Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Walter Fornication Interview


1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your musical project?

Yes, of course. I am a 27 year old Dutch guy and musician.
At the moment I live in a small town close to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Among many things I think, music has always been my passion.

I already wanted to play the drums when I was 3 or 4 years old but, unfortunately, my parents did not want to buy me a drum kit or send me to drumming lessons.
When I was 8 or 9 years old I started playing the piano. That’s basically where my musical journey started.

I think I was 13 or 14 years old when I got my first Metal album which I remember was ‘Life Is Peachy’ by Korn. It was one of the neighbor’s kids that introduced me to it.
And that’s also where my love for Heavy Rock music started.

At age of 14 I took up the acoustic guitar and shortly after the electric guitar after hearing Iron Maiden. I quickly got into bands in high school and music school where I also had my first guitar lessons. Basically, all of these bands I played in at the time were pretty shitty to be honest. I did have a few live shows on stage with these bands however. Meanwhile, I also started songwriting and taught myself how to write drums/percussion.

The last real band I played in was in 2011, in a band called ‘De Grensverleggers’. It was a punk rock band with four members with mainly political, anti-establishment texts in Dutch.

After ‘De Grensverleggers’ broke up I went abroad to do my studies in Germany and Mexico which was a very busy, interesting, but also hectic period in my life that, unfortunately, did not leave me much time or room to be able to really do something with music again.

In 2014, after returning to the Netherlands and completing my studies in International Business, I started auditioning again as a guitar player but, unfortunately, nobody wanted to hire me for several reasons. The same year I also started playing the bass and practicing vocals/grunts. After a while I got so disappointed and frustrated with all the band auditions leading to nowhere that I decided to continue as a solo artist and write, produce and record my own music and that’s where Walter Fornication started in October 2015.

The project I started was originally called DP (DarkPsymaster) Productions which was another nickname I used to have before but then again I had people asking what the initials DP were for. The name Walter Fornication came from a former colleague and musician I was working with in Berlin, Germany. He used to call me Walter Fornication and The Heartbreakers. Which is of course a funny reference to Californication from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers but I think the name kind of stuck with me.

When I first started this project I only wanted to try setting up my own home studio and produce and record some songs for myself. However, I quickly realized it was easier to build a decent recording studio and record songs in a decent quality then I had imagined and that’s when I quickly decided I wanted to release my own demo album in December 2016. And this year’s ‘On A Journey Through Time And Space’ of course.

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

I think both recordings are quite different to be honest.

A Revolution’s Dawn, the first, ‘demo’ album I released in 2016 is a more thrashy, riff-based kind of album I think.
This album is also very much based on certain riffs and licks I wrote years before but never got to do anything with in other bands.

A Revolution’s Dawn has a more sludgy and Thrash Metal kind of sound I think.
I heard somebody comparing it to the American Death Metal Band Nile as well.

On A Journey Through Time And Space is quite a different kind of album. For this album I used different kinds of amp plugins to create a more ambient, warm, melodic kind of guitar sound. I also added synthesizers to the mix as well of course. At the time I was writing ‘On A Journey Through Time And Space’, I was also listening a lot to Ambient and Synthwave kind of music. The album ‘Somewhere In Time’ from Iron Maiden was also a big influence in making this album.

On A Journey Through Time And Space is also more like a concept album.

It is basically a journey through historical events presented in a non-chronological fashion based on both fictional and non-fictional events with a big cyberpunk and dystopian flavor included.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?

A lot.

Sometimes I get my inspiration from fictional topics or subjects. For example, novels such as Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde), Children Of The Night (Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare) or video games (J.C. Denton, Assassin) but most of the time I like to write about non-fiction, life and society itself.

I also like to write about personal stuff, issues I have been going through in my life that are very recognizable to many people I think.
And I like to write about the way I think or feel about certain events that are happening in our society, world nowadays.

Nevertheless, I do not wish to be ‘a moral knight’, telling people how and what they should believe.

I am a very liberal person, if only just in that sense.

I just hope I will inspire people with my lyrics and let them think more critically about certain things.

