Saturday, July 18, 2020

Degollado Interview

 NOTE: THIS INTERVIEW WAS ANSWERED BY THE BASS PLAYER
                                   AND FOUNDER OF OUR BAND: ANJAEL.
1.-Can you give us an update on what's going on with the band these days?
Well, right now we are working, from home, due to he global pandemic you know, but we still keep sounding around the World, but yeah, we keep working even if we’re tired,  and  we’re keeping our fans and followers updated about everything that’s coming, of course we have achieved all of this thanks to the valuable and dedicated work of our manager, Erik Norambuena.

2.-So far you have released a demo, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording
Yes, we have released an unofficial promotional demo, but as everyone knows, things are difficult here in Venezuela, so, for that reason we wanted to release a demo so everyone can hear us even if we do not have the media to record  an LP…yet.
Everything we do we make it with love and dedication for all of  your fans.
Also, we chose the BLACK and DEATH genres because we wanted something powerful  and aggressive, and these genres gave us that perfect mixture of feelings.

3.-What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
The lyrics of the band DEGOLLADO are mostly protest,  we feel it as our way of protesting against the negative vision that some religions have in modern times. We do not criticize religion as such, but the negative aspect that they entail.

 4.-What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Degollado'?
Technically, the word “Degollado” means “Beheaded”…
Well, the name of DEGOLLADO is a node to a little aneadote of us, our guitarist, Rolo, unfortunately witnessed a person while someone else brutally cut their  throat, that obviously remained in his brain.
Later, while he was composing, he saved every recording data in a folder on his computer that he named “DEGOLLADO”, after that memory.

5.-Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the demo cover?
As I mentioned before, both the name and the art were the product of that bloody memory of that episode that the Guitarist of the band witnessed, I took him to look for ideas to reflect that memory both in image, music and name of the band ...  and with this the idea for the art of the cover of this demo was born, which was edited by Victor Norambuena, son of our manager Erik Norambuena

6.-What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance? 
Every time we’re on the stage, it feels incredible for us, we all have had incredible moments,  unique moments, but especially the debut of the band in Valencia in May 2019, the receptivity of the public was impressive, which made us see what we started  On the right foot, especially knowing that what we were looking for when merging these two genres such as BLACK and DEATH was better than we expected, we achieved what we wanted to achieve.

7.-The demo was released on 'Entocomphobic Records', how did you get in contact with this label?
The owner of the label, contacted our manager through our Facebook page after seeing all of  our work and offered us to work as a team and join his label, we are very thankful.

8.- 0n a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
The reception has been very positive, both for the Venezuelan and Worldwide fans, but especially outside our country is when we have felt more supported, I feel that they like it so much that we played on a radio in Norway thanks to a great friend, Yoleima Gascon from  the cradle of BLACK metal I feel that the receptivity has been positive.




9.-When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
As we said, the situation in Venezuela is not the best, it has been difficult for us to record our first album, the one we had planned release this year, then, the pandemic slowed us down a bit, but we’re already recording our first official single which will be done and ready by the end of August, and with the help of the universe we hope next year to already have the album that will contain 9 or 10 songs. 
How do we see ourselves in future?  Ending our first album, starting a second one and taking our music to every part of the world.

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?
Some the bands that have had little influence in DEGOLLADO , are  Dark tranquility, Arch Enemy, Dimmu Borgir and Cryptosy , which are also the bands we listen daily.

11.-What are some of your non musical interests? 
I have many personal interest and activities besides music, I have children to fight for every day, I have an incredible love for reading, learning more new things every day and being a better person  , best human being, best mother, best friend, best musician.

12.-Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
First of all, thank you for the interest in our project, thank you also for the interview ... we thank the public that supports us and all those who in some way have helped us take our music to the places where  It has been taken, Internet pages, magazines, YouTube channels and every possible digital medium.
As a goodbye ... we send a huge metal hug and long live rock and roll !!!


                                     
            Facebook:
www.facebook.com/degolladobandvnzla/

Instagram:
www.instagram.com/degolladoblackdeatehmetal/

Youtube:
www.youtube.com/channel/UC2bPKZHbKGPaWy9mSomiDkA

Email: degolladobandavzla@gmail.com

Magni/Self Titled/Dead Game Records/2020 EP Review


  Magni  are  duo  from  Phoenix,  Arizona  that  plays  a  mixture  of  dark  gothic  folk,  progressive  music  and  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2020  ep  which  will  be  released  in  September  by Dead  Games  Records.

  Folk  instruments  and  acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  ep  along  with  some  clean  goth  style  vocals  while  the  music  also  gets  very  progressive  sounding  at  times.  Whispered  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  along  with  some  drum  beats  also  being  added   into  certain  sections  of  the  tracks.

   One  track  also  introduces  keyboards  and  symphonic  elements  onto  the  recording  while  grim  black  emtal  screams  can  also be heard briefly.  All  of  the  tracks  all  sound  very  different  from  each  other  as  well  as  always  sticking  to  very  very  slow  musical  direction.

  Magni  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  dark  gothic  folk,  progressive  rock  and  black  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their own.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  Norse  Paganism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Magni  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  dark  folk  music,progressive  rock  and  pagan  black  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ragnarok"  and  "Golden  Fields".  8  out  of  10.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMQ112UQxwo        

Thursday, July 16, 2020

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    

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

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   

    

Sunday, July 12, 2020

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 

Friday, July 10, 2020

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.

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