  has  a  very  80's  orientated  sound  the  production  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  modern  day  feeling  and  the  music  brings  in  Dio  and  Tony  Martin  era  Black  Sabbath  influences  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a slow  or  mid  paced  yet  heavy musical  direction  throughout  the  the  recording  and  some  of  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  hard  rock  and  the  last  track  is  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Exorcism  creates  another  recording  that  goes  back  to  the  early  80's  styles  of  heavy  and  doom  metal  but  done  with  a  more  up  to  date  take, the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occultism  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording from  Exorcism  and  if  you are  a  fan  of this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Black  Day  In  Paradise"  and  "Black  Star".  8  out  of  10. 

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Barabbas 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?

« Messe pour un chien » was released, in november 2014. At that time, we did a mini tour in France with the Sweden doom masters of GOATESS (The « Sombre Novembre » Tour), that was a great experience and a real cool times with 4 fine gentlemen ! We also got in touch with a few labels but as of now, we did not find the « good partner », so the search goes on. The last gig we did was in Paris, on february, with the italian bands DOOMRAISER and SHORE OF NULL. The audience wasn’t huge, so bad for those who weren’t there because it was a great night of doom ! We have also begun working on new songs for our next album.


2.Recently you have released a new album, 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 new album is still doom, but less « in your face » than the 1st ep « Libérez Barabbas »,
which was very Cathedral-influenced. « Messe pour un chien » incorporates a broader scope of influences (heavy metal, classic rock, prog, even punk). Oddly enough, it sounds nevertheless more personnal. The production is also better. Jay, our bass player, did a great job. At first, some of us were a bit uncertain about the new album because of the stylistic differences with the 1st ep. But we received a lot of positive reviews for « Messe… », much more than for the 1st ep, so I guess the evolution was positive.


3.The band has been around since 2007 but so far there has only been 2 albums, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap between releases?

In fact, at first, we weren't even thinking about doing an album. In 2007, the idea was simply to play doom riffs for pleasure's sake, just having a good time making music with friends. When Rodolphe became our singer, around 2009, the band took a whole new dimension and we thought it would be cool to record something, so we did the 1st ep in 2011. After that, we did some gigs, began to write new songs, did some other gigs, ditch some songs and write new ones… And two years have passed : ) We all have families, regular jobs, so we can’t rehearse a lot and we are kinda slow in the songwriting process. It can be frustrating sometimes, but that’s the way it works for us. You know how the saying goes : if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it : )


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

In spite of the religious connotations of our name, we are not a « christian doom band », neither do we intend to preach something to the listeners.  We use religious images to express personnal feelings, in the same way Ronnie James Dio used « medieval » metaphors. For example, « Judas est une femme » is about love betrayed. « La beauté du diable » is about male lust. « Messe pour un chien » relates to the loneliness of a man on his dying day and more generally, to the rise and fall of anybody, how our greatest achievements will meant so little when Death will come. « Le sabbat dans la cathedrale » is simply about partying hard, getting high, doing strange things you would’nt do in everyday life (besides, it’s also very cool to have a title which pays tribute to Black Sabbath and Cathedral, two of our favorite doom bands : )


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

It comes from the movie « Barabbas », made by Richard Fleischer in the 60s, with Anthony Quinn playing Barabbas. The film focus on the life of Barabbas, a thief, a bad guy, after he’s been set free instead of Jesus. Slowly, Barabbas will question his fate : why did he get a second chance, while another man, a good guy that some see as the son of god, has been crucified ? So Barabbas will try to find the meaning of all this. Of course, the movie doesn’t end well for him (that wouldn’t be doom : ). All religious aspects asides, this movie appealed to us because, like Barabbas, we are all trying to find a meaning in what can sometimes appear as a meaningless universe.


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?