The song: ‘This War Will Not End’ for example, which appears on the A Revolution’s Dawn album is basically an anti-war song based on The War On Terror and The Invasion of Iraq in 2003, which I very much opposed at that time.

4.On the album you record everything by yourself, how would you compare it to working with full bands?

I think the best part of being a solo artist is the fact that you have got unlimited creativity and freedom. You can try and experiment with everything you want and you don’t need to take into account the wishes of your bandmembers. I think I have done a lot of experimenting as well on both albums.

That is basically the best part.

The worst part is. You kind of have to do everything and find out everything on your own when it comes to songwriting, production, recording etc.
And you do not have direct input from others about your music.

Nevertheless, I think compared to working with full bands, I was able to get more things done and in a smaller amount of time, but it really took me a lot more effort and energy to write, record and produce all the music I wanted.

Then again, I did have some great people who really helped me with Walter Fornication, who did the mixing/mastering and album art for me and maybe I would have had the same issues as well in working with full bands by trying to keep everybody satisfied and occupied with the sound and the release.

5. What were some of the other bands that you were a part of in the past? ;)

The bands I played in before where each very different, one was basically a Nightwish cover band in high school were we did have and played a few own songs. The other was a rock cover band in music school and the real last one a punk rock band with lyrics in Dutch. All these bands, unfortunately, eventually broke up before we really came to a point where we were able to tour and play live on stage or record an album.

6.Currently you are s unsigned are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

Yes. While I had just released ‘A Revolution’s Dawn’, a Polish independent music label already send me a message that they wanted to sign me.
But I don’t think I was ready at that time and I am ready to be signed yet.

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

Mostly positive, although I honestly haven’t received that much feedback yet and I don’t know if all of them feedbackers were really Experimental or Death Metal fans.

Most feedback I received came from my SoundCloud account other Social Media and friends who briefed me about my music. Most negative feedback I received was about the vocals and the quality of some earlier mixes, which I can sometimes understand, haha.

I also got a funny remark from a Tokio Hotel fan who was mad at me for making a parody Death Metal version of Tokio Hotel’s Schrei. So I just told her, if you don’t like Death Metal then just don’t listen to it.

8.On the recordings you play a variety of many different musical instruments, how long have you been working as a musician?

I started playing music with piano lessons at the age of 9 I think.

After that I also picked up the acoustic guitar, electric guitar and bass.

So more or less 18 years I think.

I think it was at age 14 or 15 when I also began with songwriting and playing in bands.

9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?

I’m already about to start a new project very soon in which I will collaborate with Eric Mol, the guitar player and former lead singer of ‘Violent Queen’ and keyboard player Johan Seinen.

I will be writing the lyrics for their new album which will probably be about some crazy science fiction story/project involving Artificial Intelligence rockets or satellites exploring the universe.

Maybe I will also compose some music for them and do some vocals on the new album, but I’m not sure about that yet.

At the moment I am also learning/taking courses to become a fully certified software testing engineer. I hope and think I will probably finish these studies in March next year. Afterwards, I hope I will be able to move to the big city again and start a band or write a few songs with a band again and hopefully, also be able to play a few Walter Fornication songs live in the future.

I also think I have got enough ideas and inspiration left for two more Walter Fornication albums in the future, but I’m not sure when I will be making a new album again.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

I think my main influences are in the Old School Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Groove Metal and Thrash Metal area.
Think about bands like Death, Iron Maiden, Kreator, Machine Head, Megadeth, Morbid Angel and Obituary.

Nevertheless, I really try to find and create my own style with Walter Fornication and not just try to imitate a particular artist or genre.

Basically, I like to listen to most Metal genres. I am not that much of a fan though, of the overly happy Power Metal things and the really extreme genres like Brutal Death Metal or Grindcore etc. Which might sound strange because I know many people in the scene who do like to it but for me it just becomes too generic, uninspiring and repetitive after a few songs.

I also listen to a lot of non-Metal music such as music from Video Games, ‘80’s Hard Rock, Darkwave, EDM/Industrial, (Medieval) Folk, Latin, Psychedelic Rock, Punk and sometimes even some Classical Music and Blues as well.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I really like to travel, see new places and meet new people from different cultural backgrounds.

