Kamikaze Zombie/Night Of The Nuberous/2017 Full Length Review

  Kamikaze  Zombie  are  a  band  from  Birmingham,  Alabama  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  thrash  metal  and  crossover  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Night  Of  The  Nuberous".

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  horror  movie  samples  also  being  used  at  times  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  sludge  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  A  lot  of  80's  era  crossover  and  hardcore  punk  elements  can  also  be  heard  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  a  great  amount  of  thrash  influences  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  most  of  the  tracks  being  very  short  in  length  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  death  metal  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times and  when  guitar solos  and  leads  are utilized  they  remain  very  true  to  an  old  school  style  of  metal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Kamikaze  Zombie  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  death,  sludge,  thrash  metal,  hardcore  punk  and  crossover  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  and  slasher  movie  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Kamikaze  Zombie  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death,  thrash  metal,  crossover  and  hardcore  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Manhunter"  "In  The  Mouths  Of  Madness"  "Death  Rides  A  Horse"  and  "As  The  Moon  Stares  At  Death".  8  out  of  10.

kamikazezombie.bandcamp.com/album/night-of-the-nuberus

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.

Pink Mass/Necrosexual/2017 Full Length Review

 Pink  Mass  are  a  band  from  New  Jersey  that  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  crust  and  grindcore  with  a  touch  of  punk  and  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Necrosexual".

  A  horror  movie  soundtrack  orientated  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  fast  grind  and  crustcore  direction  along  with  some  blast  bears  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  black  metal s creams  as  well  as  some  death  metal  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  short  in  length.

  A  small  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  riffing  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  melodic  guitar  leads  can  also  be  heard  and  another  track  also  adds  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  spoken  word  samples  and  some  songs  also  mix  in  elements  of  punk  rock  and  doom  metal.

  Pink  Mass  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black  metal,  doom,  punk,  crust  and  grindcore  and  mixes  them  together  to  create a   sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  BDSM,  Perversion,  Sex,  Punk,  Blasphemy,  and  Sexual  Freedom  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Pink  Mass  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  mixture  of  punk,  doom,  crust  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hedonist  Lament"  "Crypt  Perversor"  "Vorified  Master"  and  "Excorciated  Purity".  8  out  of  10.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1CAgcrT-Bc&feature=youtu.be

    

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/

NervoChaos/Nyctophilia/Greyhaze Records/2017 CD Review

  NervoChaos  are  a  band  from  Brazil  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture  of   black  metal,  doom,  death,  thrash  and  hardcore  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Nyctophilia"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Greyhaze  Records.

  A  very  heavy  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  black  metal s creams  a  few  seconds  later  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  influences  from  both  death  metal  and  the  extreme  style  of  their  home  country  along  with  some  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  also  bringing  the  old  school  to  the  modern  era.

  A  great  amount  of  doom  metal  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  slower  riffing  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  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.

  Death  metal  growls  along  with  thrash  and  hardcore  influences  can  be  heard  in  some  of  the  tracks  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  old  school  extreme  metal  style  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  and  horror  movie  samples  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  some tracks also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  back  up  shouts  and  the  album  also  remains  very  heavy  from  beginning  to ending  of  the  recording.

  NervoChaos  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  their  mixture  of   black  metal, doom,  death,  thrash  and  hardcore  punk  from  their  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics cover  Satanism,  Occultism,  Left  Hand  Path  and  Darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  NervoChaos  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of   black  metal, doom,  death,  thrash  and  hardcore  punk,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Moloch  Rise"  :Season  Of  The  Witch"  "Vampiric  Cannibal  Goddess"  and  "Live  Like  Suicide".  8/5  out  of  10.  

https://www.facebook.com/NervoChaos/

Okkultokrati/Raspberry Dawn/Southern Lord/2016 CD Review

  Norway's  Okkultokrati  have  returned  with  a  new  recording that  keeps  the  black  metal,  sludge  and  hardcore  punk  elements  of  previous  releases  while  also  mixing  in  goth,  psychedelia  and  70's  rock  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016  album  "Raspberry  Dawn"  which  will  be  released  on  September  30th  by  Southern  Lord.

  Distorted  drones  along  with  some  old  school  punk  rock  riffing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  grim  vocals  that  have  a  first  wave  black  metal  vibe  to  them  and  synths  can  also  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very powerful  sound  to  them and  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  riffs.

      Throughout  the  recording  there  is  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while t he  solos  and  leads  are  done  in a  more  old  school  hardcore  punk  style  and  the  vocals  also  adopt  a  punk  rock  style  at  times  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  goth  rock  style  clean  singing  and  female  vocals  while  some  tracks  bring  in  elements  of  old  school  metal,  70's  rock  and  psychedelia.

  Okkultokrati  makes  a  huge  change  on  this  recording  while  the  black  metal  and  punk  elements  can  be  heard  they  also  start  mixing  in  goth,  synth  pop,  70's  rock  and  psychedelia  to  take  their  music  to  another  level,  the  production  sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  science  fiction  themes.

 In my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Okkultokrati  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  metal,  punk,  goth  and  psychedelic  rock,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "World  Peace"  "Suspension"  "Future  War"  and  "Agic  People".  8  out  of  10. 

http://www.facebook.com/okkultokrati

http://www.okkultokrati.bandcamp.com

http://www.okkultokrati.blogspot.com

     

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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OfGhost Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
Im a working father. I work my ass off. When I have some sparetime I create nonprofit alternative art in garage. Ofghost is good field for creative person. I have done this for years just for fun.

2.In January you had 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?
My sound is heavy and aggressive, a little bit lo-fi and raw. I mix many underground playing styles so I try to keep my distortion good for multi purposes. Sometimes I put some electronic elements to make music  more interesting. This album is the best production I have done, still little bit fucked up, but you can hear that behind my chaos, there may be some kind of sense and potential....

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects that you explore with your music?
Ofghost is not a prisoner of one topic. Im quite flexible about lyricks....so I create lovesong, deathsong, hatesong and so on.....I just try to make it rock ok. Keywords for this album are death, darkness, loneliness, love, hate, despair....and beer....
4.Originally your musical project was called 'File Of Ghosts', what was the cause of the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'OfGhost'?
I wanted to update the name of the band. I felt like "File Of Ghosts" was boring. I wanted more fresh attack to name so I made it short version. Word OFGHOST rocks better.

5.With this musical project you record everything by yourself, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
At the moment no activity for finding a lable...DIY is my style....good deal is hard to find...but more you eat the hunger you get, so what will happen it happens....I dont take pressure...I just keep on rocking, learning and banging my head on the wall...

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

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme metal?
Some listeners have said that my shit has gone forward. Im very happy about that.

8.Are you also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
At the moment this is my main project. There have always been and will be a little underground co-operations.

9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?
My vision is to get some improvement to my sound and production...I think i have found an interesting path....maybe someday we hear this....

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I am an oldschool man, so I listened a lot of heavy metal in 80 and early 90 from c-casettes. Metallicas "fight fire with fire" effected a lot to me. It was extreme. Then came Slayer, Sepultura and scandinavian death metal for example. I listened finnish radioshow "METALLILIITTO" everytime it came those days. Then came Nirvana and the Prodigy. I have always listened all kind of music. KVELERTAKS "meir" album rocks very well.
11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Family, holiday, sports, movies, society, world, fixing things,  good food and DRINKS
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Take a listen OFGHOST few seconds. It wont kill ya...CHEERS from Finland!

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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

Hellripper/Batsheva/Label 2318/2015 Split Cassette Review

  This  is a  review  of  a  split  ep  between  Scotland's  Hellripper  and  U.S.A's  Batsheva  which  was  released  by  Label  2318  and  we  will  start off  the  review  with Hellripper  a  solo  project  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  and  speed  metal  with  a  touch  of  crust  punk.

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  old  school  metal/punk  sound  starts  off  his  side  of  the  split  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads  and  grim  black  metal  screams  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  speed  metal  and  you  can  also  hear  elements  of  retro  thrash  in  both  of the  tracks,  the  production  sounds  very  raw,  heavy  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  rock'n'roll  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Hellripper  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  speed  metal  and  punk,  you  should  check  out  his  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Hells  Rock'n'roll".

  Next  up  is  Batsheva  a  solo  project  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black  and  doom  metal.

  Spoken  word  ritualistic  parts  start  of  his  side  of  the  split  before  going  into  more  of  a  drone/doom  metal  direction  and  after  awhile  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  are  added  into  the  music along  with  some  elements  of  harsh  noise  and  on  a  later track  the  music  speeds  up  and  also  adds  in  deep  growls  as  well  as mixing  in  keyboards  and  the  symphonic  side  really  shows  on  the  last track, the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occult  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Batsheva  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  his  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Inverted  Gravity".

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

https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Batsheva_-_Hellripper/Hellripper_-_Batsheva/534034

      

 

Rats Of Reality/The Art Of Debilitation/2015 EP Review

  Rats  Of  Reality  are  a  band  from  Scotland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  doom,  thrash  and  crust  punk and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  ep  "The Art Of Debilitation".

