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CHRONICLES OF CHAOS E-Zine, April 9, 1997, Issue #19
Editor-in-Chief: Gino Filicetti <mailto:ginof@interlog.com>
Coordinator: Adrian Bromley <mailto:energizr@interlog.com>
Assistant Editor: Alain M. Gaudrault <mailto:alain@mks.com>
Contributor: Brian Meloon <mailto:bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>
Contributor: Steve Hoeltzel <mailto:hoeltzel@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>
Contributor: Adam Wasylyk <mailto:macabre@interlog.com>
Contributor: Drew Schinzel <mailto:drew@magpage.com>
Contributor: Andrew Lewandowski <mailto:kmvb73c@prodigy.com>
Contributor: Pedro Azevedo <mailto:leic97@tom.fe.up.pt>
Mailing List provided by: The University of Colorado at Boulder
--> Interested in being reviewed? Send us your demo and bio to:
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
CHRONICLES OF CHAOS
57 Lexfield Ave
Downsview Ont.
M3M-1M6, Canada
Fax: (416) 693-5240 Voice: (416) 693-9517
e-mail: ginof@interlog.com
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
DESCRIPTION
~~~~~~~~~~~
Chronicles of Chaos is a monthly magazine electronically distributed
worldwide via the Internet. Chronicles of Chaos focuses on all forms
of brutal music; from thrash to death to black metal, we have it all.
Each issue will feature interviews with your favorite bands, written
from the perspective of a true fan. Each issue will also include
record reviews and previews, concert reviews and tour dates, as well
as various happenings in the metal scene worldwide. If you'd be
interested in writing for CoC, drop us a line at
mailto:ginof@interlog.com. Concert reviews are especially welcome,
but please bear in mind that we cannot accept every submission we
receive."
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may subscribe to Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending a
message with "coc subscribe <your_name_here>" in the SUBJECT of your
message to <mailto:ginof@interlog.com>. Please note that this command
must NOT be sent to the list address <coc-ezine@lists.colorado.edu>.
WORLD WIDE WEB SITE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are currently in the process of constructing a website for
Chronicles of Chaos. You can check it out by pointing your web
browser to http://www.interlog.com/~ginof/coc.html. If you have any
comments or suggestions, please e-mail Brian Meloon
<mailto:bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>.
FTP ARCHIVE
~~~~~~~~~~~
All of our back issues and various other Chronicles of Chaos related
files are stored in the e-zine archive at ftp.etext.org. Connect to
this site using your favorite FTP program and chdir to
/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos. For a description of each file in the
archive, check out the README file. You can also reach this site
through a web browser by pointing it at:
ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos.
AUTOMATIC FILESERVER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All back issues and various other CoC related files are available for
automatic retrieval through our e-mail fileserver. All you have to do
is send a message to us at <mailto:ginof@interlog.com>. The
'Subject:' field of your message must read: "send file X" where 'X'
is the name of the requested file. Back issues are named 'coc-n',
where 'n' is the issue number. For a description of all files
available through this fileserver, request 'list'. Remember to use
lowercase letters for all file names. If you experience any problems
or are having difficulty, feel free to e-mail us the usual way at
<mailto:ginof@interlog.com>.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Issue #19 Contents, 4/9/97
--------------------------
- Editorial
- Loud Letters
- Ferocious Features
-- My Dying Bride: Behold The Bride
-- In Flames: Serious About Success
-- Pain: Peter's Pain
-- Cradle of Filth: Capturing The Cradle Of Creativity
-- Edge of Sanity: Swano's Edge
-- Impaled Nazarene: Nazarene With A Fax Machine
-- Behemoth: Bards Of The Black Baltic
-- Grip Inc: Dave Dishes It Out Again
-- Oxiplegatz: Alf Articulates All
- Independent Interrogations
-- Blood of Christ: The Blood Is The Life
-- Abigor - _Apokalypse_