I also speak four languages (Dutch, English, German and Spanish) on a more or less fluent level and I am a bit proficient in a few others. I have also written a few lyrics, or parts of lyrics in languages other than English.

Moreover, I really like to read and learn a lot about computers and software, history, politics, psychology or science in general, but I am also just a guy who likes to hang out with friends, visit concerts, drink a few beers and watch some crazy underground, cult movies. I also occasionally perform as a writer and poet in the local area where I live.

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

I would just like to say.

I really want to thank the people and the fans who really helped me with Walter Fornication the past two years.

Most importantly, I want to thank my big friend Jur from Y.U.R. Frontal Core Studio who mixed and mastered all the tracks for ‘On A Journey Through Time And Space’ and also remixed all the tracks for A Revolution’s Dawn, the first demo album, which you can find online right now as well.

Without his help, time and effort, the albums wouldn’t have sounded half as great as they do now.

I also want to thank:

Wesley from GFR (Gewoon Fucking Raggen) who made the logo for Walter Fornication and the album art for A Revolution’s Dawn.

Vince from Cavum Scriptorium who made the album art for the second album.

Dimitrios from DrainHope who made the first two official music videos for Walter Fornication.

Cátia from Against PR who let me do this interview.

Thank you guys, couldn’t have done it without you. 😉




Thursday, October 26, 2017

Limbsplitter/Chloroform Cocktail/Unmatched Brutality Records/2017 CD Review


  Limbsplitter  are  a  band  from  Ohio  that  plays  a  very  brutal  form  of  gore/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Chloroform  Cocktail'  which  will  be  released in  November  by  Unmatched  Brutality  Records.

  Horror  movie  samples  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly death  metal  growls  while  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  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  of  death  metal  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  vocals  also  adding  in  screams  at  times  and  the  music  always  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal  sounding  from  beginning  to  end.

  Limbsplitter  plays  a  style  of  gore/death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  and  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  gore,  porn  and  violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Limbsplitter  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  and  old  school  gore/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bound  For  Defilement"  "Slaughtered  SLut  (Gutted  Fuck)"  and  "My  Skin  Crawls".  8  out  of  10.  

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Right To The Void/Lunatio/WormHoleDeath Records/2017 EP Review


  Right  To  The  Void  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  very  modern  and  melodic mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Lunatio"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  WormHoleDeath  Records.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  ep   before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  screams  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to them  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  at  times  the  vocals  get  semi  melodic.

  A  great  amount  of  modern  thrash  metal  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  music  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  clean  playing  also  being  used  at  times  and  one  track  brings  in a  brief  use  of  synths  and  spoken  word  parts.

  Right  To  The  Void  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic death  metal  and  modern  thrash  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of   their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Right  To  The  Void  are  a  very  great  sounding  modern  and  melodic  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Let  The  Ruins  Fall".  8  out  of  10.    

Monday, October 23, 2017

Ivan Miladinov Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and the musical project?
My name is Ivan Miladinov as the moniker suggests, I`m a 19 year old multi-instrumentalist from Bulgaria.I started playing piano at the age of 6 and that`s where my musical journey started.When I entered highschool I formed my first band where I played keyboards, I played a lot of shows with that band all over the country but became extremely uninterested in it because they weren`t playing my style of music, so I formed this project to express all the music I have composed.


2.So far you have released a demo and a single, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?
When I was 15/16 years old my favourite band was Children Of Bodom, because I was absolutely fascinated how they blended black metal/death metal and power metal in one mix, so I would describe my sound the same way because this band was my MAIN influence.


3.According to the Metal Archives page you have been active since 2012 but waited until 2015 to release any music, can you tell us a little bit more about the earlier years?
Yes, this is because the idea for the project was kinda born when I was still in my previous band, but I was just experimenting in my home studio without releasing anything.


4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?
The lyrics deal with depression and hatred, but I never wrote lyrics for the sake of atmosphere and cool words, some of the lyrics in both songs deal directly with the feeling of denial I experienced towards my ex-bandmates who didn`t let my creative flow enter the writing realm of the band.