Regarding our stage performance, we try to keep it intense, to put all of our physical and spiritual energy in each gig. If you don't sweat, it's no good : ) Of course, the reaction of the audience is capital to our implication, it’s an exchange between them an us, like getting energy from the crowd and give it back to it. We are fortunate enough to have Rodolphe as a front man. He is a real performer and the driving force of BARABBAS on stage. When he is « on », we feel strong and confident because he’s a real powerhouse. So far, the best gig we did was probably at the DOOM OVER PARIS VI festival in 2012, with ATARAXIE, ISOLE, MARCHE FUNÈBRE ans CHAOS E.T. SEXUAL. The reaction of the crowd was fantastic. The gig we played in Rennes (Britanny, France) with GOATESS during the Sombre Novembre Tour was also really great.

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

No touring plan for the moment. To be honest, we’d like to, but it’s really hard to plan a tour when you’re not backed by a label or a gig promoter. So right now, we are focusing on the gigs we will play in the following month, the main event beeing the FALL OF SUMMER, in september, a big fest taking place near Paris with tons of great black / death / trash / doom bands sharing the stage for two days. We are really happy and proud to take part in this fest. So far, we only did gigs in France, but we would be glad to play outside of our country. If an Irish promoter is interested…


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of stoner and doom metal?

« Messe pour un chien » has received real cool reviews from some European countries (Germany, Italy, Sweden, Greece, Portugal, England, Ireland…), US and Russia. We have also a fair amount of foreign followers on Facebook, and we do sell a part of our cd outside France. Generally, foreign listeners appreciate French singing, they tend to find it kind of « exotic », while many French people dislike bands singing in French. It’s odd, but we did have French doomsters asking us after a gig why we sing in French. Go figure : ).




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

Time will tell ! We have just begun to work on new songs and we don’t even know if we will keep them for the next album. For each record, we wrote more song than the ones we used. It can be frustrating sometimes, but the N°1 rule in the band is that everybody must be pleased with a song or else, we throw it away. Besides, having a whole bunch of songs helps you to get a global perspective on what you want to achieve with a particular record, it helps you develop some sort of « concept », including the sound of the album, the cover… Three things are certain : we’ll keep it heavy, we will use French language, and we’ll continue to write songs, within the traditional structure « verse / chorus / verse ». We  always try to write melodies, songs you can sing along to (granted, we don’t always succeed : )


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?

BLACK SABBATH, CATHEDRAL, SAINT-VITUS, PENTAGRAM are probably the more obvious. Those are our first influences. But we don’t listen exclusively to doom metal, or even metal : Rodolphe is also very found of southern rock, Jay and JC dig punk and hardcore, Stéphane likes classic rock…  So I guess all these styles do influence our sound, even slightly.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Watching movies (and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that we prefer horror / sci-fi movies, it seems to be a general trend of the metal communauty), reading… and food, of course (hey, we are French : )


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

Thank you very much for this interview. Support the French doom / stoner scene, there are lots of real great bands worth a listen : THE BOTTLE DOOM LAZY BAND, HUATA, NORTHWINDS, CULT OF OCCULT, ATARAXIE, FUNERALIUM, PRESUMPTION, FATHER MERRIN, WHEELFALL, AKASAVA, FANGE, LYING FIGURES… And all those we forget ! DOOM ON !

Big Bussiness Interview

All questions answered by Jared

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

We've toured a bunch, went to Europe with Mastodon, recorded a digital single, got our PHDs in fast food management, lost 33% of our band membership, and became the first music group to climb Mt. Everest in the buff.  Not a bad couple of years.

2.Recently you have released a new album 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?

I would describe the musical sound as blasphemous and hedonistic. Our old stuff was very uptight and religiously focused.  We had a pretty big falling out with Jesus.  Turns out he talks a lot of shit!

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

Forest shit, teen angst, home mortgages.  I try to keep it loose so that the most serious of scholars can teach the perceived meanings in school and the dumbest ding-dong can think it's about their relationship with their girlfriend or boyfriend.  Maybe it is?  Who knows?

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

We were hoping we'd be confused with investment bankers and the money would just start rolling in.  No such luck.

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?

We've played hundreds of shows and none of them have been good.  We really should have given up by now.  I would describe our stage performance as "breathtaking", "a romp!", and "a romantic comedy for the ages".

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

Nope.  Just hoping we can ride on the work we've done for the rest of our lives.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of noise rock?

I don't know.  Nobody ever explicitly makes themselves known as fans of noise rock.  I'm not sure what that means.

