Sunday, November 30, 2014

Redacted Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
  Jon: We are <Redacted> and we play rock and roll. In all seriousness though, the world of independent music that hasn't been through any sort of 'profitability' filter like a record label or a producer is a really exciting world of half-finished ideas, spastic creativity and endless optimism. You'll hear stuff that is the love child of a few people that was made because they thought the world needed to hear it, rather than because they needed to eat or pay rent. It can be inspirational and theatrical. It can be whatever you want it to be. The World Commander and I have been lifelong metal fans, particularly extreme metal, and we wanted to write music together that was interesting and heavy but uncomplicated. We wanted there to be that DIY aspect to it. We respected the work ethic of bands like Death and Bathory where you've got some incredible music with its own mindblowing ethos behind it, but played by a few guys in hi-tops and Motorhead t-shirts.
  We spent a year writing the sort of out-of-nowhere death/thrash that we like to play. We settled quite early on with lyrical themes and song concepts, intentionally choosing esoteric sci-fi and paranormal themes with a tasty twist of tin-foil-hat wearing conspiracy theory. Death metal lyrics should be intimidating, but the Satan thing has been done so many times, so well, by such brilliant artists that it can be very hard to come across as anything other than cliché at worst, and a tribute at best.
  Richard: We play a bit of thrash, a bit of death metal, we smash it with some melody, and then grind it into a fine wine to pour into your ear holes.

    2.Recently you have released an album how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
  Jon: The demo came together miraculously well. I'm really pleased with the end result. These songs were written between the two of us, over the space of a year and yet there's a real feeling of 'togetherness' on the album. We definitely have a sound emerging, despite the fact that we would write a song and think "That sounds NOTHING like the last one I wrote!". It came out very well, and the quality of production for a free and independent release is something we can both be really proud of.
  Richard: It's definitely a "prequel" sound. Jon and I started this on a larf, but it's only since realising we have something that /clicks/ that we are taking it a bit more seriously. Just a bit though. Alien Nation is an important stepping stone, a lesson in what to do and not do next time.


3.I have seen the band labelled as a 'Hypocrisy' rip off, do you feel you have evolved from that on the new album?
  Jon: Haha! That is a running joke between us. The sci-fi horror stuff, the electronica-touched death metal parts. Hypocrisy got there first. They're a huge influence on us and our sound and we both feel like they're hugely underrated and really deserve the same level of respect and acclaim afforded to bands like Obituary and Morbid Angel for their contribution to death metal. We'll keep paving our own way in the songs we write and flexing our muscle in different creative areas, but our roots will always lie in the incredible bands that came before.
  Richard: To be honest, I'd love to sound /more/ like Hypocrisy sometimes, haha. Peter Tagtgren's voice is huge and so versatile. That being said, I think we are bringing a lot of influence into the band: Katatonia, Lich King, Celine Dion, the list is long.

  4.Your lyrics cover some esoteric, Illuminati, conspiracy theories and u.f.o themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those topics?
  Jon: We're not crazy. We're the last people you'll ever hear shouting "Bush did 9/11!" outside of a song lyric. But the conspiracy theory, the paranormal, the fear of the unknown is such a juicy topic that's ripe for song lyrics and inspiration. Some have been touched on before in great depth. I know the illuminati is a common theme in metal music, but who's singing about aliens and big black Northumbrian dogs? Us! That's who!
  Richard: We're both skeptics, we just fucking love The X-Files.

  5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Redacted'?
  Jon: When classified documents are released under the secrets act, any information which could be potentially damaging to that government or national body is removed with the term <Redacted> in its place. Often, in highly sensitive documents this almost renders it unreadable. We loved the idea that you were telling people something while telling them nothing. In our mind it's a really clear signal from your leaders that they're watching you and that you can't be trusted. It seemed to fit with the lyrical themes.
  Richard: A Twitter joke gone wrong... and then appropriated for a serious band. <Redacted> is the sanitisation of information. In this far flung Orwellian future we are the truth behind layers of red tape.

  6.Has the band done any live shows or is this a studio project?
  Jon: It started as a studio project and was always meant to be one, but the interest generated and the love we have for this project and how much it's grown with us in the last year, it would be a tragedy if we didn't consider the possibility of taking <Redacted> on the road at some point.
  Richard: We haven't done any shows /yet/. Jon lives in Leeds and I live in London. We are currently recruiting a live bassist and drummer for some attempted shows... sometime down the line.

  7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
  Jon: We aren't signed and currently we're not the sort of band that would be considered by a major label. They're looking for regularly touring acts with an already profitable fan base. We're passionate musicians giving our work away for free. If the right opportunity came along, we would love to sign to a label that would let us reach a wider audience and be able to stay alive while we travel the country doing what we love.
  Richard: We are definitely looking for a label, but it's hard in this day and age. There are a lot of good bands out there who have been unsigned for a long time. We're not gonna let that get in the way too much though. The response to Alien Nation has been huge and we are gonna keep at it if only for ourselves.

  8.On the new album you did a Motorhead cover and Sepultura medley, what was the decision behind doing your own tributes to these bands?