-- Avernus - _Of the Falling_
-- Pat Boone - _Pat Boone in a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy_
-- Broken Hope - _Loathing_
-- Dark - _Endless Dreams of Sadness_
-- Darkness Enshroud - _Unveiled Ghostly Shadows_
-- Die Sonne Satans - _Sigillo_
-- Dimmu Borgir - _Devil's Path_
-- Disgust - _A World of No Beauty_
-- Elend - _Les tenebres du dehors_
-- Edge of Sanity - _Infernal_
-- Falkenbach - _En their medh riki fara_
-- Hades - _The Dawn of the Dying Sun_
-- Various Artists - _Identity 3... D!_
-- Immortal - _Blizzard Beasts_
-- Kalisia - _Skies_
-- Killing Culture - _Killing Culture_
-- Killing Spree - _Terror from Beyond Space_
-- Lake of Tears - _Lady Rosenred_
-- Various Artists - _Violent World: A Tribute to the Misfits_
-- Nastrond - _Age of Fire_
-- Oppressor - _Agony_
-- Phlebotomized - _Skycontact_
-- Slough Feg - _The Lord Weird_
-- Various Artists - _Sonic Obliteration Vol.2_
-- Trial of the Bow - _Rite of Passage_
-- Troll - _Drep De Kristne_
-- Windham Hell - _Mirror of Souls_
-- Black Mass of Absu - _Black Mass of Absu_
-- Bongwater - _Pissed Off and... Fuzzed Out_
-- Master - _Demo '96_
-- Pressure Point - _Grasp_
-- Putrocorpse - _Bowel Chronicles_
-- Rich Hoak/Family Harsh Noise Experimentation
- _Disassociative Cognition_
-- Semi-Auto Reflex - _Semi-Auto Reflex_
-- Fuck The Fog: Hemdale with Blood of Christ, Flesh Fest and Wicked
- What We Have Cranked
- The Final Word
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
E D I T O R I A L
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by: Gino Filicetti
Well people, I don't have much to say this month except that
I'm in the middle of studying for finals. Therefore, I hope you
understand that I can not write an editorial for this issue. Never
fear though, next month I will finally be free of my shackles, and
I'll be back in full force. Until then, take care.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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:ginof@interlog.com> and enter
'Attention Loud Letters' in the subject field. Hopefully all letters
received will be featured in upcoming issues of Chronicles of Chaos.
Date: Wed, 12 Mar 1997
From: Gregory Nalbandian <gmnalbandian@ucdavis.edu>
Subject: Attention Loud Letters
Dear Brady Bunch,
Issue #16 of COC really pissed me off! Where's the fucking Death
Metal?!!! Number 17 was better but, in general, I'm tired of
spacebaring through over a hundred kb's of Black/Doom metal bullshit
just to find a few paragraphs about DM. It's a shame COC won't give
this genre the attention it deserves when you consider all of the
great DM releases that have been coming out recently.
Since your zine refuses to deliver a respectable amount of Death
Metal news, I hereby request that you unsubscribe me from such
useless text.
Sincerely,
Greg Nalbandian
P.S. If you freaks would just focus on DM, you'd have a great zine.
Maybe when Gino and Brian leave COC to start up their new Classical
Music zine? Then Alain--a real man with good taste in DM--can
takeover operations and turn this publication into something that
Death fans can appreciate!
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 1997
From: Wayno -- Integrated WIN 95 - OS/2 <wayno@pobox.com>
Subject: Re: Chronicles of Chaos #18 (3/3)
hey d00d
good edition --
kinda sorry to see that machine head's album is sorta a bust -- after
all rob flynn could be my long lost bro. (we look remarkably alike..)
what does Mork have against Christians? All these guys that hate
Christians have a story to tell -- as a Christian, i'd be interested
in hearing it ---
Sanctuary Much,
Wayno
http://www.pobox.com/~sanctuary
Date: Mon, 17 Mar 1997
From: Tate Bengtson <bengtso@brain.cnx.net>
Subject: Attention Loud Letters
Great issue, as always, especially the SINISTER interview and the SIX
FEET UNDER review (couldn't agree more!).
=====================================================================
CHAOTIC CRITIQUES #7 IS OUT NOW 28 jam-packed pages exploring the
musical underground with a distinctive writing style and an
open-minded approach. Tons of honest, in-depth reviews (including a
brutal bashing of SIX FEET UNDER), a crisp layout, few
advertisements, and more interviews than ever before.