5.On the recordings you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work alone?
Actually Bob Katsionis from Firewind helped me a lot with this project, because when I composed the songs I did it all on keyboards and at the time had no skill on Guitar/Bass or drums so I asked him to help me with these things as well as the production.I prefer the band setting a lot more but if a person has a clear vision of all the instruments and how should they go I encourage them to do it on their own.


6.Have you also played in any other bands before in this past?
Yes, as I said in the previous questions, It was mainly a cover band though.


7.How did you get in contact with 'Club Inferno Ent'?
I simply sent them the songs and asked them if they would be interested in releasing them, luckily they were!


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of melodic death metal?
Well, generally people enjoy it a lot and I`m really happy about that.


9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?
Right now I`m the drummer of another band and we`re pushing really hard right now, I hope i would be able to tour the world and fulfill all my musical dreams


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?
The bands that influenced my solo project are COB,Wintersun,Ensiferum,Norther,Sonata Arctica,Stratovarius,Naildown and Nightrage. Right now the picture is really different than before, I listen to a lot of Norwegian black metal,classic oldschool death metal and  also modern bands like Gojira and Trivium.One of my biggest musical discoveries is Devin Townsend, when I found out about him I listened to all his records and became obsessed, I even had the pleasure to watch him perform live recently.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?
I like going out on hikes in the nature also sometimes I play video games for relaxation. Actually I don`t do much things outside of the music realm.


12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Yes, listen to metal and make your life free of the MAN!
Hope you can listen to "Soul Finder". Here you can find many of the ways to do it - http://smarturl.it/MILADINOV



Friday, October 20, 2017

Odious Icon/Planet Of Immense Decay/Negative Vibe Records/2017 Full Length Review


  Odious  Icon  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  with  some  black  metal  touches  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Planet  of  Immense  Decay"  which  will  be  released  on  October  27th  by  Negative  Vibe  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  brutal  sound  start s off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  death metal  growls  and  the  riffs  also  mix  in  a  great  amount  of  thrash  elements  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  screams  bring  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  80's  and  90's  influences  as  well  as  taking  the  old  school  style  into  more  of  a  modern  direction  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  blackened  style  tremolo  picking  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  finally  utilized  they  remain  very  true  to  an  old  school  style  and  the  music  always  remains  very  heavy  and  brutal.

  Odious  Icon  plays  a  musical style  that  takes  a  brutal  and  old  school  style  of  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  thrash  and  a  touch  of  black  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  life,  death  and  the  destruction  and  decay  of  mankind.

  In  my  opinion  Odious  Icon  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  with  some  black  metal  touches and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Planet  Of  Immense  Decay"  "Hate"  "Bleed  The  Bastards"  and  "Exsanguination".  8  out  of  10

Cannibal Corpse/Red Before Black/Metal Blade Records/2017 CD Full Length Review


  Cannibal Corpse  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  that  continues  the  brutal  death  metal  sound  that  they  are  known  for  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Red  Before  Black"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Metal  Blade  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off t he  album  along  with  some  blast  beats  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  music  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies.

  Most  of  the  music  sticks  to  the  style  the  band  established  in  the  90's  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  screams  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  very  true  to  an  old  school  style  and  the  music  always  remains  heavy  and  brutal.

  Cannibal  Corpse  creates  another  recording  that  remains true  to  the  brutal  death  metal  style  they  are  known  for,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,  death,  torture,  cannibalism  and  zombie  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Cannibal  Corpse  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Only  One  Will  Die"  "Shedding  My  Human  Skin"  "Scavenger  Consuming  Death"  and  "Hideous  Ichor".  8  out  of  10.

Oblivion/The Path Towards/Unique Leader Records/2017 CD Review


  Oblivion  are  a  band  from  the  Bay  Area  of  California  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  progressive  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  with  some  elements  of  black  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "The  Path  Towards"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Unique  Leader  Records. 

  Atmospheric  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  drum  beats  a  few  seconds  later  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  brutal  musical  direction  as  well  as  adding  in  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  screams  that  also  add  in  a touch  of  black  metal.