Jon: I wish I could give a really deep reason behind that but we just think those bands are really cool. The Sepultura medley came about because we couldn't decide which song to cover so we decided to do them ALL. Trivia buffs may have noticed a Soulfly song hidden in there too.
  Richard: Motorhead are just... classic. They injected speed into a genre that sorely needed it. You can never go wrong with some Motorhead when you are in a rut. It's just good balls out, slap you in the face rock.
 The Sepultura medley was Jon's idea as I am not a huge fan of the band beyond a few songs here and there. It was really fun though. We got a lot of riffs packed in that nine minutes!

  9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of underground metal?
  Jon: Overwhelmingly positive so far but we want to reach more people! There's a huge amount of choice out there now. Tape trading exists in spirit only. There's all these amazing bands in South America and Greece and Canada and the United States that are all desperate for you to hear their work and you can get all of it from your bedroom. They are all online. We're part of that scene now and that's really cool but you have to press gang some people into listening to your stuff so the pushing never stops. It's a two sided coin. As a musician I want as many listeners as possible but as a fan, I love that there's so much great stuff out there and that publishing belongs to fans and not labels anymore.
  Richard: We have already gotten messages from fans in North America, the UK, Greece, Brazil... it's been crazy, I was not expecting such a big response so early out of the gate!

  10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
  Jon: We're going to get heavier. A lot heavier. We're pretty heavy already but we're already writing songs for a full length release next year and they're sounding tight and chunky.
  Richard: I can see us doing a lot of different things within the band. The songs we have and the songs we are writing are varied. We kind of straddle the line of complex songs like Truth is a Privilege and simple songs like They Always Wear Black. A lot of people only lean one way: "I listen to Dream Theater" or "I listen to Hawkwind." ...I say listen to both bands!

  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?
  Jon: Oh god 2014 has been an incredible year for metal. Standout albums for me have been Anaal Nathrakh's Desideratum, Cannibal Corpse's A Skeletal Domain, Opeth's Pale Communion, Bloodbath's Grand Morbid Funeral and Behemoth's The Satanist. I've also been revisiting some real classics that I didn't give enough time first time round. Slowly We Rot, Left Hand Path, Domination, Effigy of the Forgotten. All great albums. As for influences, well, Hypocrisy are a given for us but also you can hear splashes of Slayer, Kreator, Motorhead, Sabbath and Priest in our sound in places. They're the sort of things I grew up with so they're heavily rooted in my playing and writing.
  Richard: The bands that inspire me to write <Redacted> material are Hypocrisy, Sodom, and Bloodbath. ...Grand Morbid Funeral is a fucking beast.

  12.What are some of your non musical interests?
  Jon: I don't have many. I'm a big music guy. When I am not doing music stuff, I read or I cycle. Sometimes I play video games but it's not long before it's right back to music again.
  Richard: My hobbies are all over the place. I love video games, but I also love nature. Sitting down with a good game is fun times, but getting lost in the woods is one of my favourite things. Hard to do that in London though. I also love to cook, read about history especially World War II, I'm also a huge fan of A Song of Ice and Fire.

    13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
  Jon: Keep listening to heavy metal and keep watching the skies.
  Richard: Watch the skies!

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Squidhead Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
So, the Squidhead is an instrumental metal project coming from Belgium. It has started as a one Man band (me, as you've most probably noticed) and has release a debut EP  "prohibition" this year.
The Music is a mix of modern death metal, with 8 string guitar riffing, melodic licks and a bunch of eletronics.

2.Recently you have released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
About the EP, it´s a 5 tracks record with some brutal songs, some more atmospheric and a bit of progressive elements. There is also some grooving stuff there and there.

3.The project was formed in 2009 and you waited until 2014 to put out a release, can you tell us a little bit more about the five year wait?
A lot of things! The project, at his early stage, was supposed to be a side project with guests playing the different parts. Unfortunately, the people were not always available and I was still involved in local bands so, the process tooks much longer than expected.
At the time, I also had no experience in home studio recording so it tooks me a couple of years to buy decent equipment and gain enough skills in music production to be able to make a record that worth it.

4.On the ep all of the musical was instrumental, are you planning on using vocals in the future or do you prefer the instrumental approach?
I would definitely love to have vocals on the next record. I have made this first record instrumental simply because I'm not good enough at singing. I focused on writing Music that was interesting enough (to my opinion of course) without vocals. But the future of the Squid will have some vocals if I can find the good person to do it.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Squidhead'?
I'm a big fan of roleplaying games and fantastic universes and I love Lovecraft (the writer of the call of Cthulhu). I wanted an image close to a humanoid with octopus like head inspired by those universes.
I was also looking for some sort of Alter-ego image that could be useful to represent myself as a musician.

6.Currently you record everything solo but have worked with quest musicians before in the past, are you interested in forming a full band or do you prefer to remain solo?
If I'm able to find the right people to fit in a Line-up, I would love to! I'm currently looking for those guys and I hope it will work for the next album. I will only remain solo if there is no other way of making this music.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Not yet, as the project as been revealed only one year ago, it´s still new. But we will see where the future leads. Who know? Maybe someone will be interested in the future.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?
The first feed-back is very good but, I have to be honest, only a few people outside of Europe did show enthusiam about the Squid so far. Anyway, death metal fans in Europe seems to like it.

