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** The New Year's Evil Edition **
CHRONICLES OF CHAOS E-Zine, January 2, 1997, Issue #16
Editor-in-Chief: Gino Filicetti <ginof@io.org> <_DeaTH_ on #metal>
Coordinator: Adrian Bromley <energizr@interlog.com>
Assistant Editor: Alain M. Gaudrault <alain@mks.com>
Contributor: Brian Meloon <bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>
Contributor: Steve Hoeltzel <hoeltzel@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>
Contributor: Adam Wasylyk <macabre@interlog.com>
Contributor: Drew Schinzel <drew@magpage.com>
Contributor: Andrew Lewandowski <lewan@peachnet.campus.mci.net>
Mailing List provided by: The University of Colorado at Boulder
--> Interested in being reviewed? Send us your demo and bio to:
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
CHRONICLES OF CHAOS
57 Lexfield Ave
Downsview Ont.
M3M-1M6, Canada
Fax: (416) 693-5240 Voice: (416) 693-9517
e-mail: ginof@io.org
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
DESCRIPTION
~~~~~~~~~~~
Chronicles of Chaos is a monthly magazine electronically distributed
worldwide via the Internet. Chronicles of Chaos focuses on all forms
of brutal music; from thrash to death to black metal, we have it all.
Each issue will feature interviews with your favorite bands, written
from the perspective of a true fan. Each issue will also include
record reviews and previews, concert reviews and tour dates, as well
as various happenings in the metal scene worldwide. We here at
Chronicles of Chaos also believe in reader participation, so we
encourage you to submit any material you may have to Gino Filicetti
<ginof@io.org>.
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may subscribe to Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending a
message with "coc subscribe <your_name_here>" in the SUBJECT of your
message to <ginof@io.org>. Please note that this command must NOT be
sent to the list address <coc-ezine@lists.colorado.edu>.
WORLD WIDE WEB SITE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are currently in the process of constructing a website for
Chronicles of Chaos. You can check it out by pointing your web
browser to http://www.io.org/~ginof/coc.html. If you have any
comments or suggestions, please e-mail Brian Meloon
<bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>.
FTP ARCHIVE
~~~~~~~~~~~
All of our back issues and various other Chronicles of Chaos related
files are stored in the e-zine archive at ftp.etext.org. Connect to
this site using your favorite FTP program and chdir to
/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos. For a description of each file in the
archive, check out the README file. You can also reach this site
through a web browser by pointing it at:
ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos.
AUTOMATIC FILESERVER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All back issues and various other CoC related files are available for
automatic retrieval through our e-mail fileserver. All you have to do
is send a message to us at <ginof@io.org>. The 'Subject:' field of
your message must read: "send file X" where 'X' is the name of the
requested file. Back issues are named 'coc-n', where 'n' is the issue
number. For a description of all files available through this
fileserver, request 'list'. Remember to use lowercase letters for all
file names. If you experience any problems or are having difficulty,
feel free to e-mail us the usual way at <ginof@io.org>.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Issue #16 Contents, 1/2/97
--------------------------
- Editorial
- Loud Letters
- Ferocious Features
-- Abigor: Crimson Questions and Ashen Replies
-- Danzig Does Dance
-- Inner Thought: Perspectives Played Out
-- Nevermore: Seattle's Sinister Sages
-- Korn: Kareless and Krazy
-- Diaboli: Diabolic Dialogue
-- Manowar: Metal's Masters
-- Gomorrah: Caressing Heaviness
-- Meliah Rage: The Rage Returns
-- The Abyss - _Summon the Beast_
-- Allegiance - _Hymn Till Hangagud_
-- Ancient Wisdom - _For Snow Covered the Northland_
-- Avzhia - _Dark Emperors_
-- Behemoth - _Grom_
-- Dearly Beheaded - _Temptation_
-- The Black - _Black Blood_
-- Catasexual Urge Motivation - _The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers_
-- Cathedral - _Supernatural Birth Machine_
-- Chemlab - _East Side Militia_
-- Cradle of Filth - _Dusk and Her Embrace_
-- Danzig - _blackacidevil_
-- Dark Tranquillity - _Enter Suicidal Angels_
-- Dawnbringer - _Sacrament_
-- Deathwitch - _Triumphant Devastation_
-- Decameron - _My Shadow..._
-- Earth Crisis - _Gamorrah's Season Ends_
-- Einherjer - _Dragons of the North _
-- Endura - _Liber Leviathan_
-- Excelsis - _A Dark Noel_
-- Faction Zero - _Liberation_ / Maximum Penalty - _Independent_
-- Floodgate - _Penalty_
-- Helheim - _Fenris_
-- Ildjarn - _Forest Poetry_
-- Karma to Burn - _Karma to Burn_
-- Kampfar - _Kampfar_
-- Laibach - _Jesus Christ Superstar_
-- Mastiphal - _For a Glory of All Evil Spirits, Rise for Victory_
-- Morgana Lefay - _Maleficium_
-- Necromicon - _Realm of Silence_
-- Niden Div. 187 - _Towards Judgement_
-- Pike - _Lack of Judgement_
-- Pist*On - _Number One_
-- Poison - _Poison's Greatest Hits 1986-1996_
-- Various - _Beneath the Icy Floe: A Projekt Sampler V.4_
-- Summoning - _Dol Guldur_
-- Swans - _Soundtracks for the Blind_
-- Thy Serpent - _Forests of Witchery_
-- Unpure - _Coldland_
-- Vision of Disorder - _Vision of Disorder_
-- December Moon - _Source of Origin_
-- December Wolves - _Til Ten Years_
-- Agony - _Apocalyptic Dawning_
-- Ataxia - _The Forgotten_
-- Carnal Sickness - _Blood Disrepulsion_
-- Curb - _Curb_
-- De Ros - _Ad Dei Gloriam_
-- Eve of Mourning - _A Dark Serenade_
-- Martyr - _Ostrogoth_
-- Murder 1 - _Murder 1_
-- NDE - _Falling_
-- Neuropath - _Desert of Excruciation_
-- Pleasure Void - _Demo 1996_
-- Bathory - _The Return..._
-- Destruction - _Infernal Overkill_
-- Dio - _Holy Diver_
-- Entombed - _Left Hand Path_
-- Iron Maiden - _Somewhere in Time_
-- Megadeth - _Rust in Peace_
-- Overkill - _The Years of Decay_
-- Sodom - _Obsessed by Cruelty_
-- Candlemass - _Epicus Doomicus Metallicus_
-- Slayer - _Hell Awaits_
-- Rotting Christ - _Passage to Arcturo_
-- Venom - _Welcome to Hell_
-- A Fearful Freak-Fest: Fear Factory with Kilgore Smudge
-- The Day of Death: New York City's Deathstock
-- To Heaven And Back: Heavenwood Live In Portugal
-- Extremity, Conformity, Integrity - by: Steve Hoeltzel
- What We Have Cranked
- The Final Word
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
E D I T O R I A L
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by: Gino Filicetti
Here we are people, the second day of 1997. And what can I say,
1996 has been a great year for us, to say the least. In the past
year, we've released 11 issues including this one right here. And our
readership has more than doubled, bringing the number of people on
our mailing list to 909. I just want to extend one final thank you to
all our staff, all the industry people who've supported us, and
especially to you, our loyal readers for making Chronicles of Chaos
what it is today.
Very shortly, a small survey will be on its way to all of you.
We ask that you take a few minutes out of your busy schedules to
answer the questions contained therein. We thought that it was high
time we sent out a questionnaire to see what our readers think about
certain things concerning both CoC and the music scene in general. We
will give you a few months to complete the survey and send it back to
us before we tabulate all the answers and release the results in one
of our forthcoming issues. I'm sure you will be as interested in the
results as we are, and we hope that all of our readers participate.
As promised, this issue includes a "classic" reviews section
we've entitled Classic Carnage. This section has a few of our
favorite picks reviewed for your entertainment. Some can be
considered real classics, while others you may not have heard of
until now. Regardless, we hope that this section will open a few more
ears to the jewels of the past.
Well people, hope you enjoy this issue, and look forward to many
more issues of CoC in the new year. Let's make 1997 one to remember.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
M""MMMMMMMM dP
M MMMMMMMM 88
M MMMMMMMM .d8888b. dP dP .d888b88
M MMMMMMMM 88' `88 88 88 88' `88
M MMMMMMMM 88. .88 88. .88 88. .88
M M `88888P' `88888P' `88888P8
MMMMMMMMMMM
M""MMMMMMMM dP dP
M MMMMMMMM 88 88
M MMMMMMMM .d8888b. d8888P d8888P .d8888b. 88d888b. .d8888b.
M MMMMMMMM 88ooood8 88 88 88ooood8 88' `88 Y8ooooo.
M MMMMMMMM 88. ... 88 88 88. ... 88 88
M M `88888P' dP dP `88888P' dP `88888P'
MMMMMMMMMMM
This is the column where we print those lovely letters our readers
decide so graciously to write us. Whether they be positive, negative,
ignorant or just plain spelled wrong, you can rest assured that
they'll be here in their original form. If you'd like to see your own
letter here, e-mail it to <ginof@io.org> and enter 'Attention Loud
Letters' in the subject field. Hopefully all letters received will be
featured in upcoming issues of Chronicles of Chaos.
Date: Mon, 18 Nov 1996
From: goden <goden@atl.mindspring.com>
Subject: ...thergothon...
Andrew's Top 5
5. Thergothon - _Stream From The Heavens_
...this speaks volumes for you guys...thergothon rules...
______________________________________________________
...so beautiful is your naivete...angelic...pathetic...i'll break
your fucking wings...--avernus...
______________________________________________________
...http: //www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Alley/5647/forge.html...
______________________________________________________
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996
From: Jesper Nilsson <86jeni@knuthahn.ronneby.se>
Subject: Attention Loud Letters
I read that you are going to review some old records and I think
that's a GREAT idea!
I would also like you to review the latest RAGE album "End of all
days". Because it's very good. If you're interested, you should visit
the Rage Page at http://www.aracnet.com/~rage/
Thanks for a great magazine!
[Remember guys, we'll review any album sent to us, so if you want
your demo or album reviewed, simply mail it to our postal address
which is in our header -- Gino]
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996
From: Steve Cox <STEVECOX@bitscorp.com>
Subject: Attention: Loud letters
Yo! People.
CoC has to be the best produced and largest E-Zine I get my hands on.
Good job guys we really appreciate the work that goes into it!!
Right to buisness. First a put down. I cannot stand Korn's new album
_Life Is Peachy_ Compared to their debut it's a weak album and how it
could be rated 8-10 is beyond me, I'm not having a go at you,
everyone has their own oppinion but that's mine. It's just so weak.
Anyone see the MTV european music awards? What a sham! Metallica took
the piss though! They played _Last Caress_ and _So What_ (Yes
including all the lovely swearing) instead of _King Nothing_ then
James thumped the Mic and Lars threw the drumkit down. Hopefully this
will signify the start of Metallica getting pissed off at people
(read that trendy fucks) and going 'heavy' once again.
Respect.
Stevie C
[Stevie, I seriously doubt that Metallica is 'making a come back.'
They are just too far gone into the mainstream for any chance of them
coming back to the fold, but then again, that's my humble opinion --
Gino]
Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996
From: Rodukov Alexander <shurick@nsys.minsk.by>
Subject: We need some help
Hi Gino. I've just subscribed to CoC e'zine and was very impressed.
You works hard to make this zine good.
You know, in my native Belarus there are some underground publishings
and I'm working in one of them (if you heared "Brr.Legion"). We are
enough young but very energetic (I hope ;-).
You know, we need some help. If it possible, can you share with us
some e-mail contact adresses of Metal bands. We really need it. If
you want we can give you a lot of information about Belorussian Metal
bands. I'm sure that some of them are really great and they are
playing very professional music.
I'm waiting for your unswer and opened to all of your questions.
Sincerly yours...
+-----------------------------+
| Alexander (Shurick) Rodukov |
+-----------------------------+
[shurick@nsys.minsk.by]
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\___ / \___ >__| \____/ \___ >__|\____/|____//____ >
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\/ \/ \/ \/ \/
The meat of the matter lies here. Read on for the juiciest morsels on
bands ranging from the reknowned to the obscure. No fat, no gristle,
just blood-soaked slabs served hot and ready. Dig in, readers.
C R I M S O N Q U E S T I O N S A N D A S H E N R E P L I E S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An interview with P.K. of Abigor
by: Steve Hoeltzel
"Abigor creates music which is not from and for this planet
called Earth as it is today..." So proclaim the liner notes to the
incredible _Opus IV_, an album which proves once again that Abigor
are one of the black metal scene's most extreme and original bands. I
recently wrote to guitarist, lyricist, and layout designer P.K. to
ask for his thoughts on extremity and originality - and on a number
of other topics as well. First, though, I asked him what pushed the
band to become even more unpredictable and intense on _Opus IV_, the
most strange and savage-sounding Abigor recording yet.
"I think that's difficult to say," he wrote back. "I think as we
develop as individuals, our art through Abigor develops - that's the
progress which keeps Abigor alive. Furthermore, we take influences
from lots of other things. I mean, the whole of existence influences
us. Also, dreams and visions which haunt us at night inspire us to
put those experiences into our art. Plus, we're good musicians and we
know how to play our instruments, so we have no problems at all
putting our ideas into music."
This immediately raises the question whether any ideas have been
translated into new music since _Opus IV_ was released earlier this
year. The answer is affirmative: work on the next release,
_Apokalypse_, is underway. "We're still working on new material,"
Peter reports. "At the moment, we have six songs completely finished,
and all the lyrics, as well as some ideas for the layout." And how
will the new material compare to this year's release? "Of course, the
songs are in the typical Abigor style. Nevertheless, it'll be
different from _Opus IV_. It'll be extreme black metal without any
compromises, but still in the vein of Abigor."
Of course, the phrase "extreme black metal" suggests more than
just a certain sound. To many people, P.K. included, this phrase
stands for an entire system of beliefs. "In my opinion," he states,
"the lyrics of black metal bands shall deal with the worshipping of
Satan, darkness, death, and evilness. Therefore, the lyrics of Abigor
deal with such topics. Maybe it seems that they do not, because we
use more paraphrases and because our lyrics are more personal. To sum
it up, one can say that our lyrics are visions of [fellow guitarist
and lyricist] T.T. and myself, and each lyric has a personal value
for us."
But are these -just- lyrics, or do they really reflect the
actions and beliefs of Abigor's members? According to P.K., it's the
latter: "I practice ritual magic and ceremonial devil worship, but I
am not willing to make more statements concerning this theme. I mean,
it's too personal; nor do I have the need. Furthermore, I don't think
it necessary to make extreme statements in 'zines concerning my
beliefs. I know who I am, and I know what I represent. I worship
Satan, and I take it as a personal offense if someone criticizes my
beliefs."
Clearly, like many people involved with this music, P.K. takes
black metal extremely seriously. "For me, it's a main part of my
existence," he says. "But I see it more as a kind of
self-realization, because the expression of thoughts and moods
through my music is important for me." Still, black metal's great
surge in popularity has attracted the attention of many individuals
who are less interested in serious self-realization than in posing as
"true" black metal fanatics simply because it's the trendy thing to
do. P.K.'s opinion of this bunch?
"If you've been involved in the 'scene' for a longer time, as we
have, you know that all those 'evil' black metallers and 'circles'
are just -talking- about black metal, and I am not willing to waste
my time with such things. Nowadays, I know how those people play
their game. It's just an image, not a religion, and to the so-called
scene belong too many people who don't practice what they preach."
So you don't think that black metal's massive popularity is a
good thing? "It's definitely bad!" he plainly states. "But don't get
me wrong - at the moment it's good for us because we sell our CDs
well, but the time will come when it'll be drowned in the
mass-consumer society. At the moment, the labels smell the money
which they can earn through the black metal boom, but with this boom
the whole genre will be watered down. I mean, more outside influences
will be involved in black metal, and more and more the nice CD layout
and such unworthy things will be considered important, and the true
spirit of black metal will get lost, if you understand what I mean."
I do, totally. Personally, I am not really a "true believer" in
the religious aspect of black metal (though I respect individuals
like P.K., who are sincere in their beliefs) - but one thing I have
always especially liked about the best, most original black metal
bands [...] (Abigor included) is their obvious disgust with modern
consumer society and their interest in forms of social organization
which are much more deeply rooted in respect for nature. So it's
depressing to see the crazed and untamed musical style which these
great bands pioneered being turned into a money-making device for
people who want to cash in on the trend. Is commercialization bound
to stomp out the real spirit of black metal? P.K. is not completely
pessimistic. "Maybe a few bands will survive, and then exist in a
kind of underground - maybe in this 'underground' which individuals
mostly talk about nowadays, but which doesn't exist at all today."
Wondering if P.K. himself ever feels any yearning to inhabit a
world other than our own, I asked him which period of history he
would choose to live in, were he given the choice. "I would choose
the period of the migration of nations," he said, "because in my
opinion, this was a great time in my area. Lots of tribes have lived
here, and lots of pagan and mystic influences and beliefs were alive
at this time."
On a more image-oriented note, I asked whether there was any
significance to the fact that Abigor are pictured without corpse
paint in the _Opus IV_ booklet. Does this reflect a change of
perspective regarding the device? "There's no change," P.K. replies.
"Nor was there any special reason why we didn't use corpse paint in
the photos for _Horns Lurk_ [the first of _Opus IV_'s two four-song
movements]. We'll still use it again in all other new photos."
Finally, what about the band's decision never to play live? Why
not? Obviously, I was hardly the first person to write the band
asking this question... "Sorry, but I am really tired of explaining
why we'll not play live - accept it!" was P.K.'s retort. "As long as
Abigor exists, we'll NEVER play live!"
As you have noticed, P.K. does not mince words. His parting
statement for all you readers and fans out there? "When your reality
crashes into the void, we'll sit beside Satan and watch you die, and
beside our lord we'll remember 'til the end of time."
[My sincere thanks to the man for a very interesting interview.
-- Steve]
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
D A N Z I G D O E S D A N C E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by: Adrian Bromley
The sounds and images of Glenn Danzig's music has always been
within the realms of darkness, lost love, and references to the
devil. His music has molded itself into kind of like an institution
of sorts, with him being seen as the leader of the "Dark Side."
Parents hate him and fans adore him and his rise to success over the
last four records (_Danzig_, _Danzig II - Lucifuge _, _Danzig III -
How the Gods Kill_ and 1994's _Danzig 4_) has become almost a
cult-like following. People worship this guy. How things have changed
for Danzig in the last few years.
With the loss of former drummer Chuck Biscuits to Social
Distortion and guitarist John Christ and bassist Eerie Von leaving,
Danzig has had to pick up the pieces and carry on, recruiting
guitarist (ex-Prong singer) Tommy Victor, drummer Randy Castillo and
bassist John Lazie to complete the band, as well as he left his old
American Records for Hollywood Records.
Keep in mind though, regardless of line-up or label shift, it
has always been a solo effort anyway, with Danzig leading the ideals
and direction of the band. And how the direction of the band has
changed too. The latest offering, _blackacidevil_ is drenched in both
industrial and techno-tinged numbers that seem to take Danzig's
visions of music one step further. Some fans may grasp it, some may
not. Danzig knows this. He explains.
"The change in the band has been a gradual thing for us," Danzig
starts from his home in Los Angeles, "We are moving in the same
direction, kind of like the stuff I played in Samhain. I started
incorporating a lot of that experimental stuff into our music, most
notably on the last Danzig record on songs like "Cantspeak" and
"Sadistika". This was just the direction I was moving in anyway."