  At  times  the  music  gets  very  technical  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  guitar  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  and  melodic  fashion  and  elements  of  thrash  are  also  utilized  at  times,  one  some  of  the  tracks  the  vocals  get  more  guttural  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  Oblivion  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  technical  and  progressive  style  of  death  metal  from  previous  releases  while  also  mixing  in  elements  of  black  and  thrash  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  alternate  history  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Oblivion  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  progressive  and  technical  death metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dominion"  "Awaiting  Autochton"  "It  Has  Become"  and  "under  A  Dark  Skin".  8  out  of  10.

Walter Fornication/On A Journey Through Time And Space/2017 Full Length Review


  Walter  Fornication  is  a  solo  artist  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  an  experimental  form  of  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2017  album  "On  A  Journey  Through  Time  And  Space".

  Sci  fi  orientated  synths  start  off  the  album and  after  the  intro  grim  growls  are  added  onto  the  recording  which  also  leads  up  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  along  with  the  vocals  also going  into  more  of  a  death  metal  direction  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion.

  A  great  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  screams  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  they  also  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  along  with  the  keyboards  also  adding  in  experimental,  ambient,  and  avant  garde  elements  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  guitars  and  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard,  blast  beats  can  lao  be  heard  briefly  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up.

  Walter  Fornication  plays  a  style  of  melodic  death  metal  that  is  very  original,  experimental  and  avant  garde  sounding  while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  black  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  cyberpunk,  English  literature,  history,  politics  and  social/societal  criticism.

  In  my  opinion  Walter  Fornication  are  a  very  great sounding  experimental  and  melodic  death  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "This  Perfect  Day"  "Assassin"  "History  Misanthropy"  and  "The  Universe  Is  A  Mystery".  8  out  of  10.     

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Sings Of The Swarm/The Disfigurement Of Existence/Unique Leader/2017 CD Review


  Signs  Of  The  Swarm  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  mixture  of  slam  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "The  Disfigurement  Of  Existence"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Unique  Leader.

  Acoustic  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of   blast  beats  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  deep  guttural  death  metal  growls. 

  A  great  amount  of  slam,  deathcore  and  hardcore  elements  can  also  be  heard  in  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  while  high  pitched  screams  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly,  when  guitar  leads  are utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion.

   Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  on  some  of  the  tracks  clean  playing  is  utilized  as  well  as  the  acoustic  guitars  also  making  a  brief  return  as  the  album  progresses  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  an  instrumental  and  synths  are  also  ued  briefly  on  the  closing  track.

  Signs  Of  The  Swarm  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  slam  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Signs  Of  The  Swarm  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  slam  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cesspool  Of  Ignorance"  "Lifeless  Visitors"  "Descending  Into  Despair"  and  "Misery  From  Demorilization".  8  out  of  10.  

Atoll/Fallout Frenzy/Gore House Productions/2017 Full length Review


  Atoll  are  a  band  from  Phoenix,  Arizona  that  plays  a  brutal  form  of  slam  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Fallout  Frenzy"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Gore  House  Productions.

  Horror  movie  samples  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  melodic  riffing  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  which  also  leads  to  a  more  brutal direction  as  well  as  introducing  death metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  onto  the  recording.

  Elements  of  slam  can  be  heard  in  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  while  the  vocals  also  get  very  guttural  at  times  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  at  times  and  horror  movie  samples  also  make  a  brief  return  as  the  album  progresses  and  on  the  closing  track  synths  and  clean  playing  is  also  used briefly.

  Atoll  plays  a  style  of  slam  death  metal  that  is  very  brutal  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  xenomorphs,  aliens,  extinction,  the  human  virus  and  violent  brutality  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Atoll  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  slam  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Forced  Xenotransplantation"  "The  Dripping  Dead"  "Eternal  Prolapse"  and  "Cadeverous".  8  out  of  10. 

Ivan Miladinov/Soul Finder/Club Inferno Ent/2017 Single Review


  Ivan  Miladinov  is  a  solo   artist  from  Bulgaria  that  plays  an  avant  garde  and  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2017  single  "Soul  Finder"  which  was  released  by  Club  Inferno  Ent.