9.Are you also involved with any other musical projects?
Nothing serious so far, as I've decided to make the Squid my main focus now. I don't want to wait for 5 years to make a new record. I'm open to other proposition but not looking for it right now.

10.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I'm already working hard on composing the first full length album and hope to have it ready during 2015. The new music will be more "live band music", made for the stage. There will be more industrial elements also in the sound and more room for singing in general.
And, as I said, there will be live shows!

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?
I'm a big fan of Devin Townsend, Fear Factory, Meshuggah, Steve Vai, Nine inch nails, Morbid Angel, etc.. Those guys have a big influence on my way of thinking the music.
Nowadays, I listen to Slipknot, Sólstafir, Shining (Norway), Decapitated, Dagoba, Stephan Forte, Krimh, the ocean, Resistance, etc.. A lot of stuff!

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
I've started Crossfit 6 months ago and I'm a total addict! I also do some leather crafting (I actually made the Squidhead mask you see on my promo pics). I work in the field of Microbiology and love roleplaying games. I'm a busy guy!

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I would like to thank you guys for this nice interview. It´s not easy for a little guy alone in Belgium to be noticed and what you do means a lot, really.

Greetings from Belgium!

Pish for Squidhead

Friday, November 28, 2014

Nameless One Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before can you tell us a little bit about the band?
1.We are Japanese Melodic death metal band based by five members(Vo,Gt,Gt,Ba,Dr) in 2013. Our sound is affected by traditional heavy metal sounds.

2.So far you have released 2 ep's and a single, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on those recordings?
2.The sound is encrusted melodies people feel a longing for,a lot of riffs by beautiful melodies, shred guitar solo and technical part on high speed rhythms.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
3.Our lyrical subjects are stories of nameless people don't go down in history.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Nameless One'?
4.We are also ones of nameless people don't go down in history.Therefore We chose the name"Nameless One".

5.What are some of the best shows that the band ha splayed so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
5.Our performance influence Gothic band.We perform one story in the concert.

6.Do you have any touring or showing plans for the future?
6.We don't have plans.If we are requested, we want to go anywhere all over the world.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a lable or have received any interest?
7.Yes,we are. We look for a label that spread our music around the world!!!

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of meloidc death metal?
8.They often say that our music is very beautiful.However there are opinions they need more brutality.

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

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?
10.We mainly influence heavy metal band.(For example Arch Enemy,Iron Maiden, Children of Bodom,,,and more.)
Nowadays I listen to Japanese pops music,and we try to adopt Japanese original melody to our music.

11.How would you describe the metal scene in Japan?
11.The metal scene in Japan gradually swells. This is because overseas famous bands come and concert in Japan recently.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
12.Books,movies and animations. This is because we are the band sing stories.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
13.Thank you for the interview and your reading!!!
Please listen to our songs and spread!!!

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Destroying Divinity/Hollow Dominion/Lavadome Productions/2014 CD Review


  Destroying  Divinity  are  a  band  from  Czech  Republic  that  plays  a  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  also  bring  in  a  black  metal  influence  this  time  around  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Hollow  Dominion"  which  was  released  by  Lavadome  Productions.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  death  metal  growls  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  screams  and  melody  are  added  into  the  music  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  bring  in  more  of  a  chaotic  edge  to  the  bands  musical  style.

  When  the  band  goes  into  the  other  songs  they  stick  to  a  very  brutal  style  of  death  metal  while  also  having  a  more  of  a  black  metal  influence  which  can  be  heard  in  both  the  riffs  and  vocals and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  are  brought  into  the  music  briefly  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  sound  and  incorporating  some  melody.  

  Destroying  Divinity  creates  another  brutal  sounding  death  metal  album  and  also  brings  in  more  of  a  black  metal  influence  this  time  around  which  helps  expand  their  sound  and  take  it  in  a  different  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  blasphemous  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Destroying  Divinity  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Burning  Divine  Domination"  "Suffering  Redemption"  and  "Inner  Slavery".  8  out of  10.  

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Sexcrement/XXX Bargain Bin Vol 2/2014 EP Review


  Sexcrement  are  a  band  from Massachusetts  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  brutal  death  metal,  groove  and  porno  grind  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  ep  "XXX  Bargain  Bin  Vol  2".

  A  very  heavy  death/groove  metal  sound  starts  of  the  ep  along  with  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  grindcore  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  some  melodies  in  the  songs  being  utilized  at  them  along  with  a  small  amount  of  back  up  gang  shouts.

  At  times  the  music  bring s in  some  metalcore  style  breakdowns  and  on  the  second  track  they  do  their  own  version  of  Alice  In  Chains  "We  Die  Young"  and  adds  in  more  of  a  death  metal  sound  to  this  song  while  the  guitar  lead  sounds  like  the  original  version  and  they  do  another  original  track  and  close  the  ep  with  a  cover  of  Pat  Benater's  "Heartbreaker".