Seeing that Danzig has kind of altered his sound with
_blackacidevil_, what kind of reactions has he gotten from the
release? "The fans and critics really like it. It was definitely a
shock but not a bad shock. They like it a lot. I wanted to make an
extreme record and I wanted to get a reaction." Danzig says he
expected to get a reaction like this from doing the record. He feels
that artists need to experiment and try new things, to change their
styles. "When you do a record and you sit back and listen to it you
say, 'Aw... I wish I could have done that,' but you let it go 'cause
the record is out and there is nothing that can be done. This record,
I don't have that reaction. All the songs are pretty much the way I
wanted them to turn out. Some are even better. I am really happy."
So does that mean as we head into the year 2000 we will see more
of Danzig records surfacing like this opposed to the old Danzig
sound? "I still think this record sounds like Danzig, it is just
Danzig in the year 1996. As for the future? I don't know what is will
be but that is what is exciting about the future. I am excited to get
started on the next record already. I am already starting on the EP
which will come out next summer. Some of stuff is a bit different and
we will see where stuff ends up when I record the next record."
Danzig feels that his songwriting over the years has been
something that he has had a lot of luck with. His music and ideas are
very easily brought to life. "I work really easily with people.
Especially the new guys. It is easy to work with them. And I just
added Tommy Victor to the band. He is working on this new EP with me
and he is just great to work with."
While this record may be the most commercial one to date for
Danzig, his views on being successful only lies within releasing a
record and reaching fans with his music. He has quite the unique
outlook on the music industry. "I am not really involved with how we
are to market the band, what video to release or what single to put
on radio. The label decides what single to release. They come up to
me and say, 'We want to release "Sacrifice" as a single' and I say,
'Okay. Or well I don't think it is really a single but it is up to
you.' To me it is more about doing the record and going out and
playing live 'cause the music industry part of it really sucks. It is
a pain in the ass. I find it to be a bunch of bullshit and I stay
away from it as much as possible, but of course you can't because you
definitely want to be involved with your band and how people present
it. I give them my two cents and if I am really opposed to something
I stand up and say, 'No!'" He adds, "What I do is make the best album
I can and I make sure before it comes out that I am happy with it and
want to release it. If I am not happy with a record I won't release
it."
Few bands have been able to withstand the turmoil and drastic
changes the industry has taken over the years, yet still Danzig is
around. What keeps the Danzig sound alive and well in the music
industry? "Danzig is not based on any fads or trends. More based on
musical integrity and we go out and give people a great show. No
flash pots. You know what I mean? We may have a backdrop or something
but there is nothing silly like pyrotechnics. We come out on stage
and play really loud, obnoxious music." <he laughs>
He continues on about growing within the music industry: "I am
not so quick to respond to outside stimuli. I will sit and think for
a second before I react. That has helped me a lot. I dunno. There's
of course a sense of maturity that comes along with doing what you do
for a long time. You become more confident on how you do stuff and
what you do. I can tell right away when I am creating music if it is
a good song or bad song. If it ain't good it goes into the bin. I
have too much respect for my fans to release stuff like that, and in
return they have a lot of respect for me, and I appreciate that, and
I wouldn't sell them out like that by releasing an album with crummy
songs."
Besides music, Danzig is heavily involved (he is CEO) with his
adult comic book company, Verotic Comics, a business which is doing
quite well. "I started this company because I felt there was a need
for the kind of stuff that we were publishing. And I knew there was a
need when we started this but until we got all the letters we have
been getting and the responses, I really didn't realize there was
such a need for it. It was like this: Imagine if you were only
allowed to hear Top 40 music and all of a sudden someone dropped down
on your desk a hundred records, none of which are Top 40 stuff. All
of a sudden you have a selection to choose from. We have scared the
whole comic industry. We have Marvel, DC, and Image shitting in their
pants."
A quick note about Verotic, he says, "We have lots of artist
working for us. Lots of new titles and no spandex superheroes. We
have some really good talent within the company. It is done on a more
mature level than most comics and we have little kids trying to buy
books and having their parents or friends buy comics for them. They
are standing outside stores saying, 'Mister. Can you please buy me
this comic?'" <he laughs>
Danzig is happy to be doing both, saying that while on the road
he makes all the decisions for Verotic "by Fed-Ex and phone." "It is
not as hard as it sounds, but finding the time to do it is hard. What
I have told people in the past few weeks is that Verotic is not my
priority. Music is and always will be." He finishes, "I always make
sure I never lose sight of what made me get involved in this in the
first place and why I do what I do."
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P E R S P E C T I V E S P L A Y E D O U T
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An interview with Toronto's Inner Thought
by: Adrian Bromley
Canada's Inner Thought, an industrial-tinged/death metal outfit
that relies heavily on experimentation, is the mastermind of one man:
Bobby Sadzak. A one-time member of Canada's legendary death metal
outfit Slaughter, its successor Strappado, and Lethal Presence,
Sadzak has finally found a home for his ideas with Inner Thought. The
band's debut album, _Wordly Separation_ (originally on WitchHunt
Records, now distributed through Dwell Records in California), was a
mix of doom/death metal, industrial, samples, and realism brought out
in the music. The album brought on worldwide attention and as two
years have passed, the band returns with an equally, if not more
powerful assault on our senses with _Perspectives_, an album brewing
with creativity, genre bending ideas and fierce momentum.
Sadzak begins, "Some of the things that contributed to the
difference of the second album was me getting more familiar with
working with MIDI and the drum machine. For the first album I was a
bit more limited because I had just first started working with drum
machines. I mean you can imagine a guitarist playing with drum
machines, eh? It just doesn't seem like a natural thing to do but as
I worked with it more and more, I became more familiar. It wasn't as
scary as it seemed it would be. I can now apply more of my writing
skills to help create better drum patterns."
Unlike the original three-piece lineup that made _WS_, this time
around the band's lineup has once again been altered and that in turn
has changed somewhat the style of Inner Thought's music. "It changed
not the direction of the band, but gave a bit more inspiration for
the band. When you work alone you tend to get a little bit of blind
vision with one direction and don't think of anything else except
your own opinion. It is nice to have someone from the outside to
steer you away and help produce ideas."
So who is in the band at this point in time? "Currently, the
band is myself and singer Dennis Balesdent, who is still in the band
even though he has moved away from Toronto back to Nova Scotia. We
have talked with each other and when the third album is ready to go,
he is gonna come down here for a month and we will be ready to go. We
are gonna do that." He adds, "As well, I have been thinking about the
idea of hooking up with the old drummer of Lethal Presence (Rick
Nemith) to play drums on the third album. So... I may be veering away
from the drum machines and go back to the basics and try a live
drummer again."
And is that something he would want to see brought into the fold
of Inner Thought? "I have always played with a real drummer, ever
since I picked up a guitar. The reason I went with drum machines was
that when Slaughter and Strappado broke up, where was I to go? I was
too old to start a new band and I just still wanted to write. So I
got a drum machine and took it from there. I assembled an 8-track
recording system and brought in a really good MIDI keyboard recording
system. That is what I started with."
Unlike the views and visions of the atrocities of war shown
through the images within the album's artwork or the lyrics on the
album, the growth of the band has been altered as well within the
lyrics found on _Perspectives_. Sadzak accounts for the changes. "I
thought I said what I had to say with the first album and I didn't
want to bore people to death with the [issues] I was dealing with. I
didn't want to desensitize them to it so on the second album I moved
away from that and filled the topics with very personal ideas and a
bit of that racial tension that has been going on in the world in the
last five years or so. I also dealt with the desensitization of
television where people go to work, come home and watch TV. How the
TV rules us and tells us what to do. Those were some of the topics
that I covered on the new album as well as the relationship between
man and woman. How when a relationship goes wrong you go crazy for a
while. Not that I wrote ballads or anything, but just how far people
tend to go when things don't go right."
The thing that does set the band apart is the use of female
vocals, samples, and the drum machine. The uniqueness of the band is
evident and with each and every track on both LPs. "I have always had
these ideas from years ago to do something like this. When I was in
Slaughter, I had ideas to incorporate keyboards. I don't know if you
were around back in the 1980s when Slaughter was around, but
keyboards in music was sort of this taboo thing. No one did those
ideas because it wasn't really accepted, and whenever I brought in
those ideas to the band they were shot down anyway. That is the
problem with being in a band. There is a lot of good but a lot of bad
too. If not all the band members don't see eye to eye on a direction
then it doesn't happen. I was usually held back with my ideas and
what I wanted to bring to the band.
"This project was an outpouring of what I wanted to do for years
and years," explains Sadzak, "to get down to write lyrics that meant
something. Lyrics that meant something to me and when I read them,
not necessarily everyone will feel this, but for me to get something
out of reading the lyrics in the pamphlet. Back in that Slaughter and
Strappado era, you had to sing about the devil, you know, and all
that stuff. Destruction was the main focus without any meaning
sometimes, and I wanted to be in a situation where I could channel
more ideas that were more personal."
And as happy as Inner Thought's lead man is with his music and
the direction it continues to head towards, so is the fan base of the
band. What does Sadzak believe to be the winning trait of the band?
"People have always seemed to use the term "original," says Sadzak
with pride. "People say that I have something more to offer and that
songs seem to vary on each album, making it an enjoyable listen. I
like to hear that."
One thing that Sadzak has going for him is determination to
further the sound of the band. Having time to do work (Sadzak has a
full-time job and then spends rest of his time on Inner Thought) on
Inner Thought in his home studio has allowed him to have already the
blueprints for the next release. "The problem that I have had in the
last few years is that I have worked so far ahead than what my labels
were doing that the album would just be released and I would have the
next one written, recorded and ready to go and it seems like every
time I record it takes a year or two before the album is released in
Europe or the United States. At that point I get bored of my material
and when it comes time to hype the album like I am doing now I am
sort of lacking the intensity that I had coming out of studio and
waiting to see the reviews. This album was recorded two years ago,
just look at the booklet of the album. It has worn off a bit - the
feeling of being excited by my work."
And how do you combat that then? "Now what I have done is every
time I go down into the studio and hammering the material out right
away I pace myself. The album has been out in Europe for a year now
and just came out in U.S. and Canada so I figure in about six months
I will go into studio and start up with the next release. I already
have ideas flowing around in my head and I can take it a bit easier
now."
About the evolution and recordings of the band he continues,
"The problem with Inner Thought is that I want the band to be
constantly evolving and I don't want to turn out an album that sounds
like what I did before and that is my problem right now. Trying to
get the creative juices going to create something with a new twist.
It is always a challenge to create music and that is what I enjoy
doing. It would be very easy for me to copy what I did with _WS_ and
just change it a bit and put different songs on the album but what is
hard is to expand on what I did. That challenge is always there."
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S E A T T L E ' S S I N I S T E R S A G E S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Nevermore
by: Adrian Bromley
Seattle progressive metal quintet Nevermore's self-titled debut
album, released in 1995 on Century Media records, won metal fans over
world-wide with singer Warrel Dane's explosive vocals and the superb
brilliance that circulated within each track. Whether it was the
dynamic assembly of such songs as "The Sanity Assassin", "What
Tomorrow Knows", or the thought provoking lyrics of "The Hurling
Words", Nevermore's debut was a true testimonial that there indeed
was something powerful breathing within the depths of creativity that
Nevermore had inside them.
The band spawned from the ashes of Seattle power metal band
Sanctuary, with Dane and bassist Jim Sheppard recruiting guitarist
Jeff Loomis to form Nevermore. The band developed a demo and soon was
signed to Century Media. Following a successful tour of the U.S. and
Europe in 1995/96 in support of their debut, the band (rounded out by
other guitarist Pat O' Brien and drummer Van Williams) came off the
road to record their follow-up, _The Politics of Ecstasy_. Prior to
the release of _PoE_, the band released a limited edition EP titled
_In Memory_ which allowed fans of the band to be content with some
newer material prior to the sophomore release.
A year later since the release of their debut, Dane and the boys
of Nevermore have returned with _PoE_, a blistering and powerful
assortment of mighty guitar riffs, harrowing vocals, and truly
dominating progressive metal. Heaviness lurks throughout.
"The last year or so has been really good for the band in
regards to creativity," begins Dane over the phone from Seattle. "We
have done a lot of stuff in between recording an EP and an album. We
got to do the summer's Metal Meetings Tour in Europe as well as a
co-headlining tour in Europe with Iced Earth. We have been pretty
fuckin' busy."
Listening to the debut album and _PoE_ back to back, they are
quite similar, yet _PoE_ wins out due to its massive counter attack
of emotions and visions running rampant (i.e. "Seven Tongues of God",
"Next In Line", and the title track). "This album's material is an
expression of what we were feeling at the time. For me I can only say
lyrically where all that came from. I read a lot and am a big horror
fan, but I don't think that comes out in the lyrics lots. I write
from a lot of my own experiences and from watching CNN. I don't watch
much TV," assures Dane, "but I have to watch CNN just to remind
myself of how fucked up everything is. So... the music and ideas is
an amalgamation of all that. I think all of that stuff filters into
the songs. We're just really happy the way the record turned out."
And his take on describing _PoE_? "I don't think we are trying
to break away from being a certain type of band or trying to be a
certain type of band. I have heard people say that this record is
extremely aggressive and others say something else. I am confused
myself to what to call this music," he says as he laughs. When asked
again to describe the album he says, "This is the musical equivalent
of a full-blown acid trip!"
"Songwriting comes a lot easier nowadays," mentions Dane in
referral to the early days of Sanctuary and songwriting. "Without a
doubt, it is a lot easier now. Now more than ever we can work as a
unit, more so than our last band. With this record, we have fallen
into our stride as songwriters and I think we have matured just as
much."
About the work going into _PoE_, he offers, "We began writing
for this record as soon as the first one came out. A lot of songs
were written from January 1995 (when debut came out) till when we
went into the studio in September of 1996. And a lot of our better
songs came out just before we went into record _PoE_. We looked hard
to find out what we wanted to with this record and I believe we found
the right songs. Also, when we made the first record, we financed it
ourselves and went in and recorded it as quick as we could. The new
record is a record which I consider to be our first real record,
because we had the time to sit down and figure out what we wanted to
do, to experiment with different ideas and the recording. I can see
the difference in both records and I think we have matured and
changed for the best."
The topic slowly shifts towards the state of metal in today's
music. Dane is aware that metal has been pushed aside but still
believes metal has life left in it. His main goal right now is to
tour with the latest effort, seeing touring as an important element
to any metal band in 1996. "For us it is the most important thing to
do. To get out and tour. I think it is important for bands to get
out, especially metal bands right now, to get out in the public eye.
That'll let people know that metal is here, it hasn't gone away and
that it won't go away. I know there is still an audience and people
want this and it is just a matter of time before this all turns
around. It has to because I am so sick of seeing short-haired geeks
on MTV. I know a lot of people feel this way."
He adds, "The alternative scene has become so stagnant that the
winds of change are coming. No one knows what is coming but I know
that there are a shitload of metal bands waiting to be appreciated
finally."
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/ ___/ / ___ ____ / /_(_)___ / ___/ / ___ _/ /_
/ /__/ _ \/ _ `/ _ \/ __/ / __/ / /__/ _ \/ _ `/ __/
\___/_//_/\_,_/\___/\__/_/\__/ \___/_//_/\_,_/\__/
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_\ \/ -_|_-<(_-</ / _ \/ _ \(_-<
/___/\__/___/___/_/\___/_//_/___/
This is the column where CoC sits down to have a face to face, no
holds barred conversation with your favorite bands, and get the
inside scoop into what's happening in their lives.
K A R E L E S S A N D K R A Z Y
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC Interrogates Korn
by: Adrian Bromley
Bakersfield, California quintet Korn have been the talk of the
music industry ever since the band released their self-titled debut
album on Immortal Records/Epic in 1994. The band toured extensively,
more than three hundred shows in the last year and a half,
captivating concert goers with their intense live shows and watching
their fan base grow.
The band returns in 1996 with their sophomore follow-up, _Life
Is Peachy_, a blistering dose of anger, aggression and powerful
screams n' riffs that'll keep the grooves strong and intensity at
Level 10.
Recently while on tour in North America, singer Jonathan Davis
and guitarist J. Munkey Shaffer (the band is rounded out by drummer
David, guitarist Brian Welch and bassist Fieldy Snuts) took time out
to talk about touring, the sophomore record and life in Korn.
CoC: Let's talk about the music on _Life Is Peachy_. The record seems
to showcase a maturity factor and not primarily focusing on
individuals or individualism (as on last record), rather society
as a whole. How do you view where Korn has headed?
J. Munkey Shaffer: I think we have all matured. I think we are better
musicians now than when we started. We took the
first record and examined it and decided we wanted
to take it to another level as musicians. The
angst and anger coming from his vocals or lyrics
are still coming from [Davis'] gut but it is now
in place with a more mature sound.
CoC: Why do you think this change happened for the band?
Jonathan Davis: It has to be touring. We did three hundred and six
shows last year. When you play your instrument every
day you do get better at it. We are now being able to
do stuff that we weren't able to do as a younger
band. Plus we are a band that has been together for
three years now, opposed to us being a band for one
year when we made the last record. I think it takes a
good three years for everyone to fall into place and
be a band.
CoC: There is this anarchistic, almost chaotic flow or frenzy that
takes over a crowd at a Korn show. Obviously you guys get a lot
out of playing live and releasing emotions or expressions. What
do you think these kids get out of being at the show?
JD: I think they just let out a lot of aggression. They come to see a
good show and they can just get all their aggressions out.
MS: I think the kids, when they come to our show or watch us up
there, they see a part of them in each one of us.
JD: They can at least relate to one of us...
MS: ... or all of us. Each one of us is a small part in one of them.
CoC: The press has been almost positive of Korn since the beginning.
It has been a gradual climb to success for the band and fans
just seem to love you. You have developed quite a cult-like
following in the last year or so too. How do you think the
exposure of Korn has been?
JD: We don't want to be overexposed because if that happens kids get
sick of you. We have always been some kind of an underground or
cult band and if you start getting too much press like plastered
all over magazines and sorts then you lose your credibility and
we don't want that.
CoC: So are you doing a lot of press this time?
JD: We are doing tons... but press is fun. Kids love to read about
the bands. Let them do that. When I talk about overexposure I
talk about MTV in the States playing the video all the time and
making people sick of us.
CoC: Once again you worked with Ross Robinson at the producer helm,
what do you think he did with the last record that you were
happy to bring him back to do the new release?
JD: Ross is an incredible producer.
MS: You just gotta know Ross.
JD: He has been with the band longer than I have. He was working with
the band before I joined the band. I couldn't imagine doing a
record without Ross. It just wouldn't be Korn if he wasn't there.
He is us. I can't understand bands meeting producers two weeks
before recording a record and feeling totally comfortable. He is
an important part to our unit.
MS: He is the sixth member of the band.
CoC: What are the highlights do you think of _Life Is Peachy_?
JD: The whole highlight of the record was making the record. From
start to finish it was a great experience. We hadn't written
anything in two years. Not one thing. We were just aching to
write. When we wrote the record within one month's time we had
such fun just letting it all pour out and having Ross there.
MS: I think the highlight of making the record was writing the
material. We came off the road, took a week off and wrote. It was
a great feeling to be able to put our thoughts down into our
music.
CoC: And because of the success of the debut record, was there some
kind of pressure that came along with making the second effort?
JD: There was a little bit when we were writing. We didn't know what
we were going to write.
MS: There was a little bit of pressure. We were thinking about the
"sophomore jinx" but it didn't happen and we are glad about that.