  Avant  garde  style  synths  start  off  the  single  along  with  some  symphonic  and  prog  elements  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of t he  music  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  grim  screams  that  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  death  metal  growls  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  A  great  amount  of   mid  90's  era  2000's  era  Swedish  and  Finnish  influences  can  be  heard  in  the  music  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  and  most  of t he  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction  but  also  speeding  up  on  the  second  track  as  well  as  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats.

  Ivan  Miladinov  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  death  metal  and  takes  it  into  more  of  an  avant  garde  direction,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  depression,  madness  and  emotion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ivan  Miladinov  are  a  very  great  sounding  avant  garde  and  melodic  death  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  single.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "I  Was  In  Hell".  8  out  of  10.

     



  

Saturday, October 14, 2017

Infected Dead/Archaic Malevolence/Hostile Media/2017 EP Review


  Infected  Dead  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  very  brutal,  brutal  and  visceral  form  of  death metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Archaic  Malevolence"  which  will  be  released in  December  by  Hostile  Media.

  A  horror  movie  style  intro  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  also  introduces  guitar  solos  and  leads  that  are  very  melodic  as  well  demonstrating  a  great  amount  of  talent  of  skill  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Vocals  are  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  while  a  decent  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast parts  and  at  times  the  growls  get  very  guttural  and  at  times  the  music  gets  very  technical  and  all  of  the  musical instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly. 

  Infected  Dead  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  modern,  brutal,  visceral  and  technical  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Lovecraftian  cosmic  horror  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Infected  Dead  are  a  very  great  sounding  modern,  brutal,  technical  and  visceral  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Invocation  Of  Unspeakable  Gods"  and  "Samsara".  8  out  of  10.    

A Night In Texas/Global Slaughter/2017 Full Length Review


  A  Night  In  Texas  are  a  band  from  Brisbane,  Australia  that  plays  a brutal  mixture  of  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Global  Slaughter"  which  will  be  released  in  December.

  A  very  sci-fi  orientated  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  symphonic  elements  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  which  also  introduces melodic  guitar  leads  onto  the  recording  while  the  vocals  are  a  mixture  of  growls  and  screams  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats.

  A  great  amount  of  deathcore  style  breakdowns  can  be  heard  in  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  while  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  while  a  alter  track  also  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  symphonic  elements  and  at  times  the  growls  get  very  guttural.

  A  Night  In  Texas  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  brutal  death  metal  and  deathcore  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  dark,  violent,  political  and  psychological  themes.

  In  my  opinion  A  Night  In  Texas  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  mixture  of  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Global  Slaughter"  "Scorched  Earth"  "Harvested"  and  "Death  March".  8  out  of  10.

Fecalizer/Back From The Dead: The Wonder (S)hits/CDN Records/2017 CD Review


  Fecalizer  are  a  band  from  Mexico  that  plays  a  mixture  of  brutal  death  metal  and  gore/grind  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Back  From  The  Dead:  The  Wonder  (S)hits"  which  was released  by  CDN  Records.

   Dark  yet  melodic  guitar  leads  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  riffing  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  both  death  metal  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  it  goes  into  a  brutal  grindcore  direction.

  A  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  during  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  while  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  early  90's  along  with  the  music  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  short  in  length  and  one  track  brings  in  samples  from  a  mainstream  rock  song  before  returning  back  to  more  of  a  heavier  and  brutal  direction  and  spoken  word  and  horror  movie  samples  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  some  songs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  back  up  shouts.

  Fecalizer  plays  a  musical  style  that  goes  back  to  the  brutal  death  metal  and  gore/grind  style  of  the  early  90's,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,  zombies,  cannibalism,  porn  and  horror  movie  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Fecalizer  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  brutal  death  metal  and  old  school  gore/grind  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Empire  State  Of  Grind"  "Let  The  Zombies  Rule  The  World"  "Brutal  Revenge"  and  "The  House  Of  The  Dead".  8  out  of  10. 

Friday, October 13, 2017

Genus Ordinis Dei Interview


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

We recorded “Great Olden Dynasty” in May 2016 and on the very last day in the studio we were informed of the opportunity to join Lacuna Coil’s Delirium World Tour in Europe and UK as their opening act with Forever Still. We then had to plan meticulously for an intense run of 31 shows!
After being on the road for a couple of months, we signed a deal with the American label Eclipse Records. We’ve spent the last few months planning all the details, press releases and videos for the launch of “Great Olden Dynasty” which will be released on November 24th, we will complete the day by playing in Belgium with Hell!