  On  the  2  original  tracks  Sexcrement  continue  the  groove/porno  death  metal  sound  of  the  previous  album  while  the  2  cover  songs  shows  the  band  mixing  hard  rock  with  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  porno  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sexcrement  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "We  Die  Young"  and  "Streetwalker".  8  out  of  10.  

      

Monday, November 24, 2014

One Step Beyond/The Music Of Choice/Metal Scrap Records/2014 CD Review


  One  Step  Beyond  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  an  experimental  mixture  of  crossover,  thrash,  death  metal  and  grind  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "The  Music  Of  Choice"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  and  the  music  starts  to  get  more  heavy  a  few  seconds  later  along  with  the  band  adding  in  a  good  amount  of  melodic  guitar  leads  and  after  the  intro  the  music  speeds  up  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  and  you  can  hear  traces  of  black  and  melodic  death  metal  in  the  bands  musical  sound.

  When  growls  are  added  into  the  music  the  album  starts  having  more  of  a  grindcore  edge  and  they  also  clam  things  down  by  adding  elements  of  funk  and  psychedelia  into  certain  sections  of t he  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  and  they  also  stick  more  to  the  heavy  side  of  things  and  also  bringing  in  elements  of  thrash  to  the  guitar  riffing.

  There  is  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  present  throughout  the  recording  and  at  times  the  music  can  also  be  very  progressive  and  on  some  of  the  songs  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  samples  can  be  heard  along  with  a  touch  of  stoner  rock  and  a  few  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length.

  One  Step  Beyond  plays  a  very  original  style  of  extreme  metal  that  has  its  roots  in  death  metal,  grindcore  and  thrash  and  they  also  expand  on  it  by  bring  in  ska,  funk,  progressive  and  experimental  elements  into  the  songs  to  add  a  different  sound  to  this  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  One  Step  Beyond  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  experimental  rock,  death  metal,  grindcore  and  thrash  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Music  Of  Chance"  "Up  In  Smoke"  "Good  World  Gone  Bad"  and  "Snake  Eyes".  8  out  of  10.       

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Squidhead/Prohibition/2014 EP Review


  Squidhead  are  a  1  man  band  from  Belgium  that  plays  a  very  melodic,  progressive  and  modern  form  of  death  metal  and  this is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "Prohibition".

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  solos  and  leads  that  bring  in  a  great amount  of  talent  and  skill  and  you  can  hear  a  lot  more  of  the  modern  extreme  metal  sound  in  the  songs  along  with  blast  beats  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  great  amount  of  melody  being  added  into  both  the  riffs  and  leads.

  All  of  the  songs  on  the  ep  are  instrumental  and  you  can  hear  a  heavy  progressive  metal  feeling  throughout  the  recording  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  and  on  the  3rd  and  4th  track's  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  is  added  onto  the  recording  and  most  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  mid  paced  direction.

  Squidhead  plays  a  very  modern  form  of  death  metal  that  is  very  melodic  and  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  progressive  metal  elements  and  talented  playing  and  the  production  sound s very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording.

  In  my  opinion  Squidhead  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  progressive,  modern  death  metal  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Prohibition"  and  "The  Ritual".  8  out  of  10.       

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Heboïdophrenie/Origin Of Madness/2014 CD Review


   Heboïdophrenie  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  thrash,  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Origin  Of  Madness".

  Horror  movie  samples  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  slam  style  death  metal  direction  along  with  some  growls  and  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  thrash  influences  in  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  a  good  amount  of  deathcore  elements  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  to  speed  up  a  bit  and  adds  in  blast  beats.

  At  time s you  can  hear  some  melody  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  all  of  the  tracks  bring  in  a  good  amount  of  variety  while  also  remaining  very  heavy  at  the  same  time  and  on  some  of  the  songs  a  small  amount  of  pig  squeals  are  utilized  at  times  while  other  songs  also  bring  in  a  few  seconds  of  spoken  word  parts  ans  as  the  album   progresses  guitar  leads  are  added  into  some  of  the  tracks.

   Heboïdophrenie  plays  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  style  that  combines  death  metal  and  deathcore  along  with  a  touch  of  thrash,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore  and  horror  themes,

  In  my  opinion   Heboïdophrenie  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture of  thrash,  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band. RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Feast  Of  Death"  "The  Butcher"  "Death  To  All"  and  "Cadaver".  8  out  of  10.

  

Friday, November 21, 2014

Nameless One/Thousand Memories And Nameless Sword/2014 EP Review


  Nameless  One  are  a  band  from  Japan  that plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  death  and  heavy  metla  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "One  Thousand  Memories  And  Nameless  Sword".

  A  very  heavy  and  melodic  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams,  growls  and  solos  that  also  keep  the  melodic  tradition  of  the  bands  musical  style  as  well  as  adding  in  influences  from  early  80's  classic  metal  and  you  can  hear  a  lot  of  the  melodic  Swedish  death  metal  sound  in  the  music.