CoC: There have been a lot of new bands coming and going in the last
few years but still Korn seems to be sticking around. Why do you
think that is? What do you think makes people fascinated to you?
JD: I think it is 'cause we are real. That is basically it. We tour
and work our butts off. We tour and I sing about real stuff.
People can relate to it. There is no gimmick here either.
Basically you see what you get and kids respect us for that. If I
wasn't in Korn I would be a total freak of the band just because
of the fact I think we are real. I dig that.
CoC: Are the visions and goals of the band pretty much the same as
when you started out or have they changed?
JD: I think it is pretty much the same.
CoC: And so with the same goals intact and a bit more mature this
time, how would you describe _LIP_?
JD: I would say that we have maintained the vibe of the first record
but taking our music to a higher level. Maybe even a step
further. I think the first record was really raw and we weren't
that good and I think with this record we are better at touching
more of the things around us and writing about them. We have
grown and I am glad to see that happen with Korn.
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D I A B O L I C D I A L O G U E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with Pete from Diaboli
by: Steve Hoeltzel
One of the cooler black metal debuts of 1996 was Diaboli's
_Mesmerized by Darkness_, a take-no-prisoners, blast-and-pummel metal
detonation. Completely free of all the arty embellishments which have
become tired black metal cliches, this album just hammers the
listener with undiluted dread and aggression. Described by Unisound
Records as a "back to the roots" release, it's definitely true to the
no-bullshit ethic of the 80s - plenty of cold Scandinavian extremity,
zero display of sensitivity. I recently wrote to Pete, Diaboli's sole
member, hoping to learn a bit more about the band.
CoC: Why did you decide to go "back to the roots" of black metal on
_Mesmerized by Darkness_?
Pete: I don't know about going back to the roots. The music has
always been in this style, so...
CoC: What are four or five albums that have had the greatest
influence on the Diaboli style and sound? What else inspires you?
P: That's a hard one. One album I have to name which influenced me a
lot when I heard it is Slayer's _Reign in Blood_. But speaking of
black metal albums, there are many - Venom, Bathory, Celtic Frost
albums, and a lot more. I think it's impossible to name just a
few. And besides the 80s bands, some of the 90s bands have also
influenced me - for example, Darkthrone. I can't deny that.
CoC: The album has a fairly raw sound to it (which I like!!). If you
had the opportunity to record an album with a polished,
big-budget production, would you take it?
P: Well, I think the first album almost sounds like a big-budget
recording (!), but I don't know. I'm sure that if I had the
opportunity, then I'd record a few songs and listen to how it
sounds. It the sound was too clean, then no.
CoC: Why do you choose to operate as a one-man black metal project?
Has there ever been a time when Diaboli involved other musicians
besides yourself? If so, what happened to them?
P: When the band was formed in summer 1992 and we released the first
demo, _Descent into Hell_, in November 1992, there were five
members in the band. But when we released _Demo II_ in June 1994,
there was only me and a vocalist left. Then our egos got too big
and we were not getting along very well, so I parted ways with the
vocalist, and Diaboli became a one-man band.
CoC: Were you involved in any other bands prior to forming Diaboli?
P: Yes. I played some not-so-interesting music.
CoC: Black metal is extremely fashionable in the underground metal
scene right now, and it seems that there are new black metal
bands forming every day. What do you think of black metal's
sudden popularity?
P: That's really stupid, because there are bands who just put corpse
paint on and can't make quality music, and suddenly they are
selling thousands of records. But on the other hand, they are also
spreading the anti-Christian message more and more, which is good.
CoC: Do you take an active part in any black metal "scene" in your
area, or do you keep to yourself?
P: Here where I live, there is no black metal scene. But outside of
this town, I meet a few people from the other Finnish black metal
bands once or twice a year - not very often.
CoC: In your opinion, what are the best and the worst things about
today's extreme metal underground?
P: Best = good bands. Worst = shit bands.
[Hard to argue with that. -- Steve]
CoC: Many black metal musicians that I speak to say that black metal
is more than just a musical style - it is a way of life. Is
black metal a way of life for you? If so, what are the
distinctive features of this way of life?
P: Yes, I think black metal is much more than just a musical style.
It is elite music, above all other music, and it is a lifestyle.
CoC: When you are not making music, what kinds of music do you listen
to?
P: I mostly listen to elite Scandinavian black metal, but because I
play it too, I also listen to other kinds of bands - otherwise,
I'd get bored and uninspired. But what kinds of bands those are,
you really don't want to know!
CoC: What are your plans for the future? Will the world be hearing
from Diaboli again?
P: I have quite a lot of new material recorded already, so wait for
the second album to be released in 1997.
CoC: Any parting words for readers and fans?
P: I'd like to take this opportunity to advertise that the first
album, _Mesmerized by Darkness_, is also available directly from
me. The CD costs $20 (which includes postage everywhere). Write
to: Diaboli, Box 54, 33961 Pirkkala, Finland.
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M E T A L ' S M A S T E R S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Manowar
by: Adrian Bromley
Manowar singer Eric Adams is quite outspoken and not afraid to
say what he thinks. Adams is very open about music, the industry, and
the state of metal music today. And regardless of musical trends or
label switches, the New York-based band has always strived to keep
metal deep within themselves. Just look at the pure metallic
offerings they have released to the world since forming in 1981:
_Battle Hymns_ (1982), _Hail to England_ (1984), _Fighting the World_
(1987), _Kings of Metal_ (1988), and 1992's _Triumph of Steel_. And
the manliness and raw power continues onward with their powerful and
latest album, _Louder Than Hell_. _LTH_ is a monstrous assault of
rip-roarin' guitars, pounding beats, and shrieking vocals that cry
out 80s metal. And why does Manowar continue to play this kind of
music? Why, you ask? Because they can and no one else is doing it
like Manowar does.
The band is loud (they are in the Guinness Book Of World Records
as "World's Loudest Rock Band"), they rock, and all non-believers
aside, this type of metal is still big business. Manowar is on top
and they love it. Adams wouldn't have it any other way.
CoC: Tell me about the inspiration that went into this record. Talk
about _LTH_ and being "louder than hell." Was that something you
were just feeling you needed to be in the studio - wanting to be
just this huge, mighty machine of metal?
Eric Adams: You know we broke the Guinness Record of being the
loudest band in Germany? It was in Hanover. During the
last tour we did that. During the "Triumph of Steel" tour
we did that. We were originally the "Loudest Band in the
World", and then some prick band, I don't even remember
their name, decided they wanted to break our record. They
did, or said they did. So the word was out that maybe we
weren't the loudest band or most powerful band. So we
said, "Okay... let's show everybody right now." So we
brought over a wall of gear. So much that we had to fly a
whole section of gear on top of the other section of gear
we had brought with us. We hooked it all up. Before the
show we had invited CNN, MTV, the Guinness people, and
they were all there with their special ear protection.
And we kicked some serious ass brother... <laughs> ...
and broke the sound record and I don't think anyone is
crazy enough to do that again.
CoC: What exactly was the decibel count?
EA: I think Joey (DiMaio; bass) was playing at 129 DB... and that was
just Joey, too. It was a pretty powerful sound. I mean, we didn't
want to hurt our fans or make them go deaf so we toned down a
little bit. <laughs> Not only, when you come to a Manowar show,
do you get a show, but you feel it too.
CoC: So seeing that we have been talking about being loud, the
question again is, what was the inspiration for material and
sound going into _LTH_?
EA: We just wrote what we felt at the time. You can't just say you
are gonna write a song right now and go and do it. We were riding
on the Harleys one day and Joe came up with the idea of "Return
of the Warlord", and with Scott (Columbus; drums) in the band
again, it was just a cool idea to have. When an idea for a song
happens, it fuckin' happens. If it is good enough to be on the
album, then it goes on. Fuck, "Brothers of Metal" took
fifty-seven versions before we finally put that one on.
CoC: When you are creating music, are you intentionally trying to
create and use visions of a "barbarian-like" era?
EA: We don't try to go back in any era. We have always felt that
everyone has always needed a hero in their life. That hero could
be you in the mirror. That is why the album cover has this
warrior/hero-like image with no face. Because it could be anyone.
We have always believed that heavy metal was about power and
might and steel and just a strong feel to a song. That is why we
have always had that in our songs. You can't get any more
powerful than steel. It goes well with the heavy metal genre.
CoC: You guys are different to a lot of bands nowadays, especially
with some of the bands in the metal genre. A lot of bands have
fallen to the side but you guys continue to go on. Like any form
of music, there is a need for certain types of music and they
are in demand. Your type of music is a good example of that. How
do you feel about Manowar being different from all the other
types of music in the metal genre?
EA: I think it is good. I think it is great that we are in a field by
ourselves because people are pussies and they want to get out of
the metal scene because they don't want to play from the heart
anymore. They want to play from the wallet. These bands just want
to sell songs that'll do well on the radio. Those bands are
pussies as far as I am concerned and they don't belong in the
metal scene. They should then just get the fuck out of the way.
We are not like that. We believe in what we do. We listen to our
fans. Our fans tell us "never change, never change," and we are
not gonna fuckin' change. There is no need for us to change. I
saw Metallica said that they aren't metal anymore. Well what the
fuck? They have "metal" in their name for fuck's sake. They have
been metal all this time. The metal crowd are the ones that
bought them their cars and homes and now they are gonna fuck them
and say, "We are not metal anymore?" That is bullshit. We would
never let our fans down. We are proud to wave the metal flag.
CoC: Because you have stayed with the same sound and images, and are
one of the only bands like Manowar now, do you get criticism for
what you are doing?
EA: I get criticism from journalists. Not you, because you are a fan,
but mainly from journalists. You know what metal is about, not
these guys. Fuck... I just got off the phone with a journalist in
Greece who quite frankly was a prick. He said, "This sounds like
old metal. Don't you think you should change with the times?" And
I said, "Fuck you!" That is what I said, "Fuck you! You don't buy
the records. Our fans buy the records and they tell us what the
fuck what they want to hear. They tell us 'don't change' or 'stay
the same' and we do that. We won't change." I explained to this
guy, we believe what we do. He then says, "Well, I see these
pictures of you guys riding motorbikes." And I said, "Yeah? So?
What is wrong with that?" That whole thing goes with the metal
scene. We have ridden bikes for years and it's something that the
fans may have not seen till now. We are not ashamed of metal.
CoC: The way I describe your music is to go as far as to say that it
reminds me of a barbarian, "we want to be strong" angle. You
won't wimp out on a record. I mean, you do ballads on the record
that are soft, but there is still the intensity there and the
motivation of what you want to do.
EA: You are exactly right. You got it right. The slow tracks on the
album are there because I feel like singing and not just
screaming. It still has that "believe in yourself attitude."
Don't be a follower. Be a leader. That is how we feel. The slow
songs still have that same feel or ideas.
CoC: From your perspective, how has the band's take on songwriting
changed over the years?
EA: I guess it depends who is in the band at that time. <laughs> Our
guitar player Karl Logan is really into theory and guitar work.
He is brilliant. It has brought the band up to a level now where
we can do anything and are not afraid to do it. We can do fast
songs, slow songs, um...symphonic metal and take less time doing
it. We have a guy now who can help us do what we want to do with
our material.
CoC: For you, what do you get out of performing or the whole vision
of being a pure mighty machine? What do you get out of this? Is
it like taking on a role?
EA: I get the chicks. <he laughs hysterically> I am the singer and I
get the chicks. Joey and I get all the chicks. <he laughs> No...I
just get a good feel up there...and the chicks. I get a really
good feeling on stage, but not only on-stage. After the show on
the bus when we are meeting some fans to sign autographs it just
gives me a good feeling.
CoC: What are your favorite tracks on _LTH_? I like "Return Of The
Warlord."
EA: My favorite track that we have ever recorded is on this album.
The song "King." Yeah.... "Return Of The Warlord" is cool. You
know what is so cool about that song is that is the first track
of the album. It just tells everyone that we are back together
again with Scott in the band. It just makes sense to come out
with something like that.
CoC: There are a lot of people that you thank on this record, people
that have kept the vision of Manowar alive. What has been the
hardest thing you have had to deal with over the years?
EA: Oh...wow...that is a good question. That is a first. No one has
ever asked me that before. I think the hardest thing I have ever
had to deal with is speaking from my heart to journalists like
yourself and then reading the article and they pissed on the
band. That is the hardest thing I have had to face I think. If
they get assigned the job and not really give a fuck about metal
and they usually right about alternative music then we get fucked
by that. It is people like that in the music industry that fuck
the bands over the years and unfortunately they not only fuck the
bands but the fans too.
CoC: Another focus that the band seems very detailed about is the
inclusion of lyrics. How important are lyrics to you?
EA: Lyrics are real important. Not only do they have to fit the songs
and I have to be in character... I mean if I did "Courage" with a
raunchy voice it wouldn't be the same as when I do it with a
clean voice. You know what I am saying? I have to get into
character with each song. The lyrics are important and if it is a
powerful track and you want people to get the message the emotion
has to be there. Lyrics are important, especially for metal.
CoC: What kind of stuff do you want to do with Manowar in the future?
This record is out now, will it be sometime before Manowar is
back in the studio?
EA: I wanna get back out on the fuckin' road man. I have been in the
studio for years now. It is time to hit the road. We would like
to be out on the road as long as we can with this record. Until
it is done. It could be a year... who knows? After that we will
take a month off, take our vacations or whatever we do, and then
go back into the studio. We'll clean our heads and then go back
into the studio to create.
CoC: I have told you how I felt about the record or how I would
describe it. You being the lead singer and leader of the band,
how would you describe it? How would you describe it to someone
who may not have heard Manowar before?
EA: I would tell them to strap their nuts to their legs because they
are gonna blow right off. They'll blow right off. The title
_Louder Than Hell_ speaks for itself brother. It is loud and it
is powerful.
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C A R E S S I N G H E A V I N E S S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An interview with Gomorrah
by: Adrian Bromley
Much like the ways of life where growth is a much needed
necessity, England quintet Gomorrah felt it was necessary to grow in
many ways with their music: as musicians and as a band. The band's
latest LP _Caress the Grotesque_, the follow-up to 1994's debut album
_Reflections of Inanimate Matter_, has the definite qualities of a
band that has seen change. The riffs are heavier at times on _CtG_
but now the band concentrates on making their music more stable and
moodier instead of just reckless hatred and anger being spewed
outward.
Having been together since just before the release of 1991's
well-received demo _Embryonic Stages_ , the band has managed to keep
the same line-up and the same objectives: to create music they feel
best represents the band.
Chronicles of Chaos recently had the opportunity to talk to
guitarist Jose Griffin about the band, their five years together, and
the state of metal. The band is rounded out by singer Sven Olafson,
guitarist Mike Prior, drummer Fran Robinson, and bassist John Clark.
CoC: How have things being going for the band this time around as
opposed to the last release?
Jose Griffin: Things have been going really well. Black Mark have
done a lot better job with this one than the last
record in terms of setting stuff up like interviews and
all.
CoC: How do you think _CtG_ differs from what you had done with the
last release?
JG: I think we have progressed on this one which I suppose every band
should do with every release. I think we are a lot more focused
this time. Every band's first record is everything they have
written from day one. It is like the "Best of... my first years"
where the second album material is written for the record. We
locked ourselves up in our own studio, which is a luxury, and we
became more focused and worked a lot harder on it. I think the
difference is that we have opened ourselves to a lot more
avenues, which I think is very obvious. I think we worked hard on
vocals and that shows and I think basically is that we have
opened ourselves up to a lot more. We discovered more avenues to
experiment with.
CoC: Did you just want to do different things with this record?
JG: I think it is something that may have happened a bit more freely
on the first one had we been more wiser to it. It has been
natural for us to do this and something we have mucked around
with, but I think early on we might have shied away from it. We
might have come up with riffs and decided it didn't work for what
we wanted to do. But now we say "Fuck it!" - If we like it we
record it. It has always been a challenge for us to throw in a
riff that we might not have normally done. As I see it is a
matter of us opening up our mind and what we want to do and just
do it more freely as opposed to throwing away stuff. We just look
at what we create and see if we can work with it. If we enjoy it,
that is all that matters.
CoC: A lot of bands in the last few years have shifted their sound
slightly to either appeal to certain fans or to just go with the
times or to just even be seen as unique. Gomorrah hasn't done
that. What do you think sets Gomorrah apart from other bands?
JG: I don't know if we offer anything unique or original. That is
very hard to do these days and be original. I think what we do is
that we offer quite a range of metal. Three fifths of the band
has been listening to metal since the early 80s and I think we
have influences in our music from 1980 right up to the present
day. We have sixteen years of great music and a great stew of all
these great bands within our music. I don't think you can nail us
down and say we sound like so and so. I think maybe you could
have done that with _RoIM_ because we were so unfairly
pigeonholed as a death metal band. I think we offered some great
twin guitar riffs but maybe Sven's vocals kept us in that mode. I
think this album offers quite a good variety of stuff now and
Sven's vocals have changed too which has helped us.
CoC: How have you changed over the last few years as a musician?
JG: A lot like the records we do. A lot more focused and I think we
are happy to be doing what we are doing. I think we are happy
being where we have been able to get with our music. It is hard
to describe. As a unit we have had a unique experience of having
the same members five years down the road. We have become tighter
too as a band. We have the same goals as a unit. I think the
whole growth for us all has been as a band and not as
individuals. Our lives have all blended into the band now.
CoC: With the music on _CtG_, has songwriting been easier?
JG: I think it has. Like the first record being a "Best of...," this
time we worked hard as a unit and we took the time to create all
this music. The bulk of this material, as opposed to what we had
done earlier on, was all written as a unit. All five of us
working on the lyrics, the songs, the music, and it allowed all
the five minds to come together and create what we wanted to make
our music take shape into. I think it was easier this time
because the ideas had all these walls to bounce off right away as
opposed to sitting in your bedroom writing music by yourself.
CoC: Most artists have a hard time coming up with a description of
their release. Do you? How would you describe this record in
regards to sound or style?
JG: It depends if it is someone who knows the band or not. I would
have to say that it is definitely a metal record. I think it
expands all types of music from 1980-1996. I think we offer
variety and I think you will experience the different moods of
the record from listening to it and reading the lyrics. I think
it is a worth a listen from track one to track ten. This is a
metal record with lots of sounds. I would tell anyone to just
check it out.
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T H E R A G E R E T U R N S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An interview with Meliah Rage
by: Adrian Bromley
Five years. That is a long time for a band to put their music on
hold but Boston thrashers Meliah Rage did just that after just two
releases. The time frame has been long enough and now Meliah Rage
singer Mike Munro (whose band's second album _Solitary Solitude_
surfaced in 1990; debut _Kill To Survive_ in 1989) thinks it is time
that his band find it's way back into somewhat smaller, less-focused
on metal music scene with their stunning third effort _Death Valley
Dream_.
With a new line-up, keeping original guitarists Anthony Nichols
and Jim Koury, the band assembled the 1996 version of Meliah Rage
with drummer Dave Barcos and ex-Wargasm bassist Bob Mayo and recorded
their third opus.
Munro is pumped and excited about the record and possibly
touring, but as most metallers know nowadays it's a tough scene in
music. He explains to Chronicles of Chaos the ups and downs of being
a metal band and resurrecting Meliah Rage. Here is how it went:
CoC: What was the feeling like for the band to, after years of
putting the music of Meliah Rage aside, to start it up once
again?
Mike Munro: I was busy doing some stuff. I was in three other bands
when I wasn't doing Rage. I was in a King's X style band,
a blues band and a hard rock band. I tried to use my
voice lots when I wasn't playing with Meliah Rage.
