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CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, May 25, 2000, Issue #47
http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com
Editor-in-Chief: Gino Filicetti <mailto:gino@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>
Coordinator: Adrian Bromley <mailto:adrian@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>
Copy Ed./Contrib.: Pedro Azevedo <mailto:pedro@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>
Asst. Copy Editor: John Weathers <mailto:john@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>
Contributor: Alain M. Gaudrault <mailto:alain@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>
Contributor: Brian Meloon <mailto:brian@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>
Contributor: Adam Wasylyk <mailto:adam@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>
Contributor: Paul Schwarz <mailto:paul@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>
Contributor: Aaron McKay <mailto:aaron@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>
Contributor: David Rocher <mailto:david@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>
Contributor: Alex Cantwell <mailto:alex@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>
Contributor: Matthias Noll <mailto:matthias@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>
NOTE: You may unsubscribe from Chronicles of Chaos at any time by
sending a blank email to <Unsubscribe@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>.
For more Chronicles of Chaos information, check out the
'Details' section at the end of this issue.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Issue #47 Contents, 5/25/00
---------------------------
- Editorial
- Loud Letters
- Deadly Dialogues
-- Dark Tranquillity: Projecting and Reinventing
-- Vader: The Cold Demons of Death Metal
-- The Crown: Racing Towards Destruction
-- Crowbar: The Finely Balanced, Multi-Purpose Tool of Metal...
That Never Dies
-- Krisiun: Kneel Before the Conquerors of Armageddon
-- Soulreaper: Reaping, Ravaging, Rebelling and Rocking
-- Virgin Steele: Metal Built on Tragedy
-- Infestation: Brutalised Britanic Butcherers
-- Negura Bunget: Truly Transylvanian
-- Agent Steel - _Omega Conspiracy_
-- Aghora - _Aghora_
-- Anorexia Nervosa - _Drudenhaus_
-- Carnival in Coal - _French Cancan_
-- Cephalic Carnage - _Exploiting Dysfunction_
-- Crowbar - _Equilibrium_
-- Decapitated - _Winds of Creation_
-- Deceased - _Supernatural Addiction_
-- December - _Praying Hoping Nothing_
-- Desecration - _Inhuman_
-- Earth Crisis - _Slither_
-- Einherjer - _Norwegian Native Art_
-- Enochian Crescent - _Omega Telocvovim_
-- For the Love of Suffering - _Sinus_
-- Fury - _Stigmatised_
-- Gaahlskagg / Stormfront - _Split MCD_
-- Immortal - _Damned in Black_
-- Impaled Nazarene - _Nihil_
-- Infestation - _Mass Immolation_
-- Judas Iscariot - _Heaven in Flames_
-- Krisiun - _Conquerors of Armageddon_
-- Liar of Golgotha - _Ancient Wars_
-- Maniac Butcher / Inferno / Sezarbil - _Proti Vsem_
-- Midnight Syndicate - _Realm of Shadows_
-- Misery Loves Co. - _Your Vision Was Never Mine to Share_
-- Mutant - _The Aeonic Majesty_
-- Mutiilation - _Remains of a Ruined, Dead, Cursed Soul_
-- Myrkskog - _Deathmachine_
-- Necrophobic - _The Third Antichrist_
-- Nocturnal Winds - _Everlasting Fall_
-- Of the Fallen - _Ancient Gods of Battles Past_
-- Old Man's Child - _Revelation 666: The Curse of Damnation_
-- Various - _Panther: A Tribute to Pantera_
-- Various - _Power From the North_
-- Ritual Carnage - _Every Nerve Alive_
-- Rollins Band - _Get Some Go Again_
-- Scarve - _Translucence_
-- Shadows Fall - _Of One Blood_
-- Soulreaper - _Written in Blood_
-- Steel Prophet - _Messiah_
-- Stratovarius - _Infinite_
-- Stuck Mojo - _Declaration of a Headhunter_
-- The Berzerker - _The Berzerker_
-- The Crown - _Deathrace King_
-- Vader - _Litany_
-- Viking Crown - _Innocence From Hell_
-- Cadaver - _Promo 2000_
-- No Rest for the Dead - _The Entrance of Your 14th Trip Demo_
-- Sacred? - <untitled>
-- Sempiternal - _Winternight Fury_
-- Skeletal Embrace - _A Landscape of Whorethorns_
-- Soils of Fate - _Blood Serology_
-- Void - _Promo 2000_
-- God Hating Human Beatings: Crowbar, Eyehategod and Soilent Green
-- His Number Is One: Rollins Band in London
- What We Have Cranked
- Details
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/ /) , , /)
)__ _(/ _/_ _____ _ //
/ (_(__(_(__(_)/ (__(_(_(_(/_
(_____)
by: Gino Filicetti
My friends, we are back! Here is the issue you've long been
waiting for. I know I've explained myself in a previous mailing to
the entire CoC readership, but I just wanted to take this time to
apologize once again on behalf of our entire staff.
I would also like to thank the multitudes of those who wrote in
after my last mailing to wish me luck and congratulations on my
graduation, upcoming wedding and move to the USA. If we had the
space, I'd print each and every letter in our Loud Letters section;
but alas, there was just too much praise!
I hope you all enjoy this issue and hopefully we'll be back to
our regular monthly release schedule soon enough. Our next issue will
come out sometime in July and then our fifth anniversary will be upon
us in August. Five long and hard years slaving away at CoC for your
enjoyment, remember that.... FIVE LONG AND HARD YEARS! But hey, do
you really think we'd still be doing it if we didn't love every
second of it? 'Til next time...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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 <mailto:LoudLetters@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>.
All letters received will be featured in upcoming issues of
Chronicles of Chaos.
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000
From: Scott <ultmetal@flash.net>
Subject: Re: Adrian's Tourniquet Review
Greetings,
Never e-mailed before but after reading the Tourniquet review and
hearing the disc myself, all I can say is, "Adrian, your a freaking
idiot!" While he says he could care less about the lyrics, he spouts
off for most of the review about the "Christian" lyrics. "...it just
seems like another reason for some hot-headed asshole to mouth off
about religion..." Whatever! Sounds to me like he didn't even check
out the lyrics as they are quite intelligent and not just some silly
Stryper "religious" lyrics.
It is quite obvious that Adrain has a prejudice against someone
expressing Christian beliefs through metal. It is also obvious that
Adrian has decent taste in music as he gave Demons and Wizards,
Jacob's Dream and the Holy Dio tribute a good review, so what's up?
Adrian blew apart an awesome METAL album without even telling us what
"sucks" about the music. This album is heavy, well written, and
creative both musically and lyrically. On top of this, the music is
some of the most technical stuff I have heard in a while, yet it
maintains a great sense of melody. Unlike so many bands who have to
downtune their guitars three steps to write a heavy song, Tourniquet
are able to write incredibly heavy riffs without the use of such
garbage...and the drumming is just phenomenal. While I am not
necessarily saying this is the best Tourniquet album ever, it is also
far from crap. If Adrian has a problem with Christians in metal, have
someone intelligent like Alex Cantwell, who seems to give fair MUSIC
reviews to anyone, do the job. Tourniquet RULES! Thanks for letting
me spout! Stay Heavy! George
PS. Where is Alex?
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 13:31:59 -0800 (PST)
From: DEREK WOODRUFF <skylesryla@yahoo.com>
Subject: <none>
Holy Shit!!! (literally)
Is it just me or is this religious discussion getting out of
control??? GET OVER IT! If 'christian metal' or 'satanic metal'
pisses you off, dont buy it! I didnt know I was getting on a
'get-on-a-soapbox-and- belly-ache' mailing list!!! Why dont we start
in on politics or abortion?
Anyway, keep up the kickass reviews!!! Hail all metal brethren!!!
\,,/ Dvirus
Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2000
From: Alla Xul <xul@phreaker.net>
Subject: reply to gajo@EUnet.yu
hi...
>Regarding your statement about the relationship between metal and
>christianity, I think you are wrong saying that christianity is a
>sick religion that controls the lives of the weak. I think
>christianity is a form of self-discipline, that keeps you from
>crossing that line between decency and barbarism.
If you need religion to tell right from wrong you are weak.
>You have to be strong to be a true christian, because you have to be
>strong to forgive every person that does harm to you.
If you waste your strenght on subuing your anger that should affect
those who rightfully deserve it you are stupid.
>Metal is, of course, total freedom, but if everyone was worshiping
>Satan then we'd still live in Medieval ages.
More or less every individual that have achived major developments in
civilization have been labeld satanist. I am not saying that all who
claim to be satanists are very great. Your statement that we would
live in the middle ages are completely idiotic. Real satanism is
about first developing the individual and then the society along the
left hand path. Christianity is one of the major elements that
through the implementation of herd mentality have prevented
evolution.
>If you want to be free, then be so in your own house, with your
>friends, because that is what your home is for. But when you walk
>out of the door, then you don't slay down the first guy that pushes
>you in the bus... that is the result of education under the
>influence of religion, in your case, christianity.. you could not
>imagine what would the world be without that education. I
I would not 'slay down' anyone without a good reason if that is what
you imply. I dont really understand what are you mumbeling about. Are
you equaling christianity with education?
>mean, you can try, just listen to cannibal corpse..
Are you saying that Cannibal Corpse are satanists?
/ax
Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000
From: "Bandi" <lbandika@freemail.c3.hu>
Subject: Children of Bodom
Please...
I'd like to read more about Children of Bodom!!!! I think they're a
fucking killer band!!! Is it possible to make an interview with them?
Will you review their live album (Tokyo Warhearts) ?
Anyway, CoC rules!!! When I read CoC I feel that the underground
scene lives!! Asshole Britney Spears fans can shut the fuck up!!!
... Bandi ...
"My gun will be your angel of mercy"
Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2000
From: "Cream Of Anarchy Productions" <csarcher@hotmail.com>
Subject: Epicostal Arguments Up The Anal Canal
Man, is it just me or is this Christian metal argument getting
annoying? Ever since gutterboy and Spinoza Ray Prozak started their
arguments way back in _CoC #42_, this whole argument is getting
sickening. First of all, IT'S JUST MUSIC! I don't know why people see
metal as just some Satan-vs.-Jesus South Park boxing match, with
Satan beating the shit out of Jesus and The Horned God flaying the
Saviour on the Infernal Cross. (Oh, I'm sorry! Did I mention South
Park? I guess I'm not METAL then, huh?) Christian bands sometimes
have a tendency to be stupifyingly boring and preachy (Discern,
Embodyment, and of course the whipping boys of all Christian metal,
Stryper), but so do Satanic death metal bands like Cannibal Corpse,
Angelcorpse and the like. I've had my fill of bands who have demons
rape chicks, making them "swallow the seed, uh-uh-uh-uh." There's so
much more to metal than misogyny and worship of Satan. Let's just
keep tabs on the people who have tallied thus far in the
Christianity/Satanism in metal argument:
gutterboy (CoC #41)--notices that almost all Christian metal is
reviewed by Alex Cantwell. Reasonable argument.
s. r. prozak (CoC #42)--totally misses the mark. gutterboy did NOT
ask for more Christian metal reviews, and goes on with this blather
about how Earth found Satan and morphed into Black Sabbath and how
metal was formed in 1969 to comment on the negativity of the world.
Right, like metal just immaculately gave birth to itself. I used to
link Evilmusic at one time to my website but stopped when I realized
he was full of bullshit.
Norman Doll (CoC #43)--says that metal is metal, whatever the genre,
and that Christian metal can be played with the same aggression and
anger as Satanic metal. Good argument.
"conformity@aol.com" (CoC #43)--hates prozak, hates Christian metal.
Great skewering of prozak, but the strong tone of the letter and the
wonderful epithets of "Bite my cock, give your mom oral pleasure
(?!?!?!), contract genital herpes" suggests he may be a misanthrope.
Ryuto Ishiwa (CoC #43)--lone argument, but a good one...like the
line, "...why not also have a 'post-satanic christianism?'"
Wayno (CoC #44)--thought the Mortification review was valid.
Cream Of Anarchy Productions (CoC #44)--I make reference to a
question about what would happen if snakes evolved into half-human
form. No one responds.
alla xul (CoC #45)--duh, metal is Satan and God is a weak little
bitch. Hail Satan! YARRR!!! What a misanthrope.
DER TODESKIN (CoC #45)--Black Sabbath weren't metal when they started
out. Heard this before. Good letter but nothing that hadn't been
debated before.
gutterBoy (CoC #45)--honestly, gutterb...I mean, Boy, no one cares
what you think of Usenet and spinoza ray prozak. It's a dead issue.
Let it go already.
Unknown Unknownovich Unknownov (CoC #46)--Says Christian metal should
be as extreme as Satanic metal. Uh, it already is. Guy writes like a
publicist for a bad underground print 'zine.
DJCANTU@aol.com (CoC #46)--duh, more gore! Christian metal makes me
sick! Why did you print this letter, CoC? It reads like this guy
really likes his Exhumed. There's more to metal than gore, too,
DJCANTU.
gajo (CoC #46)--Christianity Be Not Bad. Throws his argument up on
the board but doesn't provide any examples as to why Christian metal
is a valid form of metal.
RayRuenes@aol.com (CoC #46)--Makes the argument that Christianity
isn't going to go away. Bonus points for pointing out that
Nietzsche's works were not as strong as his more successful, earlier
works. However, he went insane, not senile, in his later years. You
have to remember that this guy became chair of classical philology at
Basle University at TWENTY-FOUR! He died at FIFTY-SIX! How the hell
can a guy like that become _senile?_
alla xul (CoC #46)--like reading his previous letter, only funnier.
He attempts to slay RayRuenes@aol.com by "ridiculating" his
"intellectual mumbelings." You should talk. Learn how to spell. Is
that foreign to you?
Well, there you have it. The argument that won't die away. Well, I've
got the definitive answer...LET IT GO ALREADY! JUST LISTEN TO THE
MUSIC AND DON'T TRY TO SEE ANY DEEPER MEANING IN IT THAN IT ALREADY
HAS! Well, now that I've got that out of my system, let's see how
many people respond to my letter. I predict there will be...three
people who respond to my letter. Let's see if we can't beat that
estimate.
CAMERON ARCHER
THE UNBULOVA RIPOFF
http://www.nettoilet.com/users/theepisodes/
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000
From: "Roberto Martinelli" <giorgio75@hotmail.com>
Subject: my letter
Dear CoC readers,
Hi, I'm looking to make some contacts to trade stuff with. I know you
like to keep up with the scene as much as I do. So let's trade copies
of what we've got. We'll both be able to benefit from it. My
collection is quite extensive and I'm sure you'd be able to find
something that you'd like to listen to. I'm especially looking for
readers who have access to CDR technology. I find it's currently the
best thing out there in terms of convenience and sound fidelity.
Please drop me a message. I'll trade with anyone regardless of
country of residency.
Roberto Martinelli
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P R O J E C T I N G A N D R E I N V E N T I N G
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Niklas Sundin and Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity
by: Pedro Azevedo
One can hardly discuss Swedish metal without at least mentioning Dark
Tranquillity. Every album of theirs was a landmark in their time for
many of us, and they still are: their debut _Skydancer_, _The
Gallery_ -- perhaps their greatest effort [see CoC #7 for a
completely different opinion] --, _The Mind's I_ [CoC #22] and last
year's more experimental _Projector_ [CoC #41]. But with a
discography as brilliant as theirs, after four full-length albums and
more than ten years, Dark Tranquillity are still looking to evolve
and face new musical challenges, both on their latest album
_Projector_ and the forthcoming _Haven_ (to be released in July). The
following is an unfortunately much delayed e-mail interview with
guitarist Niklas Sundin and vocalist Mikael Stanne about the past,
present and future of their outstanding band. Much like what happened
with _Projector_ itself, I feel it was well worth the extended wait.
CoC: More than ten years have passed since Dark Tranquillity was
formed; do you have any plans to celebrate this with a live
album or anything?
Niklas Sundin: There may be some sort of celebration album coming out
later this year, but at this stage it all depends on
some factors that we don't have any control over; so
we have to wait and see. If it happens, it'll just be
a mid-price release for dedicated fans, featuring
various goodies and rare songs from our career. We
actually were in negotiations with someone in
possession of a high quality Dark Tranquillity live
recording from the last tour, but for various reasons
an agreement couldn't be reached. It was a great
shame, since we even had all the artwork ready.
CoC: What were the reasons behind guitarist Fredrik Johansson's
departure after recording _Projector_? How have things been
going with his substitute, Michael Niklasson?
NS: Fredrik was simply too busy with his private life and job to be
able to invest the same kind of energy and devotion in the band
as the rest of us. Actually, our old bassist Martin Henriksson
now plays the second guitar. Michael Niklasson has taken over the
bass duties, and everything's working really well. Fredrik is an
excellent guitarist with a very personal style. We were worried
that it would be hard to get a new line-up with the same level of
quality, but at this point I can safely say that we have the
strongest DT line-up ever. Keyboardist and digital wizard Martin
Brandstrom was added shortly after Fredrik's departure, so we
have a wider range now than before. People who have been
listening to us for some time will doubtless notice the absence
of Fredrik's playing, but other elements have been added that
compensate for this.
CoC: Looking back upon four full-length albums and a couple of MCDs
now, do you have any major regrets, anything that really didn't
turn out the way you would have liked it to? What is your
overall view of the band's career?
NS: Every band that has been around for some time probably have been
ripped off at least a thousand times, and we're no exception to
that rule. I can't say that we've made any major mistakes or been
victims of any bigger disasters so far. We've trusted some people
who couldn't keep their part of the deals, but most of the
problems have been of a practical nature -- getting thrown out of
rehearsal rooms two weeks before recordings and similar things.
Nothing too devastating so far.
CoC: What is your personal favourite Dark Tranquillity album and
song, musically or emotionally?
Mikael Stanne: I would say that _Projector_ is my favourite album
right now, and I guess my favourite song would be
"Punish My Heaven" from _The Gallery_. It always gets
to me in a weird way.
NS: It's impossible to give a good answer, since it changes all the
time. Some songs that I'm really satisfied with on the albums
aren't very interesting to perform live and vice versa. "Punish
My Heaven" seems to be -the- favourite for most people -- a bit
ironic, considering that it was the first song we wrote after the
line-up change in '93.
CoC: Overall, how happy are you with _Projector_?
NS: We're pretty happy with it, but as usual there are some things
that could have been done a bit better. Now that almost two years
have passed since the recording and we have more perspective to
it all, I think that some of the songs are a bit too tame and
could have used an injection of energy. Then again, we wanted
them to sound the way they do at the time of recording, so...
CoC: If you were to compare _Projector_ to your previous albums and
to the rest of the Swedish scene right now, what would you
highlight as the album's most remarkable characteristics in each
case?
NS: I don't follow the scene much these days. I'd like _Projector_ to
be quite different from the rest of the stuff being released from
Sweden, and judging from the reactions, that's definitely the
case. We're not any good at analysing our own work -- we'd rather
leave that to others --, but I guess that the most distinguishing
feature that separates our new album from the rest of the bunch
is the clear vocals and the fact that we're not relying on any
cliches or already fixed traditions with the music. _Projector_
is a stand-alone entity, for good and bad.
CoC: Since you are unquestionably one of Sweden's premier bands, and
have been for several years, I have to ask you what you think of
the competition these days. How do you view the evolution of the
Swedish metal scene as a whole over the past few years? [Note:
as this was an e-mail interview, I was unaware of the start of
Niklas' previous answer, otherwise I wouldn't have asked this.
--Pedro]
NS: I rarely listen to the competition, so I can't really give a good
answer on this topic. I'm pretty comfortable playing this sort of
music while mainly listening to other genres. Every now and then
I get to hear an album or a couple of songs from a "melodic
Swedish death metal band" and it usually doesn't have anything
that interests me or grabs my attention. Cliched, stereotypical
nonsense lyrics mixed with the obligatory Maiden-worship just
makes me yawn, even though the musical skill of some of these
bands is excellent. One good exception is the new Gardenian
album, which is striking in almost every aspect.
CoC: Personally, I think that you have basically succeeded where many
bands fail: in changing your sound the way you did. One might
still miss some of the "old" Dark Tranquillity, but _Projector_
is indeed a brilliant album. But what was it that caused these
changes?
NS: I'm glad that you like the album. I agree that a lot of bands
that try to change their sound into a "softer" direction fail
miserably. Of course, there are people thinking the same of us
now, but at least in our ears we managed to expand the sound
without sacrificing the band's identity. The reasons for the
changes? We needed to come up with something new in order to
maintain the interest in playing. Already when recording _The
Mind's I_, we felt somewhat fed up with the musical style
(especially since so many newer bands were starting to imitate
what we've done in the past) and realised that we'd better start
exploring new territory before we grew tired of the whole thing.
CoC: I still feel the essence of what I like in Dark Tranquillity on
_Projector_, and the increased contrast works extremely well,
especially on songs such as "FreeCard", "ThereIn" and "Nether
Novas". While writing and recording _Projector_, were any
conscious decisions made about balancing the amount of harsher
and softer parts, as well as the use of new and "classic"
elements, or did it all just turn out this way? Because it -is-
quite different from what it used to be, but it's definitely
still Dark Tranquillity.
NS: It just turned out that way, but we were also determined to make
this album considerably different from the older ones while still
retaining the DT-spirit. We have never been interested in being
one of those bands that continue releasing the same album year
after year. We probably would keep some people satisfied by
staying in a fixed style, but I honestly think that the quality
of the songs would decrease, since our hearts wouldn't be in it
the same way as before. With _Projector_, we had something like
fourteen or fifteen songs that we recorded in the studio.
Afterwards, we decided which ones should appear on the album and
which ones we should save.
CoC: Were you confident that the new elements in your music (clean
vox, keyboards, etc.) would be well accepted by the Dark
Tranquillity fans? Did that matter to you? It seems that
_Projector_ tended to cause rather extreme opinions among most
of them, both positive and negative. How do you feel about this?
NS: It's hard to avoid getting some slaggings if you change your
style a bit, but we have to write the music first and foremost
for ourselves. After each album, we've had our fair share of
people moaning about the result and asking why we couldn't just
keep going in the same vein as on the previous album, so we're
used to it. Of course we thought a lot about how people would
react to _Projector_, but this didn't affect the songwriting.
More than anything else, we were really curious. As expected,
lots of people were disappointed after the first listens but
eventually got to like it a lot with time. This is way more
interesting than playing it safe.
CoC: There is one song in particular that seems to be raising a lot
of complaints from some of your fans, "Day to End". I personally
do like that song a lot -- the vocals are great --, although it
wouldn't normally be my kind of music at all; you made it
excellent, though. It is, nevertheless, very different from your
past works. What thoughts were going through your minds as you
recorded it in terms of the intentions behind it and the
feelings put into it?
NS: "Day to End" started out as a song Mikael wrote and just toyed
around with on his acoustic guitar. It's several years old,
actually, but we always liked it and decided to try to make
something out of it in the studio. Originally, the song was more
of a guitar-based ballad, like "Through Ebony Archways" but much
better, but we eventually added a more electronic flavour to it.