  At  time s the  riffs  bring  in  a  thrash  influence  along  with  blast  beats  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  they  manage  to  keep  all  of  the  tracks  into  a  heavy  musical  direction  and  on  of  the  tracks  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  prog  style  guitar  leads.

  Nameless  One  creates  some  very  interesting sounding  taking  the  mid  90's  Finnish  and  Swedish  styles  of  melodic  death  metal  and  adding  in  a  lot  of  traditional  metal  elements  to  the  guitars  to  create  a  style  that  goes  to  the  roots  of  melodic  death,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Japanese  and  cover  fantasy  and  mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Nameless  One  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  melodic  death  and  heavy  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Yuyami  Ni  Kiyu"  and  "Akatuki  No  Machi".  8  out  of  10.        

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Redacted/Alien Nation/2014 Full Length Review


  <Redacted>  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Alien  Nation".

  Spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  guitars  in  the  background  which  start  getting  more  powerful  after  each  second  and  it  sets  up  the  pace  for  a  good  mixture  of  growls  and  screams  and  the music  also  combines  death  metal  with  a  more  modern  day  thrash  sound  as  well  as  having  a  heavy  Hypocrisy  influence  in  their  musical  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Electronica  music  elements  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  after  awhile  more  old  school  thrash  influences  are  added  into  the  bands  musical  style  while  some  songs  can  be  very  atmospheric  at  times  and  the  spoken  word  samples  also  make  their  return  at  times  and  the  music  also  has  a  trace  of  hardcore  at  times  while  some  of  the  vocals  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  bring  in  a  black  metal  feeling  and  they  also  do  a  Motorhead  cover  and  a  Sepultura  tribute.

  <Redacted>  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  that  is  heavily  influenced  by  Hypocrisy  but  also  has  a  sound  of  its  own  and  adding  in  a  lot  of  diversity,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  U.F.Os,  Conspiracy  Theories,  Reptilian,  new  World  Order,  Illuminati  and  Occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  <Redacted>  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Truth  Is  A  Privilege  Not  A  Right"  "Skywatchers"  and  "They  Know".  8  out  of  10.

 

  

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Born Undead/Violator Of Humanity/SixSixSix Music/2014 EP Review


  Born  Undead  are  a  duo  with  members  from  both  the  United  Kingdom  and  France  that  plays  a  very  old  school  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  with  elements  of  grindcore  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "Violator  Of  Humanity"  which  was  released  by  SixSixSix  Music.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  growls  and  the  music  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  style  along  with  some  elements  of  thrash  and  grind  and  after  awhile  the  band  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  some  of  the  vocals  having  a  grim  black  metal  feeling  to  them.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  dark  and  melodic  sounding  and  the  band  also  adds  in  melody  into  their  more  brutal  parts  at  times  and  all  4  of  the  tracks  stick  to  a  very  dark,   and  heavy  old  school  death  metal  sound  that  also  brings  in  a  bit  of  the  early  to  mid  90's  brutality  and  there  is  never  a  soft  and  weak  moment  present  anywhere  on  the  recording  and  on  the  last  track  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  are  added  into  the  music.

  Born  Undead  bring  in  the  feeling  of  a  gore/splatter  film  with  their  old  school  style  of  death  metal  which  is  as  true  as  this  genre  can  be  while  also  being  influenced  by  thrash,  black  metal  and  grind,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,  death  and  zombies  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Born  Undead  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  gore/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Violator  Of  Humanity"  and  "Splatter  Fuck".  8  out  of  10.


Monday, November 17, 2014

Vortez Of Clutter Interview

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


After recording the new album we immediately started getting prepared for the gigs. We will start playing in numerous events around the country pretty soon. We cannot wait for people to hear our album. Also, we have started working on new material for our next album.

2.You have a new album coming out in November, 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 can describe our new sound as a mixture of a few sub-genres. We aimed for people to enjoy our music much more by adding some technical and melodic variations over a raging death metal anger. As a band, we aim to produce songs that our listeners cannot easily consume. This idea had prior importance compared to our previous releases. Get ready to listen to a really heavy album containing many surprises.

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


By the increasing difficulty of living in Turkey and with the remaining Turkish political authority increasing its oppression over people in Turkey, it has become nearly impossible to execute any kind of work in any branch of art. However, the anger this situation creates is what feeds our music. In spite of everything, we have released 2 singles and an EP within these 3 years. We have played dozens of shows, went out to the streets to protests against the police and composed new songs for our new album.

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

We enjoy using political and philosophical themes on our lyrics. We write about our primary social and political problems or the ones that effect us. We write about subjects like anti-fascism and anti-capitalism. In the new album however, we have added a few post-apocalyptic science fiction stories.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Vortex of Clutter?

People struggling through the chaos of modern life, our own lives to be exact, is what has inspired us.

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?

Our first album debut concert, in which we have heard people singing along our songs, is among the most unforgettable ones. No matter how dark or pessimistic our lyrics are, we enjoy having fun and entertaining when on stage. We recommend for everyone to watch a few live videos of ours on Youtube.