Getting back into was definitely kind of strange. It was
hard to write again. I mean when I wrote the other
records I had a lot of aggression in me and that was my
outlet back then. And now I didn't have that built up
aggression that I did. It was a different thing but I did
miss it. You get a little older and you get away from
things but it was fun to do this again.
CoC: Has you outlook on the metal industry changed?
MM: It definitely has. I am not as in touch as I should be with what
is going on. I am still following metal to what I can but I am
more into the Alice In Chains and Soundgarden metal and I am not
really keen on the death metal stuff. For me personally I don't
get into it. Also because I like singing and that is not singing
that I enjoy in death metal. It is a type of singing but nothing
I enjoy.
CoC: Do you feel that _Death Valley Dream_ is sort of a concept
record or a record that is concentrating on one set of emotions
rather than a assortment of scattered ideas and themes? Or maybe
it is a collection of ideas...
MM: This record is a lot of ideas thrown together because Bob Mayo
did half of the writing of the lyrics which was good because I
was having a hard time coming up with stuff. I said, 'Hey Bob!
Help me out here' and he came in and helped put a different twist
into things. He came up with certain things melody wise that I
couldn't come up with and/or something I wouldn't have thought
of. I was so used to writing my way and singing it my way but
with this record I had to adjust to his writing and his way of
how it was supposed to be sung. I still made the music my way but
with his ideas/ I liked it that way because I got a different
aspect of writing in general.
CoC: Musically _DVD_ seems to be catering to that 80s/late-80s kind
of thrash-riff metal but with a 90s sound. You seem to be
sticking with that 80s thrash sound. Do you think you will ever
try to lose that style of sound in Meliah Rage's music?
MM: This record is us. I can honestly say this that this is the same
record we would have released if we had stayed with Epic Records
(the band is now with indie label Backstreet records) back in
1992. This is the way we are. I couldn't see us coming out and
sounding like Green Day <he laughs>. Some of the feedback we have
been getting is, 'This is what we have been waiting for. We
thought we might get it from Metallica but...' We wrote what we
wrote at the time and this is what came out. The whole process of
being a musician or writer is getting it all out and writing what
ya feel at the time and your influences at that time. We also
stayed with our influences being in the 1980s. I don't know where
(James) Hetfield or Lars (Ulrich) got their ideas? Obviously they
are into other stuff and it comes out another way.
CoC: With hooking up with Backstreet and putting out _DVD_, was that
a make or break thing if you couldn't find a label to put out a
record that would be in for Meliah Rage?
MM: We have been shopping the tapes of our music for the last little
while, ever since we got off Epic. We have been pushing three
demos but ever since we left Epic metal music has been on a
decline and trying to find a deal was hard. It was aggravating
but we kept at it. But in the meantime everybody kept at it doing
their own thing. It wasn't like we were Meliah Rage for the past
six years. We were doing different things which every musician
does and that adds flavor to your life.
CoC: A lot bands from the era of metal that you surfaced in have
either given up or have tried really hard to be accepted. Or
bands like you will sit around and wait for the proper time to
strike. How was it for you guys?
MM: I think we were lucky. I think people miss the metal scene and it
can do well again, especially the music we play or bands like us.
The problem is that there are not enough fans embracing bands
like us right now. That is the problem we have now. I am doing
all these interviews and people are asking me, 'When are you
touring?' or 'When are you gonna be in Texas?' and I say, 'If I
could be in Texas I would be there tomorrow.' But it takes money
to get there. If you don't have the money and clubs don't pay you
lots of money then it is hard to make it to Rhode Island, let
alone Texas. We want to get out and tour, maybe even hook up onto
a good tour but a lot of venues aren't taking the shows. It is
tough but I can see it happening. It is now like 1981 or 1982
where things are in the small clubs again where bands are playing
there and are now, like back then, breaking out into the scene.
CoC: I think people are just wanting something different again, don't
you?
MM: I see what you are saying. I know a lot of people are sick of
this whole alternative thing. I listen to the radio and I hear
all that stuff on the radio and I wonder why anybody would by
that crap. But if that is what they dig then cool for them. I
just don't get it.
CoC: With the metal scene maybe on a course back into the spotlight,
what do you hope will happen to the metal music this time around
that may not have happened last time out?
MM: I hope that the labels recognize it more. I think they should
recognize the talent more than just a pretty face. Glam Metal was
a type of metal that sold records and got the teen-boppers. I
think that the big factor was that the talent was lost. I don't
think the labels gave credit where credit was due. That always
aggravated me. I hope this time around if it gets bigger again
that labels take focus in bands more.
CoC: In your eyes, how do you see this record?
MM: I see this record as us being us. Us being us in 1996. I think we
have changed a bit. The songs are a little shorter, more to the
point and with a little punch in them. I just really dig it. I
have always considered us power metal. I always thought that and
I still think we are that. I have always been happy playing this
kind of metal and I happy to be doing this again. I think this is
the best record we have ever done. I'm happy but at the same time
a slight bit aggravated that we might not be able to get put an
tour and play shows at this point. I wanna play for people who
want to see us and hear what we do. That bums me out that people
want to see us play the kind of metal we play and they won't be
able to see us. Hopefully touring will be in our cards this year.
We'll see.
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This is where we rant, rave, and rip apart albums. Check this column
every month for the scoop on the latest in heavy hand-outs.
Scoring: 10 out of 10 -- If there was ever a perfect CD, this is it!
8 out of 10 -- A great piece of metallic mayhem
6 out of 10 -- Not too bad of an album
4 out of 10 -- You are treading in dangerous waters
2 out of 10 -- If you like this, you are fucked!
0 out of 10 -- My shit can put out better music than this!
The Abyss - _Summon the Beast_ (Nuclear Blast, November 1996)
by: Adam Wasylyk (6 out of 10)
_Summon The Beast_ is The Abyss' second album and is very easy to
categorize: no frills, straight-forward black metal. The side-project
of Peter Tagtgren (of Hypocrisy, but you already knew that, didn't
you?), the eight songs on this are played at hyper speed nearly all
the time stopping only long enough to spill forth a fast melodic riff
or two. My problem (which is a big one) is that nearly every song
starts out with blast beating and during most of the song it's that
same speed, so after the album's done it's nearly impossible to tell
which song was which. Songs like "Satan's Majestic Empire", "Damned",
"Cursed", "Feasting the Remains of Heaven", and "The Arrival" all
sound the same, each having drums and guitars set on kill, with
nothing much else. No keyboards are present which is too bad because
that would have made this record less bland and given it more
variety. The vocals (done by Mikael Hedlund, Tagtgren did the
drums/bass) are pretty good and don't get irritating like some black
metal vocalists I've heard. Clocking in at just under 30 minutes, I
liked _Summon the Beast_ for its uncompromising speed but I disliked
it for its lack of variety and all-the-same-ness.
Allegiance - _Hymn Till Hangagud_ (No Fashion, August 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (7 out of 10)
After receiving Allegiance's debut album, _Hymn Till Hangagud_, I was
overcome with a feeling of total... (get ready) non-feeling. This
viking black metal (at least so says their image: Swedish flag,
hammers and axes, members posing on mountains with swords held high;
I think you get the picture) release inspires absolutely nothing in
me. Nothing extraordinarily good or bad, just plain, ordinary
mid-paced to fast black/death metal, played with some skill and
perhaps numbed by rather boring songwriting. The vocals are a throaty
rasp, and similar to Old Man's Child in that respect. Guitars are
decent, well played, but with riffs that are pretty unoriginal and
definitely not groundbreaking. Drums, well, you guessed it: typically
played, nothing outstanding here. This CD has been highly recommended
by a few people I've talked to, but for the life of me I can't really
see why, there are just so many more worthy titles out there in this
vein which dominate all over this. After the searing first track, I
expected more from this one. Certainly not -bad-, just don't expect
something to blow you away.
Ancient Wisdom - _For Snow Covered the Northland_
by: Steve Hoeltzel (7 out of 10) (Avantgarde Music, 1996)
I'm not sure why these guys chose to open their album with the
piano-and-black-metal-vocal-only "Hymn to the Northern Empire."
Perhaps it's because they don't know how sick the rest of us are of
all this hot air coming from The North. Anyway, this is some very
cool doom metal, pairing up black metal inspired vocal technique with
riffs that totally recall the killer dual guitar stylings of Tipton
and Downing on the first (best!) Judas Priest records. (I'm talking
of monsters like _Sad Wings of Destiny_ here, not the cheesier
fist-banging stuff like _British Steel_.) On "No Tears at His
Funeral", this approach sounds just great - slow, melodic lead
riffing ringing out clearly on top of chiming metallic chords and
good, laid-back double bass drumming. Songs like this one sound
incredible live, I bet, and they definitely sound pretty good on this
CD, given that the guitar sound is thick and reasonably clear. No
keyboards get in the way of the echoing strings, which take a
fuzzier, Iommi-style turn on two unnamed bonus tracks, only to rip
abruptly into 80s-style chainsaw riffing. The early Priest style
definitely dominates, though, which I think is a very cool thing.
Heavy stuff.
Avzhia - _Dark Emperors_ (Storm Productions, 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10)
If I had to pick an album for "Best Really Obscure Release of the
Year," this Mexican band's debut would be the one, hands down. _Dark
Emperors_ is seven tracks of great black metal which totally captures
the killer vibe of seminal "second wave" releases like the split from
Emperor and Enslaved, while managing not to come across as generic or
imitative. The vibe in question is grim, cold, and epic - qualities
which can't be faked, and which Avzhia's music possesses in
abundance. (Of course, the vibe also depends to a certain extent upon
low-budget production, and you get that here, too, but the sound is
definitely fuller and clearer than on many of the early Norse
releases.) The riffing style often reminds me of the earlier Emperor
stuff, yet Avzhia's overall sound is less messy and not so
keyboard-heavy. Some of the more propulsive, impassioned riffs bring
Enthroned or Satyricon to mind. Songs are in the nine- to ten-minute
range, and always feature a variety of paces and dark moods. They
don't reach the upper limits of speed set by, say, Marduk, but the
fast material definitely plows forward with conviction, as on
"Shadows of the Forest". And the slow material is great, exuding a
genuinely doomy feel on tracks like "Immortal Spirit". Plus, the
vocals are wacked! They're the most throat-lacerating black metal
rasps I've ever heard. The album's final two tracks are
live-in-the-studio, and although their production is fairly rough,
they prove that this band can definitely tear it up and sound just
wicked in the process. A very cool release.
Behemoth - _Grom_ (Solstitium Records, 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (10 out of 10)
Whatever "Grom" actually means, it might as well stand for dynamic
force, radiating might and emotion, poised to crush all in its path.
That's what Behemoth's breed of black metal has evolved to become - a
relentless, whirling blizzard of sound, second to none in intensity
and possessing a metallic signature all its own. One thing I love
about this band is their highly developed sense of dynamics: this is
rooted in the fast black metal style, yeah, but it's fast black metal
-plus- insane riffs, cool vocal phrasings and variations in singing
style, frequent and fluid changes in pace (some hair-raising, some
orgasmic, some both), loud and crusty bass, awesome guitar breaks
with rhythmic power-chording, well done solos (guitar -and- bass),
cool female vocals, and on and on. Keyboards are used very little;
acoustic guitars, a lot. Nergal vocalizes with tons of feeling,
alternating between blackened snarl, sinister semi-spoken narration,
and almost-clean singing that sounds very cool. (The operatic vocals
on the title track aren't so hot, though.) I have a hard time
imagining any open-minded fan of extreme metal not really getting
into this release. Highlights abound; favorites include the power-mad
opening of "The Dark Forest", the bad-ass backbeats in "Dragon's
Lair", and the Motorhead-on-speed, Slayer-on-acid riffs of the
awesome "Spellcraft and Heathendom". And that's the just the first
three songs; I could go on. Great production, too: Nergal's guitar
and Les' bass sound splendidly raw, but come through clear, sharp,
and loud in a very organic-sounding mix. Same for the amazing
drumming of Baal Ravenlock. Totally seething with energy,
demonstrating a huge progression from this band's more primitive
early sound, _Grom_ is easily one of the best metal releases, in any
style, of the past several years. Highest recommendation.
Dearly Beheaded - _Temptation_ (Fierce Recordings, October 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (5 out of 10)
England quintet Dearly Beheaded deliver some really aggressive and
Pantera-esque guitar riffs throughout _Temptation_, and that is a
bonus. I like that sound. You know? Thick riffs accompanied by harsh
vocals and a steady rhythm section make DB's release a good listen at
high volumes. But all good things must come to an end. With a Pantera
meets thrash metal mentality circulating throughout the releases,
_Temptation's_ deliverance and objectives get old fast. Repetitive
music styles are everywhere and I found that the band didn't really
opt to try to allow singer Alex Creamer any room to alter his vocal
styles much. Standouts include the title track, "Fuel My Hatred" and
"Break the Restraint". It's a good record for loud, crunching guitar
riffs but might not keep all metal fans' attention span.
The Black - _Black Blood_ (Necropolis Records, October 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (6 out of 10)
If you've already heard The Black's debut album, _The Priest of
Satan_, then there's not much new to tell you about this MCD. It's
their demo pressed on CD, and suffice it to say, it sounds -just-
like _TPoS_. If, on the other hand, you haven't heard The Black
before, this is fairly old school straightforward black metal with
ear lacerating production. Most of the time, this stuff is not
exactly something to write home about, and with the production as
annoying as it is (-extremely- raw sounding), the slower parts are
definitely welcome, and without question the best part. A great
brooding, menacing sound is evident in these sections, with
occasionally some keyboards backing for atmosphere (something which
definitely does not decrease the brutality one bit). If you're
looking for progressive, melodic, orchestral metal, don't even think
about it, and even those who look more toward the old school sound
might not want to check this out. But those who already know The
Black's sound and don't mind it won't be disappointed.
Catasexual Urge Motivation - _The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers_
by: Adam Wasylyk (4 out of 10) (Deliria Prod., September 1996)
Japanese gore/grind band Catasexual Urge Motivation (initials are
C.U.M, get it?) have released an album's worth (22 songs clocking in
at around an hour) of boring, sloppy music with bad production and
leaves the listener bored out of their wits! The lyrics deal with the
band's interest in serial killers and mass murder as well as torture,
cannibalism, mutilation, and sadism. Songs like "Supraliminal
Psychosadistic Motivation", "Philosophical Diary of a Habitual
Murderer", "Multiple Parasexuality Disorder", "Declaration of a
Serial Killer... Mental Terrorism" and "Campaign to Legalize Murder"
prove just this. The music is grinding death with bad production
leaving the guitars sounding like mud. The vocals sound like a mix
between Suffocation, Demilich and perhaps early Carcass. There are no
fresh or new ideas being injected into the music, it's very
straight-forward (and very boring). Buy Blood Duster instead.
Contact: Deliria Productions, c/o Frank Riesinger
P.O. Box 2914, 74029, Heilbronn, GERMANY
email: f4033684@ca.aif.or.jp
Cathedral - _Supernatural Birth Machine_ (Earache, November 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10)
Fourth album and probably the most versatile offering to date for the
powerful sludge/doom metal band, _SBM_ is a cosmic and rewarding trip
into the visions of lead singer/bassist Lee Dorrian, a world created
around imagination and lust for emotional upheaval and domination.
Much like their other works, 1995's _The Carnival Bizarre_ and 1991's
thought-bending _Forest of Equilibrium_, _SBM_ rides the waves of
classic doom metal pretty firmly, and the crunch of fuzzy guitar
riffs meeting Dorrian's stale but raspy vocals still has an effect on
the listener. Though not as heavily geared as previous works, _SBM_
does have its heavy moments, but primarily it goes for that more
"laid-back" cruise mode (i.e., Fu Manchu and Kyuss). My problems with
the record have to do primarily with the marketing of the band by the
label, making them seem to be a "stoner band" instead of the doom
metal band that they are. Look at the cover of the album (a somewhat
hazy pic of the band) and tell me, does it not place an
uncharacteristic portrait of the band? I think it does to some
extent. The original cover artwork by brilliant artist Dave Patchett
is on the inside of the album sleeve for those that want to see the
original cover. A little less Cathedral-like but still flowing like a
raging river when need be. Choice cuts: "Cyclops Revolution",
"Fireball Demon", and "Urko's Conquest".
Chemlab - _East Side Militia_ (Fifth Column Records, October 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (3 out of 10)
Techno metallers Chemlab's _East Side Militia_ release is a boring
assortment of samples, drum machines, and bland vocals. I was not at
once interested in anything I heard on this release. While the band
may be seen as innovative, original or even ground breaking in many
people's eyes (who are these people?), I'm left with a bad taste in
my mouth after hearing _ESM_. I do like a lot of techno-driven metal
music (13mg., God Lives Underwater, Chemical Brothers,
Ultra-Violence), as does Gino, but I'm turning my back on this one.
The only cool track is the distorted/vocal style of "Electric
Molecule". Did I say boring already?
Cradle of Filth - _Dusk and Her Embrace_ (Music For Nations, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10)
I guess there isn't really too much to say about this other than: if
you liked _Vempire..._ (see review in CoC #11), you'll like this, and
if you didn't, this probably won't change your mind. The similarities
to _Vempire..._ are numerous; the production is nearly identical, the
vocal styles (male and female spoken parts, growls, and screams) are
similar, and the gothic influence is just as heavy. There are a few
differences though, the most important being the more prominent
guitar work. There are a few leads (which remind me of Dark
Tranquillity or Iron Maiden), and even a solo. Unfortunately, the
guitars have never been CoF's strong point, and some of the parts
sound a little sloppy. The keyboard tones are similar, but there are
a few new ones, and a (much appreciated by this reviewer)
reappearance of the pipe organ tone from _TPoEMF_. The non-digipack
version contains 7 real songs, and two short instrumentals, and the
digipack version contains "Nocturnal Supremacy '96", a remake of the
(weakest) song from _Vempire..._. The artwork is less overtly sexual
(no naked chicks this time), but similar in flavor to the previous
artwork. (BTW, check out Nicholas in the band pictures, he
alternately looks like Uncle Fester and Rob Halford) Although there
aren't any obvious flaws, overall I find this a little bit of a
letdown. It just doesn't seem very striking. It's good, but nothing
really stands out to me, the songs just seem to pass by without
really making a statement. Perhaps a few more listens will reveal
some intricacies that I'm missing, but for now, I'm a little
disappointed.
Danzig - _blackacidevil_ (Hollywood Records, October 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (4 put of 10)
Has anyone seen Danzig? Anyone? I can't seem to find him on this, his
supposed fifth release, _blackacidevil_. I am looking for the stout
and short lead singer/crooner who sings about devils, darkness, and
has a cute "cuddly-wuddly" wolf tattooed on his arm. Anyone? Hmm...
Okay, the joke is getting old now. YES! this is Danzig's latest
release, a record chock-full of techno-driven, industrial-edged tunes
that'll make ya want to dance more than raise your fist and hail
Satan. This record surprised me a lot, but as our beloved copy-editor
Alain Gaudrault mentioned to me, it might have been the only option
or route for Glenn Danzig to go seeing that his band dissolved,
leaving him to fend on his own. I can't think of anything more
shocking to happen to an American icon since Pee Wee Herman got
caught choking his chicken at a porno theater in Florida. At that
point, his whole identity was torn apart and to this day Pee Wee
Herman is still the butt of jokes. Danzig may soon see this happen.