Honestly, I think that the song sounded better in the original
arrangement, but it was pretty fun to experiment a bit. But this
is the only song on _Projector_ that I feel shouldn't have been
included on the album.
CoC: What's been on the bandmember's CD players the most, lately?
NS: We're all pretty diverse in our tastes, and it'd take too much
space to give any complete lists here. Personally, I've been
listening to everything from Enslaved to Madonna this week, so if
I were to give a full list it'd give a very shattered impression.
We're schizophrenic in our tastes for sure!
CoC: Mikael, you have suddenly used your previously unknown clean
vocals on so much of the new album that one has to wonder: why
did you decide to use so much clean singing so suddenly?
MS: I always wanted to experiment with other types of vocals and with
this material I felt it was time to do it. The songs really
needed different vocals this time around and I had a great time
trying things out. It also opened up an whole new way for me to
express myself lyrically and of course vocally.
CoC: I personally like the contrast between the most emotional clean
parts and the harsh ones very much, but you certainly risked a
lot, with several different clean styles and some really
emotional clean vox. Are you happy with the results?
MS: I am. And we will continue in this vein on the next album as
well.
CoC: I was quite interested by the "FreeCard" lyrics; can you tell me
more about them?
MS: Basically it's about being a coward, one who escapes the demands
and has excuses for everything. There is always another way to go
that is easier and the song is about people who choose the easy
way out in every case.
CoC: One other song that has some particularly interesting lyrics for
me is "Lethe". In Greek mythology, Lethe is "a river in Hades,
the water of which produced, in those who drank it,
forgetfulness of the past." Was this the concept behind the
lyrics for that song? Can you expand on that some more?
NS: The whole song explores the notion of being able to delete all
your unwanted feelings and experiences. As many other artists
have done in the past, I used a metaphor from well-known (or so I
thought, hehe) mythology in order to illustrate the concept and
get the point across better.
CoC: _Projector_'s release suffered a remarkably long delay that
included your departure from Osmose and signing with Century
Media. What happened with Osmose after all? And why did you
choose Century Media as your new label?
NS: After we had recorded _Projector_ and given it some listens, it
was obvious that it wasn't really Osmose material per se. We were
always the "white sheep" on that label, and seeing that our sound
had changed that much, it just wasn't a good match. Also, we had
just decided the line-up change, so we wanted to continue riding
that wave of reinvention. Osmose is a great label, but we felt
that their target audience was too far removed from how we sound
these days. Century Media offered us the best terms, so we
decided to sign with them for three albums. Naturally, all the
legal hassle took a long time, so the album ended up being
released almost a year after it was recorded.
CoC: So... what happened with the famous _Projector_ digipak bonus
track, "Exposure"? My digipak was one of the forsaken...
NS: Good question, hehe. We first heard that all the digipaks should
feature this bonus track, but when the album got released, it
turned out that only some of the copies actually had "Exposure"
included. Furthermore, the song wasn't printed on the track
listing on all of these copies either, and there apparantly were
some cases where the song was listed on the back cover but not
included on the actual disc, so it's a confusing matter... We'll
make sure to release it in some format in the future since it's
actually one of the best songs from the _Projector_ recording.
CoC: You have recorded a video clip for "ThereIn", which I recently
saw. Can you describe the concept behind it and how it fits the
song? Are you happy with the result?
NS: Well, the video is OK, but I feel that the original footage was
better than what the end result may lead you to believe. It was
all done on a very tight budget, so the mixing got a bit hurried.
The storyboard involved focusing on the duality and contrast that
the lyrics play with, but this was only half realised in the
video. Another weak point is that the song is over six minutes
long, and it's hard to keep the viewer's attention for so long
with the limited range of scenes that we had. Anyway, the video
will be featured as a multimedia bonus on the first pressing of
the next album, so eventually it'll be seen by more people.
CoC: Besides the band sequences, there are several nocturnal urban
scenes and lots of traffic moving in fast-forward during the
video clip. Then those scenes turn into storm clouds travelling
in the sky. Is that a metaphor for how you foresee the evolution
(or in this case, demise) of civilization in general?
NS: No, the main thought was to display this duality in a convincing
visual context. We had to improvise a bit since some of the
footage we intended to use turned out to be ruined by inadequate
light conditions. This will probably take some of the mystique
away, but that footage is actually taken from a video library and
not custom shot for the purpose.
CoC: I'm curious about one of the photos from the _The Mind's I_
booklet, the third (blue) one, depicting what appears to be a
tree beneath a wintry storm. The coldness and desolation that I
see on that picture make me think of death approaching, maybe
even the world coming to an end. What are your thoughts on that?
And what does the picture actually mean to you?
NS: We worked closely with a Hasselblad photographer on that album,
and he made a selection of photos that we could chose from. I
can't recall that that picture had any specific meaning attached
to it. It just looked good and had the right characteristics to
fit with the rest of the booklet. We were more involved with the
cover, for which me and Mikael arranged the "still life with a
horse's head". [So much for my philosophical approach... --Pedro]
CoC: After listening to _The Mind's I_, I didn't have a clue of what
was coming with _Projector_... Can you reveal some of what Dark
Tranquillity might sound like in the future?
NS: We just finished recording our new album, _Haven_, and it sounds
again a bit different from the norm. It's not a continuation of
_Projector_, but it's not a return to the earlier style either.
More than anything else, it's a mixture between everything we've
done in the past, but with lots of elements and experiments that
are new to us. I can't reveal too much in print, since it's bound
to give the wrong impressions, but I'm sure that _Haven_ will
appeal to fans of both our older stuff and _Projector_.
CoC: What about touring, now that you're with Century Media? I know
you've toured some of central Europe last year. How did it go?
Any peculiar stories you'd like to share with us, from that or
some other tour?
MS: Yeah, CM and our management fixed up a great tour for us as well
as some festivals. It was a great Summer for us and we've had a
wonderful time. The five weeks with In Flames, Arch Enemy and
Children of Bodom were certainly insane in many ways and I would
rather stray from the subject than tell the bone-chilling stories
of this venturesome quest into alcoholic depravity....
CoC: What are your plans for the future? Any chance you might come to
Portugal?
NS: I hope so, but nothing is confirmed about future tours yet. There
will be some festival dates during the summer, and we're likely
to tour with Sentenced in Europe in September, but I have no clue
about where we'll play.
CoC: What is your greatest wish for the future of Dark Tranquillity?
MS: To continue to evolve and experiment. To do what we like to do
best.
CoC: Those were my questions; is there anything you would like to
add, perhaps a final message of dark tranquillity for our
readers?
NS: Sorry for the massive delay in finally getting this intie
answered. To the readers: stay tuned for _Haven_, set for release
on July 17th!
Contact: http://www.DarkTranquillity.com
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T H E C O L D D E M O N S O F D E A T H M E T A L
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Peter Wiwczarek of Vader
by: Paul Schwarz
I consider Vader one of the most solid death metal outfits still
around in the world today. They've more than paid their dues in their
just over ten year recording career and with 1996's classic _De
Profundis_ [CoC #17] to their name the band are absolved of any duty
to justify their existence. Vader have stayed alive where so many
have died, but much, much more importantly Vader have remained
contemporary. By this I don't mean that they have followed the trends
that have swept through the underground, certainly not, but Vader
have remained appealing to new listeners, listeners who weren't even
into Metallica or Iron Maiden when Vader were peddling their 1990
_Morbid Reich_ tape through the international underground. What Vader
have avoided so wonderfully is becoming a relic of the past trundled
out merely for the pleasure of the scene's stalwarts. Still the band
of the youth (though their old fans never abandoned them), and
possibly Slayer's equivalent in the semi-underground death metal
scene, Vader attract a crowd looking for something a little less cut
up and dried out than Cannibal Corpse, but still with sufficient
simplicity to smack bodies and brains flying down in the pit. Like
Slayer, it's seeing Vader live that completes the picture; that makes
it so damn easy to understand why they have the fanbase they do; that
reinstills your faith in the power of metal, for fuck's sake. This
year, the time of bunnies, eggs, crucifixion and resurrection
coincides closely with what, to my mind, is a far more important
event: the release of the new Vader album, _Litany_ [reviewed in this
issue], and it is a fucking -beast-. I don't think the death metal
scene has seen this effective, convincing or plain brutal a _Reign in
Blood_-style speed and aggression crush in a long time. Tank obsessed
metal maniac vocalist/guitarist Peter Wiwczarek helped me fill in the
gaps as regards _Litany_ and what's been happening with the band
since I (and David Rocher) caught up with them in Rennes last Summer
[CoC #43].
[Note: Peter's English is not perfect, so sometimes the meaning of
what he says may be ambiguous, i.e. don't take him too literally.
--Paul]
CoC: You've been doing this for fourteen years and you still haven't
slowed down? Is it still a drive to be more extreme than before?
Peter Wiwczarek: That's Vader's style, man.
CoC: Becoming popular, growing as a band hasn't changed your
perspective on things?
PW: We never expected popularity or success at the beginning when we
started to play extreme music, that would be stupid. <pause as I
wait to see if he will continue> So, my friend, what do you want
to know, because, by the way, you are the last one tonight, but,
you know, I am fuckin' dead. I started at eleven in the morning
and I didn't even have five or ten fucking minutes to take a
piss. There were a couple of guys who got ten or fifteen minutes.
It was impossible, so you are lucky because you are the last one.
CoC: The album, to me, it sounds like you guys have been listening to
_Reign in Blood_ a lot, would this be correct? Because it's
great, it sounds like you guys, but twenty-six minutes, ten
songs? Total destruction. What do you think?
PW: Well, you know it's kind of hard to control because we got some
problems with Doc: he was too fast in the studio, that's why we
had to write two more songs directly in the studio. Because the
total time was too short, it was below the limit: these mighty
thirty minutes. But, by the way, I think that like thirty or
forty minutes is a perfect time for bands playing extreme kinds
of music. More would be maybe too much for a human being. Two
minutes of Vader is like five minutes of someone else. This is so
intense. You can not control the time at this intensity. That's
why; what more can I say?
CoC: That's the idea when you did "The One Made of Dreams" and
"North" and that sort of thing then.
PW: Maybe the Slayer guys, when they recorded _Reign in Blood_, had
similar problems, maybe that's why they recorded such a short
album, but still great, you know! I wish to follow them.
CoC: You supported them a little while ago, right?
PW: Yeah, in Poland. That was a great night 'cause we got a chance to
talk to them, though not all of them. But Tom Araya, he watched
our show, the Vader show. That was a big surprise for us and
after that we got a chance to talk to him for a few minutes. He's
a very friendly, very nice person, you know. Easy to talk to,
with a smile on his face. <laughs> So, it was really great to get
a chance to talk to him finally. Kerry wasn't in a good mood that
time. He told us it wasn't a good show for him. <laughs> He
played "horrible": what the fuck are you talking about? We also
got a chance to play two shows with Testament in Poland and that
was also a great experience. So we are now much closer, and there
is even a chance to support them in America, at the end of the
year, maybe next year. That was a good connection and those were
great shows that we played together. Also, the same thing: a
legendary band, but who were very friendly, not rock stars. That
was great. It's good to know about that because sometimes, and
this has happened lately, you meet newcomers who [present
themselves] like big stars, so you cannot even talk to them. You
know what I'm talkin' about, Paul. So, it's nice to know that the
guys who are legends, who created metal, heavy metal and not just
death metal or thrash metal, are so, so, so, -so- open for
everybody. Still have the young spirit.
CoC: It's great when you go to a gig and it's like that gig in
Rennes: just normal guys.
PW: Yeah, we still should be fans, fans of heavy metal, not feel like
somebody special. Maybe we are kind of chosen, but we should feel
like a regular maniac. We should be maniacs; fans of this music,
like we are.
CoC: Okay, "Cold Demons", let's talk about this song. This is your
song, right? 'Cause this is about your tank thing.
PW: <laughs> How did you guess? <sarcastic> Hey Paul, Paul. Yes,
exactly, but this is also different, compared to previous albums,
because _Litany_ is a concept album of one guy. Almost one
hundred percent of our lyrics are written by Paul Frelik. He
appeared for the first time writing the song "Silent Empire" on
_De Profundis_ and later with more songs on _Black to the Blind_
[CoC #27], but finally he got his concept album. This is also
Vader's style, the supernatural things, the magic, but maybe the
difference is that there is more humanity in this supernatural
world. On previous albums maybe we forgot about humanity: a very
important factor when you are talking about magic, you know.
There are two exceptions, "Cold Demons" and "Forwards to Die!!!".
Those two songs were written by me, as I said before we had to
write them directly in the studio because we had to do more songs
since Doc was too fast. I tried to do something different so, my
hobby, tanks; war machines; humanity and its hunger for power. We
also made a video. We made it using many original shots from my
collection except for some Vader live shots. It's mostly in black
and white. It's very dynamic, there are so many tanks, so anyone
who likes tanks and war machines will love the video. There is
also me as the commander, of course. <laughs> It's going to
appear on the first edition, the special edition of the album.
CoC: How are things financially with you signing to Metal Blade? How
have things moved on?
PW: What a band needs, what Vader needs, is promotion, man. So to be
honest, up until now we've got to where we've got to by working
hard and playing a lot, touring. But to be honest, we've still
got some problems with the promotion and distribution, and Metal
Blade can change that, I hope they will. Until now, I've had a
real TV interview session here, I've done fucking hundreds of
interviews. Maybe I will survive this, but this is what every
band needs. With the distribution: I think Vader will [now]
appear in every main record store, and that's what we expected.
Besides that, now I am sitting in the office [at Metal Blade
Germany --Paul]. And what I see is just men who are very into
metal. They know what they're doing. I feel it has been a great
move and that signing the deal with Metal Blade is the best thing
that's happened lately for the band. I think what's going to
happen is going to happen for the better, for the band, for
everybody, for the music, for the maniacs. Also, finally, our
release is also vinyl.
CoC: Last time I talked to you, the guy from Yattering was filling in
on drums, because Doc had some problems. That's all sorted out
now and not a problem, I gather, but how did that contribute to
the making of the album? I guess Doc must have been hungry to
get back to it.
PW: Yeah, yeah, indeed. He had got a big problem with drugs before
and that's why we had to do something. We still felt like his
friends, but it started not to be his problem but to be the
band's problem. And that's why we talked to him about that and
decided to give him a couple of months to think about what he was
going to do, in his life, to heal. During that time the drummer
from Yattering did replace him but Doc came back at the end of
August on the first date of a festival in Poland. We were talking
a week before and he was really hungry to get back finally and he
spent the couple of months drumming all the time, so when he got
back he was in real good condition. I was so glad and happy to
see him back. I think his drum kit helped him a lot, and, who
knows, maybe saved his life. For sure saved big talent, and a
great drummer. He started to work with new songs not long before
we recorded them in the studio and now he is maybe in even better
condition than he used to be. [That's possible? --Paul] So watch
out on the tour. I can't wait to do it.
CoC: What exactly is "Wings" about? The first lines are "There have
never been gods and devils, but there were people who were
turned into them"...
PW: As I told you at first, what I can tell you and explain is just
the main things about the album, because if you want to know the
details you should talk to the author. But, as I told you, there
is a little bit more about the humanity which has to live in this
world, about humanity and his beliefs. With "Wings" [the idea is]
that there are -people- who create the demons, who create the
gods. Exactly like in the beginning. We've got something like
inclination, the human inclination of being which started to
exist. I think this is in general what the song is about. Of
course this is all just the touch of a theme which is very
significant in our creation. All the time we leave a real big
space for imagination, so even if a song is written by one man
who knows exactly what his idea was, he leaves space for the
imagination of each person who listens to the music or reads the
lyrics. So everybody can find out something personal, just for
himself, and maybe that's why the response for Vader is so great
everywhere in the world, because everybody can find something for
themselves. What else can I say? Well, I can explain about Paul
Frelik, why I decided to write the music for someone else's
lyrics. Well, because I know [that] if somebody is walking the
same kind of way, same kind of path, and of course it is not the
same path 'cause everybody is walking/following his own and just
his way, but if you know you are following the same kind of way,
same direction, you know, there's nothing wrong with being closer
and co-operating. I am proud to make music for his creation.
CoC: You're doing a tour in the States in May with Krisiun?
PW: Krisiun, Angel Corpse, Dismember and Hate Eternal.
CoC: How long is it that you're there?
PW: One month, after we finish the No Mercy Festival dates. Then,
after the American tour, we're going to get back to Europe to
headline with Vital Remains, Fleshcrawl and Rebaelliun. We're
going to be busy, but there's nothing wrong with that. That's our
destiny, and I am glad of that.
CoC: Do you like being on the road?
PW: <mmmms, thinking> Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I like to play live, that's
the best thing that can happen for a band. Of course, if you've
got a tour for three or four months non-stop, your body can be
tired, but it's just body. <laughs> Like in "Hellraiser".
CoC: At the moment you tour very hard, you work exceptionally hard as
a band. Do you think if the band ends up with commitments,
family or whatever, that will change what Vader will eventually
become, because you have to work less hard at it? Or do you
think you'll keep doing it whatever happens, that it'll always
be a part of you?
PW: You know, we're Vader and so there are so many who expect this
extremity. So, we want to keep being this extreme band as long as
we are able to do that. And as long as we are going to be useful
for those guys. As long as people will need this kind of extreme
music, and as long as it will be alive, Vader will be alive.
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R A C I N G T O W A R D S D E S T R U C T I O N
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with Janne Saarenpaa of The Crown
by: Adrian Bromley
Some of you will know this by having read my review of The
Crown's (formerly Crown of Thorns) latest death metal / death rock
release _Deathrace King_ in this issue: I am totally blown away by
it. The passion. The speed. The intensity. All stellar elements that
truly help shape one of the most promising (and easily most volatile)
releases this year.
In short: these Swedes mean business. "This was a very important
record for us", starts drummer Janne Saarenpaa about the new release,
a follow-up their well-received third album, and debut for Metal
Blade, titled _Hell Is Here_ [CoC #36]. "It took us many years of
playing out and recording to find the right sound within what we did.
We have become very confident now with our material and we are glad
that with this record we can now showcase what we want The Crown to
sound like."
The Crown's success has lied within their staying power. The
want, or maybe more importantly, the need to keep focused and playing
metal music. Over ten years and four releases, Saarenpaa and his band
(rounded out by singer Johan Lindstrand, bassist Magnus Olsfelt,
guitarists Marko Tervonen and Marcus Sunesson) have made sure that
each and every release of The Crown is worthy of consumption by the
metal legion out there.
"We have struggled to get the band name out and record music",
he says. "It has been hard to actually try to make a name for
ourselves and to get the name out, but things are starting to look
good for the band. It seems as though we are finally getting what we
deserve." He continues: "There has been a lot of work put into this
band, a lot of sacrifice, and it just feels so good that the band is
starting to see success and recognition from the metal community."
On the topic of the new release and the title, Saarenpaa says,
"This record is definitely more death metal sounding than the last
record. As for the title, we think it really describes what we are
doing here. Somewhat of a death race through Hell or something like
that. The album cover really brings that to mind, I think. It really
feels very fast and furious and I think the songs really drive home
that experience."
"I am really pleased that the stuff that we have created with
_Deathrace King_ is easily compatible with the older Crown material.
It feels very natural and very refreshing playing all of the new
material because I was getting very tired of playing the old stuff."
One thing that Saarenpaa says is a big priority is for the band
to come over and tour the United States this year. He
enthusiastically explains: "The label has been pushing real hard and
talking about bringing us over to play. It would be great for us.
They are talking about us doing a tour with Cannibal Corpse and it
should happen. I'm hoping it does. We already have a good fanbase
here in Europe, so by playing over there, we would be growing as a
band. It only seems like the right thing to do."
So seeing that death metal seems to be resurfacing, haven slowly
dwindled away over the past few years, how does Saarenpaa feel about
playing death metal music? What are his thoughts on today's current
state of metal music? "Playing this music has been a big deal for us.
It is good to see that this trend really didn't go away and I think
we really believed in what we were playing even if it was difficult
sometimes to get noticed or whatever. We have just working 100% on
what we do best and hope that we can survive all of these other
trends. I just think it is hard sometimes for death metal music
because people are so fixed on making all of these unique styles of
metal music and forget the original style of metal music. I think too
many records of this style were being put out and the quality went
very low for a while. We believe in death metal and that is all that
matters. We didn't want to feel bad about playing something that we
liked to play. We didn't change and I think that support for what we
play has kept us on track."
Adding, Saarenpaa notes: "A lot of the death metal bands out
there have changed a bit too much, I think. There is a lot more to
discover within the extreme realm of brutal death metal. Sure it is
hard to come up with new material each time out, but that is the
whole essence of being a musician. The harder you work at it, the
better it will turn out."
Even though this is only the second release for the band on
Metal Blade, their years of playing have been well documented in
their two previous releases on Black Sun Records as Crown of Thorns:
1995's _The Burning_ and 1997's _Eternal Death_ [CoC #22]. It just
seems now that being on a major label has opened up the band (as it
should) to a bigger audience.
About the work with Metal Blade, he comments: "Working with
Metal Blade has been a great experience for us. It is good to see
that they are really focused in doing the shit they have to do to
help the band, allowing us to concentrate on making music and playing
out live. It has allowed us to work hard and define our sound. We
just worry about playing our instruments and they do the rest."
He finishes: "That is all we ever wanted and all that we ever
needed to do in order to get the name out. Now it is just up to us to
tear things up with our music and have fun doing so."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
THE FINELY BALANCED, MULTI-PURPOSE TOOL OF METAL... THAT NEVER DIES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with Kirk Windstein of Crowbar
by: Paul Schwarz
Their history now clocks in at a veteran-status-worthy twelve years
and still the heavy but infectious tones of Crowbar haven't caught on
in a big way. Still, Crowbar have seen enough trends come and go to
not let ambition get in the way of their appreciation of where they
have got to. New album _Equilibrium_, on Spitfire / Eagle Rock
[reviewed in this issue], amply displays Crowbar's lack of care for
what others are doing, but more importantly exemplifies the kind of
quality riffed-up, beefy, and sludge-tinged metal they can produce.
On their recent trip to Britain, a few days before they flattened me
senseless at the Underworld [see Chaotic Concerts for review], I
caught up with guitarist and vocalist Kirk Windstein to talk about
personnel changes, musical direction and the musical history of their
native New Orleans, among a few other intriguing topics. Here's the
story from the man who aspires to be "The Lemmy" of his generation.
CoC: You've sort of taken a bit of a different direction from _Odd
Fellows Rest_ [CoC #33]. Last time you went in for a more
melodic, more traditionally song-structured approach; Todd
Strange compared it to AC/DC. This one is a bit more like
_Broken Glass_ or _Crowbar_.