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

Yes.  Coady and I play in both the Melvins and White Shit.

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

I'd like to record with a string section and a choir.  Also, we'd like to play the first concert in space. These things cost money, however.  Can you ask people to send money at the end of the interview?

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're big fans of funiture-core, dust metal, and cigarette rock.   Lately I've been listening to sirens blasting on the street, my child screaming her head off, and all 3 of my wives nag nag nagging me to death.

11.Do you have any non musical interests?

Anything artisanal or hand-crafted.  Bonus points if it's locally sourced!

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

I think it's lame when people act like bigots.  Everyone is welcome at a Big Business show.

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Golers/South Mountain Style/2015Digital Album Re-Issue Review


  Golers  are  a  band  from  Canada  that has  been featured  before in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture of  punk  and  thrash  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1999  album  "Southern  Mountain  Style"  which  will  see  a digital  re-issue  in  June  of  2015.

  Distorted  radio  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  metal  and  punk  direction  as  well  as  adding  in  d  beats  and  aggressive  vocals  that  are  very  close  to  hardcore  and  the  music  also  uses  a  great  amount of  high  pitched  screams  and  the  solos  and  leads  bring  back  an  early  80's  metal/punk  feeling  to  the  recording.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts along  with  a  great  amount  of  raw  energy  and  traditional  punk  shouting  and  back  up  gang  shouts can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  samples  while  some  of  the  heavier  sections  also  bring in  a  touch  of  death  metal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very powerful  sound to  them  while  a  alter  song  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing.

  On  this  recording  Golers  played  a  musical  style  that  mixed  thrash  with  hardcore  and  crust  punk  and  had  a  musical  style  that  fit  in perfectly  in  the mid  90's,  the  production sounds  very  professional  for  the  time  period  it  was  recorded  while  the  lyrics  cover  hateful,  real  life  and  humorous  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  Golers  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  thrash,  punk,  crust  and crossover,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hoe"  "Prehistoric  Future"  "Outhouse  Fuckrace"  and  "S.M.S".  8  out  of  10.     

Wolf System/No Sleep These Nights/Building Sound/2015 EP Review


  Wolf  System  are  a band  from  Batan  Rouge,  Louisiana  that  has been featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  metal,  punk  and  blues  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015 ep  "No  Sleep  These Nights"  which  was  released  by  Building  Sound.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  yet  dark  sound  starts  off  the  ep  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful sound to  them  along  with  the  riffs  utilizing  a great amount  of  melody  and  when  vocals  are  added into  the  music  they  are  all  clean  singing  and  alos  give  the  songs  more  of  a  blues  rock feeling.

  When solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  very  melodic  and  the songs  also  mix  the  raw  energy  of  punk  rock with  the  heaviness  of  metal  and  on  some  of  the  tracks  you  can  also  hear  a small  amount  of  tracks  that  evoke  a very  Southern  orientated  atmosphere  when they  are  utilized  as well  as  a  small  amount  of  female  vocals  and  the  songs  also have  a touch  of  stoner  and  doom metal  at  times.

  Wolf  System  creates another  recording  that  takes  metal,  punk  and  blues  rock and  mix  them  together  as  well  as  adding  in  elements  that  could  easily  when over  stoner  rock  and  doom  metal  fans,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another great sounding  recording  from  Wolf  System  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  metal,  punk  or  blues  rock,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Desperation  Of  Some"  and  "Delusions  Of  The  Narcissist".  8  out  of  10. 
  

   

Friday, May 8, 2015

Radiant Archery/Salvation/Epidemic Distro/2015 Full Length Review


  Radiant  Archery  are  a  band  from  Singapore  that  plays  an  instrumental  form  of  post  metal and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album "Salvation"  which  was  released  by  Epidemic  Distro.

  A very  distorted  sounding  drone  starts  off  the album  before  adding  in  drum  beats  and  melodic post  metal  riffs which  slowly  start  to  get  more  dark  and  heavier  sounding  and  after  the  intro  the  music  gets  more  structured  and  you can  also  heat  a  touch  of  sludge  in  the  slow  and  heavy  riffing  at  times.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  shoegaze  in  the  music  at times  and  when  guitar  leads  are  utilized they  take  the  music  into  more  of  a  melodic  direction  and  you  can also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on the recording  and  the   whole  album  also  sticks  to  a  slow  musical  direction.