I'm not sure how REAL die-hard Danzig fans feel about this record on
a whole, but from what I've heard from some people, they hate it. Bad
career move? Maybe. The band does have some good moments with opener
"7th House" and "Hint of Her Blood". I think first single "Sacrifice"
is horrible and was a bad choice. Will the real Danzig show up come
album #6? Hope so. Wouldn't want him needing to get a part-time job
at this point in his career.
Dark Tranquillity - _Enter Suicidal Angels_ EP
by: Adam Wasylyk (8 out of 10) (Osmose, November 1996)
My first record by DT is _The Gallery_ which I really liked for its
speedy-yet-melodic guitaring and Mikael Stanne's vocal style. On this
4-song EP, the music is an extension of what can be found on _The
Gallery_ but catchier and in my opinion more melodic. Tracks
"Zodijakyl Light", "Razorfever", and "Shadowlit Facade" continue in
DT's fine tradition and are instantly likable on the first listen.
The big surprise on _Enter..._ is track four entitled "Archetype".
It's best described as a techno song with black metal vocals.
Experimental material can usually be found on band's EPs so that is
exactly what this is and is definitely not indicative of what future
material will sound like. I must say, judging "Archetype" as a song,
it is different but I do like it very much. If you're a fan of Dark
Tranquillity or fast, melodic music than this EP must not be passed
up!!!
Dawnbringer - _Sacrament_ (Twilight, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon (7 out of 10)
An American band (I believe) that are playing a strange hybrid of a
lot of styles. The vocals are what really stand out about this on
first listen. They're both distorted and processed, and they sound
like they're being sung from far away. They're a little hard to get
used to at first, and aren't at all what you'd expect from hearing
the music, but I actually like them. The music ranges from folksy
acoustic to black metal to melodic death metal to straightforward
rock. At times, they almost have a pop feel, with the lead guitar on
the title track sounding like "Reptile" by the Church. Musically,
they're not doing anything too new, as they don't mix the styles too
much, instead opting for a more standard approach, but the
arrangements of the parts are novel. For example, during the title
track, while playing a black metal style, they stop, strum an
acoustic guitar four times with long pauses in between, then kick
right back into the mid- to fast-paced black metal style. It's
strange, but I like it: it keeps the music from getting monotonous,
the way a lot of (black metal) bands tend to do. The musicianship is
somewhat inconsistent; most of the black metal sections sound good,
but the bluesy guitar solos sound very cheap. It's only an EP,
clocking it at around twenty minutes long, but it's a nice effort,
and I'm curious to hear their next offering.
Deathwitch - _Triumphant Devastation_ (Necropolis, October 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (8 out of 10)
In all the promos and talk about this CD that I've seen, they've been
described as being very "old-school" in their approach. Well, if this
is indeed old school, then I'm sorry I missed the days of early 80s
metal! Replete with cheesy lyrics, screamed vocals, great song titles
("Infernal Gates of Evil", anyone?), and surprisingly good music,
this release reeks of attitude and metal machismo. How can you listen
to lyrics like "Under the flag of black death, we shall rule the
world!" without a smile of knowing satisfaction crossing your face?
Just about every one of the twelve songs presented here contains some
kind of not-so-subtle evil imagery, and although the actual
compositions might not be the most complex to ever grace your ears,
they still are enjoyable, if only because they will make you laugh.
If Deathwitch intended this to be a serious release, then I guess
I'll be expecting some of Satan's minions to come devour my soul any
day now. However, if it was only intended as an original tribute to
early 80s metal, then mission accomplished.
Decameron - _My Shadow..._ (No Fashion Records, August 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (7 out of 10)
It seems that nowadays, almost any extreme metal band coming out of a
Scandinavian country feels obligated to incorporate -some- kind of
strong black metal influence. You've seen it for yourself, release
after release being described (not without good reason) as
"death/black," or "black death metal" or something similar. Not that
I mind; on the contrary the majority (I stress majority) have been
very worthy albums. However, it's still nice to see a band emerge
from Sweden without a hint of much black metal connection. Decameron
is one such band, and they play distinctly Swedish death metal which
reminds me a lot of Merciless (_Unbound_) with perhaps a little more
melodic DM influence from the likes of Dark Tranquillity. On the
whole, the music is pretty enjoyable. Tempo changes and melody are
abundant, yet the sound retains relative brutality and aggression. As
mentioned, there are a lot of similarities to (the now disbanded)
Merciless, with kind of a death/thrash sound at times and vocals that
are neither death nor black, but instead more of a controlled scream.
As a side note, this album weighs in at a lengthy 62 minutes, almost
twice the length of your average Swedish release. This album has its
highs, especially the second and last tracks, as well as many parts
in the other songs, and the solos are very well played and wonderful
sounding. On the other hand, the low moments are few and far between,
and I can't see any real reason -not- to recommend this CD.
Earth Crisis - _Gamorrah's Season Ends_ (Victory, November 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (2 out of 10)
Can someone please get me a dictionary or a translator? What the fuck
is up with this? I am totally baffled and not impressed with Earth
Crisis' latest effort, _Gamorrah's Season Ends_. Drenched in loud and
stomp-like hardcore riffs and grooves comes an over abundance of
incoherent lyrics about society and the band's "straight-edge"
beliefs. Nothing makes sense as it is one big long mumble and
screams. Nothing against the band's beliefs but guys... the music?
What is up with this? I have heard that a lot of other people and
fans of the band are not happy with this release. I am one of them.
What went wrong? I dunno. I mean the band has had a following since
their debut album, _All Out War_ (1992 on Conviction Records) and
onto signing with Victory Records (_Firestorm_, 1993 and 1995's
_Destroy the Machines_) where they continued to gain lots of press
and exposure. I guess times change and bands lose their creativity or
something. Who knows? All I know is that _GSE_ will not be played on
my CD player again anytime soon.
Einherjer - _Dragons of the North _ (Napalm Records, November 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10)
Okay, all ye lovers of good, stout Viking metal, it's time to raise
your ale-horns and drink to the release of Einherjer's full-length
debut. (But take care, lest ye get mead in your mighty beard!) I must
confess that I've never been real big on the whole Viking thing - but
I must also report that this CD contains some really great,
original-sounding metal music. Einherjer deals mostly in
folk-inspired stop-start guitar riffs played on top of a
hard-driving, mid-paced rhythmic foundation and embellished with the
occasional melodious bass line or tasteful keyboard jingle. On songs
like the title track and the excellent "Slaget Ved Hartsfjord", the
results are memorable and impressive - cool lead riffing weaving in
and out of a thick fabric of hard beats, crunchy rhythm guitar, and
growling bass. "Slaget..." is devilishly, elegantly catchy, yet
possesses a very sharp sonic edge. The same can be said for many
other tracks on the disk, especially "Forever Empire" and the
entrancing "Dreamstorm" (a song sure to mightily please anyone who
really likes Enslaved's less furious stuff). Cool riffs abound.
Vocals are raspy but generally clear. The production is clear and
fairly punchy, with all instruments showing up nicely in the mix. All
in all, a great release by a very talented band, playing a potent,
decidedly non-trendy style of metal.
Endura - _Liber Leviathan_ (Aesthetic Death Records, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (8 out of 10)
Despite popping into the "dark ambient" scene only a short while ago,
Endura have released 3 works in a year's time, and 3 of the more
mature and interesting ambient albums to date, no less. _Liber
Leviathan_ replaces the more gothic stylings and semi-conventional
song structures of its 2 predecessors (most notably _Black Eden_,
released on the amazing Red Stream label) for a sparser sound. At
times, _LL_ borders on new age - somewhat in the vein of Tangerine
Dream - yet retains the decrepit ambiance and occult underpinnings
shared by the previous material. A more ethnic sound can be detected
throughout, as Endura have also stopped their reliance on symphonic
keyboards, in favor of more diverse instrumentation. The keyboards
take on a more swirling and whimsical feel than before. The
"leviathan" influence manifests itself through the distinctively
oceanic feelings that each song invokes - particularly the final
track, "Ctulhu Fhtagn", which manipulates sonar waves taken from the
US Navy Oceanographic Research Survey. This results in Endura's most
soothing and meditative work to date; truly a fine album to play
before falling into a state of slumber.
Excelsis - _A Dark Noel_ (Projekt Records, November 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10)
Christmas time is here and the folks at Projekt Records have decided
to make it darker and more tranquil for us with this 15-song
compilation CD. _Excelsis: A Dark Noel_ is a collection of tracks
from various artists who work with the Projekt label: Black Tape for
a Blue Girl, Love Spirals Downwards, Thanatos, and many more. While
the album seems to radiate an intense ethereal feeling and focuses
steadily on a gothic angle to such Christmas classics as "The First
Noel" (by Thanatos), "O Holy Night" (by Eva O), "The Little Drummer
Boy" (by Sorrow) and "Jingle Bells" (by Loveliescrushing), there also
seems to be an eerie dark feeling surfacing here too. An amalgamation
of both beauty and darkness that'll keep you at bay till the bitter
end, but at the same time leave you wondering what is waiting for you
there. Not for every metaller but something that could be seen as
almost therapeutic, to calm the soul, while we wait for the heavier
records to surface in early 1997.
Faction Zero - _Liberation_ AND Maximum Penalty - _Independent_
(IJT (idjit) Records, November 1996) (6 out of 10)
by: Adrian Bromley
This is the first time I have ever done this in a review: talking
about two CDs in the same review. Why? I felt that both these
hardcore-based bands (who are on the same label) are very much
similar to one another. While Faction Zero's _Liberation_ may take on
a stronger hardcore element than Maximum Penalty's _Independent_,
they both seem to flow within the boundaries of being more than just
adequate songwriters and HC bands in general. Both bands sound good
and rely heavily on melody to take the reigns of the hard grooves
they dwell into with both release. Faction Zero delivers strongly
with "Come Full Circle", "Choices" and "The Next War", while Maximum
Penalty shows off their wares with the hard-hitting "Justice Paid",
"Face Value", and "... So God Help Me" - plus the band's debut album
has six live songs recorded at New York club landmark CBGB's. Another
thing that I like about these two hardcore bands is that they manage
to keep the energy going, no real drop-off points on either album.
While these bands may be in their early, developing stages of
growing, I am pretty sure that both of these bands will be more
successful in the HC scene. It is just a matter of time... they have
the goods though.
Floodgate - _Penalty_ (Roadrunner Records, October 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10)
I really wanted to write this off as a Corrosion of Conformity
rip-off band. I almost did... almost. Floodgate's debut _Penalty_
(much like CoC or even Fu Manchu) is deep in its Black Sabbath roots
and coated with that clear and crisp Southern guitar playing style.
_Penalty_ has a lot to offer with singer/guitarist Kyle Thomas'
ability to lead the band through multiple song styles and the actual
sound of _Penalty_ is in its own right amazing. Clear and slick
production work makes it an even more enjoyable listen each time out.
Also, there is nothing cooler to hear than a band with a real strong
and potent groove. Floodgate finds that groove at multiple intervals
throughout the release (i.e. "Through My Days Into My Nights" and
"Whole"). The rumor has it also that Thomas was indeed the man to
take over the reigns when singer Karl Agell was booted from CoC
(before Pepper Keenan took over) - I can see that. So as much as this
record sounds like CoC at times, this New Orleans group has got
something special in their music and sound that sets them apart.
Check out tracks: "Shivering", "Imitation Salvation", and "Black With
Sin."
Helheim - _Fenris_ MCD (Necropolis Records, October 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (8 out of 10)
Helheim are black metal with hints at industrial, from Norway. That
said, this MCD is quality musical enjoyment with a lot of high points
to it. Kicking in with a menacing (albeit not entirely original)
guitar riff, the first thing you'll probably notice about Helheim are
the vocals. Far from your typical black metal vocals, these are kind
of a shrieking shout for the most part. When I first heard them, I
immediately thought back to Edge of Sanity's _The Spectral Sorrows_
on the track "Feeding the Charlatan" where Dread does the vocals. If
you've heard that (and if you haven't, go and buy it now) then you'll
know what to expect. As for the rest of the music, it's fast-paced
(for the most part) black metal with, like I said, some industrial
parts. Don't get me wrong, it's nowhere near as industrial or
programmed as the latest, for example, Samael CD, just that there are
a few parts where there's a definite influence from the industrial
spectrum of things, especially in the strange drum/synth interludes
in the first track, "Syndens Makt", and the mechanical grind of a lot
of the fourth song, "Fimbulvinter". As mentioned, there is use of
keys, though not in the usual majestic, Arcturus-style sound; it's
more of a deep, billowing effect, put to best use, again, in the
fourth track. Helheim managed to put out something fairly original in
the convoluted BM scene, which is itself to be commended, but they
also put out something original and -good-, which doubles the value.
Ildjarn - _Forest Poetry_ (Napalm Records/Norse League, 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (7 out of 10)
Wow. This stuff is so unbelievably primitive, raw, and malicious,
that it makes Darkthrone sound like the Sisters of Mercy! If some
anti-social, prehistoric shaman bought a cheap electric guitar and
played -very- loud black metal while pissed off and wigging on
psychoactive drugs, the result would probably sound a lot like
_Forest Poetry_. But you know what? I actually mean that as a
compliment, because I actually think this is pretty damn cool. I
mean, this stuff is just -so- antithetical to accepted ideas of what
counts as "good music," and it takes primal energy and crudity to
-such- an extreme, that it makes for fascinating listening. The
product of one man alone (Ildjarn himself), it's 22 short tracks of
twisted, simplistic power in which weirdly distorted chainsaw
riffing, booming bass, rudimentary drum-bashing, and vicious scowling
vocals come together for an all-out assault on cleanliness and quiet.
As with other projects of this type, the result can make for very
interesting listening, once you get used to the totally wacked out
sound. (Great packaging, too.) Other black metal bands are big on
mood, right? Well, check out Ildjarn, and hear the atmosphere that an
unrelenting maelstrom of primitivity can summon up.
Karma to Burn - _Karma to Burn_ (Roadrunner, January 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (5 out of 10)
Much like the Pist*On record (see review below), four-piece Karma to
Burn are easily more comfortable with sticking to a rough & raw
approach when it comes to material. The music is heavy and there is
melody, but there really is no set pattern for the band to follow.
With an aggressive guitar-oriented sound and an approach of weirdness
and creativity a la Tool, Karma to Burn's debut album on Roadrunner
has both positive and negative aspects flowing from it. The positive
points are that the music is rather cool and trippy at times, and is
accompanied by a strong kick of intensity, but the negative aspect is
that the band seems to lose the listener most of the record with
their weird musical interludes and song structures. While there are
strong songs like "(Waltz of the) Playboy Pallbearers", "Mt.
Penetrator", and a cool Joy Division cover, "Twenty Four Hours", on
the debut album, it isn't a bad release, but nothing that would be on
the top of my list to recommend to someone.
Kampfar - _Kampfar_ (Season of Mist, October 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (8 out of 10)
This self-titled MCD is Kampfar's first release, and shows a lot of
promise for the future of this Norwegian viking black metal band. Not
particularly "black" so to speak, Kampfar have an extremely majestic,
cold, atmospheric sound (though without the heavy use of keyboards
and overt atmospheric sections like countrymates Arcturus and
Gehenna). The lyrics are, unfortunately, not included in the sparse
packaging, but the drawing of a viking and terrific photographs of
(presumably) Norwegian landscapes of vast forests and freezing white
icebergs which adorn the sleeve are enough to tip one off to
Kampfar's lyrical content and ideas. In addition, the song titles are
all in Norwegian so the lyrics would figure to follow suit. The album
has a grand, full production, especially in the drum department.
During the mid-paced parts (the majority of the CD), the drums have a
huge, echoing sound which overtakes the rest of the music. Throughout
the rest of the three-track opus, clean, "Storm"-like vocals,
acoustics, small use of keyboards (except for the keyboard and
bass-only third track), typical black metal vocals (similar to
Garm's), and the occasional fast section prevail. Overall, for a
debut MCD, Kampfar have pulled off quite an album, and I'm looking
forward with anticipation to their followup.
Laibach - _Jesus Christ Superstar_ (Mute Records, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (8 out of 10)
Throughout the past 15 years, Laibach have proven to be one of the
most experimental industrial band in a genre possessing countless
risk takers. Thus, _JCS_ is quite a massive surprise, despite coming
from a band that consistently releases surprising albums. While each
album has gotten progressively more accessible over the past 15
years, no Laibach fan could truly expect this: an industrial metal
album!?! Yep, Laibach have made a passe jump onto the overcrowded
industrial metal band wagon, resulting in their most mainstream
effort to date. Luckily, this is also one of their best. For _JCS_,
Laibach have adopted stereotypically thrashy, although refreshingly
grating, guitars and a conventional verse-chorus-verse lyrical
pattern. The lyrics themselves are a stereotype of the sub-genre; all
are religious oriented, and range from satirical (or should that be
self-contradictory? With Laibach, you never can tell) to mindless
blasphemies. The two cover songs, "The Cross" and "Jesus Christ
Superstar" continue with these religious themes; both are fairly
conservative efforts, especially in comparison to previous covers. As
with all Laibach albums, _JCS_ is a step above all others in whatever
sub-genre they decide to dabble in; the patented Laibachian choirs
and overblown symphonic elements are all here, adding a melodic, and
quite mystical, dimension that no other industrial metal band can
match. Fans of this style will be well advised to pick this one up;
if Laibach fans look at it with an open eye, they should eventually
be pleased - although I hope that Laibach don't delve any farther
into this direction.
Mastiphal - _For a Glory of All Evil Spirits, Rise for Victory_
by: Brian Meloon (7 out of 10) (Baron, 1996)
Mastiphal hail from Poland, and play a black metal style that sounds
kind of like a mix of Arcturus (see CoC #12) and Accursed (see CoC
#11). The approach is similar to both bands, but perhaps less
synth-dominated. Unfortunately, it's not as diverse, interesting, or
well-played as Arcturus, but at least it beats Accursed on all
counts. The production is decent, but sounds a little faded due to
the overly trebly drums. Vocals are standard fare raspy black metal
style, and the guitar work is usually pretty straightforward. The
keyboard parts are usually minimalist, preferring to just emphasize
parts of the riff structures, or play simple single-note melodies.
Occasionally though, they are rather involved, especially the piano
parts. Due to a lack of diversity and an unfortunate sparsity of
different riffs, the songs tend to drag a bit too, but not to the
point of being completely boring. I guess I'd hesitantly recommend
this to fans of Arcturus, but don't expect it to be great.
Morgana Lefay - _Maleficium_ (Black Mark, November 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10)
Right out of the books next to the band name Savatage and their opus
_Streets: A Rock Opera_ comes Swedish progressive/power metallers
Morgana Lefay and their fourth release, _Maleficium_. The music, the
sound, the vocals and even the musical arrangements are very
Savatage-ish. But, once we get past that, this is Morgana Lefay's
release and it actual is quite good. Not being a big fan of the band
in the past, I felt something click here with _Maleficium_, whether
it be the well thought out musical arrangements of any of the 14
tracks or just the sheer musical experience and know-how that went
into carving each tune. There seems to be a sense of concentration
that went into creating _Maleficium's_ music, and that makes the
material worth listening too. Most of the songs are lengthy ones,
five minutes plus, but the length of the songs are a needed element
of Morgana Lefay to capture the ideals and concepts, even the themes
running throughout the record. Standouts: "The Source of Pain", title
track, "Witches Garden", and "Where Fallen Angels Rule". Alert!
Anyone into really dramatic, progressive metal like Savatage or Iced
Earth, check this out.