Kirk Windstein: It's kind of more raw than the last one -- I really
like _Odd Fellows Rest_ a lot, I really do. Some of
the changes that we made on _Odd Fellows Rest_ --
songs like "Odd Fellows Rest" and "Planets Collide",
which is one of my favourites that we've ever done --
I've tried to take some of the good melodic and
positive things in the songwriting that were really
good on _Odd Fellows Rest_ but also throw it back,
like you said, to some of the older shit and make it
a little more raw and aggressive. I mean, it's got
its mellow moments as well but it's definitely more
aggressive; songs like "Down Into the Rotting Earth"
are fuckin' heavy. I love it, it's killer.
CoC: It's got a lot more of that groove there. It's quite a good
mixture, because "Dream Weaver" is very much in the "Planets
Collide" kind of vein.
KW: Right, like "Command of Myself" is one that everybody at first
was kind of weird on and now they're really into it -- I like it
a lot. It's cool because we made a couple of changes beginning
with "Nothing" on _Broken Glass_. That was the first song we ever
wrote -that- way; melodic vocally. I really got bored with all
the barking-type vocals thing. For some of the faster hard core
ones it's cool, but for some of the riffs -- the riffs are
getting more melodic even though they're really heavy --, it's
better to do something melodic on vocals on top of it. We've been
doing this shit for twelve years, we'd get bored doing the same
thing over and over again. We always want to stay true to what
Crowbar's about, but we feel that we've made subtle changes over
the years that enable us to do different stuff now: to not feel
like we can only play this one style. We can branch out and do
some different stuff and it's cool.
CoC: It's made you into more of a -band-. Originally Crowbar was kind
of like an oddity in the sense it was this incredibly heavy band
with -big- guys in it from New Orleans and I think this album is
very well-rounded. Again, along with that you've now moved on,
you've got a new drummer and Sammy [Pierre Duet] is doing more
writing. Do you think that affected the album a lot, did Sammy's
contribution affect it much?
KW: Somewhat. I mean, we've got Craig [Nunenmacher, drums] back in,
actually, from the first couple of records. Sammy definitely has
some cool stuff to it. I wish he could do more, I mean he's so
busy with all his other bands and that shit, but the stuff that
he did do is very cool. Just him being in the band changes the
approach to stuff a lot 'cause he's a really good player, so it's
pretty happening.
CoC: With the tour you're doing with Eyehategod and Soilent Green,
which is the same line-up of bands as it was in the States, they
come from the same place...
KW: Right, fuckin' ten minutes away.
CoC: So is it really quite interesting going on tour with all these
guys who you've known for so long.
KW: Yeah it makes it cool because number one, I love both of the
bands and number two, you already know you're going to get along
with the other bands -- otherwise you're always wondering whether
these guys you're touring with are going to be assholes. We
usually get along with everyone; we're pretty laid back, but it
makes it cool. It's definitely going to be fun, because we're
going to have fifteen people from New Orleans on the same bus.
We'll probably be bombed the whole time, so it'll be cool.
CoC: How are things shaping up with Down?
KW: We've got a lot of stuff written. We've got ten songs of rough
stuff written, nothing major at all. A couple of them are closer
than others to being finished but we're definitely going to do it
this year, maybe not record it but finish up all the writing and
demo it and everything and maybe early next year or something,
depending on the Pantera schedule, we'll fit it in for sure.
Definitely, without a doubt we'll be doing another one, so I'm
excited about that.
CoC: Lyrically, the album certainly comes from a different direction
than you were coming from seven years ago...
KW: Yes.
CoC: _Crowbar_ is quite a lot about yourself. What would you describe
this album as being about, generally?
KW: I mean a lot of it is still how it always has been. People are
always like "Jesus, you must be one fucking depressed dude", or
"Why is everything so doom and gloom?", and all this kind of
shit. But if you really listen to the lyrics, in the past maybe
they were that way, but now a lot of the stuff is more about --
it's -about- difficult times in your life or whatever, it's
-about- going through rough shit and all, but it's always a
positive message. Basically, the whole album is about finding
strength in yourself to overcome whatever bullshit. It might be
fuckin' old lady problems, drug problems, you ain't got no money,
whatever it might be: it's about overcoming that and finding
inside of you what you need to do, to be strong, to fuckin' get
through it.
CoC: One thing I found quite bizarre was the twelfth track, the
strange bluesy weird thing. How did it come about and what is
it?
KW: You mean the thing after "Dreamweaver"?
CoC: Yeah.
KW: It's actually my friend Moon, who I've probably known since I was
six years old. It was his birthday while we were in the studio.
It's supposed to be "Anna Gotta Davida" by Iron Butterfly [Iron
Butterfly fans correct me if I'm wrong on the spelling of this
song --Paul] like <imitates chords in song>. He's like all
bombed, like on three hundred pills, smokin' weed, he's bombed
out of his mind. So we taped him. He's like all drunk tryin' to
do the riff and then he starts singin' it. At the very end I grab
the mike from him and say like one line or something. But
basically Keith [Falgout], the producer, took his voice trying to
do the guitar riff and then looped it underneath the vocal thing
or whatever to make it like him singin' over his own guitar. It
was supposed to be like twenty minutes after "Dream Weaver". It's
just my friend drunk, on his birthday, a joke. It's just to let
everyone know we're serious about what we're doing but we still
like to have a good time.
CoC: Would you say as a band you feel any differently over the last
twelve years or do you feel like you've just developed the same
band? Have you ever consciously sat there and gone, "Right, we
need to make Crowbar different"?
KW: Not for any reason other than our own sanity. You know, when
things become stale it's like, let's do something different. I
mean basically like the whole starting point was "Nothing" off of
_Broken Glass_ and a few things on _Odd Fellows Rest_ were a lot
different. A song like "Planets Collide", which is one of my
favourite songs we have, we never would have done it. I mean, I
wouldn't have presented it to the band four or five years ago. It
wasn't a Crowbar song, but we made it into a Crowbar song. It's
no longer got to be, you know, everything played on the bottom
three frets and you're ready to kill yourself and all. You know,
it doesn't -have to- be that way any more. We've grown, you know,
as people, as musicians, everything. There's a lot more riffed up
stuff than what used to be in the past, which we've always been
capable of playing; we just strayed away from it for whatever
reason. But I don't want to put any more barriers up on what we
can and can't do. I want to be able to do whatever the fuck we
want to do. As long as we write fuckin' good, original sounding,
heavy shit, then it's Crowbar.
CoC: What are your thoughts on the Celtic Frost reunion?
KW: Really!?
CoC: Yeah, 'cause I remember two years ago you guys were at Milwaukee
and you played "The Dawn of Megiddo" as a kind of compensation
for the possible 'Frost reunion [that was rumoured early on in
line-up possibilities to be happening --Paul] that never
happened. They have reunited for an album and a tour
theoretically sometime this year and of course they just
re-released the 'Frost back-catalogue.
KW: Well, I mean, they were totally an early influence on what we
did. I mean I don't know about all this Apollyon Sun, I haven't
heard it, I've just read something with Tom Fischer recently and,
you know, people change and there's nothing wrong with it. I
still totally worship what they used to do. But I'm all for it, I
hope if they do do it that they do the old shit and stay true to
that and not do the _Cold Lake_ era and stuff, not one person I
know likes it, they're all like sittin' they're tryin' to cut
their wrists like "What the fuck happened?".
CoC: Well, when they did the re-issues they didn't re-issue _Cold
Lake_ and Tom said that he'd never deny it was Celtic Frost but
just that it wasn't -essential- Celtic Frost. It was just plain
bad. They also said they would do the old shit. It's
interesting, though, because Celtic Frost are very much an
influential band to the whole black metal scene and they're all
sort of done up in armour, but all these bands like yourselves
and other very heavy, sludgy bands from New Orleans and around
the States really like 'em and I'm curious why you think Celtic
Frost are like this anomaly?
KW: I was just into them 'cause number one, it was an influence on
Crowbar because they were extremely heavy but they weren't too
thrashy or speed metal-ish, which I'm into -- I love fast, good
shit --, it's just when we started Crowbar we were trying to go
against the norm of the time which was playing double kick thrash
shit. That wasn't Jim Bower's style at all when he was playing in
the band, he was more of a John Bonham [Led Zeppelin]-type dude,
which is my favourite drummer anyway, and Celtic Frost was one of
the bands that stuck out, to me, as being super fuckin' heavy but
without going two hundred miles an hour. To me, you could play as
fast as you want, if you're not putting it from your heart and
from your guts and your balls, you're not heavy. Heaviness is an
emotion. It's a feeling. "Solitude" by Black Sabbath is one of
the heaviest songs I've ever heard in my life and it's so fuckin'
quiet. But it's fuckin' heavy. Loud doesn't make you heavy. Fast
doesn't make you heavy. Slow doesn't make you heavy. It's an
emotion. Whatever you do. Some bands people don't think are heavy
I think are fuckin' heavy. Me an Jim [Bower, ex-drummer and
Eyehategod guitarist] always say that. AC/DC are heavy. Angus
Young full of fuckin' spit and sweat, all cut up and bleeding.
He's into what he's doing: that's heavy.
CoC: I'd say the same thing about something like Rollins Band, which
a lot of people would kind of downgrade as being "mainstream" or
"rock" or whatever.
KW: Fuck no! If you're up there screaming your balls off it's fuckin'
heavy. It's not about anything other than emotion. Whatever you
pour out in your music; that makes it heavy. That's what we try.
We really strive to do that in Crowbar. Try to sing with a lot of
emotion, try to play, and it's from the heart and it's real. And,
you know, that's just all there is to it.
CoC: You've been doing this now for twelve years. When you see bands
like Slipknot or Korn who are twenty-odd years old and they make
one or two albums and then get a number one in the States --
having done this for so long and done so many albums and having
had a lot of fans who've really stuck with you for a long time,
do you see Crowbar as ever suddenly becoming big now or do you
just see yourselves as an underground band?
KW: Well, when we started doing what we were doing we never expected
to get this far. So, you know, it's not like we're crying about
the fact that we don't have a platinum record or something, but
at the same time it makes me still be hungry to get somewhere
because I think we deserve more than what we've got as far as a
level we should reach. But I've no -problems- with it or
anything. I mean, as far as the future, my goal, my main goal,
when I started the band, was that if we could just get to where
Motorhead is or something... You know, not like mainstream, not
on the radio, not on MTV, not on none of this shit, but able to
just go on for fuckin' twenty-five years. I want to be the Lemmy
of my generation. I want to be fuckin' fifty years old and three
hundred fuckin' pounds. Full of tatoos, drinkin' beer and fuckin'
jammin' my balls off because that's all I know how to do. That's
all I ever wanted to do -- I'd like to make a little more money
--, basically be able to survive playing the music that I love to
create and play and do it 'till I die, which hopefully is a long
time down the road. That's all my goal was. We've been on MTV. I
didn't even think stuff like that would happen. It's no big deal,
we just want to jam, period.
CoC: With record labels, you started off on Pavement, which didn't
work out, and the last two records you've moved and ended up on
Spitfire/Eagle. It's a much bigger record label. Are you pleased
to move onto a label with James Brown and Dio and Deep Purple?
KW: A friend of mine said it was funny we were on the same label with
Dio and whatever, but I said so what, 'cause Pantera's on the
same label with Whitney Houston or something, what's the
difference? If it's a label that's got money to promote you and
to push you properly and if it's got good distribution -- which
are all things we've had problems with in the past -- I don't
give a fuck who's on it. As long as they believe in Crowbar and
they're cool -- and Paul Bebo, who's the president in America, is
a good friend of mine and he's totally into the band, really
believes in what we're doing. To him, this is our first record,
it's a brand new record. He got the _Odd Fellows Rest_ album
which he re-released and he's trying to get the rest of the
back-catalogue, so we'll have it all under one fuckin' roof
finally, where it belongs. And to him this is our first record
because he says that's he's going to do things and promote things
that we've never had done for us before. I mean, being on
Pavement we could have put out _Led Zeppelin IV_ and it probably
wouldn't have sold that well. You could've put out fuckin'
Nirvana's _Nevermind_, you could put out an album that quality
and no-one would know you fuckin' existed. I'm not saying if we
were on fuckin' Columbia we would have sold five million, 'cause
this is not for everybody. We know what we do is not for
everybody. We don't make it for everybody.
CoC: Absolutely, but there are lots of bands out there who are doing
similar things. The thing that's really annoying about the world
is that there's a band who becomes popular, and then there'll be
a band who does what they do, better, but they're on some small
label.
KW: I know where you're coming from. The average music fans, they
don't even really look, you basically have to drop it on their
lap for them to really find it. People who are really into music,
the hard-core fans, go out and search for the shit and find it
and they find the bands that influence these other bands or
whatever. I understand what you mean. Hopefully, by being on a
new label, we can at least jump to the -next- level, which is
totally within the realms of possibility. We recently did some
shows in Hawaii, which was very cool. We had a really good time,
got drunk, hit the water. I did an interview with the Honolulu
newspaper or whatever and the lady's like saying, "Having been
successful..." and I'm like "Back up: we never were successful".
We have no place to go but up. I mean, we are an underground
band, we've always been an underground band. To me, I haven't
lost confidence in what we're capable of doing. I told her it
would be one thing if we were like Poison, that ten years ago
were selling five million records, playing arenas in America, and
now they play the same clubs Crowbar plays. Then I'd be saying
that something wasn't really too cool here, but as we've always
played the same clubs and we've never got up to the next level we
have no place to go but up: that's our attitude.
CoC: Back in '93/'94 when you were on MTV...
KW: Right, that was the biggest hype era of our career.
CoC: To be honest, I knew about you through that. Then I got into you
'cause I saw you play with Napalm Death, At the Gates and Face
Down four years ago. That was the clincher. But I originally
knew about you as "this band who knew Pantera". That's how
people generally tend to pick stuff up, unfortunately. Kids
don't read enough magazines or look around the underground.
KW: I don't blame them, but people don't go search long and hard to
find good music, they basically accept whatever is dropped in
their lap. That's the problem with the whole music scene. There's
so many great bands that for the most part, as far as the general
public's concerned, they don't even exist. There's tons of great
bands who are like that, and not just in heavy music. I mean
there's tons of great blues musicians or whatever who don't even
get noticed until they're sixty-five years old. They've been
doin' it since they're fifteen, ridin' in an old pick-up truck
with a guitar and -finally- this guy's a great blues legend. What
took everybody so long? He's been great for fuckin' fifty years.
Not that I'm sayin' we're great, I'm just sayin' that's the way
we perceive everything. It's like, we're on a new label and it is
a new beginning. You don't know what's around the corner. All you
can do is just continue to jam your balls off every time you play
live, write good fuckin' original music -- we don't want to sound
like anybody else, we just want to sound like Crowbar and we
think we do a good job of that -- and just see what the hell
happens. And that's all you can do... and drink beer. <we both
laugh>
CoC: I think Crowbar has a lot of the feeling of blues. What you were
saying about heaviness has a lot of resonance in terms of either
bar-band blues or traditional Memphis blues. Would you say the
legacy of New Orleans, even people like Dr. John and things like
that...
KW: He's on our label too, I was just goin' through the back
catalogue.
CoC: I got into him just recently when I got _Gris-Gris_ and it's not
like it sounds the same, but it's got the same feeling of
heaviness that you were talking about.
KW: Yeah, totally. We're subconsciously heavily influenced by all the
New Orleans stuff, which is what we grew up on. On the radio, if
I do have to listen to the radio, I'll listen to classic rock
shit. I heard "Such a Night" the other day by Dr. John. Whenever
it's Mardi Gras time, and there's crawfish bars, and parties and
stuff like that, everybody listens to Dr. John and Neville
Brothers and Funky Meters. That's what we grew up on. Since I was
a little kid. I remember hearing all these Mardi Gras songs. I
work for a sound company, Jim [Bower] actually works for it too,
and we do the Neville Brothers sometimes, and we've done Dr.
John. If you watch these motherfuckers -- fifty-five, sixty years
old --, they jam their fuckin' balls off. They've been playing
since they're fuckin' fifteen and they fuckin' smoke. You go
watch Mean Willy Green, the drummer from the fuckin' Neville
Brothers and your jaw will drop. This guy is so fuckin' awesome.
These guys know how to lay it down and play in a pocket. And you
can't help but get influenced by them. Especially the fact that
they're a bunch of old fuckin' dudes. That makes it even more
killer; they're playin' from their hearts.
CoC: It's great when older bands really show up bad new bands.
KW: Yeah, while we're on the subject, shit like the Neville Brothers
and all, it took them until maybe the last eight years or ten
years really to even get noticed and they've been around since
the sixties. It took maybe 'till the late-eighties or early
nineties for them to basically get noticed. The guy's fuckin'
fifty some years old. It took that long for them to get noticed
and they've been there the whole time doin' it. Every Saturday
night playin' one of the clubs, doin' it for real. Sometimes shit
takes a while to come around.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
KNEEL BEFORE THE CONQUERORS OF ARMAGEDDON
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with Moyses Kolesne of Krisiun
by: Paul Schwarz
Even when competing with the likes of a new Vader record, a new
Dismember record and the unexpected wake-up call of the Soulreaper
album, Krisiun still managed to come out tops in the
all-out-total-fucking-extremity stakes with their latest, rabid
offering: _Conquerers of Armageddon_. After more than a decade in the
Brazilian underground, permeated only by their deal four years ago
with Gun Records (which brought their frenetic, chaotic debut _Black
Force Domain_ and its Kreator-inspired, speed obsessed follow-up
_Apocalyptic Revelation_ to a limited audience) and recent bouts of
touring which have taken them as far as North America and Europe,
Krisiun recently signed a deal with Century Media (which should
hopefully push them to a bigger audience) and have secured yet more
touring throughout this year. Guitarist Moyses Kolesne, through
occasionally broken English, gave me the answers to all my questions
about Krisiun: past, present, and possible future.
CoC: You guys have emerged slowly over the last ten years from
Brazil, a country with a few metal bands like Sepultura,
Sarcophago, etc.. How much do you feel part of a Brazilian scene
and how supportive would you say that scene is of you?
Moyses Kolesne: We have seen the Brazilian scene from the very best
years. We saw Sepultura and Sarcophago since they
started playing here in '84 and '85. They were
playing really raw thrash/black metal. So obviously
since we were at their concerts we would get some
influences. Maybe not really directly but the kind of
influence that stays in a part of your subconscious.
We witnessed this metal scene in Brazil emerge and
become really aggressive over the years. We had these
influences. We started a band and just wished to
follow that path: make things more extreme, faster,
whatever. We are doing the same kind of music, but we
have this modern sound because we have the approach
of modern death metal. We are just giving a following
for that; we are proud to be part of [the Brazilian
scene] and those bands opened up a lot of doors for
the upcoming bands like us. But I have to tell you
that some years ago the extreme metal scene in Brazil
was almost dead. Everybody here was just caring about
thrash metal or whatever, you know, the American,
more fashionable kind. So these bands like
Sarcophago, Blasphemy, Morbid Angel were not getting
so much recognition here. We just started from the
ashes of that [intending] to bring again more respect
for extreme metal here in Brazil. That's our cause.
We fight for this scene because in Brazil there are a
lot of bands in other styles like power metal, thrash
metal, hardcore, whatever. We came from this
[extreme] scene and we are really rooted from the
very beginning of it, 'cause we have witnessed all
this history, you know.
CoC: Most bands, when they start out, want to be the most extreme,
especially death metal bands. But you guys, you just seem to
keep wanting to be the most extreme band and you seem to do very
well at it. <I laugh> So with the album are you just trying to
be faster, heavier than every other band out there, is that the
idea?
MK: Well, no, man. I have to tell you all this aggression came
naturally. We are never putting anything to a contest. The main
thing is our feeling; it just guided us this way. There's no
special reason, it's just a feeling to keep doing music you like
to listen to, you like to play. And obviously we do that well
-because- we practice hard every day, and we kept always taking
another step ahead with each album. We kept practising, we did a
lot of tours, we recorded a lot of demos, albums, but we had no
budget, we had nothing. There were some small labels trying to
put our stuff out, but actually they gave it nothing. So, we'd
record our old albums in a very short time and so we'd go in with
this -attack- feeling.
CoC: It did take you quite a long time to get a deal. Some bands take
quite a while, but you guys went seven years?
MK: Yeah, more or less, seven years. So, this gave us a feeling,
'cause once you see so many trends happen -- like we saw many
bands claiming to be, you know, the -most- extreme death metal
band, like some bands did --, and all this gave us inspiration,
'cause you know this is a lie, so we have to tell them the truth;
we have to show them the truth because we are pretty rooted in
the real death metal / black metal basis, like those old
Brazilian bands, old Slayer, Possessed, Dark Angel, Venom, Sodom,
you know. But we are doing kind of really brutal death metal
because, as I said before, we are a band that is -- now we are in
the year 2000 -- still new outside Brazil. So that's why we have
this kind of approach.
CoC: Starting the band as brothers, how much difference did you find
that made? Also, did you find it made a difference that you come
from a somewhat impoverished country like Brazil which is kind
of out of the general music scene? How much effect do you think
all that had on you as a band?
MK: I have to tell you that we came from a normal family life, a
normal family. We went to school. So, we didn't live in all this
poverty, but of course we can see that. We live in Sao Paulo,
it's a big city, so we see more of these things. I saw more of
that on TV as well. Whatever, of course this gave us some
feelings like other things, but concerning the fact that we are
from Brazil, this brings us another kind of influence, because
this is a -future-, different future, different everything.
Brazil was outside from the tours in the best years, but now all
the bands are coming here. I saw Venom in Brazil in '86, I saw
Destruction, I saw Slayer, I saw Metallica, I saw Motorhead: I
saw a lot of shows to get influence but never did bands from
Brazil just go outside. But maybe in the next few years it will
be normal for bands who come from Brazil, like it is for Europe
or the US. This country is really new for metal, we don't have a
really old future here. They were stopping the rock 'n' roll
scenes from the beginning, so metal and rock 'n' roll happened
here in Brazil more in the eighties, after the seventies. Kiss, I
guess, were the first band that played here in '81, so from that
the scene started to grow up a lot here. People get more
interested to play music, more metal fans, you know, so that
helps a lot and Brazil has a good infrastructure, so that's why
people are coming from here more and not from the other countries
in South America.
CoC: Yeah, the influx of bands from Brazil is an anomaly. There
aren't really any Argentine or Bolivian bands who are big, there
are a couple of Mexican ones [if we're talking Latin America,
since Mexico is geographically in North America --Paul] like The
Chasm. Sepultura got into that kind of Brazilian percussion
thing, do you think that whole rhythmic basis for some of the
culture of Brazil affects your music at all?
MK: I don't think so. In my music I guess not. We are more into
metal, whatever, we don't need that kind of stuff. As I say I
never had it in my culture; I saw that but I didn't live it. I
never, you know, started to play some instruments of this
culture, playing samba. I never cared. I was always into metal,
pure metal. So we would never use that.
CoC: What made you decide to go to Germany to record and use Andy
Classen and Eric Rutan as producers?