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?

“Great Olden Dynasty” is a mix of modern death and symphonic metal. In general, it is more “rhythmic” then our previous releases because it has been written by our drummer Richard, but has also given the right space to catchy melodies and orchestral parts. Tommy, who plays guitar, made a huge step forward in arranging orchestrations and mixing them into the song whilst Nick, our singer, has improved his vocal technique and man, he has a huge variety in his vocal sound!
For sure, it is a more mature work compared to our previous material as we learned a lot when we worked with Marco Coti Zelati, founder, composer, producer and bass player of Lacuna Coil on our EP back in 2015.
We are really happy of the result!

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

The album is like a spin-off of the band’s main trilogy started with the first chapter “The Middle”.
In “Great Olden Dynasty” we tell the story of some important characters of the history and how they all bond together.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Genus Ordinis Dei’?

Genus Ordinis Dei is a latin name which means “the origin (or the stirp) of the divine order”. It comes from, as we said in the previous question, the main trilogy that we are telling in our albums.
Essentially, we wanted to have a name who also reminded of our origin, we are from Italy, and what’s better than to use latin for it?

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?

For sure every single show during the Delirium World Tour was outstanding! We had the chance to play in front of more than a thousand people every night in some of the best venues across Europe, vibes were breath taking.
We will always remember the show at the KOKO Theatre, in London, which was sold out and the location was amazing. Also, the show in Milan, at the Live Club, was insane, we had also the chance to record a video of our performance.
We try to put the best of us on stage and we always try to improve ourselves in terms of sound and choreography as we think that the “visual” part of the show has the same importance as the music itself.

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

Yes, we will play some local shows in autumn, and on November 24th we will play in Belgium for the release show of Great Olden Dynasty. After that, we will play in southern and central Italy in December, Naples and Rome, and Switzerland in February. More shows are going to be announced soon as possible as we recently started to work with DW Bookings and they are already planning our shows in Europe for 2018.

7.On the album you had the singer of 'Lacuna Coil' do some vocals, can you tell us a little bit more about this contribution?

We came up with the idea of having a female vocalist on a song in this album and as soon as the song was ready we immediately gave a call to Cristina if she was interested in recording it… and she said yes! She has been so cool with us and she recorded the song at Marco Coti Zelati’s home studio in just one take like a real pro… as she actually is!!!

8.The new album is coming out on 'Eclipse Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Eclipse Records is a boutique independent record company focused upon hard rock/heavy metal music, best known for discovering & developing artists such as Mushroomhead, A Breach of Silence, Bobaflex, Scum of the Earth, and many others! Chris Poland, the founder, thinks that we can start to publicize our music also in USA, which is a brand-new audience for us. We chose this label also because has great promotion and distribution channels which is what we were looking for!

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of deathcore, death and symphonic metal?

It has been great! We noticed that metal music is becoming more popular again compared to the past and people are starting to listen to some new bands and subgroups like metal core, deathcore and so on! Could be the right time for us all!

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

We always try to grow up as much as we can! We can’t tell you what our next step will be, because we still don’t know it, but we have only one certainty: we will make our way to the top of the Olympus of Heavy Metal! This is our goal, and we will make our best to reach it out!

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

We have all listened to metal music since… ever, but everyone has a different background. For example, Nick and Tommy always loved classic, epic and heavy metal. Steven used to listen to thrash metal and Richard came from progressive metal. We have always tried to play what we love and to put some of our influences in the writing process. Nowadays we are pretty much listening to the same kind of music like Lamb of God, Gojira, Dimmu Borgir, Periphery, Insomnium, Dark Tranquillity and others.

12.What are some of your non-musical interests?

We basically live for music as we are also music teachers and producers. In their spare time, Nick and Tommy, usually play sports; Steven is a gym addict and he loves country life; Richard instead has a deep passion for cooking and watching tv series!

