Karma Violens/Serpent God/Growl Records/2018 CD Review

  Karma  Violens  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  has  had  an  album  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  melodic  death,  thrash  metal  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Serpent  God"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Growl  Records.

  Middle  Eastern  style  drones  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  solos and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark,  melodic  and  atmospheric  fashion  along  with  the  vocals  being  a  mixture  of  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  using  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  bring  in a   great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  faster  riffs  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  the  music  also  incorporates  elements  of  modern  thrash  and  hardcore  at  times  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  acoustic  guitars  on  some  of  the  tracks  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  vocals  and  Gregorian  chant s can  also  be  heard.

  On  this  recording  Karma  Violens  remains  true  to t heir  mixture  of  black,  melodic  death,  thrash  metal  and  hardcore,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  world,  creation  and  nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from Karma  Violens  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  melodic  death,  thrash  metal  and  hardcore,  you  should c heck  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Serpent  God" "The  Sun  I  Never  Had"  "A  Letter  To  The  Worthless  Chamber"  and  "Eternal  Darkness".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/imVVWfXu0Jw

  

Greyfell Interview

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

We recorded this album 2 years ago, we are currently composing new songs.
Now we are a four-piece band, it changes a lot of things, so we are working with this new line up and booking couple of good gigs for the next months

There is also something really cool, we are working on with friends on a new concept for us, two bands writing an album together.

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?

It's hard to precisely describe, it's a huge evolution on many aspects, but we think about it as a continuity of the first album. We also made a big work to find new sounds and textures. All those researches led us to different atmospheres.


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

The lyrics were written the same way on this album than they were on the first. It's always related to personal subjects, like an introspection treated in a metaphoric way.
The topics evolve in the same time than we do.

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

The name Greyfell comes from the Nordic mythology, it's one of the different universe that we draw inspiration from.


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?


Our trip to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem was a great adventure. Playing at the Motocultor festival this summer was massive. We also had a lot of good memories during some « wild » tours across Europe.
And about the stage performance, I think you’d better ask this question to someone in the crowd :)

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

We are working on a couple of mini tours in France for the release of the album.
We are talking about booking a European one this summer.

7.The new album was released on 'Argonauta Records' and 'Atypeek Music', are you happy with the duo support that they have given you so far?

Yes, it is new for us, we are very happy to release this album with two labels, It's great to have this collaboration supporting us, and it really makes this release happening in a good spirit.

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

Our first album was relatively confidential.
This one has just been released so we have to wait a little more to have feedbacks.
I think we cross over different styles and inspirations so that many people can get in our music, whatever the scene or the predilection kind of music they like. Some people might think we are not enough in one style or another, but that is the way we like it.


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

That's sure that we will go on experimenting and digging all the time about what we create as a band. That's the way we do music. We will continue to multiply influences to stay in a constant evolution.

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?

There are a lot of bands and musical scenes that influence us. It can be Kraut Rock, Death Metal or D-beat Punk, it depends of the mood. we listen to a lot of bands and I guess that they all have a part of influence in our music. This week I only listened to Leftover Crack and Booba’s latest album.


11.What are some of your non musical interests?

We are active within the Soza collective, who presents and broadcasts different forms of art and expression. We try to mix up every disciplines in a same way of apprehending things, the same spirit in different medias. It's a big part in our lives when we are not playing music.


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

We hope you will enjoy our new album.
Support your local scene.
We have a lot of friends who release music stuff through the Soza collective like The Sharkettes, MNNQNS, Elephants or Servo, go listen to them and support

Can't wait to tattoo my face myself with a sewing needle to make my mom cry.
Keep in touch in 2018 for the new stuff we are working on.

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Greyfell/Horsepower/Argonauta Records/2018 CD Review

  Greyfell  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom, stoner  metal,  psychedelic  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Horsepower"  which  was  released  by  Argonauta  Records.

  Atmospheric  drones  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  a  few  seconds  later  while  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  stoner  style  melodies  along  with  the  clean  vocals  bringing  in  more  of  a  traditional  doom  metal  feeling  as  well  as  the  songs  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  psychedelic  elements.

  Black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  along  with  the  melodies  also  adding  in  touches  of  post  hardcore  as  well  as  all  of  the  songs  sticking  to  a  very  slow  direction,  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  synths  also  gives  the  songs  a  more  atmospheric  feeling.