Interviewed bands include SAMAEL, A.S.A., MILLENIA, and THE GAMMA
MEN, in addition to a seven-page industrial section that features
interviews with THE RAZOR SKYLINE, DYSTOPIA-ONE, TESTIFY, SLAVE UNIT,
and WINDS DIED DOWN. There is also a label directory, a zine review
section, label reports on REPULSE RECORDS (Spain) and HILJAISET LEVYT
(Finland), and much more.
Purchase a copy for $3 USA & Canada, $4 World (well-hidden
cash or money order made out to 'Tate Bengtson').
CHAOTIC CRITIQUES, c/o Tate Bengtson, P.O. Box 426
Lumby, BC, Canada, V0E 2G0
mailto:tbengtso@junction.net
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/6031/
Bands and labels: I am interested in covering your products
in the next issue of CHAOTIC CRITIQUES - please write for further
information or send your promotional packages.
Thanks!!!
=====================================================================
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 1997
From: "Matthew D. Landgren" <Matthew.D.Landgren-1@tc.umn.edu>
Subject: Attention Loud Letters
Hey, I've be a reader of CoC since number 4 and I think you guys
do a kick ass job (although I do not generally agree with half the
reviews thats a matter of taste) I would like to comment on
Metalfest, I live in milwaukee when I'm not in school and I've been
to the last 4 metalfests. Has anyone else noticed that every year
this damn thing gets a little bit worse and a little more expensive?
Last year they wouldn't even let you leave the show and come back in
and they charged $2.50 or whatever it was for a shitty hamburger (the
place is right next to a McDonalds, not the greatest food in the
world but it's cheaper). They also have a pay to play policy which I
was told is something they didn't always do and because of this some
great bands decide not to perform. Is there any hope for the Future
of Metalfest?
On a different note, I was wondering if anyone knows what
happened to the band Phantasm. They are/were from milwaukee and the
kick some ass, but I've been told they borke up and I haven't seen
them perform in two maybe three years. Any info is appreciated.
-Peace
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 1997
From: Pimm <pimm@fhs.csu.mcmaster.ca>
Subject: ATTENTION LOUD LETTERS
Yo, Gonkulator of Death here. I'm a huge Black/Death Metal fan, just
starting to get into Doom, and I've read the zine for quite some time
now. All you guys do a great job there, but a bone to pick with you
guys (The size of your fuckin spinal cord...). Lately, I have seen no
amazing ratings given to many hardcore Death, or Black metal CD's
that I love, except if they have heavy Doom influences in them. What
is going on?? Sometimes I think a Doom CD will get close to perfect,
just becuase they have no "cliches"??? Hardcore CD's can be just as
good, it seems all thats out there right now is "Doom influenced
BLACK/DEATH metal". Another thing that REALLY pisses me off, is the
constant bashing of sword pics and corpse paint in all Black Metal. I
always love to see a guy sitting on his throne, like in the newest
Satryicon CD(fuckin rocks), and for the corpse paint, I can't get
enough!!!! Just mock the bands that suck and are just in it for the
money, but don't give a great Black metal release an 8 out of 10
because they have cool castles, paint, and swords.....
The Gonkulator of Death
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The meat of the matter lies here. Read on for the juiciest morsels on
bands ranging from the reknowned to the obscure. No fat, no gristle,
just blood-soaked slabs served hot and ready. Dig in, readers.
B E H O L D T H E B R I D E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An interview with England's My Dying Bride
by: Adrian Bromley
Few bands of the gothic/doom metal variety have stirred up as
much press and critical acclaim than English sextet My Dying Bride.
The band has worked hard to gain fans worldwide with each release,
and as the years go on, the band also manages to shapeshift their
sound, making minor adjustments on the way to perfecting their sound
and style. Their most recent transformation: _Like Gods of the Sun_.
"We had a natural progression happen with this record, something
that always seems to happen with the music of My Dying Bride",
reveals guitarist Calvin over the phone from Mayhem/Fierce offices in
New York when discussing the change in _LGotS_. "We didn't have any
guidelines or instructions of what the next album was going to sound
like. There was no real conscious effort to change the sound of My
Dying Bride." He adds, "I think this is our heaviest album we have
ever done in regards to the production and overall sound of the
album. It still holds a lot of the imagery, atmosphere, and emotions
that have been carried throughout early MDB releases, but with a
harder edge to the overall sound."
Since forming in 1990, the band has released many EPs and
numerous LPs. Following two successful demos in 1990, in 1992 the
band released their first full-length LP, _As the Flower Withers_.
The band gradually moved onto releasing their sophomore effort _Turn
Loose the Swans_ in 1993, a collaboration of all EPs entitled
_Trinity_ in 1995, and in 1996 we saw _Angel and the Dark River_
released. About not fitting into one set style or sound, Calvin says,
"We have done that since the first few demos or releases. We have
always done what we wanted and never really catered to anyone or even
the record company. We never went out to find or produce a hit
single. We just created music close to us."
Calvin, along with the other members of the band - Aaron
(singer), Andrew (guitar), Martin (keyboard/violin), bassist Adrian
and drummer Rick - are concerned with one thing right now: touring.
Seeing that the album was released in October 1996 in Europe, the
band has already done some shows in Europe in support of the new LP.
As singer Aaron had mentioned in the last interview with My Dying
Bride (CoC #8/March 96), the band has had a hard time cracking the
U.S. market or even tour here. While the band is a huge force in
Europe, Stateside it is almost nothing. That may change, says Calvin.
"I think the success of many acts in territories is the live aspect,
being able to get out there and play to people no matter how many
show up to the show. You have to show respect to the people that have
supported you. When we started going out on tour in the beginning in
1991 or 1992 throughout Europe, the shows were small, but you go out
and you hope to build up a fan base. Over the years, with luck, the
crowds get bigger and you are able to release albums and tour. That
is the only thing that we have not been able to do in North America,
and maybe why we aren't as big over here as we are back home.
Hopefully that will change this year." (The band is said to be
opening for Ronnie James Dio on the second leg of his North American
tour in March/April.)
Unlike where the band has been able to toy with emotions or
symphonic sounds on past release, _LGotS_ shows off a more vibrant
and emotionally charged My Dying Bride, a more passionate and
soothing element that seems to work quite effectively. Completing
material for this record was a challenge as Calvin will explain. "It
was very difficult for us to write material in 1996 when we were
beginning to write this album. There was a lot of anger in the band",
reveals Calvin. "We have always been content with each other on other
releases. But this time out it was a struggle to get material and
ideas to surface. We had writer's block I believe. I don't really
want to use that expression but I think that is the best description
of what happened to us. It depicts what went on." He continues, "It
took us almost three months to sift through and create new music for
the album. We weren't happy with what we were writing. Then we began
to get our act together and something happened and then we came
together and were able to create music for this album - all within
the span of four weeks", states Calvin.
One of the most interesting aspects of the band's latest LP is
the reason/story behind the use of the title _Like Gods of the Sun_.
Calvin explains. "It is about the relationship between two people,
whether they be a man and a woman or whatever. It is about their love
and passion for each other. It is that strong and if you could
imagine what the gods of the sun would be, then the size of their
passion would be that size too."
As most bands change style and sound, so do the people that
create them. When asked the question, 'How have you changed as a
musician?', Calvin had to give it a bit of thought. "I think we have
all matured over the years. When we started we were more of a death
metal-influenced band. Now we have changed, and as a person I have
changed. I am now married and I settled down into a house. Everything
that you do in your life affects your writing and music. We are more
content and calmer in our lives so we can focus more clearly and
effectively on our writing now. It is easier to write what we feel."
"Music has now become a full-time profession for us now", notes
Calvin. "We don't have to hold any daytime jobs. We can now
concentrate on creating music all the time now and working on
material. It's great. We are now doing what we always wanted to do
with our lives and not do music as a hobby anymore. To be able to do
this is an unbelievable accomplishment for us."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
S E R I O U S A B O U T S U C C E S S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Sweden's In Flames
by: Adrian Bromley
"We didn't intentionally try to change our style with _The
Jester Race_, but we did tune down our guitars with this record
because we felt it would be a good complement to the melodies",
responds guitarist Jesper Stromblad to the question of how the band
has changed since their inception in 1990. "We aimed to try to find a
good combination of brutality and melody. I think we found it."