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

Thank you so much for this interview and cheers to all the readers! We hope you will enjoy our next release, and we can’t wait to play in front of you all one day!
Stay Metal! Hail!


Thursday, October 12, 2017

Internal Chaos/Chaotic Sounds Propagation/2017 EP Review


  Internal  Chaos  are  a  band  from  Tehran,  Iran  that  plays  a  very  symphonic  form  of  melodic  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  ep  "Chaotic  Sounds  Propagation".

  Stringed  instruments  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  elements  of  oriental  music  while  also  adding  in  more  symphonic  traces  and  after  awhile  clean  playing  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  symphonic  side  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  section  of  the  music.

  A  great  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  that  are  very  easy  to  understand  along  with  some  clean  singing  also  being  used  at  times  and  when  female  vocals  are  utilized,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Internal  Choas  plays  a  style  of  melodic  death  metal  that  is  very  symphonic  and  also  mixes  in  elements  of  oriental  music,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Internal  Chaos  are  a  very  great  sounding  symphonic,  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Arc"  and  "Depths  Of  A  Fall".  8  out  of  10.    

Torchia/Of Curses And Grief/Concorde Music Company/2017 CD review


  Torchia  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Of  Curses  And  Grief"  which  will  be  released  on  October  27th  by  Concorde  Music  Company.

  Spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  album  and  they  have  a  ritualistic  feeling  to  them  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier and  melodic  musical  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  bring  mostly  high  pitched  screams.

  Death  metal  growls  are  also  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion,  some  songs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  as  well  as  the  tracks  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  back  up  gang  shouts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  Torchia  plays  a  style  of  melodic  death  metal  that  is  very  traditional  and  modern  sounding  as  well a s  adding  in  a  lot  of  Swedish  influences,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Torchia  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Face  Of  Hate"  "My  Land  Shall  Burn"  "Light  My  Path"  and  Dark  And  Cold".  8  out  of  10.

Saturday, October 7, 2017

The Kennedy Veil/Imperium/Unique Leader Records/2017 CD Review


  The  Kennedy  Veil  are  a  band  from  Sacremento,  California  and  on  this  recording  expand  on  their  brutal  and  technical  style  of  death  metal  by  adding  in  black  metal  and  symphonic  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Imperium"  which  will  be  released  on  October  20th  by  Unique  Leader  Records.

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  dark  sounding  melodies  while  symphonic  elements  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls.

  A  great  amount  of  black  metal  influences  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  along  with  a  few  high  pitched  screams  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  technical  fashion  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  of  the  riffs  and  leads  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard.

  On  this  recording  The  Kennedy  Veil  expand  on  their  brutal  and  technical  style  of  death  metal  by  adding  in  symphonic  black  metal  elements  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  The  Kennedy  Veil  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  technical,  brutal  death  metal  and  symphonic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Godslaughter"  "Draconian"  and  "Seething  Rot".  8  out  of  10.   

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Genus Ordinis Dei/Great Olden Dynasty/Eclipse Records/2017 Full Length Review


  Genus  Ordinis Dei  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a symphonic  mixture  of  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Great  Olden  Dynasty"  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Eclipse  Records.

 Spoken  word  samples  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  direction  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  some groove  metal  and  hardcore  style  vocals  and  they  also  have  a  melodic  tone  in  some  parts  of  the  songs  while  symphonic  elements  are  also  utilized  at  times.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  riffing  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  djent  and  deathcore  elements  in  the  mid  tempo  sections  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  very  heavily  influenced  by  melodic  death  metal.

  Some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  guitars  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody,  operatic  choirs  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  later  track  brings  in  session  vocals  from  Christina  Scabbia  of  Lacuna  Coil.

  Genus  Ordinis  Dei  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  melodic  death  metal,  deathcore  and  djent  and  mixes  it  with  symphonic  elements  to  create  something  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Genus  Ordinis  Dei are  a  very  decent  sounding  symphonic  and  melodic  mixture  of  death  metal  and  deathcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "You  Die  In  Roma"  "The  Flemish  Obituary"  "Halls  Of  Human  Delights"  and  "Greyhouse".  7/5  out  of  10.