Necromicon - _Realm of Silence_ (Impure Creations Records, 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (7 out of 10)
If fast black metal is what you crave, then look no further than this
speedy sextet's well-produced debut. _RoS_ features some ferocious
music, played with uncommon skill and blessed with a great mix and
clear, sharp production. Style-wise, Necromicon is especially
comparable to Swordmaster, in that they write four- to five-minute
songs built around cool, razor-sharp riffs underpinned by thundering,
whirlwind percussion (with plenty of double bass drumming in parts).
Lead vocals are done in the standard black metal style, with the
occasional blood-curdling shriek (and I mean -shriek-) thrown in for
good measure. Keyboards are used more or less sparingly. "Gates of
Grief" and "The Hated One" blast, stomp, and gallop madly along and
sound just killer - especially in the latter song's totally
unpredictable leap from crazed black metal surf riffing to blazing
soloing over choppy rhythm guitars and rocking backbeat! (Gosh, I
sure hope this is not too upsetting to the more "true" among us...)
But despite moments like these, the album as a whole has a certain
by-the-numbers feel to it. The great playing and production make for
quite enjoyable listening, but most of the songs are long on style
and short on memorable musical substance. It's cool-sounding stuff,
for sure, but it really isn't very original at all, so it lacks the
artistic impact of the genre's more imaginative acts.
Niden Div. 187 - _Towards Judgement_ (Necropolis, October 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (8 out of 10)
No atmospheric synth intro. No folk-influenced acoustic breaks. No
majestic female vocals. Just straight, brutal, lightning-speed black
death metal from Sweden. According to the Necropolis web page, "The
release is a complete FUCK OFF to the politically correct system that
enslaves society and the metal scene." And it's difficult to deny
them. Niden Div. 187 is just no-nonsense, no frills, aggressive metal
played at breakneck speeds. This stuff can virtually cause brain
damage if played too loudly for too long. Vocalist Henke Forss takes
a break from his main commitment, Dawn, long enough to perform the
vocals on this short MCD, and they are his characteristic tortured
but subdued scream. The guitars aren't anything spectacular but they
get the job done, with the usual Swedish sound to them, a bit similar
to Marduk in that respect. The drums are the best part of this album,
as they are extremely fast and extremely -tight-, and placed
perfectly in the mix. If you woke up this morning with a yearning for
something that totally scorned all of today's trends, -and- will bust
your speakers, this is your ticket.
Pike - _Lack of Judgement_ (Black Mark, November 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (2 out of 10)
Not too keen on this release after multiple listens. I can't get past
the screaming grunts and I find the crossover sound the band delivers
of hardcore meets funk and punk rather lame. The band attempts to be
hard and "on the edge" throughout, and in reality it seems a bit too
planned for me. I like bands that experiment with different sounds,
but I think Pike may have tried too hard to be different. Sometimes
being too different or creative has its drawbacks. Someone needs
better blueprints next time.
Pist*On - _Number One_ (Fierce Records, November 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
New York's Pist*On's debut album (produced by Type O Negative
keyboardist, Josh Silver) is a hard-edged collection of soothing
melodies and turbulent guitar riffs. From the opener of "Parole"
through potent songs as "Grey Flap", "Eight Sides", and "Electra
Complex", the band seems to create an honest and raw take on keeping
a consistent groove on _Number One_. Much like the rough and raw
guitar styles of Corrosion of Conformity or Only Living Witness, the
band's material seems to stay clear (as much as possible) from a
slick production and focus more on delivering a solid blow rather
than a comfortable guitar riff. Singer Henry Font has quite a
versatile voice and with the help of Josh Silver (who produced the
last two Type O efforts) guiding him and the band, the band was able
to produce a debut album worth listening too. For those that enjoy
music with melody, yet ample on might and integrity with each song,
you'll dig this one.
Poison - _Poison's Greatest Hits 1986-1996_ (Capitol, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon (0 out of 10)
You didn't seriously expect this to get anything above a zero did
you? (You probably didn't expect it to even be here, but...) Anyway,
this is the same Poison that gave us such crap in the 80s as "Fallen
Angel", "I Want Action", "Nothing but a Good Time", and "Unskinny
Bop". There are songs from all five of their albums (only one from
_Native Tongue_) and two featuring Blues Saraceno on guitar, both of
which were previously unreleased. Unfortunately, none of the songs
are even in the slightest bit listenable. Avoid this like the plague
(as if you didn't already know that).
Various - _Beneath the Icy Floe: A Projekt Sampler V.4_
by: Adam Wasylyk (9 out of 10) (September 1996, Projekt Records)
Listening to the 13 bands/16 tracks on this compilation, I learned
that I had been missing some truly great gothic music. The
compilation being put out as a sampling of the first decade of
Projekt music, it also showcases the numerous talented bands that are
on the label. Graceful and soulful keyboards are on a lot of these
tracks, with great female vocals and enchanting acoustic guitar
passages. Bands like Arcanta, Thanatos, Bleak and Black Tape for a
Blue Girl are great, while Love Spirals Downwards and especially
Lydia are simply wondrous!! Very rarely was there a track not worth
hearing, every track seem to compliment the others. With more than 70
minutes of quality and dark music, if your just getting into gothic
music and don't know where to start I heavily suggest you start here.
Summoning - _Dol Guldur_ (Napalm Records, December 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (10 out of 10)
I have basically worshipped this band since last year's amazing
_Minas Morgul_, in which Protector and Silenius (who is also in
Abigor) abandoned the raw black metal of their debut and pioneered a
unique, mesmerizing style of epic-ambient,
blackened-medieval-metallic music. These guys weave together sonic
tapestries in which it's impossible to tell where the gripping song
leaves off and the enthralling soundscape begins. As on _Minas
Morgul_, the writings of Tolkien provide the imaginative backdrop to
the music, which is dominated by multiple layers of synthesizers and
hard, mid-paced beats. Beefy and distorted guitar tones also take up
a chunk of the mix, as do expressive and eerie black metal vocals.
Like guitar and voice, the synths are quite organic in tone, usually
approximating the sounds of distant, echoing horns or strings, yet
with an unmistakably unearthly vibe. Carefully layered and
beautifully produced, guitar, synth, and voice are anchored by
programmed percussion that doesn't really sound canned, especially
thanks to the frequent use of beats suggesting tribal ceremonies and
military marches. On songs like the awesome "Khazad Dum", Summoning
build layer upon layer in consecutive steps, so that what begins as a
simple series of notes is embellished, bit by bit, with distinct
series of cool, imaginative tones, until there are five, six, seven
separate layers to the sound, all woven splendidly together. The
music tends to be slow, with no fast parts at all, but the sound is
so textured and rich that listening remains action-packed -
especially if you let your imagination just go with the sonic flow.
Check out the haunting melody line of "Kor", the chilling bells of
"Wyrmvater Glaurung", the stirring "Nightshade Forests", and look for
an eight-minute animated (!) video from the band soon. Highest
recommendation.
Swans - _Soundtracks for the Blind_ (Young God Records, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (8 out of 10)
My readers, please do not view this as a plea simply intended to
arouse sympathy, but how can I attempt to properly review this album,
particularly considering CoC's admittedly minute spatial constraints?
_Soundtracks for the Blind_ is no mere album; this is a two-disc, two
and a half hour monster. Departing from their recent hybrid of folk
and "experimental" rock, the Swans have rebounded from several
utterly mediocre albums to create this, their most diverse effort to
date. Each song is vastly different from the previous track. Despite
the apparent diversity and juxtaposition of live and studio tracks,
the songs retain a similar mood and sound, evading incoherence. Hints
of guitars, both acoustic and electric, are sprinkled throughout, but
_Soundtracks..._ relies on a suffocating, keyboard-driven ambiance
and various collected sounds to create a horrifying vision, suffused
with anger and melancholy. The vocals of band mastermind Michael Gira
are, as always, the perfect match for the music, even if they are
used a bit too sparingly; his emotional wails and gothic vocals can
send shivers down the listener's spine. As always, his lyrics are
mocking, and representative of the darkest side of human existence;
the various forms of submissiveness are his popular theme throughout
_Soundtracks_ (BTW, his book, entitled _The Consumer_, is worth a
read). Unfortunately, Gira's female counterpart, Jarboe, once again
rears her obtrusive head. Her three compositions all sound undeniably
out of place, particularly "Volcano", which is destroyed by a cheesy
hip-hop beat in the background. Also, the more restrained studio
version of "YRP", the highlight of _Die Tur Ist Zu_, an album
released earlier this year in preparation for _Soundtracks_, lacks
the haunting cries that Jarboe wailed on its predecessor, and thus
falls somewhat flat. Still, these are only 4 out of 26 tracks; not
much irreparable harm is done. My only other complaint is a most
lamentable one; this is the Swans final studio album. A shame, as
this is their best album since 1986's _Greed_, and showcases the
musical direction that the band should have followed after the
aforementioned album.
Thy Serpent - _Forests of Witchery_ (Spinefarm Records, 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (5 out of 10)
This is being marketed as black metal, which is about as accurate as
calling Anthrax a death metal band. The front cover features the
typical "northern forest" photo, and the back showcases yet another
corpse-painted, pencil-necked geek posing with a snake - but the
music is awful easy on the ears. Come on, guys: quit sucking up to
the trend and just be honest, okay? You're a metal band. Though
containing gothic atmosphere, needlessly long songs, and raspy
vocals, this is still heavy metal all the way - slap-happy rock beats
and "hot licks" included. Actually, it's not quite -that- bad, but
it's a far cry from metallic extremity. Anyway, let's give credit
where credit is due: opener "Flowers of Witchery Abloom" is a real
cool song, clean guitars and stirring keys combining to generate
strong feeling and tangible momentum. "Traveler of Unknown Plains"
and "Like a Funeral Veil of Melancholy" have their moments too, but
most of the music on this very well-produced release is just sort
of... there. If you like metal that has just a -little- bit of power
and just a -little- bit of edge, then Thy Serpent are definitely your
thing.
Unpure - _Coldland_ (Napalm Records, November 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10)
All right! Kolgrim and Hrasvelg are back, and this time they're less
pure than ever! Celestial Pain guitarists John and Vic have teamed up
with Sweden's premier purveyors of moonlit goat-lust for ten more
tracks of catchy, simplistic, and very chilly nocturnal metal. In
addition to being less pure than before (which the hilarious "Horny
Goats" amply demonstrates), they also claim to be "Blacker than Ever"
on one track - and they have definitely become catchier and even much
thrashier at times. The thing that makes Unpure so cool is their
unswerving allegiance to stone simplicity in riffing. There's no
"epic" black metal emoting, no sappy melody, no death metal
technicality - just cold, crude, infectious riffs that stomp out of
your speakers looking to kick your ass. The way-fun "Count Dracula"
and "Frozen" are prime examples, but the album is chock full of them.
There are a number of old school styles on display this time, with a
couple of thrash and heavy metal pounders written by Hrasvelg nicely
complementing Kolgrim's more blackened contributions. (The guys swap
vocal duties as well, which adds further variety to their basic
sound.) Usually fun, always frosty, and even funny from time to time,
_Coldland_ is a very cool revival of the old and unrefined ways of
true underground metal.
Vision of Disorder - _Vision of Disorder_ (Roadrunner, November 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10)
Just the sheer intensity of the opening track's music ("Element") or
singer/growler Tom William's first screams sets the tone for this
loud and truly stunning debut by this Long Island quintet. Vision of
Disorder's debut is all about power within their music and the
ability to be able to channel emotions into one powerful punch -
something they have done with this release. Several times... over and
over. The mixing of hardcore and death metal really set them apart
from most young bands nowadays and William's lyrics are so real and
honest that this record's material not only serves as a deliverance
of intensity but allows William's words on life and society to take
the spotlight too. A vigorous collection of material captivates this
record, most notably "Through My Eyes", "Ways To Destroy One's
Ambition", and "Zone Zero". I basically was blown away by the band's
three-song sampler last issue and this full-length record just has me
floored too. "Powerful" is the best word used to describe this record.
December Moon - _Source of Origin_ (Spinefarm Records, 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (7 out of 10)
Despite what you would naturally expect, given the name of this
two-man band and its members' previous connection with Cradle of
Filth, this is not really black metal. There's a definite hint of
blackness to the sound at times, and the vocals are for the most part
high-pitched and raspy, but musically, this duo bows to no trend.
Instead, they pay homage to the old gods, composing enjoyable, fairly
traditional metal which defies easy labeling but respects foreboding
atmospheres, power, and weight. (Still, this is not merely another of
those tributes to 80s bands that have become quite the trend of
late.) Instrumental "Exaltation of Power" begins the album like a
somber roll of thunder. "You Can't Bless the Damned" continues, and
sets the standard for the rest of the CD: songs which favor mid-paced
galloping over the occasional fast charge, and nicely arrange
numerous riffs, verse patterns, and moody synthesizer washes. On this
track and "The Apparition of Mother Earth", they weld cool riff to
cool riff and make some powerful and captivating music. (On the
latter song, vocalist Rob unexpectedly lets loose the way-high notes
and gives King Diamond a run for his money.) Still, the
keyboard-based "Winter Sunset" and "Black Millennium" put a real
damper on things, and the songs I haven't mentioned generally prove
less interesting than their counterparts. Also, I think the band
would sound -much- heavier if the vocals didn't dominate the mix so
much. This CD contains some cool songs, and I think Rob and Was
demonstrate the potential to do something killer, but this isn't
quite it.
December Wolves - _Til Ten Years_ (Hammerheart Prod., August 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (8 out of 10)
Okay, when most of us think of a bastion of fast melodic black metal,
Massachusetts isn't exactly the first place that pops into our minds.
It's not exactly the cold, desolate frostland which usually spawns
such acts. However, once you take a listen to _Til Ten Years_, the
location of the band will be the furthest thing from your mind
(except for maybe wondering how something this good emerged from the
same place as "Cheers"). December Wolves play a style of melodic
black metal with keyboards and occasional female vocals, along with a
couple of acoustic flourishes here and there, which makes for not
only very consistent but also extremely interesting listening. You
won't get bored while enjoying this disc. The vein in which they play
is reminiscent of the Norwegian style in its speed and majesty, but
there's some intangible element that identifies them as American, on
which I can't quite put my finger. The vocals are typically black
metal, and the drums aren't anything extraordinary (though still
proficient), but it's the guitar work that stands out most here.
Sometimes backed by a simple keyboard melody, the guitars are
definitely the dominating instrument in the mix and create some
awesome melodies, the best ones usually coming during the mid-paced
sections of the songs. December Wolves might not be able to stand
next to the best Scandinavian acts, but as far as American BM is
concerned, they are without equal.
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/ \/ / _ \ \ /\ / / / \/ / _ \| / __|/ _ \
/ /\ / __/\ V V / / /\ / (_) | \__ \ __/
\_\ \/ \___| \_/\_/ \_\ \/ \___/|_|___/\___|
Your best source of information on the newest of the new, and the
deepest of the underground, New Noise is the place to read about all
the coolest shit you never thought existed! And if you have a band,
don't forget to send us your demo with a bio if you want to be
reviewed; our address is included in the zine's header.
Scoring: ***** -- I see a record deal in the future
**** -- Great piece of work
*** -- Good effort
** -- A major overhaul is in order
* -- A career change is advisable
Agony - _Apocalyptic Dawning_ (12-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (****-)
Montreal's Agony on this album-length demo play some better than
average death metal which is full of blast beats and chugging
guitars, and along with that showcase a slower/more technical side to
their music. The vocals are your standard high and low/growl vocals,
while the guitars occasionally exhibit a more technical side
(particularly in the soloing) but on average are played fast and
heavy. Songs like "Cyberpsychosis", "Orbital Hide-Out", "After
Death/Eviscerated Pig", and the title track are played convincingly
but at different times during the demo, things started to sound the
same. There are a few cool moments on _Apocalyptic Dawning_ but what
I thought was especially cool is the song "Outro" which is a cover of
"Toccata and Fugue" by classical music composer J.-S Bach. It's most
likely that you've heard this song, as it's in almost every Dracula
movie ever made. After hearing it, I immediately thought that this
could very well have been played by the talented band The Great Kat.
Good production and layout (with lyrics), there is some quality death
metal here and is recommended.
Contact: E.S.T Management, 755 Muir, Suite #205
Saint-Laurent, Que., H4L-5G9, CANADA
Ataxia - _The Forgotten_ (6-track demo)
by: Brian Meloon (***--)
These guys from VA say they're trying to fill a void in the music
scene of "intelligent melodic thrash written to be both brutally
heavy and musically complex." The music is 90s-style chunky metal,
but I wouldn't really call it either brutally heavy nor musically
complex. I also don't think the tag "melodic" is deserved, at least
not with the same connotation that it carries for the melodic death
metal bands. Some of the vocals (lead and backing) are melodic, but
the music doesn't emphasize melody. The "thrash" label does fit
though, at least in the 90s sense of the term. It's well done, but
doesn't really stand out in any (positive) aspect, ending up pretty
average. The singer is what I really don't like about this demo. His
voice is melodic at times, and sort of gruff and less melodic at
others. I can't really figure out what I don't like about him, but he
just sort of irritates me. I think it's a combination of his voice
and the vocal melodies that he chooses. Making matters worse is that
fact that he sings with a lot of conviction, which comes off sounding
corny when he says things like "I know I'll never be free, my prison
has no key." Musically, it's good though, with some nice drumming,
and some tight playing. Overall, I'd say it's a good demo,
professional enough in its approach, but not really doing enough to
stand out from the pack.
Contact: ATAXIA, c/o Scott Andrews
247-21 Colonnade Dr., Charlottesville, VA, 22903, USA
email: sha3u@virginia.edu
WWW: http://maven.ee.virginia.edu/ataxia.html
Carnal Sickness - _Blood Disrepulsion_ (6-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (***--)
Death/grind enthusiasts Carnal Sickness from Woodbridge, Ontario play
early Carcass-influenced music that is actually mildly entertaining
to listen to. Songs like the gurgling intro "Manifestation of
Corporeal Putriscine", "Necrophilic Incest in B flat", and "Buckets
of Festering Foetal Abortions" have the low/high vocals, the
occasional grinding bass, the fast snare blasts and speedy double
bass. It's basically what you've come to expect from any death/grind
band. The production here isn't as terrible as I had originally
thought, as it never gets too muddy but there is a lot of room for
improvement. The band should also experiment more to come up with
their own sound as they after awhile sound like any of the countless
bands you or I have heard. If you're into Blood Duster/early Carcass,
then Carnal Sickness you will surely like.
Contact: CARNAL SICKNESS, c/o Fabio Chirco
138 Bourbon St, Woodbridge, Ont., L4L-6Y9, CANADA
Curb - _Curb_ (7-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (***--)
Just by checking out the cover art, song titles, and of course the
band's name, I concluded that this was just another hardcore/punk
band. Putting it on, I was astonished to find it's actually
death/black metal! Vocals influenced by Carcass and any black metal
vocalist, they at times shifted in sound which kept things
interesting. The music for the most part is mid-to-slow-paced with
the majority having little speed. There are some blast beat parts but
the guitars had precedence in the final mix which left them sounding
weak. Production isn't very good and needs improvement. I give credit
to Curb for not trying to cash in on the death/black metal imagery
and trying to survive on the music alone (this is proved by having
song titles like "Mend", "37th Triangle", "Blanket", and "Out"). They
have my eternal respect.