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

Absolutely! We play on a local festival on 6th of December right after the release of our new album.

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

We are sorry to say that our music gets much more attention in other countries rather than our own. We have received valuable comments from great people from Greece to Poland and read a lot of inspiring critical reviews.

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

It is hard to tell at this point but we will be surely making the music we enjoy the most.

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?

All the members of the band enjoy relatively different types of music. But our mutual tastes can be described by bands like Death, Atheist and Cynic. Other than these we have been really enjoying bands like Gorod, Revocation and Between the Buried and Me.,

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

We are all working, and our spare time goes to our families. The married members of the band usually spend time with their families. As we cannot earn enough money from music to  support our lives we have to work and that is enough to occupy all our lives.

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

If you like to hear the Istanbul sound in metal and open to new music, you definitely listen to Vortex of Clutter’s new album!

Mass Hypnosis/Sanctimonious/2014 CD Review


  Mass  Hypnosis  are  a  band  from  Croatia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal,  deathcore,  groove  and  industrial  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Sanctimonious".

  A  very  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some melodic  chants  that  gives  the  music  and  epic  feeling  along  with  some  spoken  word  samples  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  industrial  metal  direction along  with  some  deep  growling  style  vocals  and  high  pitched  screams  and  they  also  keep  around  the  chanting  that  was  present  on  the  intro.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  stick  mostly  to  a  melodic  direction  and  spoken  word  samples  can  also  be  heard  on  a  great  amount  of  the  tracks  and  on  the  other  tracks  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  groove,  metal/deathcore  style  breakdowns  in  the  slower  yet  heavier  sections  of  the  recording.  

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  to  speed  up  a  bit  and  bring  in  more  brutality  and  blast  at  times  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  slow  to  mid  paced  extreme  industrial  metal  direction  and  some  of  the  later  tracks  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  keyboard  sounds  which  also  gives  the  album  more  of  a  symphonic  feeling  when  they  are  utilized  as  well  as  adding  in  a more  electro  industrial  feeling  to  the  bands  musical  style.

  Mass  Hypnosis  plays  an  updated  form  of  industrial  metal  which  brings  in  elements  of  groove  metal  and  metalcore  along  with  the  heaviness  of  death  metal  and  deathcore  to  update  this  genre  for  the  modern  day,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  political,   new  world  order,  Illuminati  and  conspiracy  theories  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mass  Hypnosis  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  metal,  deathcore,  groove  and  industrial  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "God  Complex"  "Address  To  The  Nation"  "Monotheist"  and  "Novus  Ordo  Seclorum".  8  out  of  10.

 

  

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Infested Entrails/Defiling A Piece Of The Deceased/Grindhead Records/2014 CD Review


  Infested  Entrails  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  death/gore  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Defiling  A  Piece  Of  The  Deceased"  which  was  released  by  Grindhead  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  old  school  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  growls  which  also  leads  to  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  a  great  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  and  you  can  also  here  a  great  amount  of  slam  elements  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  You  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  the  modern  day  brutality  in  the  way  the  band  composes  their  songs    and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  at  time s a  small  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  band  ignores  any  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads  except  for  the  last  track  and  focus  more  on  a  brutal  and  pure  style  of  death  metal.

  Infested  Entrails  plays  a  style  of  brutal  death  metal  that  remains  very  heavy,  brutal  and  modern  from  beginning  to  end  while  also  having  a  90's  feeling  at  times   and  while  the  music  is  not  very  original,  I  still  feel  the  band  is  very  good  at  what  they  do,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violence,  rape  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Infested  Entrails  are  a  very  decent  sounding  brutal  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Raped  by  A  Zombie"  "Pregnant  With  Parasites"  "Firefight  Sodomy"  and  "Raping  the  Unborn".  7  out  of  10.

     

Right To The Void Interview

( answered by Paul (guitar, graphic design) )

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

Yes, we are Right To The Void, from France. We play together since 2008 and we eat a lot of baguettes !

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?

Well, I think we play melodic death metal with a slight brutal touch and a lot of blast beat, haha. The new record differs from the previous one in the fact that we tried to add more melodic parts and a more personal touch. We wanted it to "breathe" more !

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

As many bands in metal we speak about the dark side of man of course but in this album the main topic is the light, in a mystical way. That"s why it's called "Light Of The Fallen Gods" !

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Right To The Void'?

This was the name of one of our very first song and the name sounded good so we decided to keep it. The song was about the fall of humanity, something like that ! Very dark stuff, hahah.

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 played in a small festival, in 2010, alongside with Napalm Death and Immolation. 500 people were there, it was crazy ! The biggest show we ever made ! And earlier in 2014 we organized a show with the best local bands (Hord, All dogmas We Hate & Kombur), a lot of people were there and it was awesome, friends sharing the same stage, great memories.

As every band we try to be as tight and energetic as possible, if you want people to move in the pit you have to move on stage ! Since we play a quite technical music, we have to work a lot and find the perfect balance.

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

Yeah, we'll play some shows in the south of France and then we'll go on tour in East Europe for 15 days during march/april 2015.