MK: Well, we had been to Germany since we signed with Gun Records, we
stayed there for quite a while, but of course we returned to
Brazil a lot of times. So, once we were there, I met the guys
from Morbid Angel, we became good friends because we saw them
here [in Europe] -- I saw them in Brazil in '89 but we never
spoke -- and I gave Trey our first album, _Black Force Domain_,
so since then he supported our band, kept mentioning us. So, the
other guys from Morbid Angel got interested from that and our
band kept evolving, we recorded another album, we did some tours
and also did a show in Tampa, Florida, and there were all the
guys from Morbid Angel. There, we and Eric talked a lot and he
told us that he has a studio, that he works as an engineer,
producing bands, that he has a new band, Hate Eternal, and that
he was about to go and record and produce this band. So once he
knew that we were about to record our new album he phoned us and
told us that he should be our producer. We figured that would be
great, so we told Century Media about our intentions and they
thought it would be great, so they got in touch with Eric's
manager Gunter [Ford]. Eric made everything really easy for this
to happen. He didn't charge very much money and he had a tour to
do in December which we did too. So we had the same tour to do,
the label is in Germany, the studio [Stage One] is one of the
best studios in Germany. A good studio that you can record in and
don't spend as much money as in Brazil or the US: they are
cheaper in Germany. So, all the factors just made it better for
us to do it in Germany. It was easier for everything: for the
flight tickets, for the studio, for the label, for the tours.
CoC: Coming back to the album itself, it's called _Conquerors of
Armageddon_ -- is this a reference to the band, or the lyrical
concept around the album?
MK: It's for the band, man. We achieved as a band a conquest inside
us: the Armageddon is our battle. We knew that we had been
fighting for a decade. So we knew that this time we should be
able to put a really good album out. Also we went to the studio
and we realised we had achieved a good sound quality; we had
conquered this final battle. So, we are conquering over
ourselves, over what's inside of us, not over any other bands. We
don't claim to be the speediest, the fastest, just to create
hype, because words are words and music tells the real facts. So,
we don't need to do that. Many bands claim to be, you know, all
this shit, but, you know, they are not. Liars. So the conquest is
inside of us over these hard, rough times that we came through.
So we knew that we had established our name as a band -- as a
very important band for the death metal scene --, we got a new
label, we got a lot of tours to do, a lot of support, and we went
to the studio and we kept doing our style. We didn't decide that
because we were on a new label we'd do one or two softer songs or
whatever. We just don't care man, we just say "fuck off, we're
gonna keep doing this". We are not leaving this style like many
bands are doing. Many bands are just making death metal way
melodic or saying it's dead, it's just making it easier for
people. You know, if you like techno you can like a lot of death
metal bands nowadays. If you like really soft, melodic stuff you
can like some death metal bands: they are full of these melodies
like Iron Maiden. But we don't want to be part of this. We want
to be the real flame of death metal. The real, real death metal
like Morbid Angel did in the beginning, Deicide, Blasphemy and
Sarcophago and Vader and Sodom, whatever, but playing, of course
-- because we are younger than those guys and we had influence
from them -- at a higher level.
CoC: With the lyrics, I get the impression there is a spiritual
aspect to it, a mystical aspect, but it seems almost medieval.
"Iron Stakes" and "Cursed Scrolls"?
MK: You're right, man. We kept, kind of, the apocalyptic vision that
we had on the other albums. We always had this idea of bringing
destruction and vengeance from the natural order, from what makes
us stay here on Earth. Now we are bringing in more of this occult
science, the occult side of life, like really old traditions that
many religions just banished. I guess we are pretty near to the
third world war, you know, many things that are happening in
Europe, we are really near so we had this feeling of Armageddon.
So maybe next time you just can't avoid that, it is just a man's
decision to push a button or whatever. We know that this
destruction came from mankind's hand. We are talking a lot about
vengeance using the anti-Christian and Satanic philosophy to talk
about reality. Because we are not worshipping devils or doing
sacrifices or whatever: not living the Christian Satanism. We are
more concerned to be like the old Sumerian, very ancient cult of
Scheitan [I think this is what he means, but I am not expert
--Paul], like the people who discovered mathematics, who
discovered the real facts of biology, astronomy, the planets,
whatever, and so became a religion with subdivisions. They
[Christians, I think --Paul] just banished a lot of knowledge to
inflict their prophecies or whatever. So we are anti-Christian,
but we are doing it on a real basis. Like, the history, the
facts, -prove- they were -wrong- a lot of the time. They made a
lot of mistakes. Also, the worst enemy for the Christian, or any
religion, is science, the numbers that prove that you are wrong.
They have a lot of contradictions. So this is just a part, just
one religion that inflicts this. So, that's what we are most
concerned with, this vengeance came in really strong like a big
storm, big devastation, something that fits with the feeling that
the music gives, you know. So, once you are in some music
claiming "Kill the Christ" it is like "Kill the lies", you know,
kill what has been inflicting all the shit in this world. So our
lyrics, they have this occult, Satanic side, but actually this is
just reality, not so much fantasy or whatever.
CoC: It's like a way of expressing things in metaphor?
MK: It's a way of being political sometimes, but really into this
kind of Satanic and Sumerian prophecies.
CoC: Right, and the cover kind of plays with that a bit. It's got a
kind of like Tolkien-esque thing to it with the four riders, and
also that's like four riders of the apocalypse. You've got the
cross, and a scimitar and what have you. How closely did you
link the whole lyrics and the cover and the title and
everything? Is it at all conceptual or is it just an expoundary
of beliefs?
MK: Yeah, there was a concept, but I have to tell you that at first
we had another cover. We were divided between ourselves and the
label people, half liked it and half didn't. So we just decided
we had to have something better, because this label is really
professional. They know some things. So they just called Petagno
in Denmark and asked him to send a sample and told him about the
album, the lyrics, the apocalyptic vision of Armageddon, and so
he sent that. He said this is the pure apocalypse, the knights of
apocalypse. It was perfect. It represents the meaning of this
album.
CoC: Anything you want to mention about what's happening with the
band now, before we finish?
MK: Well, we are just releasing this album. We are pretty proud about
this new wave of death metal that is emerging again, that is
coming really strong. We are not alone. There are a few other
really powerful bands who deserve to take a higher position in
the metal scene. This is just claiming vengeance again against
the weak, soft metal bands claiming they are the best shit or
whatever. But we are here not telling you we are the best, we
just want to banish the fucking dogs that infect our ground. This
is our fight. This is the reason we are here. We just want to say
thank you, thank you to everybody who has been supporting our
band. We are here to stay and not to wimp out just because we
signed with a big label or whatever. Once again we are really
aggressive and really brutal; fighting for the cause of the real
death metal.
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REAPING, RAVAGING, REBELLING AND ROCKING
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC talks to Tobias Kjellgren of Soulreaper
by: Paul Schwarz
From out of nowhere, my ass was well and truly kicked early this year
by Soulreaper. Obviously, I should have done my homework. When a band
comprises half of Dissection, great things are a little less
surprising than when they come from unknowns. But regarding
Soulreaper as either a continuation or little brother to Dissection
(despite the dubious link offered by their name) would not only be a
misrepresentation of the band's feeling about themselves, it would be
a grave -musical- mistake. Their _Written in Blood_ debut [see Album
Asylum for a review] owes more to Morbid Angel than to any other
death metal act, blackened or otherwise. Of course regarding
Soulreaper as a Morbid Angel clone would likewise be unwise. They may
owe Trey and Pete a lot, but they didn't sell them their souls.
Soulreaper have their own character and it's not only brutal as a
vicious beating with a big hammer, it's also got its melodic
subtleties. With _Written in Blood_ still ringing in my ears, a sore
throat choking me and the temptation to ask too many questions about
Dissection firmly under control, I spoke to Soulreaper's drummer
(yes, ex-Dissection) Tobias Kjellgren to see where Soulreaper came
from, and where they might be going in the future.
CoC: What are you guys up to at the moment?
Tobias Kjellgren: Well, we are busy trying to do new songs for the
next album and I guess we are going to record it as
soon as possible to get a new thing out.
CoC: How long ago did you record the original album?
TK: Well, it was January last year. So we have a couple of new songs.
CoC: With "the Dissection connection", in what way did Soulreaper
come out of Dissection? How related would you say the two bands
are?
TK: Non-related. A couple of months after Dissection split up, me and
Johan Normann of Dissection decided to do a new thing since
Dissection was turning to the grave, and here we are, basically.
Nothing to do with Dissection, really. The only connection with
Dissection is that we took a couple of riffs that me and Johan
did -for- Dissection and used them in Soulreaper.
CoC: In the end what really did happen with Dissection, why did the
band dissolve, ultimately?
TK: I don't want to go into it. I wouldn't bother to bore the readers
with the whole story. But anyway, we got unfriendly with each
other and it didn't work out in the end, so finally me and Johan
split Dissection. We didn't split, we got out of Dissection. I
don't know if Jon was planning to continue Dissection with
another line-up, but he got imprisoned and that's history. We
didn't know how things would have turned out for Dissection if he
hadn't.
CoC: So, do you not see Jon much any more then?
TK: I have talked to him a couple of times since he got imprisoned. I
don't really have any good connection with him. I have a good
connection with his brother. He says he's alright.
CoC: Did you set out to write a very brutal album, because _Written
in Blood_ -is- very brutal?
TK: Was it planned? No, it all came out spontaneously. For us,
nothing is ever planned; what comes out comes out, really. It is
a brutal album, I can't disagree with you, but it's also [got] a
lot of other elements as well. That's a real trademark of
Soulreaper, I guess: trying to do this brutal, ultra-speed kind
of black death metal combined with the melodic parts.
CoC: Were you at all tentative about doing this considering --
although it has become more popular again of late -- it's still
slightly against the grain; it's somewhat against the grain for
the majority of albums Nuclear Blast release these days?
TK: We just ended up with it. What can I say? It was very
spontaneous. We didn't plan to sound similar to American death
metal: bands like Morbid Angel, Angel Corpse or Hate Eternal. But
Hate Eternal, for example, is a very new band also and I can't
say I had heard Hate Eternal before making the album. Of course,
obviously I've heard Morbid Angel before. Actually we had to cut
off some things in our songs because it sounded too much like
Morbid Angel, so obviously we definitely do not want to be a
little-brother-band to any of these bands. We do our own thing
and we live in Sweden and I guess we're the only ones in Sweden
doing this. So it's pretty original in the sense that it comes
from Sweden. <the last sentence had sarcasm underlining it>
CoC: Formerly, being in Dissection, you were very much part of the
black metal scene, though obviously you weren't in Norway. With
this album, do you see yourselves as alone or would you align
yourselves with the death metal bands from Sweden or the
American death metal bands?
TK: Well, first of all, Dissection stated, back when Dissection was
Dissection, that Dissection never -was- a black metal band. But
we don't care if we're death metal or black metal or anything
like that, it's just... you know what I mean?
CoC: I know what you're saying, you don't see yourselves as really
coming out of a scene...
TK: No, [and] we don't identify with anyone else either. We're not
the ones that like to compare us to every other band either.
CoC: On Dissection, I do appreciate that they never stated they were
a black metal band; I am just saying that they did get roped
into that.
TK: Yeah, yeah, of course, I know what you mean.
CoC: With the album, who did you decide to work with studio and
production-wise?
TK: Well, the principal matter was that we wanted to do a new and
original thing. The turn-out is maybe not that. We used a local
studio here in Gothenburg. Not Fredman or Abyss up in northern
Sweden. We wanted to do an original thing, we just picked a
studio right in Gothenburg and we knew a guy that is a really
good technician so we just did it.
CoC: Are the lyrics quite Satanic or occult, would you say it is
trying to convey an anti-Christian political message?
TK: Well, it is certainly anti-Christian, if you listen or read the
lyrics. That's the only thing I can say. All five of us are
Satanic individuals... and we play death metal, and we're here to
conquer the world -- what else can I say? <laughs>
CoC: Would you consider yourself part of the LaVeyan school of
individualist Satanic philosophy or are you more into the
-ritual- of Satanic philosophy?
TK: No, not really. I used to be, but I'm really not that involved at
the moment. It's more a mental life scene.
CoC: But for you, the lyrics are -real-, the Satanic philosophy is a
-real- part of your life. 'Cause a lot of bands I have talked
to, especially recently, have talked about Satanism as a way to
express anti-Christian feeling or feeling towards the way
society oppresses -- Immolation, for example, do this -- because
it is a language that people can understand.
TK: Maybe Immolation, coming from America -- or any other band from
another culture having, in general, people who are more Christian
-- can see it on the streets. Not here in Sweden, we can't see it
on the streets, we actually have to go into a church on Sunday to
see the Christianity in the community. You're angry at something
for a reason and, well, here in Sweden we don't have any reason
to hate anything because we don't see it every day. But it's a
lifestyle, I can't deny I'm a Satanist and the source that I have
and the other guys in the band have also is hard to do without.
It is the kind of people that we are; that I am, anyway.
CoC: As far as your influences go, I assume you guys contributed
quite a bit to Dissection, so would you say you're using
different influences in making this album? You say it was
spontaneous, but looking back on it would you say it comes from
a different part of your past or whatever?
TK: Yes, all the elements are in the album if you really listen to it
closely and I can't deny that -my- influences are Pete Sandoval
on drums and Mikey Dee and this Dream Theater drummer, all this
kind of shit, you know.
CoC: Would you say the "classic rock" movement had influence on you?
TK: Well, I can't see any New Wave of British Heavy Metal in it, but
those bands are my best influences because that was the music
that I grew up with when I was little, so if it wasn't for that
kind of music I wouldn't be releasing this album or anything --
so I guess that's an influence: not in the music by itself but in
the music life.
CoC: Are you touring at the moment?
TK: No, we're going to do a three week tour in May in Germany and
Spain and every country in-between, I think, with Gorgoroth and
Old Man's Child and some other bands as well. So we're really
looking forward to that because we haven't really played live
before. We just did a release party here in Gothenburg a couple
of weeks ago and that was great and we're really hungry to do
more shows.
CoC: Would you say you prefer playing live or recording material?
TK: Playing live, of course! That's why we're playing. When you're in
the studio you're playing in front of a wall. The live situation
is great, you feel the energy from the crowd and you kick it
right back.
CoC: Regarding your image. As far as the way you look, you certainly
haven't followed the Floridian style of just looking like fans.
You have armour and stuff. With that image, what would you say
you're trying to convey?
TK: No. The way that we look on the album is the way we look when we
walk down the street. So, it's not a typical image for the band,
it's just the way we are. If we had used corpse-paint, which we
would never do, maybe I wouldn't say that.
CoC: So you guys walk around with armour [I should have said spiked
armbands --Paul] and things?
TK: We don't have any -armour- on the photo!
CoC: Someone had a spiked wristband.
TK: That's the singer, he doesn't wear that walking down the street.
CoC: I used to know some people who did -- they weren't musicians,
though. <we both laugh> Anyway, if there's anything else you
want to bring out about the band, you're welcome to do so now.
TK: Well, I hope you buy the album and support us and support death
metal in general, because it is definitely coming back. I hope to
see you on tour, and hail Satan.
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M E T A L B U I L T O N T R A G E D Y
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Virgin Steele
by: Adrian Bromley
The success of Virgin Steele has always seemed to rest upon the
shoulders of its leader David DeFeis. The band's latest effort, _The
House of Atreus: Act I_, no doubt almost broke his back.
The 73-minute opus _THoA_, a long winding epic of great
instrumentals and grand songwriting shaped around a Greek tragedy, is
one of those records that'll easily draw you into the fold, not
letting go until the magical music experience is over. The album is
indeed a work of art and DeFeis knows this. He knows this all too
well.
"I have always been up for a challenge", starts the
singer/keyboardist/ringleader down the line from New York. "I just
really wanted to stretch the boundaries and show people what could be
done. We are just three people [DeFeis is supported strongly by
guitarist/bassist Edward Pursino and drummer Frank Gilchriest
--Adrian] just going at it. No guest players, no choirs, it is just
us playing the music. If you put your mind to it, look what can be
done. I wanted to also push the boundaries of metal music in general
and say that this is the 21st Century classical music."
While many European acts have ventured forward and explored
ideas of incorporating classical music and metal music, not many
North American acts have been up to the challenge... until now.
"Playing metal music has always been a thrilling time for me and
my band. It is worth the hard work that goes into it. From the first
record we have ever put out till now it has been a building process
with the band. We have grown over the years and it has been great to
take in all of this hard work and ideas. I didn't get into doing this
style of music on this record to get rich quick or be the flavor of
the month. I just wanted, as I said already, to push the boundaries
for me physically and technically."
Through the years, Virgin Steele has been a band that has been
quite visible within the metal realm. Their music, while not
mainstream or at the top of the heap, has always existed and stayed
true to their beliefs. Through albums like _The Marriage of Heaven
and Hell_, _Noble Savage_ or _Invictus_, the band has always focused
on keeping their dream alive. It has always been a big priority for
them.
"Knowing what I have done with this record", he says, "I know
there is a lot more for me left to do. There is still a spark and
things will go on. There will be a follow-up to this record. _THoA_
will finish at Act II, but the style will continue in whatever
subject matter we tackle. I feel like this is somewhat of a new
beginning in the sound of Virgin Steele. It is just starting to get
good now for us. I want to go on for many, many years to come."
"I enjoyed the obstacle that this record and its ideas brought
to me", he says. "It was very hard at times. I wrote both Act I and
Act II at the same time, some 40 odd tracks. The hardest part was
trying to work the flow of the lyrics, to work within the framework
of what was provided. It isn't just endless lyrics, there are many
instrumentals as well."
Just imagining the labour that went into this work gives me the
creeps. DeFeis' hard work is showcased here through blood, sweat and
tears, no doubt. The impossible became the possible with this release
and there is no doubt this effort lies deep within his heart as a
prized possession of musical creativity.
"People probably think the music took months to record. Not
really. A lot of the material on _THoA_ was done in one take,
sometimes. It was just like go for it and move on. The thing about
the studio work is that it makes you really become attached to your
work. At the end of the day, when all is done and mixed and all that,
I love what I have done, but at the same time hate it. I hate it
because I can hear the music sounding ten times better had I had more
time, but you have to go with what you are provided with. I just at
that point step back and take it in for what it is. It is done, so we
move on from there."
"I am very proud of the compositional standpoint of this
record", DeFeis says about the overall framework of _THoA_. "Being
able to write the songs and get my brain on record has been the
highlight. There are some great performances here and now the songs
themselves can be taken by anyone (i.e. theatre company, etc.) and be
able to perform them and have a similar result."
And what about those metal fans that just see Virgin Steele as
glorified '80s metalheads working around a Greek tragedy? "They
obviously aren't listening", he interjects. "This isn't a dated style
of metal. We come from traditional metal roots but the harmonies and
the melody that are used are not some rehashed Iron Maiden or Dio
sounding material. This is true modern forward-thinking metal and I
think those people need to open up their ears and see just what it is
all about."
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B R U T A L I S E D B R I T A N I C B U T C H E R E R S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with Declan Malone and Giuseppe Cutispoto of Infestation
by: Paul Schwarz
Last year you may recall me talking to Infestation's enthusiastic
drummer David Hirscheimer [CoC #39] on account of the stunning
quality of the band's _Curse of Creation_ demo EP [CoC #36]. Well, a
year later and we see one of Britain's best brutal death metal
exports since the early nineties with a record deal (courtesy of
Stuart Ness' newly formed Lunasound organisation) and a debut album
just released: the crushing and varied _Mass Immolation_. What we no
longer see is Dave Hirscheimer's name in the album's credits, for
soon after I talked with him he left for a brief tenure in with
Cradle of Filth (he was unfortunately sacked after a mere two gigs).
Infestation eventually recruited the talented Declan Malone after
trying out a number of drummers, but in the meantime their original
guitarist Jamie Evans slinked off. He was replaced by Jeremy Gray and
thus Infestation forged on ahead to outdo their impressive demo with
their rock solid debut offering [see Album Asylum for review --Paul].
I met up with new drummer Declan Malone and original guitarist
Giuseppe Cutispoto to talk blasphemy, masochism and other pleasant
topics.
CoC: Were you happy with the way the album turned out?
Declan Malone: We're basically happy with the way it came out, but I
think we're such a tight unit now. We've been
rehearsing solidly; our main ambition is to be
professional about it. There are times when you sort
of muck about but it's not about that anymore.
Giuseppe Cutispoto: It's our dream, you know what I mean, it's always
been our dream to get to this level, make an
album, do a tour: that's been like a passion.
DM: And the new stuff we're writing is much better, it's getting
somewhere and we're dead chuffed with it.
CoC: Things have definitely got tighter since the demo (last year's
_Curse of Creation_), the production makes it crisper and the
actual playing has definitely tightened itself up; whatever
little holes were there. Is the new stuff more complex, more
different or do you think you're just writing more technical
things?
GC: We've never been a technical band like Morbid Angel or
Suffocation. We basically do what comes from the heart, whether
it's simple or technical.
DM: It's basically what you can move to, because I think there is a
lot of bands that overdo it. I think Cryptopsy's _None So Vile_
is the closest any band has come to total chaos without it
sounding like noisy shit, 'cause the way it flows you can still
headbang, you can still stand at the bar pretending to do a
blastbeat when you hear it. Cryptopsy's not our major influence,
but it's one of them; everyone loves that album. What we're
trying to do is basically get something which has a grind or a
groove people can really get into, that'll cause a big mosh. Say
some of the bits in _Harmony Corruption_; it's almost an old
Florida sound -- Scott Burns did it, didn't he -- so perhaps not
-sounding- like Napalm Death but with those rhythms. And then
you've got your quick bits, and people, I think, appreciate a
quick bit more when it's not just blasting all the way through.
That's been done, there's no pointing in going over old ideas.
And what we're writing now: you can headbang to it on stage and
we love it. That's why it feels good, and we're definitely moving
in that direction. I mean, the album we've done we're well
chuffed with and whatever we do is one step further to getting to
the top and making it.
GC: And we're always improving as well. I mean, we practice and as
time goes on we always get better; each song we write is better
than the last one. It's not like we did it on purpose, it's just
that that's the way it happens. And it's such a good feeling: the
atmosphere in the band at the moment.
CoC: Do you think the live playing has really changed things?
GC: The whole thing with losing the drummer [David Hirscheimer, who
was recruited by Cradle of Filth, played two gigs, and was let go
--Paul] was that we lost a really good drummer and we gained, in
my opinion, a better one, a more powerful one. The line-up we've
got now is the strongest it's ever been. There's no way it's
going to change: -this is the line-up-.
DM: When we recorded the album -- after losing a drummer and
guitarist -- we'd only just started with this new line-up and we
lost half the writing part of the band. In the last six months
the chemistry has really improved, we all know what sort of speed
a riff needs and Dave [Samuel] is the most amazing vocalist.
There's not a single person that I know who touches him. Bands
that just do super-low vocals like Soils of Fate are good, but
it's nice if you can mix 'em. He can scream and also do low
vocals. You can hear it on songs like "The Hunt". He used no
effects at all on the album.