  Greyfell  plays  a  musical  styles  that  takes  black,  stoner.  doom  metal,  psychedelic  and  hardcore  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Greyfell  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  stoner,  doom  metal,  psychedelic  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Horses"  and  "Spirit  Of  The  bear".  8  out  of  10. 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Greyfellband

Bandcamp: https://greyfell.bandcamp.com

Frost Giant Interview

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

Matti Frost: Trying to get the lineup solidified and rehearsing for the release and subsequent shows. We lost our bassist a couple months ago, and the person we asked to join up immediagely after said yes but then backed out, so now we're in the process of auditioning people. We are also rehearsing the new songs and gearing up to play them live. It will be the first time we've played onstage since May of 2015.
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2.You have a new album coming out in early 2018, 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?

Matti: The sound is something I would describe as being rooted in extreme metal but also marbled with accessible riffing and tons of hooks, melodies, and choruses that are meant to be sung along with. It's multi-dimensional and dynamic with a lot of different emotions, and there are many parts of songs directly written to reference other songs or interludes on the album. It's meant to be listened to as one long song, like NOFX's 'The Decline' or Sleep's 'Jerusalem', and most recently, Insomnium had a record called 'Winter's Gate' that has the same type of structure.

As to how it compares with our older stuff... It's definitely more ambitious. The riffs are stronger. The vocal arrangements are more intricate. The guitar soloing is much more present. The production and recording quality are monstrous compared to our older releases. AJ Viana at Sylar Sound Studios really made us sound phenomenal. Overall, it's much more mature and pretty strong for a 55-minute release.
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3.A lot of your lyrics are inspired by Norse Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic and also what are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?

Matti: I've been into Norse mythology going back to my childhood. The gods and goddesses, the stories and sagas of all the heroes and the people, all of it was very fascinating to me. I was also a fan of the Greek, Roman, and Celtic pantheons too. These tales were way more entertaining to me than the Bible stories I had learned, although the Old Testament is pretty brutal too from a storytelling perspective. Yet, I've never been particularly religious. Even as a kid I was skeptical about the existence of a literal God that watches over everything you do and keeps a list and will one day spend eternity judging the souls of the dead for what they did in life. It seemed a little unrealistic to me. When I started learning about the reconstructed religion and practice of Ásatrú, I was roped in, at first, like many others. It was around this time I got into a deep interest around the Ancient Norse, Vikings, and history of those peoples. Now, I am not a hardcore scholar, and there are few religions that have a stronger basis in research than Ásatrú. It's been called "the religion with homework". I did come out of my "metal dude into Thor" phase, though, and I like to think that in my 11 or so years of being Heathen I have a more nuanced and practical view of it in a modern context.

A lot of the other topics I deal with are allegorical references to the experiences and journey I've had in my life. The Harlot Star is, if you take the lyrics literally, a priest in the 1500's who cannot reconcile his doubts about Christianity, rejects the Church, flees for his life, tries to find the gods and people his ancestors came from, fails, and yet somehow stumbles into the rest of his life. In reality it reflects my own spiritual journey, and the second half of my life is yet to be written.
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4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Frost Giant'?

Matti: I first discovered what frost giants were when I started reading Norse myths. Then there was Dungeons & Dragons in my teens, and they were pretty formidable monsters. Primal, destructive forces of nature, wild and untamed, powerful and mighty, and fearsome. When I decided to name the band Frost Giant I was also rather surprised that it wasn't taken. That's always a plus.
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5.What are some of the best shows that yo have played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Matti: Our very first show in October of 2012 was with Agalloch. We have also had some great gigs playing with Korpiklaani, Ensiferum, Turisas, Wilderun, Trollfest, Ignite, Bane, Aether Realm, Swashbuckle, as well as many other local and regional bands. I don't actually know how we look onstage. I'm always more concerned with making sure I am playing decently and not singing out of key. Armen (Korohglian, also of Cognitive) and Ty Asoudegan are new to the band but have amazing energy, and Scott Breustedt has always had excellent stage presence. How we are onstage remains to be seen.
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6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

Matti: Yes, as of now we only have a couple of shows booked, but that will change once the album comes out. We're going to shoot for playing in different areas, choosing our shows carefully so as not to overexpose ourselves in one area or venue, and possibly some weekend trips or a week long tour in Spring or early Summer.
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7.The new album is coming out on 'Transcending Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Matti:. I knew nothing about the label until my friend sent me a message saying that they were looking for albums to release. I sent Mike (Ramirez) the video for 'Prisoner of the Past' and a link to the whole album and he really liked it and made us an offer. It was a good deal, so we signed it. The label itself has a broad mix of bands, from death metal and deathcore to doom and sludge, to shoegaze, to desert rock and melodic black metal. Some of my favorite artists on the roster are Transylvania Stud, Grief & Bliss, Monolith Cult, and Vesperian Sorrow. There are many more bands on Transcending I haven't heard yet. It's a very diverse roster, and Mike & Chase (Brown) have done a lot of us and the other bands. We can't say enough good things about Transcending Records.
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8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of melodic and extreme metal?

Matti: We have had some positive feedback in the past from European fans, but outside of a few good reviews of our old EP and maybe an interview or two, not much else. We didn't know how to really promote our music to international markets back then and we are really just learning about it now. It seems that the heart of extreme metal is in other countries besides the United States. That's not to say there aren't amazing fans of extreme metal here, but not as many per capita compared to other countries. It seems like metal is just more popular overseas. We're hoping to hear more feedback from international audiences and possibly tour in Europe.
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9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Matti: As the main songwriter, I've always held that whatever I write under this band name will be whatever I want. Whatever sounds good to my ears. However, I now have a pretty amazing band to work with. These guys have way too much talent and skill for me to just say here, play this. Future writing might still be based on my ideas but the actual writing will probably be much more collaborative. As far as genres and styles, I have ideas for music that is far heavier, and music that is way more ear friendly. Whatever it is, it will still sound like us, though.
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10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Matti: Wintersun amd early Ensiferum were the bands that got me serious about starting up a band that was sort of in that genre. Jari Mäenpää just has a way of writing that really appeals to me. I'd also add in a ton of skatepunk, melodic hardcore, and post-hardcore. Bands like NOFX, Strung Out, Lagwagon, MxPx, Grade, Small Brown Bike, Tyr, Avail, Lifetime, Ignite, Devin Townsend Project, Hum... So many different bands, and yet, there's a common thread to all of them that I've found.

I've been listening to a lot of non-metal bands lately, anything from 80's new wave and alt rock to modern indie rock. A few of the bands I've been really into are Strand of Oaks, Cigarettes After Sex, The War on Drugs, and Future Islands.
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11.According to your fb page some of your non musical influences include Game Of Thrones,  Dragonlance,  Deverry and Ancient History, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in thse topics?

Matti: I love to read and I love fantasy. In my opinion, the Deverry novels by Katharine Kerr are the most amazing Celtic fantasy books I've ever read, and I've read all of the books multiple times. I have not read all of the George R.R. Martin books yet but I am caught up on the HBO series. I go way back to my teens with Dragonlance by Weis & Hickman and other authors that have written for that world setting. I've read most of those too, many times. I have the Solamnic Oath tattooed on my chest. So... I am a bit of a fantasy literature geek. I frequently reference concepts and character archetypes from many of these books, and the song 'Silver Dagger' is written about a band of mercenaries featured all throughout the Deverry novels. Actual history has been a big influence too. The Harlot Star was a term that Martin Luther used to refer to comets back in the 16th century, as they threw a wrench in the application of geocentricity. Their paths across the sky, their orbits, didn't make sense to astronomers who were trying to make them fit in a cosmos where everything revolved around the Earth. They defied the divine order of the heavens. That term alone spawned and inspired the whole story told on this album. The comet, specifically Halley's Comet, is what plays the seed of doubt in the protagonist's mind as a young child, and then it's sort of hinted that he sees it 76 years later when he is on his deathbed and the comet returns and brings his life full circle.

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

Matti: Thanks for asking about us. I enjoy talking to folks about music, literature, or pretty much anything. If your readers are so inclined, they can follow us on Instagram @frostgiantofficial, on Facebook at facebook.com/frostgiantofficia l as well. We have a YouTube channel that needs more subscribers so we can get a custom URL, so please, search us out there and mash that button. And our music is available at frostgiant.bandcamp.com. The Harlot Star will be available there on 19 January 2018 and CDs can be ordered at transcendingrecords.com.

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Frost Giant/The Harlot Star/Transcending Records/2018 CD Review

  Frost  Giant  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  mixture  of  folk,  melodic  black/death  and  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "The  Harlot  Star"  which  will  be  released  in  2018  by  Transcending  Records.

  Acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  sound  effects  in  the  background  and  after  awhile  heavier  riffs  are  added  into  the  music  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  some  clean  pagan  vocals  also  being  used  at  times.

  Death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  can  also be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  some  symphonic  elements  also  being  used  at  times  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  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  the  songs  also  mix  in  elements  of  folk  music  and  hardcore  punk  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  are  also  a  couple  of  instrumentals.

  Frost  Giant  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  folk,  melodic  black/death  metal  and  hardcore  punk  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Heathenism,  Legends,  Mysticism,  and  Personal  Struggle  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Frost  Giant  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  folk,  melodic  black/death  metal  and  hardcore  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Forgive  Me  Not"  "The  Forgotten  Graves"  and  "Monuments  To  Nothing".  8  out  of  10.   

https://youtu.be/TBeOGMINaqg.

Ledge/Cold Hard Concrete/Translation Loss Records/Hibernation Release/2017 CD Review

  Ledge  are  a  solo  project  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom  metal,  power  violence  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2017  album  "Cold  Hard  Concrete"  which  will  be  released in  August  as  a  joint  effort  between  Translation  Loss  records,  and  Hibernation  Release.

  Hardcore  style  riffing  and  angry  shouting  vocals  start  off  the  album  while  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  being  very  heavily  influenced  by  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  great  amount  of  black  metal,  power  violence  and  d  beat  elements  can  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  spoken  word  parts  are  also used  briefly  and  one  track  also  adds  in  elements  of  harsh  noise  and  the  music  always  remains  brutal  with  no  solos  or  leads  ever  being  utilized.

  Ledge  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  sludge,  and  doom  metal  and  mixes  them  with  hardcore  and  power  violence  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent,  angry,  and  hateful themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ledge  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom  metal,  power  violence  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Blacked  Out"  "Fuck  Yourself"  and  "Contempt".  8  out  of  10.

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Apes/Lightless/D71 Records/2017 LP Review

  Apes  are  a  band  from  Quebec, Canada  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge,  grind  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Lightless"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  D71  Records.

  Atmospheric  drones  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  direction  that  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  adding  in  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  more  traditional  hardcore  shouts  and  elements  of  grind  are  also  used  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs.

  A  lot  of  the  slower  riffing  is  heavily  influenced  by  sludge  along  with  the  tracks  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  one  track  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing.

  Apes  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal,  grind,  sludge  and  hardcore  and  mixes  them  together to  create  something  original,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  negative  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Apes  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  grind,  sludge  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Asleep"  "Vitric  Persona"  and  "Oblivion".  8  out  of  10.

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https://apesqc.bandcamp.com/

Facebook :

https://www.facebook.com/apesqc

Deadwound/Indentity Shapes/Black Bow Records/2017 EP Review

  Deadwound  are  a  band  from  The  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  doom,  sludge, d  beat, and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  ep  "Identity  Shapes"  which  was  released  by  Black  Bow  Records.

  Dark  effects  and  spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  more  heavy  and  melodic  sludge metal  direction while  the  vocals  also  take  sludge  and  mix  it  in  with  black  metal  screams  while  crust  style  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  the  slow  riffing  is  also  heavily  influenced  by  doom  metal.

  A  great  amount  of  hardcore  elements  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  d  beats  can  be  heard and  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Deadwound  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal,  doom,  sludge,  d  beat  and  hardcore  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  occultism  an  other  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Deadwound  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  doom,  sludge,  d  beat  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kult  Warrior"  and  "Babylon".  8  out  of  10.

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Okkultokrati/Snake Reigns/Night Jerks/Southern Lord Recordings/2016 CD Review

  Okkultokrati  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge,  d  beat,  crust,  hardcore  and punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  compilation  which  contains  the  "Snake  Reigns"  album  I  reviewed  in  2012  and  their  2014  album  "Night  Jerks"  which  was  released  in  May  by  Southern  Lord  Recordings.

  A  crust  punk  style  sound  starts  off  the  compilation  along  with  some  d  beats  and aggressive  non  melodic  punk  vocals  and  all  of the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  slows  down  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  can  be  heard  and  after  awhile  grim  black  metal  screams  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording.

    Throughout  the  compilation  you can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  on  some songs  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  can  be  heard  while  some  of  the  heavier  riffs  are  very  heavily  influenced  by  Motorhead  along  with  a  touch  of  first  wave  black  metal  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  add  in  more  of  an  early  80's  metal/punk  feeling  to  the  songs  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  intro  on  the  second  album  has  a  horror  movie  feeling  while  the  rest  of  the  music  sticks  to  a  heavy  style  and  they  close  the  recording  with  a  horror  move  soundtrack  style  instrumental.

   On  both  of  these  recordings  Okkultokrati  take  first  and  second  wave  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  sludge,  doom  metal, crust,  d  beat  and  hardcore  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  yet heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Darkness  and  Drug  themes.

     On  both  of  these  recordings  Okkultokrati  take  first  and  second  wave  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  sludge,  doom  metal, crust,  d  beat  and  hardcore  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  yet heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Satanism,  Darkness  and  Drug  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  compilation  from  Okkultokrati  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  metal,  doom,  sludge,  crust,  d  beat  and  hardcore  punk,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "No  Ouroboros"  "I  Thought  Of  Demons"  "We  So heavy"  and  "Moon  Dagger".  8  out  of  10.

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Dark Circles/Abstracter/Halo Of Flies/L' Oeil Duu Tigre Records/Sick Man Getting Sick Records/Moment Of Collapse/Shove Records/2016 Split EP Review

 This  is  a  review  of  a  split  ep  between Canada's Dark  Circles  and  California's  Abstracter  which  was  released  by  as  a  joint  effort  between  Halo of Flies Records, L'Oeil Du Tigre Records, Sick Man Getting Sick Records, Moment of Collapse, and Shove Records  and we start  off  the  review  with Dark  Circles  a  band  that  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  crust,  d  beat  and  hardcore.

  Their  side  of  the  split starts  out  with distorted  amp  sounds  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  crust  direction  along  with  some  d  beats  and  black  metal  screams  and   you  can  also  hear  elements  of  post  hardcore  in  the  bands  musical  style  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  use  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  You  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  their  side  of  the  recording  along  with  a  great  amount  of  crust  influences  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  which  also  utilize  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  atmospheric  synths  and  spoken  word  parts  are  added  onto  the  last  track,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark and  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Dark  Circles  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blackened  crust  and  hardcore,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ashen"  and  "Isolate".

  Next  up  is  Abstracter  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  crust,  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  that  also  brings  in  a  touch  of  drone  and  after  a  few  seconds  drum  beats  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  grim black  metal   screams  and  you  can  also  hear  some  tremolo  picking  in t he  guitar  riffing  and  the  vocals  also  mix  in  deep  growls  at  times.

   You  can  also  hear  a  great  amount  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  elements  in  the  slower  riffing  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  both  of  their  tracks a re  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the lyrics cover  darkness,  dystopian  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Abstracter  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Where  All  Pain  Converges".    

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  black  metal,  doom,  sludge  and  crust.  8  out  of  10.

https://abstracter.bandcamp.com/album/split-with-dark-circles      

OfGhost/The Awakening/2016 Full Length Review

  OfGhost  are  a  solo  project  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  symphonic  black  metal,  death  metal,  industrial  and  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2016  album  "The  Awakening".

  Atmospheric  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  melodic musical  direction  where  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  a  few  seconds  later  aggressive  vocals  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  good  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Black  metal  elements  can  be  heard  in  some  of the  riffing  while  the  melodies  are  very  close  to  the  melodic  side  of death  metal  and  the music  also  gets  symphonic  at  times  while  also  mixing  in  industrial  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melodic singing  and  as  the  album progresses  it  starts  bringing  in the energy  of  punk  while  one  of  the  tracks also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  OfGhost  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  symphonic  black  metal,  death,  thrash,  industrial  and  hardcore  punk  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Finnish  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  OfGhost  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of   symphonic  black  metal,  death  metal,  industrial  and  hardcore  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Pimeys  El  Sinua  Hylkaa"  and  "Jokienen  Hetki  On  Askel".  8  out  of  10. 

 http://ofghost.bandcamp.com/album/the-awakening

Totem Skin/Weltschmerz/Halo Of Flies/2016 CD Review

  Totem  Skin  are  a  band  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  doom,  crust,  hardcore  and  screamo  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Weltschmerz"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Halo  Of  Flies.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  minutes  the  music  speeds  up  and  gets  heavy  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  screaming  and  the  music  also  mixes  crust  and  post  hardcore  elements  to  them  while  the  influence  of  black  metal  is  also a  very  huge  part  of  the  bands  musical  style  and  some  of  the  riffs  bring  in  melodies.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  solos  are added  into the  music  they  are  in  a  melodic  post  metal  direction  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  emo  and  as  the  album  progresses  growls  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  clean  playing  also  makes a  return  at  times  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Totem  Skin  plays  a  musical style  that  takes  post  black  metal  and  crust  and  mixes  them  together  with  doom,  screamo  and  melodic  hardcore  to  create  a  style  of  their own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  angry  and  depressing  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Totem  Skin  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  doom,  crust,  hardcore  and  screamo  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Longing  leans  And  Beckons"  "The  Mouth  Of  Man"  and  "Distant  Visitant".  8  out  of  10. 

BANDCAMP

     

Fortress Black/I.N.R.I/Demons Run Amok Entertainment/2015 EP Review

  Fortress  Black  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge  and  hardcore  and  this is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "I.N.R.I"  which  was  released  by  Demons  Run  Amok  Entertainment.

  Drum  beats  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavy  yet  dark  musical  direction  along  with  some  screams  that  mix  black  metal  and  sludge  together  and  the  music  also  brings  in  the  anger  of  hardcore  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  very  dark  and  melodic  and  also  brings  in  elements  of  modern  post  metal.

  Some  of  the  riffs  utilize  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  some  of t he  tracks  also  bring  in  growls  and  angry  shouts  along  with  a  touch  of  post  hardcore  and  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  paced  musical  direction  while  the  music  does  speed  up  briefly  along  with  a  few  seconds  of  blast  beats  and  you  can  also  hear  the  more  modern  side  of  black  metal  being  mixed  in  the  bands  musical  style  at  times  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.

  Fortress  Black  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal,  post  metal,  sludge  and  hardcore  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  very  dark  and  heavy  musical  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  heavy and  modern  while  the  lyrics  cover  social,  emotional  issues  and  anti  fascist  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Fortress  Black  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge  and  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Leave  me  Alone"  and  "I.N.R.I".  8  out  of  10.

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Cruadalach/Rebel Against Me/Metalgate Records/2015 CD Review

  Cruadalach  are  a  band  from  the  Czech Republic  that  plays  folk  metal  with  some  elements  of  black  and  death  metal  and  a  touch  of  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015 album  "Rebel Against  Me"  which  was  released  by  MetalGate  Records.

  Spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  a  few  seconds  later  as well  as  some  folk  instruments  which  also  leads  up  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount of  melody  and  also  add  in  a  touch  of  thrash  while  the  vocals  use  black  metal  screams,   death  metal  growls  and  clean  singing.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have a very  powerful  sound  to them  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  and  the  songs  also mix  the  folk  elements  in  with  the  more  metal  side  of  the  bands  musical  style  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they remain  true  to  a  more  melodic  musical  direction.

  A  lot  of  the  riffs  bring  in  elements  of  hardcore  punk  and  more  modern  mainstream  metal/rock  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  goth  rock  in  the  clear  vocals  and some  of  the later  tracks  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  classical  guitars  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  one  of the  later  tracks  also  brings  in  a  small  amount   of  operatic  female  vocals

  Cruadalach  plays  a  style  of  folk  metal  that  also  has  the  black  and  death  metal  influences  that  are  common  with  this  genre  and  they add  in  a  touch  of  hardcore  punk  that  makes  their  musical  style  stand  out  a  bit  more,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism  and  Mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cruadalach  are  a  very  great  sounding  folk  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Shiva  World  Dance  Party"  "Rebel  Against  Me"  "Life  Worshipping  Bastards" and "The  Astralnaut".  8 out  of  10. 

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Karma Violens/Skin Of Existence/Roar! Rock Of Angels Records/2015 CD Review

  Karma  Violens  are  a band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  melodic death,  thrash  metal  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album "Skin  Of  Existence"  which  was  released  by  Roar! Rock  Of  Angels  Records.

  A  very  dark,  hard  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  sounding  very  powerful  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  noises  which  starts  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  direction  which  shows  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  influences  being  added  onto  the  recording.

  Once  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  the  band  also  brings  in  elements  of  metalcore  into  their  musical  style  as  well  as  using  some  black  metal  screams  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  are  very  melodic  and  some  of  the  faster  riffs  bring  thrash  influences  into  the  songs.

  Karma  Violens  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal, melodic and brutal death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  hardcore  and  thrash  to  create  an  album  that  is  very  heavy  and  diverse,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  world,  creation  and  nature  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Karma  Violens  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  black,  melodic  death,  thrash  metal  and  hardcore  and  if you  are  a fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Bloodbath"  "Floating  In  Sadness"  "About  my  Creator"  and  "Dead  Man's  Story". 7/5  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu2xW-NKftY      

Leucrota/Sentient Ruin Laboratories/2015 Demo Review

  Leucrota  are  a  band  from  Santa  Cruz,  California  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge,  crust,  d  beat,  hardcore  punk  and  noise  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  demo  which  was  released  by  Sentient  Ruin  Laboratories.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  demo  and  after  a  minute  reverb  is  added  onto  the  recording  and  takes  the  music  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  that  are  heavily  influenced  by  hardcore,  black  metal  and  sludge  and  you  can  also  hear  a  lot  of  noise  rock  elements  in  the  bands  musical  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  blast  and  d  beats  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  deep  growls  at  times  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melodies  at  times  and  some  of  the  songs  also  use  a  small  amount  of  guitar  leads.

  Leucrota  takes  black  metal,  sludge,  crust  and  post  hardcore  and  mix  them  together  along  with  a  variety  of  many  influences  to  create  a  sound  of  their own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Leucrota  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of   black  metal,  sludge,  crust,  d  beat,  hardcore  punk  and  noise  rock  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Never  Again"  and  "Systematic  Violence".  7/5  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/leucrota/?fref=ts

Barishi/Endless Howl/2015 EP Review

  Barishi  are  a  band  from  Vermont  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  and  progressive  mixture  of  hardcore,  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  ep  "Howl".

  A  very  heavy  and  brutal  style  of  prog  metal  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  that  combine  hardcore  and  black  metal  together  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  incorporating  more  melody  along  with  some  technical  elements  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts.

  Blackened  death  metal  growls  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  some  of  the  heavier  parts  also  bring  in  more  of  a  modern  prog  metal  style  along  with  blast  beats  being  added  in  some  of  the  faster sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Barishi  continue  their  extreme  progressive  metal  mixture  of  previous  recordings  taking  the  hardcore,  prog,  technical,  melodic  black  and  death  metal  genres  combining  them  as  well  creating  something  very  original.  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  real  life  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Barishi  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  hardcore,  prog,  melodic  black  and  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Smoke  From  The  Earth"  and  "Snakeboat".  8  out  of  10.

http://barishi.bandcamp.com/album/endless-howl-ep 

https://www.facebook.com/barishiband  

Hombre Malo Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
boris: well, the release was set on the 14th of november, not that long time ago.
we had the release party with timeworn and pandemi the 22nd; we had a lot of fun and it looked like we were not the only ones, eheh!
now, we are focusing on getting rid of some days off for a forthcoming tour, in january.
except that, jamming at the practice place, as always.


2.So far this year you have been a part of a split and have also released a full length, how would you describe
the musical sound of the newer music and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
well, as the time passes by, i personally see our first album, the ecstasy of devastation, as a statement and we've been digging deeper in the directions presented on it. that's a totally non objective thought that appeared to me recently; then, take it as it is, eheh!
it also feels like we got angrier on that last album. and we manage to end up with a general sound on "persistent murmur of words of wrath" that reflects quite well this anger and the hystery of hombre malo. nice.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
nacho: We have been writing lyrics like personal stories for a while. In "Persistent..." the comment about social issues overtakes and becomes the main theme. Things like homophobia, the rise of conservatism and this rebirth of religion all over the world have become a matter of concern for us. And also this exagerated consumption in the western world, and specially in countries like Norway. Quite sure we don't need to convince many among our audience, but  all of this pisses us off and we needed to put it into paper and notes.

4.I know that the band name means "bad Man" in Spanish, how does this name fit in with the style of music that you play?
boris: i don't know; does it fit? we still could be playing some spacy electronic music and be called hombre malo too, no?

5.What are some of the best shows that the band ha splayed over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
russia has always been our favorite place to play, especially moscow; so intense there!
spain and czech republic are also on top of the list. valmiera in latvia has also this amazing abandoned building that got turned into an art space... fantastic spot and crowd.
a show is some kind of a transe where you hope everyone will join in and create commonly that huge amount of energy made of sweat, sound, passion, fun and relieves. sometimes, it works, sometimes, it doesn't, but if our t shirts aren't wet when we get out of stage, we missed something.


6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
the closest will be this 2 weeks tour in january i mentioned earlier with jack and the bearded fishermen from france; we'll go to denmark, germany, netherlands, belgium, uk (first time for both bands!) and france.
it looks like we'll spend some days with khmer in scandinavia early april too.
then, there will be tours in 2015; be sure we'll visit you this year! we'll let you know on time.
when it comes to the usa, japan, australia, w'd love to go there; but we need to find a way so we won't loose millions of dollars! any help on that side would be more than welcome.

7.Over the years you have been on a few splits, out of all the bands you have worked with on these albums,
which one do you feel came the closest to your musical style?
we shared records with jack and the bearded fishermen, desert icons and sofy major; if you add hombre malo to the list, you end up with 4 very different bands with 4 very different styles of music. but if i really have to pick up one, i'll take jack and the bearded fishermen because of their fuzz sound on their early records.


8.The new album came out on Disciplin Media, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
disiplin media is run by stian who used to play in bands like Englemaker, Eskatol and Betonglbarn.
the same day our last album got released, disiplin media released also the first album of timeworn. and there is a beautiful reissue of a great norwegian band, kort process, coming in 2015... you can get all the infos at http://disiplin-media.com


9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to the newer material by fans of underground music?
the thing is that we had A LOT of feedbacks this time, mainly because of disiplin media and stian who's been working his ass off in promoting that album.
all in all, feedbacks have been really good; people seems to see a strong unity/connection when it comes to the entire record listening experience.
nacho's work on linking the songs with samples, noises and the timing have a lot to do with that, i think.
but weird in an other way because some of those riffs are 4 years old and some are new...
but i do think that you can't get hombre malo by listening to one or two songs. so we like that they get the guideline through all of this noise wrapped up in 7 songs.


10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical styles these days that some of the band members are a part off?
joakim, the drummer, is actually on tour in japan with his band ich bin n!ntendo and i know he'll go on tour in february with his other band, moe.
i don't know what's going on with jesuismort, nacho's band; but i guess we'll hear about that soon.
tom still have psalm from time to time.
okkultokrati, my other band, just released an album last july; we came back from a european tour plus some gigs in norway; now we are resting a bit.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
i could answer that question but this wouldn't end up the way i said; we are 4 very different persons. this would only be my thoughts and they will be "twisted" by the others on the way so it won't look like the initial ideas.
but, as i said earlier, there are faces of hombre malo that only us know and i hope they'll end up twisted live or on records one day.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
i think that hombre malo has its roots in the diy/hardcore movement; but there is no boundaries when it comes to create music with this band; we never set any. i could read recently some reviews about the new album and people were speaking about noise rock, sludge, psychedelic, post rock, even grunge... sure, we can relate to all of that.
right now, on the lp player, the greek band aphrodite's child is playing. just before was the swedish band walk through fire...

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
in hombre malo, you have carpenters, bar tenders, roadies, drivers, fathers, surfers, book readers, sailors, swimmers, travellers, dreamers...

14.Before we wrap up this interview do you have any final words or thoughts?
thanks for reading and hopefully, we'll come and play to a place near you soon; that day, whatever day of the week it is,
come and join the celebration! because that's where it really happens.

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