7.The new album was released on WormHoleDeath Records, can you tell us a little bit more on how you got in contact with this label?

Carlo (WHD's boss) contacted us in 2011 when he listened to our first EP on Myspace and offered us a worldwide deal. We thought it was a joke at first and after some emails we realized it was real ! We are very good friends now, we love Carlo !

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

As a very underground band we don't have a lot of feedback except for some reviews (mostly positive) that make us very happy. And of course some nice messages on Facebook by people from all around the world, It's so cool to know that a dude at thousands miles listen to your music, it's a great feeling !

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

I don't know yet, we are too much in the new album for now. But I think we will develop this melodic part of our music !

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 and are very influenced by Swedish bands from the 90's like : In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Dissection, Soilwork, Arch Enemy, At The Gates... And also by bands like The Black Dahlia Murder of course !

Nowadays we listen to and love Sylosis, Wretched, Job For A Cowboy, Mastodon...

We love so many stuff in and out of metal, it's hard to choose a few !

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Well, I (Paul) love graphic design, it's my job and my passion (www.paulusk.com). I do some skateboarding too, and I have a big interest in vdeo games and mangas.

Guillaume (vocals) loves to ride his big japanese bike and do some Thai boxing.

Hugo (drums) likes getting his hands in cars and do a lot of sports.

Gauthier (guitar) is the Hulk of the band, he does a lot of body building stuff, haha !

Romain is a big American comics fan.

And of course we love to party and drink beers !

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

We want to thank you for this interview and thanks to everyone who support us in any way !!
Au revoir !

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Subservience Interview


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

We are Subservience. A 5 piece Death Metal band from Crawley, West Sussex in the UK. There is a ten year age gap between our drummer (Tom) and our vocalist (Dan). We once played a show in an art gallery in and our brand new EP had it's first play on a Polish Radio station!

2.You have a new EP coming out in October, 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?

It's absolutely our heaviest music ever written! We parted ways with our original vocalist in late 2013 and were lucky to have Dan Lofthouse join us. He was recommended by a friend of ours. His vocal style is heavily influenced by the likes of Cannibal Corpse, Malevolent Creation, Six Feet Under etc. The total opposite to our previous vocalist. Dan's vocal style has put our feet firmly in the Death Metal category.

We also made the choice to use the services of Paul “Win” Winstanley who is a well known Producer in the South East of England. A very talented guy who pushed us to our limit musically!

On top of that, we all had a hand in writing this EP. The whole band.

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

Werewolves, stalkers who kill their victim, Self harm...........anything really. We take content and try to adapt it to modern day life. Even if it is not real.

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

Subservience - the condition of being something that is useful in reaching an end or carrying out a plan.

We basically decided on the name after a drunken night out in Soho. It sounded good, nobody else was using it so we went with it. It's hard to find an original band name these days. All the good ones have gone!



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?

I think that our best show ever was playing at Download 2013. We played on the Thursday night before the main arena opened and we were the one of four bands selected to play. It was right next to the festival campsite and the tent was packed. First time we have ever had 2 huge pits at the same time. Finished the set with a massive wall of death. Probably our greatest moment to date.

Our stage performance needs to be seen to be appreciated. We pride ourselves on our live shows. We bring it as hard and heavy as our music suggests.

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

We have a few small shows to finish the year off and we are now in the process of booking some bigger shows for next year. Would be nice to get a couple of festival slots! There is even talk of us heading to Poland for a couple of shows.

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

To be honest, we are happy being unsigned for now. We have been approached by labels in the past but the deals are not what we are looking for.  We pay our own way and own everything that we record. We don't want to change that. If the deal is good enough then yeah, we would be interested.

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

We have had feedback from Mexico to Russia!! Generally people like what we do and we appreciate every bit of feedback you give us even if it is bad! It makes us work harder.

9.So far there has only been EP's, splits and demo's, are there any plans on recording a full length in the future?

Of course! We would love to bring out a full length album but we feel that timing is everything when releasing a bigger record. We want to build on our fanbase and we also want to have enough quality songs that we can put out a really good album. We hate the idea of using “filler tracks” just to make an album. Every song has to be really good!!

Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future>

We have developed so much since we first started out that we can't bear to listen to our first demo. It's so bad! But at the time it was the best we could do. I think with this latest EP, we are in the best place we can be as a band. It feels really good to be making music together.

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?

Well, we all have different tastes in music. There are so many influences. The main bands for us that have heavily influenced our sound are Carcass, Strapping Young Lad, Bolt Thrower, Entombed with a dash of Cannibal Corpse.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Tom (Drums) and Ryan (Guitar) are part of an Airsoft team. It's kind of like paintball but with plastic BB pellets instead of paint. Tom thinks he's Rambo. Tom gets killed a lot. Rambo does not! Ha ha

Martin (Guitar) is a season ticket holder for our local football team Crawley Town FC and goes as often as he can.

We all absolutely love beer!



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

A massive thank you to all the people that have supported us and that have bought our music/merch. It's a great feeling to see you guys wearing our gear and singing along at our shows. It's what keeps us going!!