Contact: CURB, P.O. Box 16452, Indianapolis, IN, 46216, USA
email: curb@iquest.net
De Ros - _Ad Dei Gloriam_ (14-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (***--)
Hailing from Brazil, this trio, led by guitarist Marco DeRos, is a
rather gifted bunch of musicians who rely a lot on crafty guitar work
and strong and creative song structures in their music. Just listen
to any of the fourteen songs found on the band's debut album, _Ad Dei
Gloriam_, and you will see the ingenuity and craftsmanship that goes
into each song, i.e. "La Leyenda Del Brujo", "Taste of Poison",
"Swing From Hell", and "Naturally Petrified". The music mainly falls
into the hard rock/progressive musical category and that is where I
think a lot of the band's fans would generate from. Fans that enjoy
work from Queensryche, Yngwie Malmsteem, and maybe even Savatage
would get into this music. Note: there are no lyrics here, just
music. While just under 40 minutes, _ADG_ is quite a good listen if
you feel like letting the band take you away into their imaginative
world for a little while.
Contact: Marco De Ros, Rua Coronel Flores 507 - Apt. 14
Caxias do Sul RS, BRAZIL 95034-060
email: deros@visao.com.br
Eve of Mourning - _A Dark Serenade_ (3-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (***--)
This four-piece gothic/doom metal band hails from Staten Island, New
York. The band's three-song demo is well-produced, flowing with
angel-like violins and haunting guitar styles that help showcase
atmospheric realms of creativity that shout out comparisons to My
Dying Bride or maybe Anathema, but still manage to incorporate a doom
metal sound with the growling vocals and thick guitar tones. There is
also a gothic element to the band's sound as well. The thing I
enjoyed most about this demo was that Eve of Mourning seemed to have
worked real hard to produce a very vision-like sound and image with
their music. The music releases many emotions and that caters to
one's imagination when hearing it. The downside of this demo tape is
that while the three songs included ("Drown Me To Infinity", "You
Know Nothing", and my fave, "Numb") are well executed, it seems that
we, the listener, are really not being given an honest look (or in
this case, listen) to what the band really can do. The numbers are
lengthy and the sounds are very similar and I felt that the lack of
versatility of material on the demo tape seemed to keep the band in
one frame of sound. I'm eager to hear what the band can do with a
lengthier demo tape, but besides my quirks, I feel that Eve of
Mourning have got an interesting sound worth looking out for.
Contact: EVE OF MOURNING, c/o Mike Montalbano "Attn: Eve of Mourning"
76 Kingdom Ave., Staten Island, NY, 10312, USA
email: bounty34@aol.com
Martyr - _Ostrogoth_ (3-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (****-)
ANOTHER band from Montreal, Martyr's demo _Ostrogoth_ is more on the
technical side of death metal rather than focusing on blinding speed
and blazing guitars. The band also featuring clean male vocals (which
aren't that impressive), the bulk of the music on the three tracks
("Prototype", "Ars Nova" and the title track) is slow-paced with
intricate guitaring and drums. It also sounds like there's an 80s
metal influence in some of the songs (particularly in the first track
"Prototype"). The vocal style is rough/gruff but not as low as your
standard death metal outfit which I felt is a good decision to
accompany this sort of music. Releasing an independent album early
next year, I look forward to hearing their future work (to be
hopefully reviewed in a future issue).
Contact: MARTYR, 459 Julien
Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Que., G8T-6X2, Canada
Murder 1 - _Murder 1_ (7-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (*----)
One of my pet peeves in reviewing demos is if the inside of the tape
insert is blank, that the band fails to include a bio. Not only does
this leave me in the dark about the band's history/location, etc, but
it also reflects onto the band negatively. I mean, even if it's
hand-written, that's at least something! Well, to be frank I didn't
really care in the case of Murder 1, as they play sloppy metal/punk
with cliche lyrics (those that I could decipher, of course). Songs
like "Homicide", "Born to Lose", and "Fuck Conformity" are laughable,
especially the choruses. The vocals rarely had any viciousness to
them, for the most part sounded whiney. Of the seven tracks on this,
two are played live. "Your the One", the first live track is the best
song on the demo. I enjoyed a full 10 seconds of it as there is a
great distorted/grinding bass solo which accounts for almost all of
the "*" rating. Murder 1, as evidenced by that track sound so much
better live than they do in the studio. If they could somehow harness
their energy from their concerts for the recording studio then this
band may be salvageable yet.
Contact: These boneheads don't have an address on the tape insert (as
I said, it's blank). Good work guys. You could call a
hotline for the band, the phone number is (201) 751-2113.
Don't worry, you shouldn't have any problem getting through.
NDE - _Falling_ (11-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (***--)
Ohio's NDE (which stands for Near Death Experience) on their
self-produced CD play heavily Pantera-influenced metal with heavy
riffs and the occasional thrash beat. Their guitar sound very much
reminded me of Righteous Pigs' in terms of their production sound,
while the actual riffing reminded me of Pantera (the opening riff of
"Angry Song" reeks of them!). The vocals by Bob Reinard sound like a
harsher Phil Anselmo which are accompanied by the very rare death
growl. The songs "Stench" and "No Tomorrow" were my favorites while
most of the other tracks sounded too much like someone else other
than NDE. The CD layout is very professional, done as well as any
indie label could do. Having played with bands like Crisis,
Incantation, Stuck Mojo and Cannibal Corpse, it shows that the band
have worked on getting their name out to metal fans in their area.
Now it's time that NDE work on writing more original material, as
what is evidenced on _Falling_ sounds too close to a thrash metal
version of Pantera.
Contact: NDE, P.O. Box 2297, Streetsboro, OH, 44241, USA
Neuropath - _Desert of Excruciation_ (3-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (***--)
I have been hearing some great music out of Australia as of late. The
Psychorockmenstrualgrindporn of Blood Duster (see review in #13 and
my interview in #14) and a band called Sulkus (demo review in #13;
the band have recently signed to Zandrah Records and will have a CD
out early next year) come to mind. However, Neuropath don't have the
same power as the aforementioned bands do. The 5-piece play
death/grind with no real inventiveness or creativity, it's more
straight-ahead blasting and heavy Suffocation-like riffing and
lower-range vocals. The music on _DoE_ isn't bad, but after you've
heard it a thousand times, it becomes nothing special. There are some
better moments but they are far and few between. Production is quite
good and some money was put into the layout for the demo (glossy,
band photo, lyrics). A low three rating on my part, but some
death/grind fans could get some enjoyable moments out of this. For a
copy of this demo, send $5US to the contact address below.
Contact: NEUROPATH, c/o Daniel Stubbs
1 Beaumont Cres., Bayview, NSW-2104, AUSTRALIA
Pleasure Void - _Demo 1996_ (3-track demo)
by: Brian Meloon (**---)
This isn't really a metal demo, it's more of a hard rock thing, with
a retro-70s influence, and some similarities to Marble, due mostly to
the lead (female) singer's voice. It's also pretty strange, with some
free-form sounding structures in places, and a general
weirdness/goofiness that permeates it. That's a good thing, but
doesn't really help this enough to impress me. The playing isn't very
tight at times, sounds cheap at others, and it seems to be mixed too
loud, so it distorts in places. There's also too much of a 70s
influence for my taste, especially when ripping off the main riff
from that stupid "Low Rider" song in "Perfect Mess". On the positive
side, it is a competent offering from a band with a good vision of
their own unique style. It's just too bad that their vision doesn't
coincide with mine.
Contact: PLEASURE VOID, P.O. Box 40133
Rochester, NY, 14604, USA
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/____/
You've asked for it, and now you've got it. Classic Carnage is the
one and only place to find all your favorite albums of yesteryear
reviewed from today's point of view. This section will be appearing
sporadically in Chronicles of Chaos, gracing our special editions
exclusively.
Bathory - _The Return..._ (Combat Records, 1985)
by: Steve Hoeltzel
When this mighty slab of darkness and ill will was first unleashed,
my 16-year-old self borrowed Mom's car and drove it to a shop 50
miles away, just to score a copy. Back then, Bathory was shrouded in
almost total mystery (no names, no photos, no interviews) and rumored
to be the sickest, heaviest band on the planet. _The Return..._
earned that description in '85, and it's still right up there with
the best black metal around today. With the exception of an amazing
intro and one song about sex (the quaintly titled "Bestial Lust"),
it's full-throttle Satanic mayhem all the way, with great, sick
vocals, a tangible feel of wildness and primitivity, and a guitar
sound as thick and vile as the stench of decay. The bass is booming
and WAY low in tone, and the drumming is adequate, though not quite
up to today's blast-fest standards. All in all, the sound is just
killer for black metal: raw and distorted, but with a serious bottom
end that most recent releases sadly lack. "Revelation of Doom" begins
the album like a slowly opening sonic portal to Hell. Then "Total
Destruction" stomps in - mean, simplistic riffing leading up to the
greatest metal chorus ever: "Woe to you... Earth and Sea... TOTAL
DESTRUCTION!" Too cool! "Born for Burning" features a rocking
metallic riff and pulses forward with pounding beats, while "Wind of
Mayhem" picks up the pace and deepens the darkness of the sound.
Other great tracks include "Son of the Damned", the brutal "Sadist",
"Reap of Evil", and more. This smokes everything else Bathory has
done, and it leaves a lot of newer black metal in the dust as well.
Destruction - _Infernal Overkill_ (Steam Hammer, 1985)
by: Steve Hoeltzel
This is probably the most wicked, blackened speed metal album ever to
be released (with _Torment in Fire_ by Sacrifice running a close
second), and back when it came out, I would've been tempted to give
it a ten. I liked it better than Slayer back then, and with the
possible exception of _Haunting the Chapel_, I still do. For insanely
complicated speed riffing and that crucial evil vibe, this stuff just
can't be beat. Yeah, Kreator kicked serious ass on _Pleasure to
Kill_, and Deathrow just ripped it up on _Raging Steel_, but on this
release, Destruction destroyed them all. "Bestial Invasion" features
the craziest, fastest riffs that the 80s ever produced, and
"Invincible Force" and "Death Trap" take 80s-style chainsaw guitar to
a whole new level. It's definitely Mike's mad mastery of the
fretboard that makes this an incredible album: the riffs just saw
their way right into your brain. Schmier's sneers at the mike are
cool, too, if occasionally a bit squeaky, but his bass playing
doesn't really stand out. Tommy gives his kit a real good beating,
and the overall production is solid by underground metal standards. I
like all eight songs, though some are definitely better than others.
And for what it's worth, I think that this platter stands head and
shoulders above all the other releases by the band. Great stuff, and
very enjoyable still.
Dio - _Holy Diver_ (Warner Brothers, 1983)
by: Adrian Bromley
Powerful. Awesome. Breathtaking. 1983's _Holy Diver_ was the debut
album for Ronnie James Dio (Black Sabbath/Rainbow/Elf) as a solo
artist, and quite the impressive one at that. Overflowing with
monstrous guitar riffs (thanks to Vivian Campbell) and truly
mindblowing vocals by Dio himself, _HD_ was laced with some of the
most classic musical arrangements that we have seen in years. Still,
after more than a decade since its release, the music still stands
tall and firm. The thing that helped market Dio at that time, a year
in which both Michael Jackson's _Thriller_ and Def Leppard's
_Pyromania_ were breaking big (oddly, Campbell is now in Def
Leppard), was his use of satanic images and his fantasy-esque lyrics
and visions. His album arrived at a time when metal was about speed
and big productions and he (like Iron Maiden) took the music to
another realm in which the listener could not only be in awe of the
music but learn from the tales that they would tell or write about.
Though his solo career has been long and lasting through seven
releases (his latest release being _Angry Machines_, on Mayhem
Records), sadly he has not been able to meet the same momentum and
stride with his music that he did with _HD_. Choice cuts: "Holy
Diver", "Don't Talk to Strangers", "Straight Through the Heart" and
the gripping "Rainbow in the Dark". Every metaller should at least
have THIS album in their collection.
Entombed - _Left Hand Path_ (Earache Records, 1989)
by: Drew Schinzel
Before Entombed arrived on the scene, the Swedish death metal scene
as we know it today was not much to talk about. Sure, there were
bands here and there (perhaps most notably was Nihilist, the
predecessor of Entombed), but Entombed, and their debut _Left Hand
Path_ broke things wide open. Gaining worldwide recognition for their
low-tuned guitars, thick production, and guttural vocals, nothing new
in their own respects, but taken to a form never before reached,
Entombed quickly became huge in the death scene and influenced an
entire generation of bands. One of the first albums to feature the
trademark "Sunlight Studio" sound (produced by Tomas Skogsberg),
_LHP_ remains one of the most brutal, yet still well-arranged and
listenable albums of all time. The production helps to make this one
shine, with the aforementioned "fuzzy" guitar tone of Sunlight
Studio, but in addition to resonation of the vocals and drums, the
growls and tortured screams of L.G. Petrov simply rule. When compared
to the rest of Entombed's catalog, the only one that even comes close
is _Clandestine_, a classic in its own right. After hearing the
change in _Wolverine Blues_, and the band's evident direction towards
a more mainstream rock sound, you'd better savor _Left Hand Path_ all
you can, because there's virtually no chance that Entombed will
return to the days of old.
Iron Maiden - _Somewhere in Time_ (EMI, 1985)
by: Adrian Bromley
Whether _Somewhere in Time_ is the most popular (or one of the most
popular) Iron Maiden releases has never really been decided by fans,
but the truth is _SIT_ probably has one of the most recognizable
Maiden songs to date: "Wasted Years". Much like a concept record,
_SIT_'s main focus is on the role of the traveler, the wanderer or
the gypsy. Ideals that we can somehow find in all of us. Aided by the
most detailed Iron Maiden cover ever (Derek Riggs' masterpiece) _SIT_
explores the melodic, dramatic, and story-telling abilities of the
band i.e. "Heaven Can Wait", "Stranger in a Strange Land", and
"Alexander the Great". The thing that stands out most with _SIT_ is
the creativity and thought that went into the album. There seems to
have been a strong emphasis on detail as both music and songwriting
are expertly assembled, with Harris providing some memorable lyrics
and the dual axemanship of Adrian Smith and Dave Murray on guitars
wailing away. Not a classic record, in the sense of superbness, as
either _Piece of Mind_ (1983) or 1981's _Killers_ are, but definitely
one of the most imaginative eras of Maiden and their music.
Megadeth - _Rust in Peace_ (Capitol Records, 1990)
by: Drew Schinzel
A perfect 10 out of 10 may, in some people's minds, be a little bit
too high a score to bestow upon this landmark in metal history. But,
after further review (and countless hours of listening), I've decided
that _Rust in Peace_ is worthy, without question. Not only because of
its musical significance, but also because it marked a turning point
in my personal musical taste. Before I picked up _RiP_ on impulse
from someone's suggestion, I had no musical identity. Sure, I'd buy a
CD every now and then, but I never really stayed close to any
particular genre. But, after hearing it for the first time in 1994
(!), there was no looking back. _Rust in Peace_, with its
jaw-dropping leads from guitar virtuoso Marty Friedman, angry, often
political, lyrics from Dave Mustaine, and overall feeling of
aggression, may never be matched by any other release in its genre.
Although not particularly fast (a main facet of thrash), _RiP_
maintains its aggression instead through the vicious riffing evident
throughout and snarling vocals ripping through each line: one thing
_RiP_ is definitely not lacking is passion and sincerity. How does it
hold up to Megadeth's current releases? There's no question in my
mind that _Rust in Peace_ is not only their best album to that point,
but also will never be surpassed by anything they will ever unleash
again.
Overkill - _The Years of Decay_ (Megaforce/Atlantic, 1989)
by: Adrian Bromley
New York thrash/metal band Overkill may be one of the most popular
thrash bands to surface in metal, and have had a long and durable
career so far, having celebrated their tenth anniversary in 1995. The
combined grind & groove of the band, lightning fast drum beats and
singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth's high pitched screams/vocals helped
separate the band from the rest of the pack, allowing them to break
away from coming off as a "clone" thrash/metal band of the mid-80s.
From the opening chords of "Time to Kill" through "I Hate", onto the
eerie "Who Tends the Fire" and title track, Overkill's combined
thrust of speed and machine-gun guitar riffs tears at us like a rabid
dog. Lashing out with powerful jolts of adrenaline, _TYoD_ helped put
the band in the spotlight with such hits as "Elimination" and
"Playing With Spiders/Skullcrusher". This album radiates speed, wild
mood swings and strength - all wrapped into one ball of energy. For
fans of 90s thrash metal like Machine Head (_Burn My Eyes_),
Hostility (_Brick_) or Meliah Rage's newest _Death Valley Dream_
(though they surfaced in 1989 during Overkill's domination), this
album or even 1991's brilliant _Horrorscope_ is worth checking out.
Sorry to say, but it wasn't just fellow New Yorkers Anthrax who
helped mold and expand thrash metal into the mainstream. Overkill was
there too. Blitz's vocals on "Who Tends the Fire" or "Elimination"
would be a selling point for me. Hard-hitting to say the least. Bring
body protection.
Sodom - _Obsessed by Cruelty_ (Steam Hammer, 1986)
by: Steve Hoeltzel
If you'd like to see where Euronymous got the name for his record
label, listen to this album's first track. (And if you want to know
where he got his nickname, read some Hellhammer lyrics.) This release
is not in quite the same musical league as the other titans of the
80s speed/thrash scene in Europe, although Sodom did eventually
progress to the level of -great- thrash on their subsequent _Expurse
of Sodomy_ EP and _Persecution Mania_ long-player. _Obsessed..._ is
basically crude proto-black metal, though, and it's just not as heavy
as the Bathory and Celtic Frost stuff that was out at the same time.
And Possessed, who released their debut in '85, make these guys sound
like total amateurs. Still, I do really like several songs on the
album, especially the weird, speedy "Proselytism Real" and the gloomy
title track. "Equinox" and opener "Deathlike Silence" are also quite
enjoyable. The album is slightly marred by a thin guitar tone; still,
the weird string sound does add a certain air of creepiness to the
material. Angel Ripper's vocals are biting, upper-mid range snarls,
and the drumming of Witchhunter gives real backbone to the songs. I
definitely think this record is cool, because it's undeniably eerie
and energetic, and there isn't anything else that sounds quite like
it. There is a lot of stuff that sounds better, though.
Candlemass - _Epicus Doomicus Metallicus_
by: Andrew Lewandowski (Black Dragon/Leviathan Records, 1986)
When doom metal is successfully pulled off, it usually is my favorite
form of metal. Unfortunately, good doom metal can be hard to come by.
Possibly the sub-genre's shining moment occurred 10 years ago, with
the release of _Epicus Doomicus Metallicus_ by Candlemass. This
contains the two elements needed to create an excellent doom metal
album: heavy riffs that never cease to be memorable, and sorrowful
vocals. Both elements can be found in surplus in this album; each
minute is amazingly depressing, yet never sacrifices musicianship in
sake of melancholy. Johan Lanquist has one of the better voices to
ever grace a metal album; he possesses a powerful vocal range akin to
traditional NWOBHM vocalists, yet sounds as if each word was his last
before dying. Unfortunately, this was to be his only album with the
band. Following his departure, Candlemass' quality proportionately
degenerated. Their later material was all above average, yet far from
the status of "classic" attained with this album. No matter, as _EDM_
proved to be the definitive doom metal album, and one in which the
title is certainly indicative of the musical quality.
Slayer - _Hell Awaits_ (Metal Blade, 1985)
by: Gino Filicetti
This was the absolute last Slayer album I bought to complete my
collection of all the works of my favorite band. Up until I bought
it, I had heard nothing about this release other than it existed.