  A  very  slow,  dark,  heavy  and  atmospheric  sound  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  more  of  a  crust  punk  direction  which  also  introduces  black  metal  screams  onto  the  recording  and  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  use  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  slower  sections  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  doom  metal  elements  and  you  can  also  hear  melody  in  some  of  the  riffs  and  guitar  leads  which  are  only  used  briefly  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  very  heavy  retro  thrash  vibe  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  death  metal  growls  and  the  last  track  brings  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  is  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Rats Of  Reality  plays  a  musical  style  that  mixes  80's  and  90's  black  metal  with  thrash,  crust  punk  and  doom  metal  to create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent  and  angry  themes.   

  In  my  opinion  Rats  Of  Reality  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  doom,  thrash  and  crust  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Shallow  Bastards"  and  "Liferuiner".  8  out  of  10. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0J_--dx0II

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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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

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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NervoChaos 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?
(Edu) Yes, we’ve started early this year our tour promoting the new release and so far we’ve reached Europe and South America. This year we’ll do 100 gigs and our plan is to continue touring in support of our new album until late next year. Also, we’ve released a new music video and we’re featured in two tribute CDs, one from HEADHUNTER DC and the other from STOMACHAL CORROSION.

2.You have a new album coming out in December, 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?
(Edu) In Brazil the album was released in April but in the US and Europe it will be out in December. I believe it’s our best release up to date. The new album is an natural evolution of our music and now that we have a solid line-up for a couple of years (which is awesome) we’re very tight and also mature as a band and as musicians. It’s the most diverse album we’ve released and we could explore different music styles ranging from traditional Death Metal to Thrash Metal, Black Metal and even some Doom Metal and Hard Core elements.  Also, it’s the first time we had a producer working with us on the whole process. We’re very pleased with the new album and the response we’re getting is extremely positive.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
(Edu) We’ve always been a satanic/occult band but we do explore other topics as well. On the new album you can still find some satanic/anti-christian/occult themes but also topics about the harsh reality of our daily lives.

4.The band has been around for almost 20 years, what is it that keeps you motivated to create extreme metal after all of these years?
(Edu) I think when you do it for passion and not fashion it will last forever. We love what we do and we’re an underground band, so success for us is being active, touring and releasing albums. I think whatever you do in life, if you love it, if you have the passion it will last forever and there’s always motivation to continue with what you do.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'NervoChaos'?
(Edu) When we started the band we wanted a name that could be easily understood in English and Portuguese. Also, we wanted a name that was different from all the other bands that were around back then and a name that mixed both languages, Portuguese and English. The name also represents very well our music, our proposal and the city where we live in.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
(Edu) It’s hard to choose just one or two shows once we’ve been touring since the band started. We believe that a true band is a band that’s not afraid of touring or performing live, so we think our highlight are our live performances. Our stage performance has to sound better than our albums and I think we have an intense, in your face stage performance. We did several memorable gigs and we had the opportunity to share the stage with great acts.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
(Edu) We had our first US tour booked for this year but due to the visas we couldn’t fulfill it. It has been re-scheduled for March 2015 and we hope we can get our visas this time to tour the US for the first time in our career. We did 100 gigs this year in support of the new album and we’ll continue touring until the end of 2015.

8.Over the years how has the feedback been to your music by fans of underground metal?
(Edu) The more we tour, the more often we release material, the better is the feedback. Also, our fan base is growing worldwide and the sales are growing as well. I think that’s the best response we could have from it.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
(Edu) I hope our line-up keeps steady so we can continue with our musical evolution. We only do what we like as a band and we’re always trying to evolve but keeping true to our proposal. Our idea is to continue touring and releasing albums frequently. Every new album we release we always try to beat our previous release. We’ll continue doing extreme music without being attached to this or that music label.

10.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?
(Edu) We have a lot of different influences in our music, it ranges from Black Sabbath to Napalm Death or from Judas Priest to Cannibal Corpse. I could mention acts such as D.R.I., The Accused, R.D.P., old Sepultura, Death, Obituary, Benediction, Dismember, Incantation and many more to list. I still listen to the ‘classic’ albums from bands like Slayer, Iron Maiden, Sepultura, Sarcofago, Mercyful Fate, Dissection, Possessed, Dark Angel, Sadus and etc.

11.How would you describe your views on Satanism and Occultism?
(Edu) I’m into the Left-hand Path, Chaosophy, Chaos-Gnostic Satanism and The Cult of Death. All this is highly mixture with the Brazilian culture (since the Guarani and Tupi Indians) and with the afro-brazilian religion such as Quimbanda and Macumba. Occultism is the knowledge of the paranormal and it’s not for everybody, it must be kept hidden.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
(Edu) I love history in general, but mainly old civilizations and wars. I’m a big movie fan, I’m also deep into video games, books and weed smoking. I love traveling around and also spending time with my son.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
(Edu) Thanks a lot for such an interesting interview and I hope we can tour the US soon. Keep up the good work and stay fuckin METAL! Visitwww.nervochaos.com.br and we you all on the road!
www.greyhazerecords.com

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