GC: He has a big range. He can do loads of stuff. The screams, the
growls: we don't often know what's going to come next.
DM: And the breathing he does -- where he's exhaling and inhaling at
the same time -- that allows him to go super low. On the album
everything has been over-dubbed, so you've got two vocal tracks
going at the same time, mixing in, but in the rehearsals you hear
him and you wouldn't even think it's a human being.
GC: I mean, we're playing and suddenly you're like <turns head in
fixation as if distracted from playing a guitar>... fucking hell!
It's good to have someone like that because with Dave we'll be
playing a song and he just takes off.
DM: He's basically our bass player. When we're playing something high
up he'll do a low, deep growl and that complements it.
CoC: In a lot of death metal bands the vocals are just superfluous.
DM: Yeah, and I mean, I am not knocking any other bands, but there
are certain vocal patterns which basically just stick with the
beat. There are people out there who just grunt and scream, and
that's great, but we want to do more than that. I love great
vocal patterns. I mean, Chris Barnes, he may be very low, but
he's written some nice vocal patterns.
GC: I mean it's not just the vocals, it's the pattern as well.
DM: Like early Cancer, great fuckin' vocal patterns. Cryptopsy is
just fucked up, but that still works, 'cause you wouldn't want
someone grunting all the way through that -- the music does
enough. [Lord Worm's] whole psychological edge just pays off.
Like I was reading that review of the nineties [in Terrorizer
magazine --Paul] where it said that the vocals are not just about
the singin', it's like another musical instrument whereas in
other genres it's not. In this it is an instrument and Dave -- if
it was a guitar it would be a fuckin' ten thousand pound BC
Rich... with sixteen cabs. <we all laugh>
GC: A la Slayer.
CoC: "The Hunt" and "Black Pope" move things on quite a bit from the
demo tracks. There's also a full blown solo on "Demons of
Darkness".
DM: That was sort of my idea to try that out. I think it works really
well, sounds a bit like Death. I don't really like white-noisy
solos, but I've never been against doing something good. We tried
that.
GC: "The Hunt", on the other hand, has been kickin' about for two
years or so. That song came about on the spur of the moment.
People said we couldn't have clean bits 'cause it's death metal
or whatever, but we just liked it. Like I said before, if we like
it and it sounds good, we'll have it.
CoC: Good attitude. It's surprising that so many people are still
surprised at acoustic bits.
GC: Yeah, like Vital Remains did all those classical bits. That's
totally different but it's brilliant.
CoC: It's also really good, because a lot of bands will use acoustics
or keyboards as an intro and -then- come in with something
really heavy, but there are few bands who put it into songs
well. Vital Remains have those big riffs with acoustic guitars
behind them.
GC: Yeah, and sometimes you wonder what's going on, but then again
you have to admire what they're trying to do, because they're not
just adding an element, they're just trying stuff out and seeing
what works.
DM: You try something, and if it works, it works. I mean, in the new
stuff we've got three songs which have slow bits either bang in
the middle or at the start. You appreciate it 'cause it flows. I
mean, there aren't many bands who use acoustic bits; some, but
not many. Thing is "The Hunt" and "Evil, Evil" are about Robert
Ramirez: "The Hunt" is actually about him stalking his victims
and "Evil, Evil" is about what's going on in his head. So that
acoustic start is sort of like an old horror film, in a way.
You've got that and then at the end you've got "I am the stalker"
and all these fucked up screams. It sounds... "evil evil".
CoC: "Evil, Evil" is a very full-on track.
DM: It's a great song and it's a great song title as well.
GC: All the songs on the album have enough variation so you don't get
bored. The listener will be sitting there from start to finish
paying attention because of the variation. But we always like to
be full-on.
CoC: Are you -aiming- to make it more and more brutal as time goes on
or are you really not worried about whether it sounds -more
extreme- next time 'round?
DM: Well, we're always going to stay brutal.
GC: That's a really important element, but we don't sort of plan it.
DM: We can go brutal with a groove, not like stoner rock or Pantera,
but...
CoC: Like Dying Fetus, but not in their style?
DM: Yeah, just something you can really headbang to. Like the album
but just sort of more progressed. I think everything comes with
age. Like I said before: this line-up has been together a year
now so things are fuckin' flowing and moving on. We've done a lot
of work and we're getting there and the new stuff we're writing
is so, so good. It has different elements in it from the album.
GC: I mean, to give you an example, when we got Jeremy [Gray,
guitar] and Declan in we wrote two songs -- "Legions of Death"
and "Demons of Darkness" -- in one weekend on the second practice
we were together. That's how strong the line-up is. It just
happened like that. The chemistry just all clicked. This line-up
has only been together for a year and it's getting stronger and
stronger and stronger.
DM: I really think our live show is really getting there. It's all
improving, but when we get reviews that criticise things we work
on them. It's almost like a new band that's been together for a
year now: that's the way I look at it.
CoC: With the lyrics. Does Dave usually write lyrics post-practice?
GC: If we write a song at band practice we record it and he takes it
home and works on it, and the next week or whenever he's done the
lyrics, he brings it down and works out vocal patterns and puts
it all together. And we all work together.
DM: I mean, Dave is a really intelligent guy, he does not write shit.
He goes home and works on ideas and makes sure the song has a
good vocal pattern, because you can ruin a song with a bad vocal
pattern. And the lyrics behind it are always good twisted lyrics.
CoC: Is a lot of it about serial killers?
GC: Well, we've got stuff about serial killers, demonology...
masochism, which is Dave's thing. He's well into that.
DM: He loves it, if you look at his arms and his chest it's testament
to it. He's got big Baphomet seals on there that are not there
for show. He's a step above what a lot of people think. He
doesn't do things to be cool, he does things because he means
them. He'll carve stuff into him because that's what he loves.
Some of the stuff is like your basic death metal, like "Butcher
Knife".
GC: Then you've also got the blasphemy sort of side of things,
because we all hate religion, basically.
DM: Dave's not a big fan of Jesus.
GC: Me, personally, I can't stand the whole religion thing.
Christianity, I fuckin' despise it, to be perfectly honest.
CoC: 'Cause you've grown up with it?
GC: I've just seen what it's done to people. I know a few people that
are like Jehovah's Witnesses and I've seen the damage that can
do.
CoC: In what particular way?
GC: It breaks up families and that kind of stuff. I mean,
Christianity I hate with all my heart.
DM: At the end of the day, Christianity is just based around -wars-
<they both sound in>. At the end of the day the most wars and the
biggest killings have all been caused through religion. How the
fuck anybody can deny that and look at the Roman Catholic Church
in Italy that's got all this money and at the end of the day they
give none of it to the poor. I think that if you want to believe
in that, fine, but it's not about whether it's something I
believe or don't believe in. I think that just finding out things
on your own and whatever your guide is, is just fine. The whole
concept of being told what to do by God or Jesus or the Ten
Commandments, that's bollocks. At the end of the day it boils
down to: if you're intelligent you'll work out what the right
thing is to do. That guides you. At the end of the day everybody
knows what right and wrong is and it's up to you what you do with
that.
GC: Everyone's got an opinion, but the way I see it there are more
important things in life than religion. Things like health,
family, there's loads of other things. People are brought up with
religion on the top of their list, above family and all that. I
just can't get my head around that. Being part of a herd led by
some imaginary person and having to do this or that because if
you don't do it then you're gonna burn in hell, fuck it! I can't
stand it.
CoC: Have you had any flak for your beliefs or lyrics?
DM: Our lyrics have been banned from being in the album. It's got
nothing to do with our record company, I know that, but I -think-
it's the people who are actually publishing it. I think it's
kicked up a stink because it's blasphemous. At the end of the day
they are offensive lyrics. In one song Dave actually says that
Jesus is a cunt. Even though Cradle of Filth had t-shirts which
said "Jesus is a Cunt" on the back, that caused a lot of flak,
they got away with that, but there was a reason. We're not sure
what's really gone on. What we do know is that it's got nothing
to do with our record company. It's a shame that our lyrics
aren't in there, but I think there are talks of it being
re-pressed anyway. It's good publicity too.
GC: But we wouldn't write these lyrics if we didn't mean them. These
are our thoughts. We don't give a shit what people think. If they
don't like it, don't read it or don't listen to it. It's as
simple as that.
CoC: It's different from bands who write stuff -to be- offensive.
DM: I think that's pretty childish.
CoC: I could understand why people would want to get rid of stuff
like that. People saying stuff unthinkingly to cause trouble;
there's no need for it. But people who want to say something and
can't, that's what I call censorship. Immolation said similar
things about their lyrics. The reason I asked about whether
religion had been part of your life was because the reason
Immolation were so anti-Christian was because they got sent to
Catholic school.
DM: I went to Catholic school too, and I didn't like the way it was
run. Coming back to the lyrics, I think stuff like the Cradle of
Filth top -- I mean it is quite funny -- -it is- going to draw
masses of attention, but at the end of the day it's not telling
anyone anything.
CoC: It's interesting, though, the way that God and Jesus get a lot
of flak because they symbolise the religion. I can understand
that symbolically, but in the end it's the people who are doing
it.
DM: Maybe you should just shout out the name of your local priest!
<we all laugh>
GC: Yeah, I know what you mean, though, with the guy from Immolation
going to Catholic school. There's a few people in my family who
are Jehovah's witnesses. I've seen it. I've spent God knows how
many hours arguing and arguing. What gets me is when they try and
force it on you. I mean, if someone's a Jehovah's witness, fine,
that's what they are. It's when they start laying it on: that's
when it winds me up big time.
DM: It's basically up to people to look at things. It's like albums,
bands, censorship: if you don't want to look at something, don't
fuckin' look at it. With bands Cannibal Corpse, I don't really
find gore and stuff like that bad, because it's basically made
out of caricatures. But it's a death metal band. What the fuck
are people going to expect? If Mariah Carey fuckin' all of a
sudden had something offensive maybe, whereas we haven't got
responsibilities. Because we're not influencing really young
kids. I think these pop bands who are going out and getting
really pissed, snorting all this shit up their nose, I think
they're the ones who've got the problem, because I think they've
got a responsibility. These people are only there because people
are buyin' their fuckin' records and if a nine year-old girl
suddenly thinks it's fuckin' cool to fuckin' do drugs because of
that twat Noel Gallagher or whatever -- I think if you've got
responsibilities, accept them. It's almost like being a mother.
You don't say things that are bad in front of your kids, you
don't swear at them or whatever. Adults work things out for
them-fucking-selves, and if you don't like something, don't
fuckin' look at it.
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T R U L Y T R A N S Y L V A N I A N
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Negru of Negura Bunget
by: Pedro Azevedo
In a way, it should be one of the last reasons for you to feel like
investigating a band's work, but a black metal band from
Transylvania, of all places, is bound to at least generate some
curiosity. These Romanians, however, are quite detached from all
Stoker-isms and today's fashionable gothic vampyrism, and prefer to
discuss more spiritual and cultural issues. In CoC #38 you can find a
review of their second release, the _Sala Molksa_ MCD (which followed
their debut full-length _Zirnindu-sa_). With a second full-length
release on the band's horizon, Negru of Negura Bunget answered our
e-mail questionnaire.
CoC: I have seen the expression "Transylvanian Spirituality"
associated with your music quite often, but not in a vampyric
sense as might be expected. Can you tell us more about it?
Negru: Indeed, this Transylvanian Spirituality concept is one of the
most important for us. We see all of this matter as a complex
set of practices and beliefs gathered around these lands over
the millenniums, some of which are still active in the deep
spheres of today's traditional Romanian mentality. The
vampyric elements are a part of this whole, an important one,
but usually not in the form and manner the outsiders would
expect. I mean, all this modern preoccupation with the vampire
matter is usually nothing but pure romantic garbage. The real
local elements connected with the matter of vampyrism are
about burial rituals, the view over the relations between this
world and the dead one, about immortality. All kinds of
concrete beliefs and practices are performed even today in
these contexts. But all of this we see is a result of some
national archetypal spiritual patterns of behaviour and
understanding, impressed over the millenniums on our
collective unconscious. Through our black metal involvements
we always try to explore the ultimate consequences of these
archetypes in a process of constant spiritual evolution.
CoC: Would you accept to play live with a black metal band you might
consider as pseudo-vampyric -- like Cradle of Filth, maybe?
N: Personally I could imagine such a possibility, not because I'm
such a big fan of CoF (more like the opposite, in reality), but
because I think we should assume such a responsibility if we'd
like to really speak about the real aspects of these matters. But
it would be really subversive towards CoF.
CoC: As far as I know, you were born in Transylvania, like the
notorious Dracula. I suppose Dracula, Transylvania and vampires
have become such trendy subjects these days that you could
probably set the record straight about certain inaccuracies.
What is your point of view on these subjects?
N: Well, you're right! Especially that I'm quite familiar with real
history as well as with the mythological consequences of this
reality. This situation is quite difficult for us. If we want to
speak about such a thing, first we must say what it doesn't mean,
and only in the end what it really is all about. At the same time
it is quite fascinating to see how a local element created such
hysteria all over the world.
CoC: Just out of curiosity, how does it feel like to look at the
title of a legendary black metal album like Darkthrone's
_Transylvanian Hunger_ and see the name of your birthplace
there?
N: Actually, that album was always quite special for us. But I was a
little bit disappointed when I had the opportunity to ask Fenriz
about it and he chose not to elaborate on it.
CoC: Although you do use keyboards, you still seem to be quite
concerned with keeping your music rather raw. In what way do the
keyboards help you reach your kind of musical objectives, when
many believe that there is no place for keyboards in the raw
black metal upon which your sound is based?
N: I think it all depends on the way you use the keyboards. I mean
you can use them to make your sound much softer, with a musically
melancholic touch, but at the same time you can use the keys just
to accentuate the intensity of the atmosphere you want to create.
This last one is the way we try to use the keyboards in our music.
We really enjoy that raw savage feeling, but at the same time all
the keyboard atmospheres are very important for our music.
Moreover, I like to think that through those keyboard atmospheres
you can also express some spiritual aspects of the actual music
much better.
CoC: Does the fact that Romania is the only Latin country in Eastern
Europe have any influence in your music?
N: I think it is actually quite the contrary. We usually focus on the
local elements previous to the Roman Empire conquest of Dacia from
106, destroyed by the very latinisation process. On the other
hand, we are who we are today as a result of all of these, so it
wouldn't be logical and rational to try to deny this.
Consequently, we assume this Latin identity trying at the same
time to reveal the ancient pre-Latin spiritual elements.
CoC: What does "Negura Bunget" mean? And what about your album titles
and lyrics? I believe there is quite a strong connection with
ancient Romanian history; can you give us more details on that?
N: Firstly, I should say that we see our name as having more of a
symbolic nature. It is the most appropriate expression for the
unknown, the inexpressible parts of our spiritual system,
something that surpasses our natural abilities of understanding.
That way it means a black fog, coming from a deep, dark, dense
forest. It tries somehow to picture the kind of atmosphere (both
musical and spiritual) we'd like to portray through our music.
Also, the two words are from the Dacic-Tracic substrate of the
Romanian language, the oldest, containing about 80 words, as the
connection with our spiritual past is very important and symbolic
for us. As for our albums' names, _Zirnindu-sa_ is quite
untranslatable into English; coming from the Indo-European term
"zirna" (black), it would be something like turning into black,
dying. As for _Sala Molksa_, that's also from the Indo-European
items. It is also in close connection with our ancient Dacic
ancestors' highest spiritual value: immortality. This way, _Sala
Molksa_ is the very place of unbeingness, where the bravest
ancient warriors went after their glorious death. All our lyrics,
except the one and only from _Sala Molksa_, are in old Romanian
languages. We always focus on getting the most of the spiritual,
semantical and phonological atmospheres of the places we came
from.
CoC: I personally don't know any other Romanian metal bands; which
ones are currently thriving in the Romanian metal underground
these days, in your opinion? What do you think the Romanian
metal scene is like compared to other countries in your region
of Europe?
N: Well, I would say there are a few very interesting bands in the
Romanian metal underground. I would recommend Psychosymphony, with
an impressive progressive death/thrash easily similar technically
to Death or Cynic; Grimegod, quality death/atmospheric/gothic/dark
or the dark/ambient Thy Veils. I think the Romanian metal scene is
nothing less than the others from around here. Unfortunately, I'd
say not many do know or want to properly promote their music.
CoC: You have recently released an MCD, _Sala Molksa_. How would you
describe the material, compared to your previous album
_Zirnindu-sa_? And what do you think will be the main musical
changes in the forthcoming full-length compared to _Sala
Molksa_?
N: I would say _Sala Molksa_ is much faster than _Zirnindu-sa_,
except of course for the first track, a little bit more complex
too. Also, on the second track we used a quite concrete Romanian
folkloric touch, a territory we'll probably explore subtly in the
future. In fact, we see _Sala Molksa_ as a transition between the
first album and the second one. It's not so different from the
first one, but for sure not at all like the next one will be. On
this one, there shall be more speed, cruelty and savagery, a quite
new and unique lyrical style, and quite a few other things as
well. But you better wait and hear for yourself.
CoC: What did the addition of a third member, Spurcatu, change in
Negura Bunget?
N: It was actually a move we prepared for a long time, as he played
live with us for quite a while. Our main intention was to compose
all the music from the very beginning with two guitars, instead of
only one, and another one just into the studio, as we previously
did. And I think it was a good move, you can see that a little bit
on _Sala Molksa_, but mostly on the new album, where there shall
even be five guitars at a time.
CoC: With a new full-length album being prepared, what other plans
does the band have for the near future?
N: We are about to enter the studio these days to record the new
album. As we worked on this one for more than two years, we really
have high expectations. So, for the moment we are focused mainly
on it. We are also preparing for the near future the re-release of
our first demo, _From Transylvanian Forest_, strictly limited to
345 hand-numbered copies, with a brand new cover, and two new
songs recorded live at our rehearsal place.
CoC: Any final words for this interview?
N: Thank you very much for the opportunity. Stay black!! And may the
ZSALAMOLKXISA be your way!!
Contact: Negura Bunget (Negru),
Str. Timis, Nr.1, Sc. D, Et. 3, Ap. 16,
1900, Timisoara, Timis, Romania
mailto:negura@hotmail.com
http://members.tripod.com/~NeguraBunget/
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/ _ \ | |\_ |__ __ __ _____
/ /_\ \| | | __ \| | \/ \
/ | \ |_| \_\ \ | / Y Y \
\____|__ /____/___ /____/|__|_| /
\/ \/ \/
_____ .__
/ _ \ _________.__.| | __ __ _____
/ /_\ \ / ___< | || | | | \/ \
/ | \\___ \ \___ || |_| | / Y Y \
\____|__ /____ >/ ____||____/____/|__|_| /
\/ \/ \/ \/
Scoring: 10 out of 10 -- A masterpiece indeed
9 out of 10 -- Highly recommended
7 out of 10 -- Has some redeeming qualities
5 out of 10 -- You are treading in dangerous waters
3 out of 10 -- Nothing here worth looking into
0 out of 10 -- An atrocious album, avoid at all costs!
Agent Steel - _Omega Conspiracy_ (Candlelight, December 1999)
by: Paul Schwarz (6 out of 10)
Like so many bands who have of late attempted to rekindle the fire of
mid-eighties metal, Agent Steel are, put simply, irritating. I really
don't care if they have a "history" or if they've "paid their dues",
because whatever their past, the simple fact is that the majority of
_Omega Conspiracy_'s songs fail to emote or invigorate me in any
significant way whatsoever. Repetitive riffs and chorus tirades, a
somewhat flat production and spectacularly irritating vocals make the
whole thing a pretty dull experience in retroistic, unoriginal metal
songwriting, and only the well executed "Into the Nowhere" and a
fleeting few moments otherwise rescue _Omega Conspiracy_ from the
bottom of the proverbial barrel. This would have been a sub-standard
metal album if it had been released at the dawn of the last decade;
being released at the dawn of the new millennium puts it in no better
position.
Aghora - _Aghora_ (Dobles Productions, April 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
Where the fuck did this record come from? Right out of left field, I
tell ya. Managing to incorporate the ways of The Netherlands' The
Gathering and the now defunct progressive/technical outfit Cynic (go
figure, as two members of that defunct band now call Aghora home),
the Florida-based act are flying high in a world of technical ecstasy
and emotional overload. This debut disc is a rock solid affair of
metal mastery, not afraid to venture forth with diverse offerings to
slow and/or quicken the pace at a second's notice. Singer Danishta
Rivero's vocals work wonders over the rhythmic groove (thanks to
Cynic alumni Sean Reinert and Sean Malone) and the hypnotizing guitar
work of Santiago Dobles and Charlie Ekhendal. A must for any
prog/technical metal junkie.
Anorexia Nervosa - _Drudenhaus_ (Osmose, February 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (7 out of 10)
Lacking neither aggression nor atmosphere, Anorexia Nervosa
nevertheless fail to quite get a really good and infectious black
metal mixture of the two. I can't deny that "A Doleful Night in
Thelema" or "Dirge and Requiem of My Sister Whore" as much display a
crushing guitar bite as they do the considerable orchestration (which
embraces such Cradle of Filth or Dimmu Borgir-like excesses as ten
tracks of violins) and crushing, tight drumming -- along, of course,
with that Filthy habit of convoluting song titles. However, at the
same time I must point out that _Drudenhaus_ does fail to be
seriously original and also lacks an x-factor in quality which would
make it preferable over the majority of other releases in its field.
The biggest stumbling point is the vocals; mixed too low and blandly
uncharacteristic, they clinch the deal on Anorexia Nervosa's lack of
individuality. _Drudenhaus_ is very accomplished and it is certainly
contemporary, but it isn't the way for the future, neither is it the
best example of its style.
Carnival in Coal - _French Cancan_
by: Paul Schwarz (7 out of 10) (Season of Mist/Kodiak, January 2000)
This is definitely one of the most unusual and worthwhile covers
albums out there, and quite a pleasingly amusing and surprising
extreme metal release into the bargain. Reshaping tracks from metal
acts like Ozzy Ozbourne ("Bark at the Moon"), Pantera ("Fucking
Hostile"), Morbid Angel ("Fall From Grace") right through to Genesis
("Mama"), Afric Simon ("Piranha"), Michael Sambello ("Maniac") and
Gerry Raferty ("Baker Street") in ways so intentionally odd that the
track-listing will give you little indication of what exactly you'll
be listening to, Carnival in Coal have hit upon a relatively original
idea, though it is one that has been attempted, and successfully so,
before. Thus we begin with the non-drastic, though storming, death
metal beefed "Bark at the Moon", and move through bizarre reworkings
like that of "Fall From Grace" (sounding in parts merely like
Laibach's powerful remixes, though not as powerful, while adding
symphonic, carnival-esque and nursery-like synthesizer sounds at
others) before finally closing with the continuously chortle-inducing
moog/lounge-room jazz version of "Fucking Hostile". Ultimately, it is
more satisfying for laughing than enjoying as music, although
occasionally the band's talent for moving between styles and
reworking familiar music into new frameworks evidences itself so
strongly that one has to take a moment to admire their daring.
However, it is still a covers album. There is nothing strictly
original here, no track I would choose over the originals, and I
doubt that in a year or maybe even less I will have any interest in
putting this on for more than a fleeting few minutes to laugh at how
easily and amusingly the same music can be controverted by a change
of style.
Cephalic Carnage - _Exploiting Dysfunction_ (Relapse, April 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
There is no question in my mind that Colorado act Cephalic Carnage
get off big time with their "Rocky Mountain Hydro-Grind", a deafening
mix of death metal and grindcore, meshed together by an insane
barrage of unavoidable mayhem. This is like director Stanley Kubrick
leading the venomous onslaught of Brutal Truth. From the get go,
Cephalic Carnage hit us high and low with their music, especially on
songs like "Hybrid", "Rehab" and "Cryptosporidium". Just feel the
bruises welting all over you. The quintet has managed to escalate the
vile insanity that has been etched into the grindcore sound since the
beginning, though they have taken it one step higher. Stand back and
watch the insanity take over, folks.
Crowbar - _Equilibrium_ (Spitfire, April 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (9 out of 10)
For their sixth(!) record Crowbar have essentially played things a
bit safe. This is not to say that they have slacked-up; their steady
(out)flow of quality sludge-ridden, Sabbath-rooted heavy and moving
metal tirades has not halted or even slowed its course. The likes of
"I Feel the Burning Sun", "Equilibrium", "Down Into the Rotting
Earth" or "Euphoria Minus One" riff it up with the style and tugging
groove the band have always been capable of delivering, while
"Command of Myself" and rich, melody-soaked closer "Dreamweaver" pay
lip service to the melodic developments which blossomed so
beautifully on their 1998 _Odd Fellows Rest_ record [CoC #33]. In
fact, _Equilibrium_ may even be a more complete record than _Odd
Fellows Rest_: I can't quite decide. However, though its songwriting
quality is hard to fault, _Equilibrium_ deserves some scrutiny for
its lack of daring. This is the sense in which Crowbar have played
things safe. I almost went as far as to downgrade them to a merely
impressive 8.5 for their unwillingness to take another leap on top of
_Odd Fellows Rest_'s bound, but that wouldn't really have done them
justice. This is a cool record, if you're a fan you'll definitely be
more than satisfied, and if you haven't yet got a Crowbar record, or
haven't -got- the band up 'til, now then this is, if you'll pardon
the pun, the best thing to weigh up the situation with. _Equilibrium_
exploits all the band's previously-known and well-loved talents.
Decapitated - _Winds of Creation_
by: Paul Schwarz (8.5 out of 10) (Wicked World / Earache, April 2000)
Vader may have excelled with their most recent _Litany_ offering, but
my advice to Peter and the gang is to check their six pretty
carefully over the next few years, 'cause if they start losing it,
Decapitated are liable to quickly overtake them. However, Vader seem
more than aware of Decapitated's existence; Peter himself gave _Winds
of Creation_ its double bass crush and tearing guitar attack down at
Poland's Selani studio. And unsurprisingly, yes, there are strong
nods to Vader throughout _Winds of Creation_'s forty odd minutes
(inclusive of a cover of Slayer's "Mandatory Suicide") but nothing
which comes close to plagiarism. Even if there -was- some minor
plagiarism here, I'd vote to give Decapitated some leeway simply for
the fact that their average age is seventeen and they've belted out a
great death metal record. However, this is not a band who need to be
given leeway. _Winds of Creation_ stands up to releases by good,
well-established and experienced death metal acts, and beats out a
fair number of the second-graders with two or sometimes four albums
to their name. My biggest gripe is with Sauron's vocals, which,
though amply indecipherable and low, are a tad one-dimensional and
tend to drown themselves in the music. Fortunately Vogg's guitars and
Vitek's drums have more than enough great hooky riffs, time changes,
breaks and inspired solos between them to make up for the lack of
involving vocals. Between Decapitated and Hate Eternal, Earache's
Wicked World really seems to be putting the label back in extreme
music's good books; let's hope that Decapitated have more joy with
the label than their Polish brothers Vader did back in the early
nineties. Here's hoping and wishing these promising youngsters all
the best.
Deceased - _Supernatural Addiction_ (Relapse, February 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (9 out of 10)
Though I may not share drummer and vocalist King Fowley's opinions on
nineties death metal giants like Morbid Angel (for the uninformed
amongst you, he is -not- a big fan, to say the least), I have no
problem accepting his difference of opinion -- in fact, if it keeps
Deceased so craftily juxtaposing "traditional" death metal thrashery
(a la Possessed or Venom) with the classic melody-driving heavy metal
textures of the NWOBHM movement, then I am more than happy for him to
call one of my favourite bands whatever expletive he might wish.
Three years after the sixty-eight minute zombie-horror concept
masterpiece of _Fearless Undead Machines_ [CoC #23], Deceased have
changed lyrical focus considerably, drawing on more traditionally
spooky, "morbid and macabre" horror like Edgar Allan Poe for this
latest opus. However, it is _Supernatural Addiction_'s musical
developments which are the more significant to their career.
_Fearless Undead Machines_ toyed with metal melody; _Supernatural
Addiction_ embraces it with open arms. Horrified long-time fans
mouthing sell-out to themselves need not fear; Deceased retain their
hard death/thrash character, they just don't let it hold them back
from crafting full-blown melody wrangling metal tunes. Near-perfect
metal storyteller "A Very Familiar Stranger" is -the- example to
prove how beneficial this is. Lyrics and music intertwine seamlessly
on this songwriting standout while Simon Efemey's air-tight
production, which has fine-tuned Deceased's sound into a monstrous
and powerful but obedient beast, does its magical work on bringing
out every note and line with incredible clarity and power. Deceased
can still thrash head-down with the best, but they can also cram
melodic hooks into riffs which now absorb them, procreating a
wonderfully metalised twin-guitar attack which consumes about half of
_Supernatural Addiction_. Nevertheless, the simplistic two-riff crush
of closer "Elly's Dementia" or the dark thrashing textures of "The
Hanging Soldier" affirm that traditional Deceased tactics are far
from, well, deceased. _Supernatural Addiction_ is one-hundred percent
Deceased from start to finish, but it does see them once again draw
on and incorporate new influences into their own distinctive -- I'm
tempted by the word unique -- style. Surrounded by poor power metal
retroism and inadequate Gothenburg Maidenisms of death metal,
Deceased have raised a pronged fist in the air and remembered what it
is to be dark, raging and most importantly metal as hell. Their solos
are forged of pure melting melody and their riffs of frenetic
thrashing steel. Chorus hooks grip you like the Cenobites gripped
"Hellraier"'s Frank, and they craftily temper the thrashing guitars
and hammering percussion. King Fowley's damned screams despairingly
strain to make sense of it all with character and impact as their
primary qualities. Definitely a mark by which to measure great metal
by; crank it, bang your head and scale those air guitars!
December - _Praying Hoping Nothing_ (Inzane Records, 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
Knocked to the floor from the opening track "Umbilical" -- Nevada
quintet December (sounds like an European avant-garde band name,
doesn't it?) lash out ferociously with a hard 'n' heavy metal
assault. With a tinge of hardcore added to the pot, December groove
and plow through this offering on such notable numbers as "Heaven
Below", "8 Years" and "Mouthful of Sand". My only complaint? The
drums are too loud in the mix/production. Other than that, these guys
sound like sick fuckers live. Just goes to show that there is more
than casinos and brothels in the Nevada area to take note of.
Desecration - _Inhuman_ (Copro, February 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (7 out of 10)
Desecration have moved up three points in my esteem in the year and a
half since their posthumous _Murder in Mind_ album [CoC #32] and,
though I don't see Desecration repeating such an exponential increase
and scoring a 10 for their next album, one listen to _Inhuman_ will
amply demonstrate why. Not only have Desecration tightened up their
production, got a real drummer into the band to lay down some deadly
precision percussion, and become a mite more sophisticated with their
chosen riffs, they've even gone as far as including some classy
little solos on a choice few tracks. However, whatever may be said
about change or alteration, the main factor about Desecration is (and
likely will always be) that they are essentially stalwarts. If you're
looking for innovation, be it in the form of odd time signatures,
flirtations with romanticism or even a bout of clean vocals or a
truly melodic guitar passage, you'd best look elsewhere 'cause you
won't find it here. What has changed about Desecration is that their
stalwartism is now at least convincing. They bash out death metal in
the traditional American style with all its trappings and trimmings,
but they do it well, and that's definitely worth something.
Earth Crisis - _Slither_ (Victory Records, June 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
Everyone's favorite hardcore/metal vegans Earth Crisis come into 2000
with one of the most volatile and extremely heavy-ass records. While
not as bomb-dropping as labelmates Snapcase's release with _Designs
for Automotion_, Earth Crisis return to their roots and original
label (after a one album stint with Roadrunner) and the results
couldn't have been more exciting. Managing to stir up enough emotion
and deafening cries of aggression, the band storms through a sonic
assault of heavy vibes and mosh pit worthy material -- and the music
of _Slither_ is also chock-full of strong harmonies to boot. Earth
Crisis still rock and it's nice to see that they aren't afraid to
turns things up. This is a great record that is full of gems, most
notably the title track, "Provoke", "Agress" and "Arc of Descent".
Einherjer - _Norwegian Native Art_ (Native North Records, April 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10)
My only previous impression of Einherjer's sound came from their
_Dragons of the North_ album on Century Media, and I really wasn't
impressed. _Norwegian Native Art_, however, is quite a step forward
for the band, at least compared to _Dragons of the North_. Their
Viking metal is based upon a guitar sound that tends to occasionally
remind me of Old Man's Child's _The Pagan Prosperity_ [CoC #27]
(especially on the fourth track), generally aiming to sound energetic
and dynamic and leaving the more melodic tasks for the keyboards. The
mostly snarled/sung vocals behave much better than the previously
more Viking-inspired ones, which certainly helps. This time Einherjer
do achieve several memorable passages throughout the album, but the
sheer intensity, atmosphere and inspiration of an album like
Borknagar's _The Olden Domain_ [CoC #28] is not really achieved here.
The style itself is different, however, and Einherjer have produced
an album which is overall very reasonably enjoyable in its own right.
Contact: http://www.einherjer.com
Contact: mailto:mail@nativenorth.com
http://www.nativenorth.com
Enochian Crescent - _Omega Telocvovim_ (Avantgarde, 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
Considering how good _Omega Telocvovim_ can get, it really becomes
rather hard to understand how this Finnish black metal band
occasionally allows such weaker passages to creep in. Fortunately,
this does not happen very frequently throughout the album, but it
does prevent _OT_ from getting the 9 out of 10 that it would have
otherwise deserved. Nevertheless, despite being quite an irregular
album, _Omega Telocvovim_ is certainly adventurous and even
relatively original -- and, most importantly, has enough overall
quality to compensate for most of that irregularity. During this
guitar-driven album, Enochian Crescent come up with some remarkable
and quite unusual riffs, giving it a considerable level of overall
interest. The fast passages are generally very good, intense and
aggressive; it is during the slower ones, however, that they
experiment with a couple of weaker choruses and less successful clean
vocal approaches. Still, they can also create very moody slow
sections and link them very effectively with fast ones. Impeccable
Tico-Tico production adds the final touch to this rather unusual
piece of Finnish black metal, which, despite a few lacklustre
passages, is definitely very interesting.
For the Love of Suffering - _Sinus_ (<Independent>, 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10)
Seattle, Washington thrash band For the Love of Suffering play some
pretty straight forward thrash metal music. No gimmicks. No variety.
Just the real deal. In the vein of early D.R.I. and Sacred Reich at
times, this tight outfit storms through an impressive four-song EP
that'll no doubt bring out the early metal rebel in us all. Raw,
bottom heavy and little regard for authority. Dirty metal just sounds
so rewarding at times. Looking for headbanging material, folks? Look
here.
Contact: P.O. Box 47071, Seattle, WA 98146-7071, USA
http://www.fortheloveofsuffering.com
Fury - _Stigmatised_ (<Independent>, March 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (7.5 out of 10)
When I first heard Australian act Fury's eight-song debut disc in
1997, I was impressed. The band was a raging onslaught of hellish
guitar riffs and pounding rhythms in the vein of Pantera, though
radiating a definite death/thrash sound. I knew that in time the band
would allow themselves to mature and lay more focus and care into
their sound. The time has come, folks, as the act from "Down Under"
has lashed out a furious bite of metal harshness in the form of their
powerful four-song EP _Stigmatised_. While still ample of the sounds
of the past, the 2000 version of the band is more pumped and ready to
rumble. While the title track gets thumbs up from this metal head, it
is the opener "Fallen One" that is just so intense and worthy of
repeated listens. Good band, good sound. Let us see where this music
takes them.
Contact: mailto:fury666@deathsdoor.com
http://fury.musicpage.com
Gaahlskagg / Stormfront - _Split MCD_ (No Colours, November 1999)
by: Alvin Wee (8 out of 10)
Germany's pillar of the underground No Colours Records seem to be
spewing out releases faster than Marilyn Manson changes costumes, and
with this split MCD clocking in at a meager 18:31 minutes, it's no
surprise. Briefness aside, both Norwegian hordes put up a rather
impressive showing. Opening with a typically superfluous intro,
Gaahlskagg waste no time crashing into "Skullfuck", a pummelling
attack not unlike Zyklon B's brand of fury. Happily for them (and
us), Gaahlskagg's material possesses a "groove" reminiscent of the
Swedish War, elevating it above Zyklon B's often dull mess. Gaahl's
unearthly shrieks won't disappoint those familiar with his work with
Gorgoroth and Trelldom. News is that a new album is due out in the
Summer. Dark horses Stormfront opt for a somewhat mellower approach,
and one could swear the two tracks here came right off Dimmu Borgir's
_For All Tid_ sessions. Old-timers lamenting the rapid degeneration
of Dimmu Borgir into mainstream pap will no doubt salivate at the
sound of "Styggmyr's Triumpf" and "Trolltog...", two superbly
melancholic dirges so evocative of the early '90s. Black metal has
never needed to be strongly produced, nor brutally delivered, and
Stormfront have proven beyond doubt the effectiveness of obscure,
atmospheric pieces of a quality last heard on _For All Tid_. This is
some of the greatest and most obscure black metal this maniac has
heard in ages, and all those true worshippers of old-style black
metal are urged to get their hands on this album, if only for the two
Stormfront tracks. Perhaps a tape trade would be more in order, until
more substantial releases appear.
Contact: NCR, Postfach 32, 04541 Borna, Germany (price: $14)
Immortal - _Damned in Black_ (Osmose, 2000)
by: Alvin Wee (8 out of 10)
The frostbitten caverns of Blashyrk are working overtime as the
Undying Ones spew out yet another holocaust not a year later than the
last. I met this album with trepidation, fearing that my devotion to
the band (especially after _At The Heart of Winter_ [CoC #39]) would
be shattered by a hasty, under-worked piece. Which isn't saying much.
Darkthrone may be considerably prolific in their work, but a more
elaborate concept like Immortal requires more work to avoid ending up
like latter-day Abigor. The effort that was put into _ATHoW_ was
apparent in the music, and likewise, the fact that _DiB_ is a rushed
job cannot be hidden. Top notch production and irreproachable
musicianship is inevitable, coming from such a label/band pairing.
The inimitable style on _ATHoW_ is reprised here, with somewhat
thrashy riffs filling up gaps in what could otherwise pass off as an
unfinished _ATHoW_ prototype. Now a three-piece (with the addition of
bassist Iscariah), Immortal have upped the brutality level a notch
from their previous outing, but in doing so seem to have lost a tad
of effectiveness. The opening segment to "In Our Mystic Visions
Black", for example, harks back to the days of _Battles in the North_
and the dissonant adjoining riff is a far cry from the enveloping
majesty on _ATHoW_. Fans of their "holocaust-days" might appreciate
the harsher melodies on tracks like "Triumph", and Horgh's
occasionally manic pummeling admittedly adds an edge to their music.
But Immortal, despite their reputation for being hyperfast and
brutal-as-fuck, also have the potential to create monumental
atmospheres, as the previous album proves. And the major fault on
_DiB_ is that this enthralling dramaticism is consistently broken up
by out-of-place disharmonic segments. Atmosphere created by towering
passages like the motif on the title track, or intense riffs on
"Against the Tide", are destroyed by disharmonic, inappropriate
thrash riffing. Unlike _ATHoW_, the listener is never drawn intop the
icy world of untrodden majesty the lyrics evoke. Instead, _DiB_ is a
rather rough ride across rocky battlefields and wastelands. All said,
_DiB_ bears the undeniable mark of vastly experienced and talented
musicians, from whom any album should receive no less than a
near-perfect score. But, disappointingly short (33 minutes), _DiB_ is
no doubt the result of rushed, under-worked material. While still an
excellent album by any standards, it's only respectful to say that
Immortal are capable of far greater things. The sudden release of
this album in a beautiful limited edition cardboard casing of 15000
(!) copies should set cash registers ringing, regardless of what we
reviewers have to say.
Impaled Nazarene - _Nihil_ (Osmose, January 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (8 out of 10)
Maturity, musically or personally, is not something you'd think would
fit Impaled Nazarene. Despite progressing through various successive
mutations of sound and line-up, there has always been an exuberance
-- even more than this, a downright dirty punky, spiteful rage which,
however subdued it may have been at some points by average
songwriting or poor production, was always lingering, and in many
cases leaping forth to deliver a good sound, drunken kicking. And
though the aforementioned attribute (maturity) has now begun to
permeate Impaled Nazarene's sound, courtesy almost certainly of the
contributions of now-second guitarist Alexi "Wildchild" Laiho
(ex-Children of Bodom), they are still an excessively punk, heavy and
metal band. _Nihil_ stands head and shoulders above the band's last
_Rapture_ [CoC #32] effort in terms of production and songwriting.
The drunken punk fury, be it in the style's original musical form or
merely the -fury- manifested as grindcore or black metal, shows no
sign of abating, and this does the band credit, but what is possibly
more impressive are the enriching contributions of Laiho. For while
Impaled Nazarene have always had the potential to give tracks like
"Cogito Ergo Sum" or "Human-Proof" the impact that they do, they have
never before made that impact as exuberantly and forthrightly heavy
metal as it is on _Nihil_. Never have I heard solos or melody,
however vague, be as efficiently and effectively combined into an
Impaled Nazarene album. Whatever disparaging cries they might prompt
from the back row about not being as "nuclear" as before, the fact
stands that Impaled Nazarene have pulled off progression, once again,
with a degree of style rarely seen in metal bands, be they black or
otherwise.
Infestation - _Mass Immolation_ (Lunasound, April 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (8.5 out of 10)
From the instant that opener "Necrospawn" growls and chainsaw-guitars
its way out of your stereo, you'll know that Florida's most crushing
efforts of yester-year are where Infestation's brutal approach to
death metal stems from. They've finally tightened up their ranks and,
with a quality production at their command, provided a definitive
statement of what they're about; an identity. But tracks as visceral
as titles like "Butcher Knife" and "Evil, Evil" suggest are not _Mass
Immolation_'s only dimension. Chunky mid-paced Death or
Massacre-style riffing ("Carrion"), sombre acoustic guitar tones
("The Hunt", "Black Pope") and even a well placed squealing solo
("Demons of Darkness") keep things varied and though Infestation may
not innovate, they more than prove their death mettle (sorry,
couldn't resist that one). The result is a cracking little debut
album which well paves the way forward for greater and more ambitious
things in the years to come.
Judas Iscariot - _Heaven in Flames_ (Red Stream, March 2000)
by: Aaron McKay (8 out of 10)
It becomes increasingly more difficult to explain the differences
between separate varieties of black metal despite how independent
their sound may be. For example, Judas Iscariot boasts proud and
skillful obvious black metal compositions, yet as dauntless as it is,
the music comes across almost repressively understated. An impressive
texture actualizes itself in this technique, I think. Comparatively,
bands like Dark Funeral and Marduk take a direct, marauding strategy.
One no more or less black metal than the other, but it is this type
of alluring sophistications that beguile even the most casual of
fans. (At this point, brevity of subject being a goal, I think it
best not to even touch on the complexities of Bethlehem.) _Heaven in
Flames_ did not take me by surprise as, let's say, _Destroyer_ did,
but rather chose to build upon itself with subsequent listens. I know
that I have brought this up in past reviews, however the comment that
JI's sound coming across as "pulled back" or in some enterprising way
"muted" in feel, is also applicable to _HiF_'s mood. At this point,
having just explained that, I am reminded of Sacrifice's "Storm in
Silence". That title may help communicate the point a bit better.
Certainly underground and defiantly grim, Judas Iscariot does not
suffer from inexperience. This one man project was stoked from
non-existence by Akhenaten, the founder and sole member. Subsequently
releasing five efforts after beginning on Moribund Records with the
1995 debut _The Cold Earth Slept Below_, JI now stands on the
precipice of "Eternal Bliss... Eternal Death", which, by the way, is
my favorite track on the disc. I'd have to say, watch for more from
this guy; Akhenaten knows what he likes.
Krisiun - _Conquerors of Armageddon_ (Century Media, April 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (9 out of 10)
Ahhh, I do love album titles which do my describing for me. For
despite their own protestations that the title refers to the
conquering of their own vitriolic talents and is not a chauvinistic
statement of their devastating abilities, in the case of Krisiun, I
wouldn't have batted an eyelid if they -hadn't- been so damned
humble. _CoA_ is a devastating and beautifully executed barrage of
hyper-speed death metal with a strong thrash feel. After two rough
edged but thoroughly impressive efforts (and yes I -did- overate
_Apocalyptic Revelation_ [CoC #39], looking back it probably should
have been more like an 8 or 8.5 out of 10), Krisiun have found the
perfect plateau from which to deliver their blitzkrieg of a musical
assault. Eric Rutan and Andy Classen must have damn near turned Stage
One into ground zero in creating the thundering monster of double
bass, biting snare and all that lies in-between which was previously
just Max Kolesne playing drums in a studio. With Alex Camargo and
Moyses Kolesne's respective bass/vocals and guitar performances being
turned into some similar demons, Krisiun's final piece to complete
the puzzle has been to pen a fine batch of tunes in their own
inimitable style. It may be hellishly fast and deadly from the
opening barrage of "Ravager" to the blasting, manic close of "Endless
Madness Descends" (with virtually no let up whatsoever in-between),
but never does it drag; never do Krisiun let go their iron hold.
Liar of Golgotha - _Ancient Wars_ (Mascot, March 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (6 out of 10)
It's always a pity when you hear a band who have their shit together
as far as playing and composing goes, and even go to the point of
producing some rather decent promo shots of themselves, but yet there
is something undeniably useless about their music. It's not that it's
quite -bad-, it's just that there is nothing you really have any need
of listening to; you could get more joy of -exactly- the same kind,
out of another release. Boiling it down, _Ancient Wars_'s main
problem is that you could probably pass it off as Dimmu Borgir's
discarded demos. With accompanying symphonic and acoustic elements
prettying up their music as typically as the corpse-paint they have
so meticulously applied for their aforementioned promo photos does
their faces, Liar of Golgotha give us forty-two minutes of distinctly
sugary and somewhat overdone, black(ish) metal, and a poor cover of
"Piranha" (Exodus) for our additional delectation. And I have the
distinct feeling that I used to own at least one record that sounded
like this, but I can't seem to find any in my collection right now,
funny that.
Maniac Butcher / Inferno / Sezarbil - _Proti Vsem_
by: Alvin Wee (8 out of 10)
I would never have had the chance to sample this obscure oddity had a
mail-order not sent it as a replacement for an out of stock item.
Maniac Butcher break new ground here in an unexpected way. "Metal
From Hell", their only contribution to this split album, is a
22-minute long tribute to the old bands. In other words, a medley of
covers from the '80s. Seasoned thrashers might roll their eyes at the
sound of "Deathcrush", "Countess Bathory" and countless other Sodom,
Frost and Slayer barrages whizzing past, but to be frank, naming
every tune wasn't as easy as I expected. While "Metal From Hell"
might make a great icebreaker at your local Metal Gathering, the
remaining nine tracks are far more noteworthy. Those familiar with
the old Polish underground will recognize the raw yet atmospheric
Eastern European trademarks in Sezarbil's five tracks. Evidently
subscribers to Maniac Butcher's infamous "No Keyboards! No Female
Vocals!" campaign, this Czech foursome blaze ahead grimly wielding
buzzsaw guitars with substantial melody. Czech bands have always used
their guttural effect in their music, and Sezarbil are no exception,
lending their material the touch of ugliness forsaken by much of the
scene. Not to mention providing me pages of absolutely unreadable
lyrics. Which brings us to the similarly mystifying Inferno, a
four-piece who appreciate the value of keyboards rather more than
their compatriots. Taking more from the Norwegians, Inferno dish out
four slabs of straight-ahead black metal. Placing emphasis on pure
originality and working on creating killer tracks has worked for many
underground bands, and Inferno seem to be benefiting from the same
ethos. Strong riffage, interlaced with sparse keyboards and galloping
drumming keep proceedings chugging along at a respectable pace, and
Inferno's formulaic playing belies the promise of a considerable
force to come in the Czech underground. All in all, this trinity has
gathered quite a respectable spread which shouldn't be missed by
die-hard followers and collectors alike. Limited to 666 pieces, and
highly recommended for both uniqueness and collectability.
Contact: No label info, but should be sold at
Pussy God Records for $12 only(!!).
PGR: Radim Hora, Stroupecska 2144, 43801 Zatec, Czech Rep.
Midnight Syndicate - _Realm of Shadows_
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) (Entity Productions, April 2000)
The unique collaboration of work between Ohio's Midnight Syndicate
duo (Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka) and well-known gothic fantasy
artist Joseph Vargo continues with _Realm of Shadows_. With a
gothic/soundtrack feel still present within their current sound (as
heard on their past release _Born of the Night_), Midnight Syndicate
do their best this time to conjure the true dark forces of the night
to work over our imagination. Haunting and creepy from all angles,
_Realm of Shadows_ proudly boasts some of the coolest dark, gothic
soundscapes in years. Fans of soundtrack material, or even just
gothic music, will definitely find solace within these Shadows.
Misery Loves Co. - _Your Vision Was Never Mine to Share_
by: Paul Schwarz (7.5 out of 10) (Earache, March 2000)
Misery Loves Co. have come a long way in the five years since their
self-titled debut made its stamp on the metal/industrial overground.
Though never attaining quite the popular notoriety of Machine Head,
Fear Factory or Korn, MLC nonetheless gained an impressive cadre of
followers from a similar crowd, along with a good deal of respect in
the scene in general. Now comes the appearance of this, what was
bound to be MLC's "difficult third album" following 1997's abrasive
_Not Like Them_. What is interesting, though, is that _YVWNMtS_ is
also likely to be the "difficult third album" for their fans to
understand. There is a sense in which it is commercial, but _YVWNMtS_
is not, in essence, a commercial album. Musical borrowings from Nine
Inch Nails arrive expectedly, though in tasteful form, while echoes
of industrial heroes Cop Shoot Cop are perhaps less expected, though
yet more welcome. Parts likenable to the grunge-rock of Smashing
Pumpkins might disturb the average moshcore or even industrial
listener as MLC almost get a bit too happy for their own good, but
ultimately they banish themselves to a suitably gloomy corner before
they can seriously dent their murky veneer. _YVWNMtS_ is a hard album
to assess, and I think that is to its credit. I am not sure how the
band's fanbase will take it; I myself find it a very listenable,
though lengthy, adventure into very much known industrial territory.
It could be more adventurous, and on a grander scale, but judged on
the expectations of the average band _YVWNMtS_ is pretty good, and
MLC have good reason to pat themselves on the back for a job nicely
done.
Mutant - _The Aeonic Majesty_ (Listenable, March 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (8 out of 10)
Quite well described as a combination of The Abyss and Hypocrisy
(Peter Tagtgren's two most extreme projects), Mutant have the
rattling speed and endless fury of the former combined with the
calculated, often regularly pounding riffage of the latter. However,
their chosen production does sometimes over-treble things, making for
an element of tinniness in _TAM_'s overall sound, while the nine
songs on offer, though varied, do not vary quite enough to completely
avoid have any drag. But though Mutant may put the occasional foot
wrong within the confines of _TAM_'s near-forty minutes, the fact
remains that they have positively belted out a ferociously fast,
intense, atmospherically alive and technical blackened death metal
album well worthy of some attention.
Mutiilation - _Remains of a Ruined, Dead, Cursed Soul_
by: Alvin Wee (8.5 out of 10) (Drakkar, 1999)
Long talked about, much sought-after, but unavailable to all but the
most dedicated underground followers. A move that caught most fans
unaware, the release of a new album by the French legends brings both
joy and regret to the die-hards. For the material, while previously
unreleased, is not entirely new, and the liner notes proclaim sad
news: _Remains..._ heralds the withdrawal of one of the most
enigmatic French Black Metal personas from the scene. As Meyhna'ch,
the sole force behind the cult reveals in his farewell notice: "Black
Metal is dead... so what the use to go on?" And rightly so, for the
music on this album is nothing less than a true example to the
watered-down pap which passes for black metal today. In parting, five
tracks dating from 1993 have been exhumed (after the failure to
release it earlier), and together with two tracks from the
_Vampires..._ sessions, they make up one of the most important French
albums in recent years. Opener "Suffer the Gestalt" had me somewhat
worried with its undeniable Abruptum signatures: torturous screams
amidst slow, droning guitars and cursed drumming... better than any
of Abruptum's non-music at any rate. Things take a more traditional
(and comforting) turn with "To the Memory of the Dark Countess", an
exercise in Burzumic shrieks, uniquely plucked riffing and
Fenriz-style drumming. Totally dark and brooding, surprisingly
melodic for music of this nature. Mid-paced, melodic riffs on the
following tracks remind one strongly of demo-era Sorhin... ahhh, the
good old days... The rough four-track production shines through in
the simplicity of the music, being faithful enough to the oddly
memorable melodies (think Vlad Tepes or Burzum), yet raw enough to
give the music a deeply affecting atmosphere of great obscurity and
darkness. Anyone who has enjoyed _Transylvanian Hunger_ will know
what to expect. Interestingly, it is the newer(?) material from 1996
that fails to deliver much more than standard demo-quality black
metal fare. With the introduction of keyboards, much of the raw,
primitive atmosphere has been sacrificed for a
pseudo-symphonic/cosmic effect that falls way short of Emperor's
pioneering works. Ending up more messy than anything else, the two
closing tracks prove a somewhat bitter end to an otherwise ripping
album. Still, any old-timers shouldn't need my urging to pick up this
timeless classic, and if you've ever treasured those old times when
bands like Necromantia and Mortuary Drape were still kings of the
underground, _Remains..._ may be your best chance to capture a final
piece of the ancient French underground. But if _Vempire_ was your
first black metal album, and if you think _Stormblast_ is classic
Dimmu Borgir, then stay away from this one. Stay very, very far...
Contact: Drakkar Prod., B.P. 420, 84071 Avignon Cedex 4, France
mailto:drakkar2@wanadoo.fr
Myrkskog - _Deathmachine_ (Candlelight, February 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (8.5 out of 10)
Attacking their craft like rabid beasts, Myrkskog succeed in
producing one of the most explosive, fast and mechanistic black metal
records, which is unsurprisingly strongly death metal sounding. With
a chunky mountain of hard and complex drumming as its backbone and
electrified walls of sheer metal guitar its tools of destruction,
_Deathmachine_ slices and dices the likes of Dissection, Hypocrisy
and Immortal, digests and then violently vomits forth its own
steaming concoction. Crushingly powerful and with only a few minor
drag points in its thirty odd minutes, _Deathmachine_ is not only a
convincing step, it's also a possible stepping stone to something
truly incredible.
Necrophobic - _The Third Antichrist_ (Black Mark, March 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (8 out of 10)
This somewhat melodramatically titled third album continues in
Necrophobic's cold and fleetingly melodic death/black style. _TTA_
has a good mix of crushing, brutal, to-the-point tracks, and
atmospheric, darkly-melodic-solo-ridden, varied paced ones. From a
Y2K perspective Necrophobic reek strongly of Dissection, though the
respective bands formed at similar times, but to preserve, and not
merely mimic, that brilliant, unholy sound Dissection purveyed.
Throughout, Necrophobic are colder than a day in the Antarctic (aptly
titled third track "Frozen Empire" is all the evidence one needs of
this fact), which is a valuable quality, distinctly lacking in many
so-called death and black metal bands currently doing the rounds.
Thus, though hardly advanced or innovative for where either death or
black metal are at this point in the game, "The Third Antichrist" is
a well played and written reminder of how, with the required talent,
one can preserve both the brutality and the mystery which were once
so inseparable from both black and death metal.
Nocturnal Winds - _Everlasting Fall_ (Aftermath, 1999)
by: Alvin Wee (8 out of 10)
This is by no means a new album, but no doubt due to typical postal
service screw-ups, we only received this in time for this issue. A
tip of the hat to Mr. Holm at Aftermath for this one. Nevertheless,
it's the music that counts after all, and on this piece, Gothenburg
debutantes (oops, they're Finnish are they?) Nocturnal Winds churn
out 45 minutes of impressive fretboard acrobatics. While I may avoid
most Gothenburg acts like the plague, Nocturnal Winds actually manage
to whip up an interesting whirlwind of highly melodic, almost rock
'n' roll riffs with the flair of a band with two demo tapes behind
them (uncommon by today's standards). Tracks like "Frost Divine" and
"Son of the Winterstorm" boast twin guitar attacks and incendiary
solos that manage to keep proceedings exceedingly lively, and despite
my reservations, I found myself tapping my feet not five minutes into
the first track. "My Angel" opens with an outstandingly memorable
lead, flowing into a brilliant interplay of guitars and Jani's
searing vocals. Great work, and impressive even in the deluge of new
melodic death bands, if only for the band's impeccable ear for
melodies. While nothing incredibly groundbreaking, this album belongs
back in the early '90s, when it could have made a much greater impact
on the scene than today. A great release anyway, that shouldn't be
missed by fans of the style. Await a new album from these boys soon,
I'm told.
Contact: mailto:ruholm@online.no (Aftermath)
Of the Fallen - _Ancient Gods of Battles Past_ (<Independent>, 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (6.5 out of 10)
With a real symphonic feel to things, Texas-based band Of the Fallen
set out to shape their blackened realm of metal music with intricate
guitar stylings and some nifty keyboard work. While I was throroughly
impressed with the band's self-titled offering last year [CoC #43],
with the new material I found myself intrigued with what they were
doing (especially on songs like "Dawn of the Blackest Sun" and
"Writhe in Vengeance"), but at the same time my interest started to
fade as the music continued onward. Typical ideas started to take
shape (away from the harsh, blackened cries of aggression and
passionate symphonic elements) and it became evident real fast that
Of the Fallen haven't really edged forward in their take on metal
music. It is still just spinning the same cycle of sounds. With such
a promising debut offering I don't know what happened, but hopefully
some more touring and studio work will help tie up loose ends and
push this promising band forward. Good ideas, but some experience
might help get them past the pack. I'll be watching.
Contact: P.O. Box 203213, Austin, Texas, USA 78720-3212
mailto:ofthefallen@hotmail.com
Old Man's Child - _Revelation 666: The Curse of Damnation_
by: Paul Schwarz (7.5 out of 10) (Century Media, April 2000)
A year on from their _Ill-Natured Spiritual Invasion_ [CoC #32], Old
Man's Child have continued on the upward curve which joined _INSI_ to
1998's _The Pagan Prosperity_ [CoC #27]. Old Man's Child may still be
short of travelling alongside the bands at the very forefront of the
black metal scene, but they are certainly catching up; increasing
their velocity as the years go by. With a nice, rich, Abyss-produced
sound to help them along, Old Man's Child prove themselves more or
less on par with the likes of Dimmu Borgir in procreating atmospheric
but resoundingly aggressive modern black metal. Cranking out some
uncommonly chunky mid-paced riffs not far removed from Immortal's
last two Abyss-spawned offerings, OMC generally thrash and smash
their way pleasingly through the majority of this forty minute
offering with skill and an unusual amount of style. OMC may not yet
be something to wonder at, but with their consistent improvement
album-to-album there is every possibility that they will blossom into
the next level of quality at some point in the near future.
Various - _Panther: A Tribute to Pantera_
by: Adrian Bromley (7.5 out of 10) (Eclipse Records, May 2000)
I know some of you are thinking "A Pantera tribute?" Yes, it is true.
The good folks at Eclipse Records have compiled a pretty decent
tribute record to one of the most successful (though mainstream to a
degree) metal acts out there. As the CD unfolds and homage is paid to
Phil Anselmo and Co., I can only wonder why particular bands covered
certain songs from these Texas big guns. While Disarray slays with
"Cowboys From Hell", ILL Nino does damage with "Five Minutes Alone"
and Strength does justice to "Cemetery Gates", bands like Murder 1
("I'm Broken") and Boiler ("Mouth for War") just bring down the
initial intensity. I know the job of a tribute is to find your own
variation of a particular song, but these bands just slopped their
way through 'em. A few gripes, but overall a solid compilation to
enjoy, especially if you are a Pantera fan. I hear there is a Skid
Row tribute in the works too -- psyche!
Contact: http://www.eclipserecords.com
Various - _Power From the North_ (Digital Dimension/NBA, April 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (3 out of 10)
While this is a great idea for a compilation, the concept/idea
stemming from the fact that present day Swedish hard rock / metal
bands would cover songs written by past Swedish hard rock / metal
acts, there is something that goes terribly wrong once all of this
comes together. Don't get me wrong, some of the material here is kind
of cool (i.e. In Flames covering Treat's "World of Promises", The
Haunted doing Candlemass' "Well of Souls" or The Crown doing Bathory
song "Burning Leather"), but for the most part the way the songs were
covered just seem forced and idiotic. An example of this could be
Gooseflesh doing Trash song "Boogie Woogie Man". Lame with a capital
"L". Take your chance, people, but some classic songs get some bad
treatment here.
Ritual Carnage - _Every Nerve Alive_ (Osmose, March 2000)
by: David Rocher (8 out of 10)
These Japanese poseur bashers' debut, _The Highest Law_, had struck
me as being one hell of a fun, cliched and compelling album to get
one's teeth into; and in a sense, Ritual Carnage's anno 2000
follow-up to their first raucous, thrashing sonofabitch very much
picks up where _THL_ left off. After a mildly lengthy intro sounding
just that bit too much like Slayer's godly "Hell Awaits", _ENA_ kicks
in -- fast and hard. Ritual Carnage's "keeping this simple" formula
clicks just the same way as it always does, graced with a healthy
quantity of pounding drums, biting guitar and throaty vocals. Ritual
Carnage's songwriting has generally progressed vastly in terms of
structures and musicality, but the most noticeable point remains the
attention Damian's bunch now pay to the leads -- _ENA_ literally
oozes with sweeping, screeching 100% metal guitar leads that'll have
the air-guitar gene hidden deep within every metalhead going very
twitchy indeed! _ENA_, my friends, is quite simply a totally METAL
album, in the same way as Deceased's releases are METAL; this is an
hour-long mouthful of intensity, sweaty leather, adrenaline and
cliches with an attitude, and comes as a definitely recommended
listen!
Rollins Band - _Get Some Go Again_ (Dreamworks, February 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (9 out of 10)
Rollins has certainly progressed from the dark, near-suicidal
soundscapes of late eighties Rollins Band product like the aptly
titled _Hard Volume_, and has distanced himself from the gritty,
bitter taste of 1997's _Come in and Burn_, but still (though it is,
at least initially, less harsh) _Get Some Go Again_ lacks none of
either the intensity or poignancy we have come to expect from
Rollins. Ditching all his former band-mates as well as long-time
production helmsman Theo van Rock, Rollins has resurrected his "Band"
half by recruiting LA trio Mother Superior while he himself took
personal charge of production duties. The result is less subtle but
ultimately more solidly rocking than the likes of _Come in and Burn_
or _End of Silence_, seeming to roughly sandwich itself between the
rock spirit of earlier material, showcasing Hank's undying passion
for classic bands like Black Sabbath or Thin Lizzy, and the
calculated grooving of _Weight_. The change of faces is not
completely unnoticeable, but what is initially surprising is actually
how alike the old and new "Band"s are. Likewise, though Rollins'
lyrical delivery utilises some different tactics, there is the same
focus on his self-improvement/strength-in-oneself philosophy. This
time he has, however, allowed more of the sharp-minded maturity of
his poetry, writing and particularly spoken-word work to permeate his
delivery and penning of Rollins Band lyrics. Closing and unlisted
studio-jam "LA Money Train" epitomises this. With MC5's Wayne Kramer
joining them in the studio, the Mother Superior trio band flex their
improvisational muscle in this subdued groover while the man himself
delivers a scalpel sharp eulogy on LA life, with the skill of the
top-class satirist which he has ever been, though previously he
reserved it for his non-musical endeavours. On the flipside, _GSGA_
is also a direct, pumping rock 'n' roll record, a fact no more
evident than on the storming cover of Thin Lizzy's "Are You Ready?",
where the band are joined by former 'Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham.
Juxtaposing muscle and mouth have always been what I found most
endearing about Rollins Band, and _GSGA_ succeeds in doing this while
also displaying more sides of Rollins than any other single product
of his that I have encountered, be it book, album or spoken word
collection. With an abundance of great lyrics, rocking musical
moments and overall crushing power, _GSGA_ is a well-balanced and
forceful statement of the enduring relevance of Rollins Band, and a
damn good album in its own right.
Scarve - _Translucence_ (Furtive Metal / Musisoft, March 2000)
by: David Rocher (8.5 out of 10)
It seems that the French six-piece Scarve have finally made it, after
several years of revelling in the realms of the underground!
_Translucence_ offers ten raging tracks (plus a rather horrid
rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Friends") of massive, aggressive and
quite excellent deathrash that displays a range of very eclectic
influences as well as a sharp taste for experimentation -- Meshuggah
fans rejoice. Scarve's main originality resides in their use of two
permanent singers -- a brutal vocalist, whose vocals range from
hardcore screamed vocals to raucous, phlegm-churning, combined with a
melodic singer, whose power vocals, when they are not given the lead,
are often used to provide a ghostly back-up to Scarve's violent and
dissonant assaults. Dissonance indeed seems to be the keyword for
this album, as Scarve display a very strange sense of melody, which
fuses flawlessly with the massive, syncopated rhythm section led by a
skinsman whose playing is not un-reminiscent of Meshuggah's drum god
Thomas Haake, and under whose technical and powerful skin-thrashing
Scarve's assaults extend from slow, doom-laden parts to high-speed
blasting segues. Whereas they are indeed very reminiscent of
praiseworthy acts such as Meshuggah or Face Down, Scarve definitely
have the personality and originality required to stand their own
ground in the saturated scene, as their influences obviously extend
from 1970's hard rock acts to present-day death metal purveyors, all
the way through the 1980's thrash scene. In addition, _Translucence_
was recorded in Sweden's Dug Out studios, under the masterful
guidance of the sound genius Danne Bergstrand, and boasts a huge,
crunchy sound which serves Scarve's music perfectly. With the mighty
Loudblast now sadly gone, it is a reassuring prospect to see that
with acts such as Scarve, Dementia or Hysteresis, France still has a
lot more on offer than Cradle wannabes of the likes of Anorexia
Nervosa.
Shadows Fall - _Of One Blood_ (Century Media, April 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
One of the most promising metal acts out there right now,
Massachusetts natives Shadows Fall are in a league of their own.
Their sound, their style and their deliverance is unmatched by any
band on North American soil. They are indeed lucky. The sound, a
complex style of multi-layered guitars, melody, powerful guitar riffs
and varied vocal styles, helps shape the diverse offerings of the
band. Mix in the vocals of Brian Fair (ex-singer of hardcore outfit
Overcast) and the speed of, say, At the Gates, mixed with classic
'80s metal, and you can draw your own idea of what they sound like.
Or can you? The proof of their talent is on their Century Media debut
(a follow-up to their successful _Somber Eyes to the Sky_ release in
1997), a debut for the label that not only showcases such talented
material, but a definite break in the cliche offerings that for years
Century Media had been releasing. Shadows Fall may not be the best
band out there, but the album is damn good and they are truly in love
with the notion that metal music can be explored. Make you own
judgement, but I'm sure you'll be agreeing with me soon enough. Note:
the band is touring with Dismember, Kataklysm and Krisiun throughout
North America in June.
Soulreaper - _Written in Blood_ (Nuclear Blast, January 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (8.5 out of 10)
Just as my heart was sinking back into its dormant state after
finding out that the new Morbid Angel and Nile albums will not be
seeing daylight till Fall, this little beast found its way to my
desk. Picking it from the usual pile of unknowns, and casually
dumping it in my CD player, I was not hopeful of what was to come.
"Darken the Sign"'s opening blast beating instantly changed my
attitude, indicating Soulreaper were going to be well worth taking my
time over. The rest of _Written in Blood_'s thirty-five minutes
served amply in confirming this. Though pervaded by black metal
beyond their armoured and grim-looking representation on _WiB_'s back
cover, Soulreaper are for the most part a death metal band.
Mentioning Morbid Angel earlier was not just me grinding a personal
axe; Soulreaper are about as good a substitute for a new Morbid Angel
album as one could hope for. MA's relentless assault is essentially
the template for Soulreaper's approximation of musical annihilation,
replete as it is with skull crushing riffing (at both break-neck and
hammering mid-pace speeds), barbaric drumming and heaving, unheavenly
vocals. The final product further draws very positive parallels with
Aeternus' latest, shockingly violent outburst [CoC #45]. While all
this may mean that Soulreaper do not have originality on their side,
at the end of the day it isn't of too much consequence: _Written in
Blood_ is a classy, violent little beast which provided (in the
ever-depressing month of January when I originally received this) an
invigorating reminder of what treasures another year in extreme music
might bring.
Steel Prophet - _Messiah_ (Nuclear Blast, February 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (6 out of 10)
Time for some honesty. I don't know who Steel Prophet are making
records for, but it certainly isn't me. I have no doubt that if
you've followed the band's long career, liked their Nuclear Blast
debut of last year (_Dark Hallucinations_ [CoC #39]) and want more of
the same, then you'll dig _Messiah_, because it is essentially the
same. The vocal style is the -same- Dickinson-inspired wailing; the
guitars have the -same- subdued crunch to them; the drums have the
-same- heavy, electronic thud; and the song structures are the -same-
traditional metal run-throughs, adding nothing to the tomes of those
who wrote the various rule books. I recognise that this isn't my
personal favourite as brands of traditional metal go and I also
recognise that Steel Prophet are doing a pretty decent job
production, playing and writing-wise in reproducing this sound.
However, simple fact remains that _Messiah_ contains nothing remotely
new, and none of it gets me going more than maybe humming a half line
or taking note of the occasional solo. The mark reflects objectivity
and the fact that _Messiah_ doesn't irritate me like a bad rash,
rather than reflecting an undiluted, subjective, personal opinion.
Stratovarius - _Infinite_ (Nuclear Blast, February 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (7 out of 10)
Coming soaring and wailing from the Helloween school of heavy metal,
Stratovarius immediately land on rather unstable ground as far as I
am concerned. This high-pitched and unashamedly melody-driven breed
of heavy metal can degenerate into horrific cheese at the drop of a
hat, though for the band that can walk its line with skill, it has
the potential to produce truly wondrous results. With these lines of
battle drawn, _Infinite_ turns out to just what you might expect: a
hit and miss affair. The likes of "Hunting High and Low" or
"Infinity" have me wailing (probably hideously out of tune... but
you'll just have to ask the neighbours about that one) along to
chorus and catchy verse line alike and air-guitaring like I should be
permed and suited in spandex (for those super-serious nineties metal
hardboys reading: these are -good- things). However, "Freedom" or
"Glory of the World" are prime examples of where Stratovarius have
crossed that subtle line between excelling and indulging. It's
definitely one for the Helloween/HammerFall fraternity; _Inifinite_
more or less equals these bands' most recent albums quality-wise,
though it offers a slightly different take on the same melodic,
chorus-centric style.
Stuck Mojo - _Declaration of a Headhunter_
by: Adrian Bromley (7.5 out of 10) (Century Media, June 2000)
I don't know whether to like this latest Stuck Mojo offering or hate
it. Not to say that Atlanta's heavyweights have released a bad record
in their career, but this one just throws me for a loop. I worship
the band's 1997 offering _Pigwalk_ and I loved the variety offered by
1998's _Rising_ (though CoC veteran Alain Gaudrault might raise a
point about that record), but the band's new offering sees them
taking their heavy "rap-core" metal sound down the sweetened path of
commercialism. Clean guitars and melodies are woven into the metal
mass of anarchy that the band emits within their wall of Southern
metal and for some reason it is settling my stomach. No doubt backing
vocals of new bassist Dan Dryden have added a new punch to the vocal
rhymes of singer Bonz. I'll still down with the Mojo, it is just that
their groove seems to have become a bit more polished. Choice cuts:
"Set the Tone", "Drawing Blood" and "Evilution".
The Berzerker - _The Berzerker_ (Earache, April 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (6 out of 10)
Earache's promotional efforts to characterise The Berzerker as if it
were the final, horrific monstrosity finally seen at the climax of a
horror film has not succeeded in preparing me for their arrival in
such a way as to augment their musical impact. Essentially drawing on
a grindcore/death base, extracted quite obviously from the halcyon
days of their current stable, The Berzerker nonetheless interestingly
underline standard blasts and aggressive rhythms with a techno drum
sound and occasional garage-derived rhythmic breaks. They also dabble
in keyboard atmospherics and splice some quite amusing samples
between a number of their songs. But ultimately it is all mere
dabbling, for neither any single song nor the album as a whole breaks
new and exciting ground, failing even to, however distortedly, echo
the past with any glorious resonance. The Bezerker don't by any means
compare to experimenters with programmed drums and more danceable
rhythms of the likes of Dodheimsgard, and even their reformatting of
grindcore/death cliches only produces a finite number of seriously
enjoyable moments.
The Crown - _Deathrace King_ (Metal Blade, May 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (9.5 out of 10)
I am going to make this review real short. The Crown have released
their fourth (and best) record yet, titled _Deathrace King_, and it
will come at you harder than a runaway train. Just as the title
suggests, this sucker is built on speed and high speed alone. Big
nods go out to Entombed and Motorhead for inspiring such an
angst-ridden piece of rock 'n' roll metal that'll leave you bloodied
by the wayside. The Crown show no remorse, none whatsoever. Ah, the
way metal is supposed to be. A grand release for 2000.
Vader - _Litany_ (Metal Blade, April 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (9.5 out of 10)
Vader seem to have tapped into whatever supply of drugs or collection
of mystical forces Slayer once sold their (proverbial or otherwise)
souls to to produce the incredible _Reign in Blood_ back in 1986;
they have delivered the essence of their brutal death metal sound
distilled into a concentrated twenty-six minutes. Yes, you read that
right, -twenty-six minutes-: that's all you get (though a reworking
of "The Final Massacre" rounds the CD out to thirty-odd). However,
there is hardly a second's let up in the stellar quality of the
material during that entire time. From the thumping, classically
Vader, death metal pound of "Wings" to the Terrorizer-inspired
blasting precision of "The One Made of Dreams" and on to the more
leisurely tempo but brilliantly structured riffing of "Xeper", Vader
appear frighteningly driven and, I find, are impossible to stop
spinning, and spinning, and spinning. In a year or so perhaps the
immediacy of _Litany_ will leave it with nothing left to offer, but I
seriously doubt it. I really think Vader have hit a writing vein as
rich and unweatherable as that of _Reign in Blood_ or _Pleasure to
Kill_. Time will tell; for the present I'm willing to bet that this
year won't produce enough class-A records to deny _Litany_ a spot in
my 2000 top ten.
Viking Crown - _Innocence From Hell_ (Baphomet, April 2000)
by: Aaron McKay (10 out of 10)
Pure and primitive metal nectar to slake the parch of the current
black metal underground unfolds before you with this, the second
offering from Viking Crown. This rabid release is the life-preserver
you'd want heaved your direction if drowning in the Atlantic or the
extra tall cafe grande to abate your raging caffeine headache.
Absolute brilliance! The insatiable "Anton Crowley" has completely
reworked the rules with _Innocence From Hell_. His mischievousness
miscreant partners enlisted to aid the once staunchly solo VC may not
surprise you; culminating the fiendish promenade are none other than
Killjoy, Anton's bandmate in Necrophagia, as well as in the upcoming
Eibon project, and Opal Enthroned, lending a creative majesty to
_IFH_ with lofty cavalier keyboard workings. As a baseline
comparison, again allow me to refer you to my review of _Unorthodox
Steps of Ritual_ [CoC #42]. A very notable mention goes out to
Patrick Tremblay for scheming together an artwork design for VC that
conspires to be elicit and invoking in its duality, much the same way
the album title strikes you; perfect in style accented by mixed
duplicity and mutually exclusive terminology. Goethe would be proud.
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/ \/ / _ \ \ /\ / / / \/ / _ \| / __|/ _ \
/ /\ / __/\ V V / / /\ / (_) | \__ \ __/
\_\ \/ \___| \_/\_/ \_\ \/ \___/|_|___/\___|
If you have a band, don't forget to send us your demo, including a
bio, if you want to be reviewed. We accept demos either on
traditional media or MP3 format. Email us at
<mailto:Demos@ChroniclesOfChaos.com> to know which is the most
appropriate postal address for you to send your CD or tape, in case
you are sending one, or to indicate the location of a website from
which we can download the MP3 files of your entire demo (but do
NOT send any files attached to your email).
Scoring: ***** -- A flawless demo
**** -- Great piece of work
*** -- Good effort
** -- A major overhaul is in order
* -- A career change is advisable
Cadaver - _Promo 2000_ (5-track demo)
by: Paul Schwarz (****1/2)
Old Earache act Cadaver have dusted off their axes and returned with
this tasty little demo of blazing grindcore/death, this time around
combined with a blackened thrash edge courtesy of the involvement of
Dodheimsgard / Aura Noir protagonists Czral/Aggressor and Appolyon.
Czral's merciless kit battery, replete with omnipresent snares,
combines with Appolyon's strangled but powerful Aura Noir vocals and
original member Anders Oden's monstrous riffs to tear relentlessly
with all the fury of Terrorizer or early Napalm Death, but with the
thrashy leanings lending enough atmosphere and variation to make this
much more than merely a glorious nostalgia trip. No address,
unfortunately, but just remember I warned you: with material of this
quality, it'd be a criminal offence for Cadaver to remain without a
deal.
No Rest for the Dead - _The Entrance of Your 14th Trip Demo_
by: Adrian Bromley (**---) (5-track demo)
Okay... <catching breath> Can someone please explain to me what
happened to No Rest for the Dead? Seriously, what happened to them!?
The latest installment of this once promising Japanese noise/grind
band finds the band exploring the realm of Styx and Rush, rather than
the once vibrant flow of Eyehategod/Melvins meets Brutal Truth that
they once cast out to the waiting metal world. I am at a loss, as
their earlier demo and debut release titled _The End of Space_ on
Deaf American Records (owned and operated by ex-BT drummer Rich Hoak)
was a cascade of crazy ideas and over the top noise ditties all
rolled into one vibrant mess. I'm hoping they scrap their King
Crimson and Styx records and go back to giving us a headache with
their rebellious anthems of anarchy. Okay, I need to lie down...
Contact: http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/9607
Sacred? - <untitled> (3-track MP3 demo)
by: Pedro Azevedo (****-)
When demo material is described as sounding like a mix of The
Kovenant and Dodheimsgard's latest outputs plus Marduk, Satyricon,
Darkthrone and Mr. Bungle(!) influences, the risk of ending up with a
faceless, uninteresting piece of musical confusion seems rather high.
However, Lauri Laaksonen, the only musician behind Sacred?, has done
quite well here and succeeded in creating musical rollercoasters that
manage to keep the interest level high enough most of the time. This
is not to say that every electronic or occasional oriental-like
element he mixes with his sort of black metal works well, or anything
amazingly close to that, but overall the music flows quite well while
still sounding unusual and adventurous -- which is very good
considering this is demo material. The sound quality is quite decent,
and this material, though on MP3, is apparently not available on any
physical media. Surprising, intense and/or atmospheric at times,
downright weird some others, but certainly worth downloading if you
feel this kind of experimentation might interest you -- definitely
not for everyone, though.
Contact: mailto:lauri_laaksonen@hotmail.com
http://www.mp3.com/sacred_
Sempiternal - _Winternight Fury_ (4-track demo)
by: Paul Schwarz (***--)
Thrashing melodic death metal with touches of the orchestral are the
primary musical goods with which this French two-man project has
created this reasonably good demo. It is a pleasing effort, even if
it suffers from similarities to Rotting Christ, among others, and
shows some serious potential despite not being anything astounding as
of itself. I suggest they tighten up their arrangements and beef up
their production, 'cause there is definitely some music worth
developing on display here.
Contact: Stanislas Mettra, 82 av. Daumesnil, 75012 Paris, France
mailto:sempiternal@ifrance.com
Skeletal Embrace - _A Landscape of Whorethorns_ (3-track demo)
by: Paul Schwarz (****-)
Here we have a "banned" (sic) who do need to tighten up some of their
press release writing skills, but have nonetheless managed to master
a heavy and invigorating mix of extreme metal (mostly black, death
and thrash) and blazing lead work. This three tracker would be better
off minus the baggage of its keyboard-backed chanting track, the
dividing filling, sandwiched between two intense bouts of crushing
riffage and searing vocal evacuations. In parts Skeletal Embrace near
sear with energy and potential.
Contact: 45 Blenheim Way, Walton, Thetford,
Norfolk IP25 6XS, England
(free if you send a self-addressed parcel bag)
Soils of Fate - _Blood Serology_ (3-track demo)
by: Paul Schwarz (****-)
For the rock-solid stalwarts among you who might be screaming
"sell-out" even at the minor decreases in all-out brutality showcased
on, say, the new Dying Fetus EP, Soils of Fate are the answer to any
and all of your prayers. Tight, hard, fast and brain-numbingly brutal
death metal that, despite originating from Sweden, is as American as
apple pie. 'Nuff said.
Contact: Henke Crantz, Satunavagen 24 C, S-195 41 Marsta, Sweden
Void - _Promo 2000_ (3-track demo)
by: Paul Schwarz (*****)
This is a five out of five so deservedly that it near gleams like
surgeons tools with cleanliness. Dodheimsgard's Czral deals a hand of
his deadly drum talents to London metal musicians Kraken (of the
project of the same name [CoC #44], guitars) and Tirzah (vocals) and
thus the three forge ahead to bring us one of the most impressively
experimental, unpredictable black metal centred records to emerge
from England, as it happens, since last year's Akercocke, but before
that for a considerable time. Favourable comparisons to Dodheimsgard
come easily to mind, and quite apart from Czral's involvement, though
the under-production of these three tracks does hinder them from as
well displaying the same glorious passion and drive to fuck with the
rules in all the best possible ways. Void are never too consistently
predictable. Maybe that element of surprise doesn't stir something in
the more narrow-minded among you, but, let's face it, predictability
is probably music's most evil accepted quality. With the financial
backing, leading inevitably to a proper production, and a sharp
creative focus, Void may well bring us one of the great
late-nineties-rooted extreme metal releases of the years to come.
Contact: Kraken, 55 Seyssel Street, Island Gardens,
London E14 3EH, England
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\ \ \/\_\\ \ \___ __ ___\ \ ,_\/\_\ ___
\ \ \/_/_\ \ _ `\ /'__`\ / __`\ \ \/\/\ \ /'___\
\ \ \L\ \\ \ \ \ \/\ \L\.\_/\ \L\ \ \ \_\ \ \/\ \__/
\ \____/ \ \_\ \_\ \__/.\_\ \____/\ \__\\ \_\ \____\
\/___/ \/_/\/_/\/__/\/_/\/___/ \/__/ \/_/\/____/
____ __
/\ _`\ /\ \__
\ \ \/\_\ ___ ___ ___ __ _ __\ \ ,_\ ____
\ \ \/_/_ / __`\ /' _ `\ /'___\ /'__`\/\`'__\ \ \/ /',__\
\ \ \L\ \/\ \L\ \/\ \/\ \/\ \__//\ __/\ \ \/ \ \ \_/\__, `\
\ \____/\ \____/\ \_\ \_\ \____\ \____\\ \_\ \ \__\/\____/
\/___/ \/___/ \/_/\/_/\/____/\/____/ \/_/ \/__/\/___/
G O D H A T I N G H U M A N B E A T I N G S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crowbar, Eyehategod and Soilent Green
at the Underworld, London, England
April 1st, 2000
by: Paul Schwarz
After an overpriced meal in a local Camden grease-shop and a
coffee to pick up my somewhat fried-out mind, myself and CoC's German
scribe of great gigs galore and, as I know from finally meeting him
in person, top dude Matthias Noll arrived slightly too late to catch
all of Soilent Green's set. What I did get to see well preserved the
jarring structures and violent riffage of their recorded efforts. Not
being a close follower of their work I unfortunately caught no songs
in specific but the experience, however short, was backed by a clear
sound which preserved a surprising degree of the band's uneasy charm
and harsh musical character.
Eyehategod took the stage soon after and requested that the
crowd be "Stupid: stupid drunk". Instantly erecting a solid
wall-of-noise sound with their over-driven guitars, they proceeded to
pleasantly dirge and groove their way through a loud, extreme, but
strangely toe-tapable set which I again could pick out no specifics
from but which left me smiling. Their vocalist complained a number of
times of the crowd's under-enthusiasm -- a complaint not uncommon in
London, though I recall Immortal at this very venue two years ago
getting a huge and unprecedented crowd response --, but by the set's
end things had gone from luke-warm to a near-boil down the front.
Impressively listenable live act, I must admit, considering the
ear-shattering tones of their recorded works.
Finally, it was time for the final, headlining act of this
Nawlins triple-treat to take the Underworld's undersized stage.
Despite their average weight having lowered since the apparent
retirement of original bass player Todd Strange and the
re-recruitment of Craig Nunenmacher on drums, Crowbar have lost
nothing in heaviness, and live is where they make the most sense. I
love their albums, but God damn, watching this band rip up a stage
live (especially in a small sweaty club like the Underworld, because
on the main stage at Milwaukee '98 they really didn't make the kind
of sense they did this evening) reminds you why live play is such a
key feature to more or less any great band's existence. Crowbar pour
their heart and soul into jamming out their trademark barrage of low
chords and thumping rhythm section beats. Kirk Windstein positively
belts his vocal performance into the microphone with such vigour
you're almost surprised the stand doesn't fly across the room. The
overall effect succeeds, as any live performance should, but, I find,
surprisingly few do, in improving on the album-recorded versions of
songs ranging from depressive dirges like "Fixation" or "All I Had (I
Gave)" to the immense, melodic "Planets Collide", to the riffier
numbers off their newly released _Equilibrium_ offering like "I Feel
the Burning Sun" or "Down Into the Rotting Earth". Thus, despite some
setlist changes I would personally have implemented and the over-long
breaks taken between each song (some seamless shifts would not have
gone amiss for preserving the momentum of the set), Crowbar were a
pleasure to behold on this evening and I dearly hope that now that
they are backed by a bigger, more solid record company than before
their visits to the UK will be more frequent than every three to four
years. Do not pass up the chance to see this monstrous package tear
it up: pay up, drink up, smoke up, but definitely turn up, and let
these hard-drinkin' Nawlins lads steamroller right over you like only
they can.
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H I S N U M B E R I S O N E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rollins Band (and some crappy punk band)
at the Forum, London, England
March 25th, 2000
by: Paul Schwarz
Henry Rollins is an incredible front-man. I would go as far as
to say he is -the- front-man. He certainly surpasses all others whom
-I- have witnessed. And while the man is as much the focal point of
the live arena as he is of the band name and band itself, this is not
to downplay the role of his Band. The Mother Superior trio tear apart
Rollins Band material past and present tonight, like they'd written
the songs, and maybe even the book on how to reproduce them best live
into the bargain. Drummer Jason Mackenroth deserves special mention
for laying down such an unrelentingly energetic performance,
remaining consistently powerful and precise the whole night through.
The Forum was treated to a somewhat strange setlist comprising every
song (bar monolithic closer "LA Money Train") from new album _Get
Some Go Again_, but nothing from the past three albums (!) bar
"Tearing" from 1992's _The End of Silence_. Thus tonight was a
thoroughly pumping and energetic run through Rollins Band's abrasive
late eighties past and the ROCK 'n' roll styled glory of their most
recent present. The combination worked magic on that stage. The
majority of the conspicuously absent tracks [e.g. "Liar"] would have
confused this set, not improved it. Intense, building new track
"Illumination" opened proceedings beautifully with the shirtless,
shorts-clad Rollins tearing about his carpeted section of the stage
barefoot; the picture of intensity and commanding power throughout
the near two-hour stage time. Ear-splitting renditions of such
decade-or-more-old numbers like "Hard", "Action", "What Have I Got"
or "My Number Is One" were reeled off while classy new tracks like
"Change it Up", "Thinking Cap" (with a free jam included in classic
Rollins Band style) "Get Some Go Again" and "On the Day", along with
two cracking Thin Lizzy covers played successively ("Are You Ready?"
from the album and its natural second "The Rocker"), came off
superbly. The "new" Rollins Band crushed all competition. I
unfortunately have no personal basis for comparison, but I'd wager
they'd -at least- give -any- of the old Rollins Band incarnations a
serious run for their money. What is for definite is that for
intensity and pure power, there is nothing harder than Rollins and
his Band.
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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. Judas Priest - _Metalworks '73 - '93_
2. The Future Sound of London - _Dead Cities_
3. Amorphis - _Tales From the Thousand Lakes_
4. Slayer - _South of Heaven_
5. Led Zeppelin - _Physical Graffiti_
Adrian's Top 5
1. The Crown - _Deathrace King_
2. Vader - _Litany_
3. Cephalic Carnage - _Exploiting Dysfunction_
4. Fury - _Stigmatised_
5. A Perfect Circle - _Mer de Noms_
Brian's Top 5
1. Spiral Architect - _A Sceptic's Universe_
2. Sync - _Variations About Themes of Evil_
3. Night to Die - _All Evil Crying_
4. Black Messiah - _Sceptre of Black Knowledge_
5. Lunatic Gods - _Sitting By the Fire_
Alain's Top 5
1. Summoning - _Stronghold_
2. Horde of Worms - _Dreams and Dying Eyes_
3. Pink Floyd - _Animals_
4. Hate Eternal - _Conquering the Throne_
5. Soul Reaper - _Written in Blood_
Adam's Top 5
1. Der Blutharsch - _The Pleasures Received in Pain_
2. Mayhem - _Grand Declaration of War_
3. Immortal - _Damned in Black_
4. Morgul - _Parody of the Mass_
5. Bathory - _Jubileum Vol. 2_
Pedro's Top 5
1. The Crown - _Hell Is Here_
2. Ulver - _Nattens Madrigal_
3. Rapture - _Futile_
4. December Wolves - _Completely Dehumanized_
5. Enochian Crescent - _Omega Telocvovim_
Paul's Top 5
1. Dodheimsgard - _666 International_
2. Deceased - _The 13 Frightened Souls_
3. Repulsion - _Horrified_
4. Order From Chaos - _Stillbirth Machine_
5. Iced Earth - _Days of Purgatory_ [thanks go to Roberto Martinelli]
Aaron's Top 5
1. Dark Funeral - _Teach Children to Worship Satan_
2. Danzig - _6:66 Satan's Child_
3. Death - _Spiritual Healing_
4. Prong - _Beg to Differ_
5. Mortiis - _Crypt of the Wizard_
David's Top 5
1. Darkane - _Rusted Angel_
2. Necrophobic - _The Third Antichrist_
3. Ominous - _The Spectral Manifest_
4. Morgion - _Solinari_
5. Vader - _Litany_
Matthias' Top 5
1. Vader - _Litany_
2. Vader - _De Profundis_
3. Entombed - _Uprising_
4. Dismember - _Hate Campaign_
5. Eyehategod - _Southern Discomfort_
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Homepage: http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com
FTP Archive: ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos
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DESCRIPTION
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Chronicles of Chaos is a FREE monthly magazine electronically
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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #47
All contents copyright 2000 by individual creators of included work.
All opinions expressed herein are those of the individuals expressing
them, and do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone else.