Sarcoptes/Plague Hymns/Transcending Obscurity Records/2020 EP Review

  Sarcoptes  are  a  band  from  Sacramento,  California  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  symphonic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  ep  "Plague  Hymns"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Transcending  Obscurity  Records.

  Field  recordings  start  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  very  fast  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  Symphonic  sounding  keyboards  are  also  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  along  with  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  both  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Death  metal  growls  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  the  guitar  riffing  also  being  very  heavily  influenced  by  thrash  metal  as  well  as  the  music  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  both  old  school  and  modern  elements,  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  death,  war,  history  and  inner  struggle  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  symphonic  black,  death  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "La  Moria  Grandissima". 8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/SqFGddn_9Jw    

Brotthogg/The Die Is Cast/2020 Full Length Review

  Brotthogg  are  a  band  from  Norway  that  has  had  music  reviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  melodic  and  progressive  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album "The  Die  Is  Cast"  which  will  be  released  in  August.

  Cinematic  sounds  start  off  the  album  before going  into  a  heavier  and  faster  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.   Vocals  are  mostly  black  metal screams  along  with  some  groove  metal  style  vocals   also  being  used  at  times and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  synths  can  be  heard  in certain  sections  of  the  recording.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  the  music  also  get  very  progressive  sounding  at  times.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  also being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  the  guitar  riffing  also  adding  in  elements  of  thrash  metal,  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing  and  one  track  also  introduces  clean  playing  onto  the  recording.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  misanthropy,  the  writings  of  Dante  and  philosophy  themes.

   In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Brotthogg  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  and  progressive  black,  death  and  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Nokturne"  "Draugen"  and  "Iacta  Alea  Est".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/iLXAA1dyamo   

    

Degollado/Self Titled/Entocomophobic Records/2020 Demo Review

  Degollado  are  a  band  from  Venezuela  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2020  demo  which  was  released  by  Entocomophobic  Records.

  A  powerful  sounding  bass  guitars  and  drums  start  off  the  demo  along  with  some  heavy  riffing  a  few  seconds  later.  Vocals  bring  in  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  an  death  metal  growls  while  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  The  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  along  with  the  tracks  also  adding  in  some  Swedish  influences,  synths  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  where  also  recorded  live.

  Degollado  plays  a  musical  style  that  goes  back  to  the  90's  era  of  melodic  black  and  death  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  old  school  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  darkness  and  mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Degollado  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "El  Rito"  and  "El  Templo  de  la  Crueldad  (En  Vivo)".  8  out  of  10.

https://entocomophobicrecords.bandcamp.com/album/degollado

      

Moribund Mantras/Golden Void/Rain Without End Records/2020 CD Review

  Moribund  Mantras  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  and  stoner  doom  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Golden  Void"  which  was  released  by  Rain  Without  End  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  black  metal  elements   tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  All  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  vocals  being  done  in  an  angry  screaming  and  shouting  style.

  Elements  of  stoner  doom  metal  can  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  some  clean  playing  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music.

  Clean  singing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  when  they  are  utilized.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow  and  mid  tempo  parts as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  clean  playing  onto  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  small  amount  of  ritualistic  soundscapes  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  Moribund  Mantras  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  and  stoner  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fragments"  and  "Ascension".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGF93Ga85V0 

Blood Of Angels/Failure Of Faith/Sliptrick Records/2020 CD Review

  Blood  Of  Angels  are  a  band  from  Florida  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Failure  Of  Faith"  which  will  be  released  by  Sliptrick  Records.

  Classical  guitars  and  synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  will  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  Vocals  also  bring  in  a  mixture  of  black  metal  screams  and  death  metal  growls  while  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  A  touch  of  groove  metal  can  also  be  heard  during  the  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  and  some  of  the  vocals  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  some  elements  of  thrash  metal.

  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  one  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  introducing  clean  playing  and  spoken  word  parts  onto  the  recording  and  they  also  bring  in  a  cover  of  Motorhead's  "I  Don't  Need  Religion",  power  metal  style  vocals  can  also  be  heard  on  the  closing  track.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  anti  religion  and  historical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Blood  Of  Angels  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black,  death,  thrash  and  groove  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Monotheism"  "Blood  Of  The  Lamb"  "Crusader"  and  "America's  Mythologies".  8  out  of  10.

Bandcamp

Facebook

Official website

YouTube

   

  

Dunwich/Tail-Tied Hearts/Caligari Records/2020 CD Review

  Dunwich  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  doom  metal,  prog,  darkwave  and  post  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2020  album  "Tail-Tied  Hearts"  which  will  be  released  in  August  by  Caligari  Records.

  Dark  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  playing  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  returns  on  later  songs  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  elements  of  darkwave.  Melodic  vocals  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  along  with  the  slower  riffing  also  adding  in  the  heaviness  of  doom  metal.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  psychedelic  sides  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  grim  black  emtal  screams  also  being  utilized  at  times.

  Some  of  the  songs  also  show  the  music  bringing  in  more  of  a  progressive  style  along  with  a  couple  of  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  some  of  the  mid  tempo  riffing  also  shows  an  influence  of  post  punk  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Dunwich  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  doom  metal prog,  darkwave  and  post  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Through  The  Dense  Woods"  "Mouth  Of  Darkness"  and  "The  Sea".  8  out  of  10.

http://caligarirecords.bandcamp.com/album/tail-tied-hearts 



  

Dead Bronco Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?


We were supposed to have a full European tour this summer and a US/Canada tour in the fall but COVID-19 destroyed all plans, so we had to postpone our Euro tour for the summer of 2021 and we are still rescheduling our North American tour since their out break occurred later than ours so we'll see when that can happen. On a positive note, I was able to take advantage of the lock down and wrote a bunch of new material for our up coming album due in 2021, which I'm very excited to get into the studio and get that going.