Whisper Of Death/Noise Of Obstinacy/2014 CD Review


  Whisper  Of  Death  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  very  brutal  style  of  gore/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  album  "Noise  Of  Obstinacy".

  Fly  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  brutal  death  metal  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  a  good  mixture  of  growls  and  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  melody in  the  bands  musical  style  and  you  can  hear  a  lot  of  slam  elements  being  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  You  can  hear  a  lot  of  old  school  death  metal  influences  in  the  tracks  and  after  awhile  melodic  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  brutal  style  from  beginning  to  end  and  there  is  never  a  soft  or  week  moment  present  anywhere  on  the  recording.

  Whisper  Of  Death  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  and  while  there  is  not much  originality  in  their  sound,  they  still  pull  off  this  style  very  well,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violence  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Whisper  Of  Death  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  gore/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cemetery   Market"  "OBF"  "Torture  For  Dummies"  and  "Battlefield". 8  out  of  10.  

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Putrid Offal/Suffering/Kaotoxin/2014 EP Review


  Putrid  Offal  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  old  school  form  of gore/grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  ep  "Suffering"  which  was  released  by  Kaotoxin.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  which  also  start  adding  in  deep  death  metal  growls  and  you  can  hear  a  decent  amount  of  morbid  sounding  melodies  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  all  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  in  the  mid  80's  to  early  90's.

  You  can  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  part s throughout  the  recording  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  songs  avoid  any  modern  trends  or  style  to  focus  more  on  an  old  school  and  brutal  sounding  death/grind  musical  direction.

  Putrid  Offal  go  back  to  the  early  style  of  gore/grindcore  and  play  this  genre  the  way  it  should  sound  as  well  as  having  more  of  a  raw  approach  then  the  younger  bands  that  try  to  play  this  style,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Putrid  Offal  are  a  very  great sounding  old  school  gore/grindcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Suffering"  and  "Liver  Mortis".  8  out  of  10.

  

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Vortex Of Clutter/Eclipse Of The Reason Beyond Time/WormHoleDeath Records/2014 CD Review


  Vortex  Of  Clutter  are  a  band  from  Turkey  that  plays  a  melodic  and  extreme  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Eclipse  Of  The  Reason  Beyond  Time"  which  was  released  by  WormHoleDeath  Records.

  A  very  epic  classical  music  orientated  sound  starts  off  the  album  giving  the  recording  the  feeling  of  a  fantasy  movie  soundtrack  or  television  series  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  to  go  more  into  an  old  school  technical  death  metal  sound  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  growls  and  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  thrash  influences  in  the  bands musical  style.

  The  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  very  melodic  and  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  along  with  some  traditional  and  classic  metal  influences  and  you  can  also  hear  some  more  modern  metal  elements  in  the  bands  musical  sound  at  times  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  

  As  the  album  progresses  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  you  can  also  hear  a  touch  of  metalcore  in  some  of  the  tracks  and  on  the  songs  also  brings  in  a  small  dose  of  70's  psychedelic  rock  and  as  time  goes  on  by  the  music  starts  to  get  more  diverse  and  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  melodic  clean  singing  vocals  at  times.

  Vortex  Of  Clutter  go  back  to  the  90's  style  of  technical  death  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  elements  of  thrash  and  a  modern  day  melodic  death  sound  to  create  a  style  that  would  appeal  to  both  old  school  and  modern  fans  of  extreme  metal  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics cover  politics,  society,  history  and  anti  fascism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Vortex  Clutter  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  technical  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  group.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Rise  Of  The"  "Eclipse"  "Have  Fun"  and  "Conquerors".  8  out  of  10.
     

Right To The Void/Light Of The Fallen Gods/WormHoleDeath Records/2014 CD Review


  Right  To  The  Void  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Light  Of  the  Fallen  Gods"  which  was  released  by  WormHoleDeath  Records.

  Clean  yet  distorted  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  solos  and  leads  which also  leads  up  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  that  combine s influences  from  both  thrash  and  death  metal  and  then  the  band  starts  adding  in  fast  parts,  blast  beats  and  a  good  mixture  of  growls  and  screams.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  band  also  bring s in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  to  get  more  brutal  and  you  can  also  hear  more  modern  death  metal  elements  being  added  into  the  bands  musical  style  while  the  main  focus  remains  on  more  of  a  melodic  style  of  extreme  metal.    

  Clean  playing  does  make  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  a  progressive  feeling  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  small  amount  of  symphonic  elements  on  an  instrumental  to  the  bands  musical  sound  and  on  a  couple  of  tracks  of  the  tracks  they  also  bring  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  before  going  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  later  tracks.

  Right  to  the  Void  takes  a  style  of  American  brutal  death  metal  and  mixes  it  wit h the  melodic  Swedish  variation  of  the  genre  as  well  as  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  modern  thrash  to  create  their  own  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  and  mythological  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Right  to  the  Void  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Death  Circles"  "The  Sun  of  the  Living  Ones"  "Majesty's  Doors"  and  "This  Is  Our  Time".  8  out  of  10.