However, after I obtained it, I couldn't believe this album could
become as overshadowed as it is. This album is probably Slayer's most
violent album ever. Forget the speed factor of _Reign in Blood_,
_Hell Awaits_ has the most brutal lyrics ever to grace a Slayer
release. The title track, with its slow and brooding beginning, has
constantly been used as the opening song on many a Slayer tour. Other
killer songs here include "At Dawn They Sleep", "Kill Again", and
"Hardening of the Arteries". If this is missing from your Slayer
collection, I urge you to do yourself a favor and GET IT!
Rotting Christ - _Passage to Arcturo_ (Unisound Records, 1991)
by: Andrew Lewandowski
As with most musical sub-genres, modern black metal's early pioneers
set a lofty precedent, which most of the newer bands have been too
uncreative or consumed with evil imagery to match. Rotting Christ are
one of these pioneers, as their _Passage to Arcturo_ album remains
the best example of a synthesis between elements of traditional - ie,
doomy - and mid-paced death metal. Despite an uninspiring production
- a mediocrity which is heartfelt, as opposed to the contrived
attempts at evilness spewed forth by their Scandinavian
contemporaries - _PtA_ is still their strongest overall effort to
date, and lay the foundation for what became the productive Greek
black metal scene. The unique riffing patterns, melancholic acoustic
guitar, and mystical keyboard passages - the latter was laid down by
Morbid, later known as M.D. Daoloth, of Necromantia fame - influenced
numerous followers. Not even their most ambitious moment could be
kept sacred: on _Athenian Echoes_, Nightfall adds a similar tribal
percussion break as to the one that Rotting Christ manipulates to
culminate "Forest of N'Gai". Even if you were dismayed by the tamer,
albeit far easier to locate, _Triarchy of the Lost Lovers_, _PtA_
should be on the shopping list of any fan of black, doom, or death
metal; especially the Unisound reissue, which features two live bonus
tracks, both displaying the band's more aggressive tendencies.
Venom - _Welcome to Hell_ (Neat Records, 1981)
by: Gino Filicetti
Nothing gets more classic than this, the first Venom album to be
unleashed upon the unsuspecting hordes of heavy metal fans. Forget
the NWOBHM, these brits blow the entire movement out of the water
with their satanic lyrics, and cutthroat musical style. Just imagine
the kind of reaction that an album which depicts a pentagram with the
image of the goat's head inscribed in it would cause in 1981. These
guys are truly the fathers of all black metal, having even coined the
term with their second release entitled _Black Metal_. Instant
classics are tunes like "Welcome to Hell", "Witching Hour", "Angel
Dust", and "One Thousand Days in Sodom". If you've never heard of the
name Venom, then you are truly missing out on some of the best
classic metal around. Although the production is raw, that's the way
the band wanted it, to showcase their true energy and vigor.
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Here is where Chronicles of Chaos gives you the lowdown on the latest
shows coming your way. Check out Chaotic Concerts every month for the
scoop on the bands brutalizing the masses with their own form of
terror.
A F E A R F U L F R E A K - F E S T
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fear Factory with Kilgore Smudge and Carped Tunnel
November 25, 1996 at Tramps in New York City, NY
by: Adrian Bromley
After a whirlwind three-day visit to the "Big Apple" - not to
mention a grueling 15-band, 12-hour Deathstock III show the day
before - Chronicles of Chaos contributor/writer Adam Wasylyk and I
finished off our trip to NYC in pure loud fashion by seeing Los
Angeles metallers Fear Factory play a sold-out show at local bar
Tramps.
Tramps was packed and the crowd was waiting in anticipation for
the arrival of the Los Angeles death metal quintet. Following the
hilarious cover/rip-off of the Los Del Rio hit song "Macarena" (an
unknown band came over the loudspeaker sounding a lot like Brujeria
doing "Marijuana"), FF took the stage and for almost 75 minutes held
the crowd by their balls. Rippin' through loud and abrasive versions
of songs off 1995's _Demanufacture_ LP, most notably the title track,
"New Breed", "Self Bias Resistor", and "Pisschrist", and singer
Burton C. Bell fueled the mosh pit with every growl. It was intensity
at LEVEL 10. I must say, I have seen FF five times to date and this
was one of their best shows I have seen. Period.
The band also played the cool Agnostic Front cover of "Your
Mistake" (found on the _Demanufacture_ Digi-Pak) and ended the show
with a blistering and explosive three-song encore of "Replica",
"Martyr", and the ever-popular "Scapegoat". Impressive, to say the
least.
Opening the show was a promising hardcore/metal outfit from
Providence, Rhode Island called Kilgore Smudge. Mixing hard driving
beats and a serious metallic edge, the band won over many of the
fans. I personally dug the Mike Patton (Faith No More) meets Burton
C. Bell vocals of the singer. Throw in hardcore elements and you got
a solid opening act. Oh yeah... a crappy blues/hardcore/rock band
called Carped Tunnel opened. Hehehehe... they should be grateful I
even mentioned their name. I didn't find one thing about the band
likeable. Oh well...
Anyway, it was a blast to see FF play one of their last shows
before they head into the studios to finish up work on the re-mixed
version of _Demanufacture_ songs called _Remanufacture_ (much like
what they did with _Fear Is the Mindkiller_) and to start on their
third effort due out in the summer time. The wait is gonna kill me.
To end: A big THANKS has to go out to both Adam and my IRC
(#metal) buddies Pook and Knitten for hooking up with us at the FF
show and for taking us to the bus station (to catch our bus home)
after the show. Thanks... even though it was the wrong station you
dropped us off at. What do we know? We live in the small and safe
Toronto. But the bottom line is: New York rocks and we shall return.
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T H E D A Y O F D E A T H
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CoC Visits the NYC Deathstock at The Wetlands
by: Adam Wasylyk
Ironically, Adrian Bromley and I experienced death before
arriving at the Wetlands for this year's Deathstock. Taking a
greyhound from Toronto to NYC, during the 10-hour voyage, I couldn't
find ONE comfortable position to sleep or rest in. We experienced
death yet again when we arrived at around 6 AM to a large, unfamiliar
town carrying our luggage around for the entire day. With all of that
out of the way, we were then ready to experience true death: metal
that is, at the third annual Deathstock.
With 12 bands on the bill for this year's show, it was to be a
true endurance test. The band list wasn't completely known to me
until the day of the show, which I found out who was playing by
reading a posted ad. Some scheduled bands to play but were to later
cancel were Samael (to be part of the headlining Cannibal
Corpse/Immolation tour), Incantation, Acheron, and Ancient (who I was
told were busted at the border for drug possession).
Beforehand Adrian and I met some people whom we had first met on
the IRC (Internet Relay Chat) on the #metal channel. After a large
lunch and shortly after 2 PM, we entered the Wetlands to see
Connecticut's Curse already well into their set. Having seen the band
during the summer (at the Milwaukee Metal Fest), their set consisted
of corpse-painted black metal which fell on the mediocre set. Being
the first band on the day, the crowd was thin, as the majority of the
later 400+ crowd wouldn't arrive for some time to come.
To follow was Evoken who played a rather boring set of
doom/death. The drumming was slow and hardly ever reached a mid-paced
speed, which in a concert setting doesn't work for me. The
keyboardist onstage unfortunately couldn't help as the band was
"doomed" from the start. Cheap jokes aside, Evoken were a
disappointment. New Jersey's Mortal Decay woke me up with their
death/grind set, which I would experience yet again later in the
show. Never letting up, they exemplified pure aggression and speed.
Looking back, Mortal Decay played one of the best sets of the night,
Adrian firmly agreeing with me.
Next up were Unisound recording artists Insatanity, who put on a
good set of fairly brutal death metal. Yet another band I had seen at
the Milwaukee Metal Fest, they were as good as I remembered them, of
course here the sound was much better. New York's Asphyxiation
followed and played a set of average death metal that couldn't take
my attention away from the many vendors on-hand selling their wares.
They came across as dull, but they did have their moments. Hellbound
were next and to be honest I don't remember a whole lot about them. I
remember that Sepultura's "Troops of Doom" was their last song and
was covered well, but their original material wasn't very interesting
to me. I was at this point truly hoping for better things to come.
Events quickly turned around when Dying Fetus took the stage.
The Pulverizer Records act played a great set of death/grind which
held my interest throughout the nine or so songs they played. The
drumming was insane, while the bass and guitar vocalists were great.
One of them took care of the mid-range vocals while the other sang
the very low growly vocals, the two complimented each other very
well. Playing songs off their CD _Purification through Violence_,
Dying Fetus could not be denied on this night.
Formed in late 1995 after the break-up of Order from Chaos (who
also played a past Deathstock), Angel Corpse played a good set of
Bathory/Possessed-influenced death metal, as evidenced on their
recently released debut CD for Osmose Productions called _Hammer of
Gods_. Decked up in studs and bullet belts, the drumming rarely let
up from its mid-paced speed during the band's 45-minute set. At the
end of their last song, bassist/vocalist Pete Helmkamp, reminiscent
of his OfC days, did some fire-breathing and then threw the lit baton
into the crowd. A good visual set with good music to go along with it.
Norwegian black metal alert! I had originally heard that
Mysticum had canceled weeks prior to the show but that morning I
learned that they indeed would be playing. After about a 20-minute
wait with repeated calls from the DJ for the band to take the stage,
the Norwegian boys entered upon the stage and set up their gear. For
those who don't know, the band use a drum machine in concert, which
noticeably had some onlookers confused. Technical problems delayed
things further but eventually the band did start into their set. With
the guitars completely off-time with the drums, the sound coming from
the three-piece was horrible. It sounded like a jam session rather
than actual music. After the first song the guitarist left the stage,
to presumably help the sound guy with the drum machine as it ended up
that the band couldn't hear it. The band started up again, with the
drums loud and blazing while the singer looked truly possessed/crazy
shrieking into the microphone. I recognized the song "Kingdom Comes"
by the keyboards as they, along with the drums, were being piped
through the speakers. After only six or seven songs, Mysticum left
the stage, despite the crowd's cries for more. I could tell they
wanted to play longer too, after traveling such a long distance to
play. Mysticum, for those interested, have a full-length CD on Full
Moon Productions called _In the Streams of Inferno_, which should be
out now.
Immolation, the first band on the headlining tour, graced the
stage to the applause of the audience. Playing a moderately charged
set of death metal while playing a good variety of material from
their records, Adrian thought they played a good set but I felt they
had more bark than bite. Unfortunately, at around 11:45 that night,
during newly-signed-to-Relapse-Records Brutal Truth's set, Adrian and
I had to leave, to catch our ride back to Long Island where we were
staying. All I saw was Kevin Sharp in his cowboy hat from outside the
venue and all I heard was the band playing material off their _Kill
Trend Suicide_ EP.
Looking back on this year, I was very fortunate to have gone to
some great shows. The Toronto Death Fest had some great Canadian
talent, the Milwaukee Metal Fest had some great American and
international talent and the NY Deathstock had some great NY and
surrounding area talent. Having met some cool people and hearing some
great music, I may just make NYC part of my itinerary for next year.
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T O H E A V E N A N D B A C K
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heavenwood live in Porto, Portugal
by: Pedro Azevedo
Portugal is finally gaining some respect in the metal scene.
After the well-known Moonspell from Lisbon, here are Heavenwood,
coming from the great city of Porto. In fact, despite Moonspell's
first full-length, _Wolfheart_, being one of my favourite albums of
all time, Heavenwood's debut, _Diva_, clearly beats Moonspell's
latest, _Irreligious_. And watching Heavenwood live makes this much
clearer. So who the hell are Heavenwood? Well, they're a six-piece
band from Portugal's second biggest city, Porto. They released an
excellent demo tape which got them signed by Massacre, in which they
set their style, combining some mid-paced doom, some melodic death,
some (little) goth, but always dynamic and melodic. Their debut,
_Diva_, turned out to have a slightly softer, almost Crematory-like
sound than before. Still damn good, though. All the excellent demo
tape songs were included.
This concert was a warm-up show for their upcoming European tour
with Atrocity and excellent Swedish band In Flames. Therefore, this
was a small venue, not much publicity. Only about a hundred metal
maniacs gathered up to watch the show. The room was full, though.
Heavenwood were going to play with no support band, so everyone
expected them to play for about an hour... and they did.
The place had some good atmosphere, dim lights with some torches
up front, and then the band showed up. After an atmospheric keyboard
intro, they teared into the excellent opening riff of "Frozen
Images", a song which kind of reminds me of Paradise Lost. First, the
sound. Very loud drums, good. And the surprise... you could actually
hear both guitars just perfect! The vocals also sounded very good, so
did the keyboards. Overall, the sound was excellent, much, much
better than I ever thought it would be.
Well, after playing their opening song, and a very good one too,
they linked it to "Emotional Wound" (as in the CD), fading from one
into the other and actually blending the two. This being one of my
favourite songs, it rocked. Well, so did all the others. Then, to my
great surprise, they linked again to the third song. I mean, I was
just blown away by these, three in a row! And what really blew me
away was that they played these three without one single mistake...
they played PERFECTLY!! Even the most difficult guitar and keyboard
parts came out great, just perfect. The live vocals sounded very
good, and the new drummer was remarkably well blended in the band,
and only made one small mistake.
After this epic start, they paused for a little while and
proceeded with the show, highlights everywhere, and they kept on
playing perfect. One of my other favourite songs, the My Dying
Bride-influenced "Since the First Smile", came out melodically
perfect, and with that extra live power. The mosh pit started hard,
though not constant. They played the rest of the album, though I
think they played "Judith Heavenwood", an absolute fan-favourite, for
a second time in the end, leaving one of the other songs out.
Nonetheless, it was just brilliant. They just sound so much more
powerful live. And the remarkable thing is, they sound so powerful
and yet keep all the melody CD-like!
With this concert, Heavenwood have proven themselves as good as,
or even better, than Moonspell, especially live. The message here is,
go watch them if you can, 'cause they're great and so are In Flames.
And give their CD, _Diva_, a listen if you can, too. They delivered
55 minutes of pure live metallic excellence. I expect a very good
future for this band.
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Here is where things get ugly. Writer's Wrath gives our writers a
chance to voice their own opinions about certain hot topics in the
scene today. Check out this semi-monthly column for the most obscene
and controversial ramblings this side of the National Enquirer.
E X T R E M I T Y , C O N F O R M I T Y , I N T E G R I T Y
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by: Steve Hoeltzel
As you know if you read CoC, a lot of powerful and original
music is coming out of today's extreme metal scene. But that's not
what I want to talk about right now. No, right now I want to rag on a
couple of ways in which the scene just seems to be getting lamer all
the time.
The first and biggest problem is a major lack of originality on
the part of the vast majority of bands. As we all know, a lot of
bands who write absolutely great metallic music are just completely
unoriginal when it comes to image, lyrics, and so on. The result is
that way too much vital and energetic music gets bogged down in
cliches - worn-out ideas that lessen the music's overall impact by
giving rise to that stale, "same-old-same-old" feel. Extreme metal is
supposed to be rebellious in spirit, right? Well, what's so
rebellious about conforming to the same set of conventions as
everybody else? Same vocal style, same guitar sound, same bloody
cover artists, same damn symmetrical logos. And where's the fucking
integrity in clinging to some tired and over-used image based on
medieval religion and teenage horror movies, instead of being true to
your own experience and your own creativity? Which path is -really-
for those who are "true" - the well-worn and comfortable path of
conformity, or the more difficult one of being original and true to
yourself?
Of course, we're getting into some thorny territory here,
because so many bands have decided to make the extreme metal stage
into a platform for certain religious views. Still, it seems safe to
say that most bands who sing the praises of you-know-who would -not-
be doing that today if earlier, more original bands hadn't made this
the hip, and sometimes profitable, thing to do. Nevertheless, if the
members of some band really -are- sincere in their sonic worship of
some supernatural being, then they do not deserve to be labeled
unoriginal or conformist, since they are being true to what they
believe. (Personally, though, I'm not interested in bowing down
before entities whose existence I have no proof of - including
you-know-who.) Anyway, I think we all know that most bands who sing
about how excellent it would be to be in Hell, or who purchase
magazine ads to inform us as to just how incredibly evil they really
are, are probably not into the unholiness business with 100%
conviction. Those who are faking it, instead of making art that's
true to what they really believe, are the bands who deserve to be
ragged on.
This brings me to my second big gripe. I am sick and tired of
seeing bands try to cash in on the black metal trend. There is
something very, very cool about the very best black metal - something
which stands to be totally ruined by the attempts of these pathetic
posers to gain some quick fame and fortune by copying the bands who
originated the style.
It's not all the "Hail Satan" stuff that I find so cool. There's
some great (but over-used) imagery bound up with all that, and I do
respect those who are sincere in their religious beliefs, but
personally I'm just not a "Hail Satan" kind of guy. (I also think
that this idea of a black metal "war against Christianity" is really
rather deluded, but that's a topic for another time.)
Besides being wild and incredible music, the best black metal
expresses a deep respect for nature and envisions ways of living
which are much more spiritual, much more natural, and much less
fixated upon money than our own. (Of course, in the minds of certain
individuals, this basic idea has become confused with support for
some incredibly stupid political positions - but that too is another
subject.) For this reason, it is nauseating in the extreme to see all
these bands who are simply adopting the black metal image - totally
faking a genuine spiritual outlook - in order to get more widely
known and to make more extreme metal bucks. That kind of fakery and
profiteering is completely and utterly false to the true black metal
spirit, and bands who engage in it are self-serving trendies who the
scene would be better off without.
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W H A T W E H A V E C R A N K E D ! ! !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gino's Top 5
1. Chemical Brothers - _Exit Planet Dust_
2. The Nefilim - _Zoon_
3. Korn - _Life Is Peachy_
4. Monster Magnet - _Spine of God_
5. Carcass - _Wake Up and Smell the Carcass_
Adrian's Top 5
1. Soma - _The Inner Cinema_
2. Tchort - _Nightside Of Eden_
3. Pist On - _Number One_
4. Thug - _Monochrome_
5. Megadeth - _Rust In Peace_
Brian's Top 5
1. Cradle of Filth - _Dusk and Her Embrace_
2. Dawnbringer - _Sacrament_
3. Shinjuku Thief - _The Witch Hunter_
4. Mastiphal - _For a Glory of All Evil Spirits, Rise for Victory_
5. Mercury Rising - _Upon Deaf Ears_
Alain's Top 5
1. Quo Vadis - _Forever..._
2. Stuck Mojo - _Pigwalk_
3. Monstrosity - _Millennium_
4. Unanimated - _In the Forest of the Dreaming Dead_
5. Moonspell - _Irreligious_
Steve's Top 5
1. Summoning - _Dol Guldur_
2. Behemoth - _Grom_
3. Einherjer - _Dragons of the North_
4. Angel Corpse - _Hammer of Gods_
5. Old Man's Child - _Born of the Flickering_
Adam's Top 5
1. Therion - _Theli_
2. Dark Tranquillity - _Enter Suicidal Angels_
3. Quo Vadis - _Forever..._
4. Murder Corporation - _Blood Revolution 2050_
5. Molested - _Stormvold_
Drew's Top 5
1. Altar - _Ego Art_
2. Carcass - _Swan Song_
3. Edge of Sanity - _Purgatory Afterglow_
4. Mork Gryning - _Tusen Ar Har Gatt_
5. Satyricon - _Nemesis Divina: The Conquering_
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T H E F I N A L W O R D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, here we are people, the end of another issue of Chronicles
of Chaos, and the beginning of a brand new year. I want to extend a
hearty 'Cheers' to all our subscribers for sticking with us through
the past year, and to a great and prosperous 1997. Let's make it a
year to remember, stay hard and never fold. -- Gino Filicetti
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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #16