Coilguns/Millenials/Hummus Records/2018 CD Review

  Coilguns  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge,  noise,  d  beat  and  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Millenials"  which  will  be  released  in  2018  by  Hummus  Records.

  Dark  yet  melodic  and  heavy  riffing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  drum  beats  a  few  seconds  later  awhile  the  angry  vocals  bring  in  touches  of  sludge  and  black  metal  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  Elements  of  post  hardcore  and  noise  rock  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  elements  of  d  beat  and  grindcore  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  musical  gets  more  experimental  and  the  songs  also  bring  in a   decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and fast  parts.

  Coilguns  plays  a  musical style  that  takes  black  metal,  sludge,  noise  rock,  post  hardcore,  d  beat,  grind  and  experimental  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cove  dark and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Coilguns  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge,  grind,  d  beat,  noise  rock  and  post  hardcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Anchorite"  "Spectogram"  "Self  Employment  Scheme"  and  "The  Screening".  8  out  of  10.

'Millenials' for full on Bandcamp    

LaColpa Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
LaColpa was born in 2014 in Alessandria (Italy) like a sort of creature, a Golem: at first the four piece lineup with Andrea Moio (ex Sùr) at bass, Cecco Testa (Cropcircle) at the elettronics, noise, driller, chains and samples, Davide Boeri (ex Septycal Gorge) at the drums and Davide Destro (ex Infection Code) at the guitar and effects, started as an instrumental band, creating the hard body and structure of the creature, then I joined to the band giving it the voice. All of us came from different experiences in the area of extreme and experimental sounds, from the ambient to the noise passing through the extreme metal, so in some ways, LaColpa has started life by itself.

2.So far you have released a demo and a full length, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?
The demo contained a raw version of Soil, the first track of the album, and came out in a 33-copy limited edition CDR. In the album the same track was enriched by Dano Battocchio's work (Last Minute To Jaffna /Tutti I Colori Del Buio) to the mix and Brad Boatright at Audiosiege at the final master. The sound is a mix of Doom, Sludge, Noise and Black Metal and it can be described as a sort of descent into man's inner hell.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
LaColpa explore all those obscure parts in the human beings. It does so with a sense of martyrdom: in the creation of texts I like to sink into deep and dark moods as a sort of shaman, taking them to the surface to amalgamate them to the chaotic sense of the noise.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'LaColpa'?
LaColpa is translatable in English as TheGuilt. In religion, the sense of guilt is very important because it is closely related to the sins committed by man. For religion, we are all guilty, and unlike religion, we think that there is no salvation because this is exactly the human nature.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We recently made a live with our friends Viscera/// for our full length debut. It was a nice live, we got several positive feedbacks. In our performances, we try to let the spectator fall into the depths of the dark moods we evoke, also thanks to the visual support we select.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
For now we have a concert with OVO on December 8th. We don't have tour dates, because we don't mainly focus on live shows. We prefer to devote ourselves to composing new songs for the moment.

7.The album was released on 'Toten Schwan Records', are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?
Absolutely! Marco at the Toten Schwan Records did a great job! We are very pleased to have worked with him.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal, sludge and noise?
We have received many positive feedback from the lovers of those sounds. This makes us happy because it means that the work we did has arrived where it wanted to arrive.

9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
They will continue. Personally I have several noise and power electronics projects like Moana I want to carry on. Along with Davide Destro we started a new project called Macabro Dio more oriented into noise/power electronics sound compared to LaColpa, but keeping dark themes in the black metal style. Cecco will also continue working on Cropcircle and Winter Martyrium , and I think new projects or collaborations will be forthcoming in the future.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
It's hard to say! I think we will try to keep our style and direction, but who knows, we are all experimental musicians and the idea of introducing new things always fascinates us.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
We all have a different musical background and maybe that's the reason why our sound is so weird, but we all love noise, experimental music and black metal. Among the bands that influenced us, I could mention Portal, Leviathan, The Body, Khanate and many more.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Surely the nihilistic pessimism of authors such as Cioran and Caraco, the intrinsic carnality in the Catholic religion, esoterism, and extreme forms of art: from contemporary art performances to the cinema.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I can leave you with the words that close our live shows:
WE DON'T EXISTS, WE ARE YOUR GUILT.

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LaColpa/Mea Maxima Culpa/Toten Schwan Records/2017 CD Review

  La  Colpa  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom,  sludge  metal  and  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Mea  Maxima  Culpa"  which  was  released  by  Toten  Schwan  Records.

  Experimental  and  avant  garde  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  also  mix  in  with  the  powerful  bass  guitars  a  minute  later  along  with  some  grim  screams  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  to  a  more  heavier  sludge  metal  direction  and  all  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  After  awhile  black  metal  screams  start  to  make  their  presence  known  while  the faster  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  some  elements  of harsh  noise,  spoken  word  parts  are  also  used  briefly  and  elements  of  drone  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  tribal  beats  are  added  onto  the  closing  track  as  well  as  the  riffs  bringing  in  doom  metal  style  melodies.

  La  Colpa  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  doom,  sludge  metal  and  noise  and  mixes them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

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

https://lacolpa666.bandcamp.co m/releases

Fleurety/Inquietum/Aesthetic Death/2017 Compilation Review

  Fleurety  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  avant  garde  and  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  compilation  album  "Inquietum"  which  will  be  released  on  August  21st  and  consists  of  the  many  7  inches  that  they  have  released  over  the  years.

  Harsh  noises  and  power  electronics  start  off  the  album  and  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  riffing  which  also  leads  up  to  some  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  being  added  onto  the  recording  while  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  avant  garde  elements  and  you  can  also  hear  some  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  bets  can  be  heard  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  progressive  fashion  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  the  guitar  riffing  also  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking.

  Throughout  the  compilation  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  some  tracks  also  bring  in  synths  and  drones  along  with  some  psychedelic  elements  also  being  used  briefly  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them,  female  vocals  can  also be  heard  briefly as  the  album  progresses  and  some  of  the  songs  is  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  utilizes  a  more  angry  vocal  approach  and  there  are  also  a  few  instrumentals.

  On  this  compilation  Fluerty  showcase  a  lot  of  their  material  that  was  released  over  the  years  which  shows  their  avant  garde  black  metal  style  getting  more  darker  and  experimental  than  what  was  presented  on  the  early  full lengths,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  weirdness,  dark  emotions  and  poetry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  collection  from  Fluerty  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  avant  garde  black  metal,  experimental  and  noise,  you  should  check  out  this  compilation.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Descent  Into  Darkness"  "Summon  The  Beasts"  "It's  When  Your  Cold"  and  "Carnal  Nations".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/thetruefleurety/  

Crawl Interview

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

Crawl is a one manned Blackened Doom monolith. The core of crawl consists of me behind a drumset with a stringed instrument mounted across the kit. I play the bass instrument primarily live, while drumming, with minimal use of samples and loops. Behind me is bass cabinets stacked three high, with the words "crawl" blazoned on the highest most cabinet.
Crawl started in July 2011 after a previous band had fallen apart months prior to a tour I was in the process of booking. After reflecting on my past failures for some time I decided that there was no one on this earth that was going to join me on the arduous path that is being a touring musician.
I sat down for a week or two, drew out some sketches, formed a plan, and chipped away at a workable format until I got where I am today.
Crawl is always evolving, and I often find that I must force myself to slow down so I can showcase some of the ideas I have for an extended amount of time.

2. How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

Crawl is a hypnotizing bleakness, accompanied by pained and emotional vocalizations. Some elements of noise fill in the gaps, and samples of cavernous soundscapes set the tone throughout any given track.

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

The lyrics often in the perspective of a necromancer reflecting on his worthlessness brought on by the loss of his own power. Weak, pathetic ramblings of an ancient piece of shit, dying in a tomb he created himself. His suffering is his own fault and he has no one but himself to blame for his failures. Some lyrics are also presented in the perspective of a summoned entity begging to die, begging to be imprisoned, or just worshiping the need to be enslaved. There is no finite lyrical theme. Just the exploration of lack of self worth, stagnant depression, failure, suicide. Through the eyes of necromancy and minimal early 15th century medieval imagery.

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

Crawl is derived from the term "Dungeon crawl" which is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinthine environment. The use of Crawl as a title is to illustrate the idea of being lost in a dark tomb/cave/dungeon.

5.With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to remain solo?

I have heavily considered collaboration, and I am always thinking of musicians that would fit the part. I have come close but it just hasn't happened yet.
I would like to release some albums based entirely around collaboration without perverting the idea that I am playing two instruments at once and am a "solo act". That hasn't happened yet, and I'm not interested in rushing it.

6.'Black Bow Records' is re-issuing your whole discography, can you tell us a little bit more about these newer versions?

Black Bow Records is simply hosting my discography for now. There aren't any significant differences to the albums. I wouldn't want there to be. There may or may not be some Black Bow Records exclusive recordings or merchandise, but we are early on in the stages of working together and that has yet to be discussed.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal, sludge and noise?

I have received very little negative feedback on Crawl by anyone regardless of genre. I am most interested in playing for the people that haven't been exposed to any elements of the music I am creating. I am primarily interested in opening minds and showing people that there are things that have yet to be discovered. I find that my live show bypasses any genre exclusivity. Black metal, Noise, Sludge, Art shows, Rock, Thrash, Grind, Powerviolence... I've done it all and its always the same reaction in different degrees; "I have never seen anything like that, ever."

8.Are you currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

I am drumming for UK's Conan at psycho las vegas 2017 and in San Diego on August 22nd. I have been in other bands at the same time as Crawl, but for now, its just these two bands.

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

I want to explore classical guitar, I want to own a theorbo. I want to continue bringing up emotionally painful experiences for audience members via Crawl live sets. I want to evoke great amounts of emotion, and i want to compose songs that put people into a temporary depression.
I want to highlight pain, and use it as a tool for healing.

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?

In the beginning bands like Skaphe and The White Mice were my go to for inspiration because writing by myself was a difficult situation to get a handle on.
But now... I just remember to start slow, pick an object or emotion, and slowly begin to elaborate on whatever topic I am focusing on at the time.
The music I listen to nowadays usually consists of very slow ambient dungeon synth. Anything to keep me calm and grounded. Soundscapes similar to those one might see popping up in some of Crawl's new material. Also Grok's "A Spineless Descent". Anything/Everything on the mysticism productions bandcamp. Lluvia. Shit like that.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

My non musical interests include PC gaming, early 15th century armour and recreating those pieces, medieval weaponry, crafting instruments... Essentially building anything and everything until my hands fall off.

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

Crawl will touring the west coast with Black Vice (blackvice.bandcamp.com) and Haunter (hauntertx.bandcamp.com) August 3rd - August 16th.
Those tour dates can be found on the Crawl facebook (facebook.com/crawlblindly).

Keep an eye out for Red River Family Fest 2017 in Austin Texas. The line up is not one to be trifled with.

If you're interested in medieval plate armour, look into "Necroticarmoury" on facebook and on instagram. I am interested in making armour for bands, anyone that would attend a renaissance festival, or just for someone who wants to own pieces of hand made armour.

Thank you for taking the time to ask me these questions, or if you're reading this interview; for making it to the end.
-Crawl

https://www.facebook.com/CrawlBlindly/

Crawl/This Sad Cadav'r/Black Bow Records/2017 EP Review

  Crawl  are  a  band  from  Texas  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge  and  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "This  Sad  Cadav'r"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Black  Bow  Records.

  Atmospheric  drones  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  field  recordings  a  few  seconds  later  and  elements  of  ambient  are  also  used  at  times  and  after  a  few  minutes  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  sludge  direction  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  All  of  the  tracks a re  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  diversity  and  elements  of  harsh  noise  are  also  used  at  times  while  demonic  growls  are  also added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs  and  all  of  the  tracks  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction.

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

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

https://ninecircles.co/2017/08/16/stream-crawl-i/ 



    

Atriarch/Dead As Truth/Relapse Records/2017 CD Review

  Atriarch  are  a  band  from  Portland,  Oregon  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  doom  and  sludge  metal  along  with  some  elements  of  noise,  death  rock  and  post  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Dead  As  Truth"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Relapse  Records.

  Ambient  noise  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  seconds  drum  beats  and  melodic  vocals  are  added  onto  the recording  which  leads  up  to  more  of  a  heavier  sludge  and  doom  metal  direction  and  after  awhile  elements  of  death  rock  and  goth  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  black  metal  screams.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  atmospheric  synths  are  also  used  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  post  punk  fashion and  and  on  one  of  the  alter  tracks  the  music  speeds  up a   bit  along  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  while  the  last  song  also  introduces  acoustic  guitars  onto  the  recording

  Atriarch  remains  true  to  the  blackened  sludge/doom  metal  and  death  rock  mixture  of  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  death,  destruction  and  hate  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Atriarch  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  death  rock,  black,  doom  and  sludge  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Inferno"  and  "Hopeless".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.invisibleoranges.com/atriarch-void-song-premiere/

Fleurety Interview

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

We are currently preparing to release our first new album since 2000: "The White Death". I consists of eight brand new songs, and it sounds very Fleurety in my ears, at least. Apart from that we are also working on a cd release that compiles all the music from the EPs that we've been releasing the last ten years. This release is called "Inquietus", and will be released through Aesthetic Records some time in 2017.

2. Recently you have released a new ep. How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

The EP "Fragmenta Cuiusvis Aetatis Contemporaneae" has a sound that is somewhat marked by experimental recording techniques and a lot of layering of instruments. Consider, for instance, the song "Consensus". We have recorded a lot of ukulele, triangle, piano, synthesizer, fretless bass and and acoustic guitars, for instance. So I guess this is the most complex release we've done thus far, at least in terms of orchestration and arrangements. In my ears it is very evocative music. But, obviously, the best thing is to listen for yourself and make up your own mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=sNNr-q-v2-M

3. All of the music on the ep is instrumental, are you planning on going back to using vocals again in the future?

Yes, the reason why we didn't include vocals on this last EP is that we had kind of painted ourselves into a corner where we couldn't make any of the vocals we tried fit the overall expression. So we decided that we didn't need any vocals for this particular release.

4. Since 2000 there has been no full length and before 2009 there was no new material and also there has only been an ep released once every 2 to 4 years, can you tell us a little bit more about it?

Fleurety more or less fell apart as a band during the late nineties. Most of the time since then we have been living on different continents, and for different reasons the notion of keeping the band going as a file exchange/internet project didn't seem so tempting. We had plans of making more music, but the years went by without much happening within the framework of Fleurety. I had made a couple of songs intended to be used in Fleurety, but they were released under the name Zweizz as the EP "Black Necrotic Obfuscation" in 2004. After a while we found out that it was better to keep doing things very slowly than doing nothing at all. Between 2004 and 2014 we tried to keep up this tradition of meeting up once a year to record a new song. Those are the songs that ended up on the four 7" EPs that we've been releasing. Then in 2014, we recorded a new album which is due for release some time the coming year, hopefully.

5. I know that the bands name came from a Goetic demon, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in Occultism?

At the time we chose the band name, we were 14 years old and wanted something demonic. We didn't know much about the subject; teenagers rarely do. We found the name Fleurety in an encyclopedia. These days I guess I'm more of a occultism/witchcraft nerd.

6. Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to becoming a full line up again or do you prefer to remain a duo?

We have no specific plans of playing concerts, so at the moment there is no need to recruit more personnell.

7. What where some of the best shows that the band played back in the days and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We only played some 5-6 shows back in the day, not much to be talking about. For those of you who are very interested, i recommend this clip from 1994: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=103DtO23lXA

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer material by fans of experimental, avant garde and black metal?

Seems most people enjoy our new material, even though there is also the occasional "meh". There have been comments from people that think we should be more prolific, and that is the only really non-enthusiastic feedback I've heard.

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

I have some other projects going on. For instance you can check out a band where I play the drums, called Succuba, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=GDofo0Gunos

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

I HAVE NO IDEA!!!!!!!!!!

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?

Most of the time I listen to whatever's on the radio. I used to be working as a music critic from 2002 to 2013, and it basically ruined my relationship with the "listening to music" situation, so I guess I'm still trying to recover from that.

12. What are some of your non musical interests?

Food, people, movies, visual art ... politics to some extent.

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

Thanks for paying attention!

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Body Void/Ruins/Crown & Throne Ltd/Dry Cough Records/2017 LP Review

  Body  Void  are  a  band  from  San  Francisco  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  sludge  metal  with  touches  of  noise  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Ruins"  which  will  be  released  on  January  31st  as  a  joint  effort  between  Crown  &  Throne  Ltd  and  Dry  Cough  Records.

  Atmospheric  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  the  music  going  into  a  heavier  doom  metal  direction  a  few  seconds  later  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  the  vocals a re  high  pitched  screams  that  mix  black  metal  and  sludge  together  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  at  times.

 All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  all  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  elements  of  crust  punk  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  with  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  and  elements  of  noise  are  also  utilized  at  times  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  fashion.

  Body  Void  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  sludge  and  doom  metal  while  also  mixing  in  black  metal  vocals  and  elements  of  noise  and  crust  punk  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  oppression,  gender  and  science  fiction  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Body  Void  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  doom  and  sludge  metal  with  elements  of  noise  and  crust  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Erased"  and  "Ruins".  8  out  of  10.

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Fleurety/Fragmenta Cuinsvis Aetatis Contemporanae/Aesthetic Death/2017 EP Review

  Fleurety  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  has  been  around  for  more  than  20  years  and  plays  an  avant  garde  form  of  black  metal  with  a  touch  of  noise  on  this  recording  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  ep  "Fragmenta  Cuinsvis  Aetatis  Contemporanae"  which  was  released  by  Aesthetic  Death.

  Spoken  word  parts  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  electronic  sounds  and  black  metal  riffing  while  they  also  mix  in  clean  guitars  to  give  the  music  more  of  an  experimental  and  avant  garde  feeling  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  therecording  and  elements  of  harsh  noise  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  Some  of  the  slower  riffing  brings  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  pianos  are  also  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  both  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  are  done  in  mostly  an  instrumental  direction  and  saxophones  along  with  psychedelic elements  are  added  onto  the  second  track  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  tribal  style  beats.

  On  this  recording  Fleuety  takes  black  metal,  noise,  experimental  and  avant  garde  and  mixes  them  together  and  does not  include  any  vocals  like  their  earlier  releases  and  the  production  also  sounds  very  professional.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Fleurety  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  avant  garde  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Consensus".  8  out  of  10.

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Batsheva/I Am The Whore Of Babylon/2015 EP Review

  Batsheva  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  symphonic  and  melodic  take  on  black  and  doom  metal  but  also  experiments  with  ambient  and  noise  on  the  new  recording  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015 ep  "I  Am  The  Whore  Of  Babylon".

  A  very  heavy  and  blasphemous  black/death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  a  few  blast  beats  and  a  mixture  of  growls  and  high  pitched  screams  and  the  doom  metal  influence  starts  kicking  in  during  the  slower  riff  along  with  some  atmospheric  sounds  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  briefly  they  bring  in  a  more  modern  and  melodic  style  of  black  metal  and  the  song  also  brings  in  both  slow  and  fast  parts  and  on  the  later  tracks  the music  goes  for  more  of  an  instrumental  and  ambient  noise  direction  that  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  harsh  power  electronics  and  they  also  mix  in  the  black  metal  style  and  screams  into  their  approach  to  noise  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling.

  Batsheva  keeps  the  black  and doom  metal  elements  of  previous  recordings  and  also  mixes  in  noise  and  ambient  to  create  a  very  dark,  ritualistic  and  occult  sounding  ep,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Batsheva  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of t he  more  evil  styles  of  black  metal,  doom,  death  and  noise,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "I  Am  The  Whore  Of   Babylon"  and  "To  The  Worms".  8  out  of  10. 

http://batsheva.bandcamp.com/album/i-am-the-whore-of-babylon

Abstracter/Wound Empire/Sentient Ruin Labratories/2015 CD Review

  Abstracter  are  a  band  from  Oakland,  California  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge,  crust,  noise  and  psychedelic  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Wound  Empire"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Sentient  Ruin  Labratories.

  A  very  dark,  distorted  and  atmospheric  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  reverb  and  distortion  before  getting  a  little  bit  more  louder  and  you  can  hear  some  grim  black  metal  vocals  being  added  into  the  music  after  awhile  along  with  some  deep  growls  which  also  takes  the  music  into  a  more  heavy  sludge  metal  direction.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  mix  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  with  the  heavier  parts  and  all  of  the  songs  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  more  elements  of  drone,  noise  and  psychedelic  being  added  into  some  of  the  tracks  and  on  the  last  song  a  small  amount  of  melodic  clean  singing  vocals  are  added  into  the  music.

  Abstracter  plays  a  very  slow  and  heavy  form  of  music  that  mixes  black  metal,  doom  and  sludge  together  while  also  adding  in  elements  of  drone  and  psychedelia  to  make  their  music  sound  a  lot  more  experimental,  the production  sounds  very  dark  yet  powerful  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  metaphysical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Abstracter  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  metal.  sludge,  doom,  noise  and  psychedelia,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Lightless"  and  "Cruciform".  8  out  of  10.  

 http://www.cvltnation.com/exclusive-cvlt-nation-streaming-abstracter-lightless/

Indian/From All Purity/Relapse Records/2014 CD Review

   Indian  are  a  band  from  Chicago,  Illinois  that  plays  a  blackened  form of  doom  metal  with  elements  of  harsh  noise  and  sludge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "From  All  Purity"  which  was  released  by  Relapse  Records.

  "Rape"  which  is  also  the  first  song  on t he  album  opens  up  with  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  drums  and  a  few  seconds  alter  black  metal  screams  along  with  elements  of  harsh  noise  kick  in  as  well  as  going  into  a  more  slow  doom  metal  direction  and  staying  that  direction  throughout  the  song.

  "The  Impetus  Bleeds"  begins  with  heavy  distorted  noises  before  adding  in  slow  and  dark  doom  metal  guitar  riffs  as  well  as  some  drums  and  black  metal  screams  along  with  a  small  amount  of  melody  and  sticks  to  the  same  riffs  throughout  the  song.

  "Directional"  opens  up  with  slow,  dark  and  heavy  guitar  riffs  and  a  few  seconds  alter  elements of  harsh  noise  can  be  heard  in  the  background  before  adding  drums  into  the  music  and  a  minute  later  screams  make  their  presence  known  and  the  song  goes  into  a  blackened  doom  metal  direction.

  "Rhetoric  Of   No"  starts  up  with  heavy  doom  metal  guitar  riffs  and  drums  along  with  some  black  metal  vocals  and  the  music  stays  in  a  slow  direction  during  its  time  and  after  a  awhile  dark  sounding  melodies  make  their  way  into  the  music  as  well  as  elements  of  harsh  noise.

  "Clarity"  begins  with  harsh  noise  loops  and  power  electronics  along  with  some  drones  and  a  few  seconds  alter  high  pitched  screams  are  added  into  the  music  and  there  are  no  guitar  riffs  or  drums  present  on  the  song.

  "Disambiguation"  which  is  also  the  last  song  on  the  album  begins  with  heavy  doom  metal  guitar  riffs  along  with  some  distorted  sounds  and  clean  elements  in  the  background  which  also  leads  up  to  drums  kicking  in  as  well  as  some  melodic  guitar  riffing  and  after  awhile  black  metal  screams  are  added  into  the  music  and  as  time  goes  on  by  dark  sounding  melodies  are  added  into  the  music..

  Song  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes,  while  the  production  gas  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  dark  sound  with  the  bass  guitars  being  mixed  down  low  in  the  mix  as  well  as  most  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Indian  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  doom  metal  band  with  elements  of  sludge  and  harsh  noise  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Impetus  Bleeds"  and  "Disambiguation".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

http://www.facebook.com/IndianDoom
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Batillus/Concrete Sustain/Seventh Rule Recordings/2013 CD Review

  Batillus  are  a  band  from  New  York  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  doom/sludge  metal  with  some    industrial  and  noise  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Concrete  Sustain"  which  was  released  by  Seventh  Rule  Recordings.

  Drums  range  from slow  to  mid  paced  playing  with  no  fast  playing  or  blast  beats  being  present  on this  recording,  while  the  synths  and  noise  bring  a  very  dark  avant  garde,  industrial,  drone  and  ambient  sound  to  the  recording,  as  for  the  bass  playing  it  has  a  very  dark  tone  with  riffs  that  follow  the  riffing  that  are  coming  out  of  the  guitars  and  at  times  they  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow  to  mid  paced  riffs  that  combine  black  metal,  doom,  and  sludge  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  while  the  lead  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  are  very  dark  sounding  ambient/doom  metal  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Vocals  range  high  pitched  black  metal/sludge  screams,  deep  doom/death  metal  growls  to  industrial/hardcore  style  vocals  as  well  as  a  brief  spoken  word  part  in  addition  there  is  some  clean  singing  being  utilized  on  the  last  song,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes,  as  for  the  production  it has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  dark,  heavy  and  professional  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  with  some  of  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Batillus  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  black  metal,  noise,  doom,  drone  and  sludge  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cast"  and  "Thorns".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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Dethcentrik/I Think You Got The Clean Version/Dod Incarnate Records/2012 CD Review

  Dethcentrik  are  a  band  from  Colorado  Springs,  Colorado  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  with  a  musical style  that  combines  black  metal,  doom,  punk,  industrial  and  noise  together  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2012  album  "I  Think  You  Got  The  Clean  Version"  which  was  released  by  Dod  Incarnate  Records.

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  a  good  amount  of  brutal  blast  beats  being  thrown  into  the  music,  while  the  programming  brings  elements  of  experimental,  harsh  noise  and  industrial  elements  to  the  music.

  Regular  guitars  and  bass  are  all  absent  from  this  recording  with  the  drums  and  programming  making  up  for  the  brutality  and  still  showing  you  can  bring  metal  elements  into  the  music  without  using  these  traditional  instruments.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal/noisecore  screams  mixed  in  with  some  spoken  word  industrial  elements,  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  hateful  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  dark,  heavy,  raw  and  primitive  sound  to  it.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  album  from  Dethcentrik  and  if  you  where  a  fan  of  their  previous  recordings,  you  should  enjoy  this  one  as  well.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Let  Us  Pray"  "Realization  Of  Being  In  Hell"  and  "A  Quick  Yet  Painful  Death".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

https://www.facebook.com/Dethcentrik/

The Sun Through A Telescope/Summer Darkyard/2011 EP Review

  The Sun Through A Telescope are a 1 man project from Canada that plays a mixture of black metal, drone, noise and sludge and this is a review of their elf released 2011 ep "Summer Darkyard".

Drums are absent from t his recording, while the sound effects bring in a psychedelic, drone, noise and dark ambient sound to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very strong and powerful tone with sludge/doom metal riffing that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars are slow to mid paced riffs that combine black metal with noise, sludge and doom metal with the songs being very long and there are no guitar solos or leads present on this recording, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they bring a post rock sound to the music.

Vocals are a mixture of high pitched black metal screams, deep growls, weird vocals, clean singing and spoken word parts, while the lyrics cover dark themes, as for the production it has a very dark, heavy, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion The Sun Through A Telescope are a very great sounding black metal/doom/sludge/noise/drone hybrid and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Cro-Magnon Nightmare". RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Sick To The Back Teeth Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the project for those that have never heard of you before?

yes. sick to the back teeth is a solo music project where i record all kinds of different music. i put no restrictions on myself in terms of style or concept or rules. it's just whatever music i feel like doing. i started using the name in 2002, so this is the tenth year of doing this.


2. How would you describe your musical sound?

there's no one sound for me. i make rock, metal, noise, folk, electronic music, sometimes all in the same piece of music. there are no limitations. i will say that some of it takes an experimental approach but not all of it. and that most of my music is conceptual. especially if it doesn't sound like there's a concept. some of my music isn't about music at all.


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

so many. i have some albums which deal with very specific subjects and i think these are relatively obvious. i don't like to explain them, though. they are meant to be interpreted by the listener. but speaking very broadly, i tend to come back to some themes often: love, sadness, nature, fantasy.


4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

sick to the back teeth is an expression that means to be completely fed up of something. i just liked it.


5. Are there any other members involved with the project or is this solo?

it's just me. there are some rare cases where i've had guest musicians or collaborated with people and they are given credit on those songs. but it's mostly me writing all the songs and performing all the music.


6. Currently you are signed to Drowning, how did you get in contact with this label and how would you describe the support they have given you so far?

well, i am not signed to any label. but Drowning is great. i liked the releases that i heard and i liked the aesthetic so i sent in an album. i was glad that they decided to include it. i think it's a good fit.


7. On a worldwide level how has your music been recieved by fans of underground music?

i don't think it has been received much at all. this is the first interview i've been asked to do in five or six years so i don't think anyone is aware of me. about once a year i get an email from someone who says they liked something i did and that's nice. that's about all.


8. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this full time?

i just played in a metal band for a couple of years called Pegasus Void. i played guitar, sang and wrote the songs. our album is coming out soon. it's mostly doom metal but there are are elements of space rock and black metal as well. now i play in a rock duo called the Starling Quintet. it's not metal at all. but i'm never going to stop doing music as sick to the back teeth.


9. What direction do you see your music heaning into on futre releases?

hopefully all different directions. currently i have been recording and releasing one song every week on this blog: http://sick-to-the-back-teeth.tumblr.com/ i also put old releases and previously unreleased material on there.

i will be releasing a new musical score for a film very soon. probably a rock album after that. then, who knows?


10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

all different kinds of stuff. although instead of musical influences, i would say that sick to the back teeth is most connected to the surrealist art movement and i would describe most of my music as surrealist music. i'm influenced by dreams.


11. Does Occultism play a role in the music?

no, but that is not to say that i haven't at some point been inspired by the idea of something related to occultism. i'm inspired by all sorts of different things.


12.Outside of music, what are some of your interests?

currently i have a weekly radio show on the greatest radio station in the world, WFMU. my show airs sundays at 3-6am EST and you can listen online at http://www.wfmu.org/

i also enjoy building instruments and effects. i'm writing my second novel.


13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

thank you for taking an interest and i wish you the best of luck with your zine!

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Sick To The Back Teeth/Full Body Heartache/Drowning Productions/2010 Digital Album Review

  Sick To The Back Teeth are a project from New York that combines drone doom with black metal, improv and noise and this is a review of their 2010 album "Full Body Heartache" which was released by Drowning Productions.

Drums and bass guitar are all absent from the music with guitars being the only instrument on this recording.

Guitars are all slow riffs that combine drone/doom with black metal and noise with alot of heavy distortion and there are no guitar solos or leads present on this recording, in addition the whole album is a 30 minute long song.

Vocals and song writing are all absent from the recording with the music being all instrumental, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion Sick To The Back Teeth are a very great sounding black/drone/doom metal/improv/noise hybrid and if you are a fan of this style, you should  check out this band. RECOMMENDED BUY.

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Dethcentrik Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?




We formed in 2009 in Colorado Springs, a city outside of Denver. Død actually wanted to join a friend's band as vocalist, so he went home and recorded a vocal demo. The name of the band he used for his vocal demos was "Deathcentrik." Many band members have come and gone, and the current lineup is just the two of us: Jackie T and Død Beverte



2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new ep and how it differs from previous release?




It's much more fluid. Død actually did do one darkwave album as Dethcentrik before Jackie joined the band, but other than that it's generally less abrasive and much more structured than our previous works as a band.




3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the duo explores with the new release?



Død is a college student, and to say the least he is not treated well at school, this town in general is very conservative and honestly treats most metalheads poorly, and the fact the the headquarters for the Christian organization Focus on the Family is actually in town seems to excuse that mistreatment. Anyway, the school had attempted to take disciplinary action against Død based on someone's word that he had done something that he actually hadn't. In turn, he made a joke about wanting to shoot people and was questioned by the campus police. "If Only" expresses anger towards those that had wronged Død, and "Columbine Justice Spree" was indirectly prodding at the school for assuming he would become violent. The video for Columbine Justice Spree was sadly banned by YouTube because to make it more controversial we used actual footage from the security cameras, and video the shooters had filmed. "Rip My Heart Out" is a song Død wrote about parting ways with a friend.



4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?




Død came up with the name Deathcentrik as a way of saying "centered around death." At the time the friend's band that he wanted to join was thrash. Thrash was all his friend would really listen to at all actually, and it rubbed off enough that as a way to pay tribute to Megadeth he changed "Death" to "Deth."


5. Has the band had any opportunities to do any live shows yet?




Yes actually. Despite the fact that our first performance was awful to see visually, mainly because Død was having a bad night and took it out on everyone else and was sarcastic to boot, it actually sounded good enough that we released the audio in Live 2010. The idea actually arose when his friend was over and he was reviewing show footage and had left the video on in the background, and what was funny is that the show sounded like very well performed raw black metal.


6. I have read that you run a record label, can you tell us a little bit more about the record label and if any other bands are singed to the label?




We have generally been helping promote bands that Død is in contact with. The actual releases under the label are Dethcentrik's discography, which on the single release of Rip My Heart Out includes a remix by the industrial group Cold Metal Future, we co-released one split between Dethcentrik and Bassookah, although their label actually was the official imprint, and Død Beverte's solo album. That said, we want it to be known we are willing to work with bands to the extent they need, and many bands that we help want to remain independent altogether, so we simply promote them, and in a few cases we have worked with the label Seven Times More Scary Productions to get bands Død is in contact with into compilations. Many of the bands we work with do not understand how label contracts work, and in many cases for rights reasons and to keep our bases covered we have to do as little as possible until we know we can do more. We like to help bands in a way that they will appreciate it, rather than feel infringed upon, so Død Incarnate is a promotional outlet and label hybrid really.



7. On a worldwide level how has your music been received by fans of underground music?




People either love it or hate it. Funny thing is that when we started there was more hate, and more recently more people like it.




8. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?




Jackie wants to add more blues influence and incorporate more sub genres of heavy metal in future releases.




9. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?




Every genre has rubbed off on us in some way or another except country and rap. We listen to and are and have been influenced by Steve Vai, Cannibal Corpse, Mayhem, Nightwish, Emperor, Pink Floyd, Burzum, Enslaved, Dimmu Borgir, Sektor 304, Equilibrium, Combichrist, Nine Inch Nails, and quite a few others.




10. Does Satanism or Occultism play any role in your music?




No. Jackie is a Buddhist and Død is an agnostic. In some of the older imagery Død's frustrations with the Catholic church did play a part as he was raised Catholic.



11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?




Jackie plays World of Warcraft, Død likes first person shooters. We both like messed up movies and TV shows a lot.

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?




We want to thank you for taking the time to interview us, we really appreciate it!

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