2.In 2020 you have released 2 albums, musically how do they differ from the stuff you have released in the past?


Dead Bronco started off as a cow punk band but since the beginning we've had numerous changes in the line up due to our tendency to tour heavily. Many people can't handle the life style of long periods of time away from home with out much of a benefit. Every time I had to bring in a new member the music would change, obviously because of the influence each one would bring to the table. I always saw DB as an aggressive dark band even if we did play country, but once we released our third album “Bedridden & Hellbound” I saw that the music we were making was very cheerful and that wasn't what I was trying to go for, so I decided to reconstruct everything and form an entirely new line up which came with “Driven By Frustration”. I was very happy with the result of the album but I was very disappointed with my band members. They were in it for the wrong reasons, thinking they would make a lot of money or get famous. They would make outrageous demands that basically bankrupted the band, that formation almost destroyed my dream and my band which I worked so hard to create. Again, I decided to throw them all to the curb and remake the band with straight up friends and create what ever came out naturally. THE ANNUNCIATION was planned as my final farewell album but I enjoyed touring and creating with these guys that I've decided to keep it going. I've upset a lot of country rockabilly people with the change, I've been threatened at shows and have had things thrown at me on stage and one dude tried to fight me calling me a “traitor”. Luckily I've lost all those closed minded finds and have made new ones in a totally different scene. I'm a lot happier now where I'm at with my music and can't wait to see where it takes me.


3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore wit the newer music and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?


I guess you can say my lyrics are a bit darker and more violent now but they kind of have always been that way. I come from Florida from a very religious, right winged house hold where I grew up with domestic violence and the guilt of sin bestowed on everything I thought or did. I write a lot about my past and what my stepfather used to do to us and how it still affects me. Doesn't matter if the music is happy or dark sounding, I sing about my demons. I've seen how my writing has evolved over the years and I have lyrics that are better than others but I do see that what I write now is way more coherent than what I've written in previous albums. Practice makes perfect.


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


When I first arrived to the Basque Country I saw a few guys playing Johnny Cash outside of a bar and I asked them if I could play as well. They were called “Mis Amigos Me Llaman Bronco” (my friends call me Bronco), they said yes so we started playing in front of all the bars in town for free beer. The band started to gain recognition around town and I wanted to start something more serious but the singer of the band seemed like he wanted to do his cover songs forever, so I decided to go my own way and take those who were willing to make original music. Pretty much all the good members of the band decided to join me so after that the Broncos died and that is why I named the band Dead Bronco because I killed the band.


5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork on the newer album covers?


We worked with the Russian artist Trofimova Alina Sergeyevna who had done the art work for “ Death Roots Syndicate” out in Texas which we were featured in a few times and they were a label that promoted dark country artists and I really liked her work. I wanted to get a rootsy feel keeping true to our folk base but leaning towards a black metal cover. I think she did a great job mixing the two textures together.


6.The band has members in both the United States and Spain, how does this work out in the recording process?


I'm actually the only one from the US. I've been based out in Spain since 2008 and have been working with Spanish musicians ever since.


7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?


We've played our share of concerts over the years but I think the most memorable one was at Sziget Fest in Budapest where there were thousands of people but I think my favorite show was Tsunami Fest 2018 when we played with Bad Religion and Prodigy, the energy of the crowd was intense. I would say our stage performance is very high energy with a lot of attitude. I like to give a show that I myself would enjoy seeing and I'm very big fan of mosh pits and walls of death even though I'm trying very hard to not injure myself anymore. I've had a few accidents where I fell off the stage a few years back and broke my arm and wrist which is still giving me problems till this day.


8.The new albums where released on Sun & Moon Records, how would you compare working with this label to other labels you where a part of the past?


We've always self-released our albums except two which were released with Roots Union Records out in Nashville Tennessee but there's no comparison with Sun & Moon Records. They give complete artist freedom to create what the band wants and believes and our music is finally available world wide and reaching another type of audience which would have been more difficult to get to with out their help. I'm very happy to be part of the family.


9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your new recordings by fans of underground music?


We are receiving a very positive reaction. The change was a slow process and as I mentioned before we lost a lot of our fan base but gained a totally new one. Our shows are filling up with new faces and open minded people. We've also been receiving good reviews by music critics so I think over all its been good and I can't wait to finally get back on the road and show everyone what we do.


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

The future is so unclear but we do have a contract with Sun & Moon for two more albums and I will always make music as long as I am alive, it's my reason of being.


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?


I listen to a lot of different types of music but I guess the bands that have most influenced me in these last two albums have been “Those Poor Bastards”, “King Dude”, and “Capricorns”.

I love all types of music from classical, country, black metal, to cumbia. I often listen to Pergolesi and Vivaldi to start the day. I'm very big into Bethlahem, Scour, Silencer, and then I'll change it up and go to NoFx, Union 13. But I was just listening to Death in June as I was writing this.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?


Surfing is basically the only thing other than music that keeps me sane and makes living life a bit more easy. Being from Florida I was born and raised on or in the water, so I need to be by the ocean to feel that I'm ok. I also enjoy cutting hair very much, I've been doing it since I was 15, even though I haven't done it in a while.


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


I would like to thank all those who have supported us through all the changes and ups and downs in the band and I would also like to welcome the new listeners to the family. If it wasn't for you all we wouldn't be where we are and doing what we do. Thank you!

Website: https://www.deadbronco.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deadbronco

Bandcamp: https://deadbronco1.bandcamp.com