  Radiant  Archery  plays  a  style  of  post  metal  that  is  all  instrumental  but also  manages  to  capture the  perfect  balance  between  heaviness  and  melody  and  the  production  on all  of  the  songs  also  sounds  very  professional..   

  In  my  opinion  Radiant  Archery  are a very  great  sounding instrumental post  metal  band  and  if you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Salvation"  "Mithra"  and  "Juggernaut". 8  out  of  10.

Sad Iron Interview

ANSWERS BY BERNARD RIVE
 
1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
   Actually we are in a very good flow at this moment. We  are part of the Dutch Steel compilation album, SKOL Records have released our album Total Damnation and we are invited to do some shows in Holland. Our line up at this moment is very heavy compared to the 80's. We have found in Marc van den Bos an excellent guitarplayer and singer. Robert Bakker is our drummer and he kicks ass!!!
 
2.Recently Skol Records re-issued your 1983 album with some bonus live and studio tracks, what are your thoughts on the final product?
    Maybe you know that we recorded this album in 1983. Unfortunately there was a very, very small budget so we had to record the album within one day. So we didn't have time to record extra guitars and we didn't have the time to make a proper mix. So the sound is rather poor. I think Bart Gabriel (from SKOL Records) did a good job. The cd has a great inlaybooklet with a lot of ,very old, photo's, lyrics etc. And it's very special because of the bonustracks. It has some songs from the very beginning and also some songs from the period after Total Damnation.

3.I have heard that the band plans on releasing a re-recorded version of the 1985 album 'The Antichrist, what was the decision behind re-recording the album?
    Yes indeed, we had the plan to do that but we decided not to do. These are old songs and we like to keep it that way. The album has an 80's feeling and sound, and we like it and we'll keep it the way it is.
 
4.The band was broken up for a long time, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
    The cause was that our singer Herke van der Poel and the drummer Paul Gebhart decided that they wanted to play more a.o.r. In the year 2000 a dutch metalclub asked us to do a reunionshow in our hometown. We did this and as a result we did some shows with Vortex and Hammerhawk in Holland and Germany.
 
5.What where some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
   The antichrist album is about the feeling and the lifestyle of many people. Songs about war, being a metalhead or a poser, SM, etc.
 
6.The band has a history that goes back to 1979, do you feel you have been a huge influence on the later bands that have came out of the Netherlands?
   No. we don't. Although we were one of the first speedmetal bands in Holland I can't say we've influenced other bands.
 
7.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Sad Iron'?
   Haha, actually nothing. It just came up.
 
8.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 the reunion show in 2000 was a blast! The crowd went crazy and we were not allowed to leave the stage! Great memories! This year we attended the Very Eavy festival in Holland, where we played with Satan, Tokyo Blade, Raven and more. Great to share the stage with my idols! Our show is very energetic, we move a lot and it's very loud!!! You can watch a show at YouTube search for Sad Iron Dutch Steel Hedon Zwolle. It was filmed at the Dutch Steel festival in February this year and gives you an impression of our live shows.
 
9.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
    Yes sure! We hope to do some international shows, festivals etc.
 
10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your reunion by fans of metal?
   We had great comments! Although some people had to get used to our new members, the sound is more heavy than it was in the old days.
 
11.Are there any plans to write and release new material in the future?
   Yes maybe we will. At this moment it doesn't have our priority but i'm almost sure we will write new songs!
 
12.What where some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
   We listened and still are listening to Judas Priest, Megadeth, Exodus, Slayer, Testament but also UFO, Thin Lizzy. It's hard to say they have influenced us but they were important for our interest in Heavy Metal!
 
13.What are some of your non musical interests?
   None! I'm always busy listening our playing music! (Well, to be honest I have to mention my wife....)
 
14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
 I want to thank everybody for their support and believing in us! We hope to see you all on tour. Keep on rocking! Cheerz!