Through lineup changes (their current lineup includes vocalist
Andres Fridan, bassist Johan Larsson, drummer Bjorn Gelotte, and
other guitarist Glenn Ljungstrom), touring, and studio work, which
saw the release of _Lunar Strain_ in 1993 and the _Subterranean_ EP
in 1994, In Flames have worked hard to perfect their melodic death
metal sound. Time and energy has paid off with the excellent and
well-received second full-length LP, _The Jester Race_. "I don't
think there is one real element that stands out with this record",
says Stromblad. "We are very happy with the results because it is a
very compact album, interesting from start to finish. Also that there
is a lot of different influences radiating throughout the record and
that we worked hard to make it interesting for the listener."
On the topic of studio work he says, "We were prepared when we
went into the studio and everything went as we had expected. I think
there is a lot of variation between songs on this record. There are
the death-ish tunes, folksy-styled tunes, and some progressive
instrumental ideas that use keyboards. I think we have gotten all of
the elements that we wanted to bring to _The Jester Race_". He adds,
"Song writing is a lot easier for us now. A few years back we were
working with studio musicians and from about two years ago till now
we have had the same band lineup which has helped us become tighter
and more creative. It allows us to be a unit and to write as one. We
rarely have problems coming up with ideas to bring into the band."
When asked about the state of metal music being perceived as
underground once again, and not as big as it was, Stromblad offers
this comment: "I think death metal music has always been big and not
that it has gone back to underground exposure once again. When the
media finds time to hype music, they do it and it gets big, and then
when the media forgets about it, people think it has gone away, you
know? Gone underground... I think this music has always been very
strong and there are lots of bands out there. Bands change but that
is required to keep it fresh and innovative at times. We have changed
our music from the sound we were doing four years ago, but it has
been natural for us. Some bands change to keep up with what is going
on at the moment and they will never succeed in the long run because
they keep having to change to be accepted."
Seeing that the music has changed as the band goes along, how
has Stromblad changed as either a musician or a person? "Obviously, I
have become better from what I do. I have more thirst to explore my
musical talent, meaning that I don't try to limit what I want to
attempt to do. I don't want to be sectioned off into a certain style
or sound of what I am doing. Years ago I might have been in the
studio and come up with a riff and said, 'We can't use this. This
isn't In Flames sounding.' Now that doesn't occur and we try to use
whatever we can incorporate into our music. We are more open-minded
now than ever before. We are not afraid to try stuff like keyboards
or violins. For us, the use of violins and keyboards are a
complement. I think if they were not into the record, it would be
very boring from start to finish", states Stomblad, "I think the
addition of those two qualities lift our music. You have to be sure
to use the right amount of sounds and by all means don't over do it
either."
He finishes, "I think people are drawn to In Flames because of
our diversity. As well, our fans, or people that may know us, know
that they are going to get something different with each release and
not have us repeat the same song styles. I think from looking at our
music and career from this point, we have not stagnated ourselves. I
think we have done the complete opposite. That was quite humble
wasn't it?", laughs Stromblad. "Okay... enough of that. The answer:
It has been a very positive evolution for the band."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
P E T E R ' S P A I N
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Peter Tagtgren
by: Adrian Bromley
Peter Tagtgren is a busy man. Whether it be his work with his
other projects Hypocrisy or The Abyss, or even his producer work with
other bands out of his Abyss Studio in Sweden, Peter Tagtgren always
finds some time - somehow - to come up with some new direction or
sound that interests him. The results this time around from some
heavy brainstorming? The industrial-fueled metal band Pain. The
self-titled debut release for Pain was written, mixed, produced, and
performed by Tagtgren alone, a process he feels comfortable with.
"My musical career is going by very fast with all the bands I am
working with and the stuff I am doing", says Tagtgren from Abyss
Studio. "I am cutting down with the projects I do or the bands that I
work producing. This is a creative outlet for me and as long as I can
keep being creative with all the things I do, then I will do it."
But the hard work, multiple projects and long hours seems to be
catching up with Tagtgren. "For personal reasons, I can't do as much
of this stuff as I want. There is too much shit. I just can't do it.
What I am gonna do in the future now is focus primarily on the Pain
project and not do any more Hypocrisy or other projects. We are gonna
do one more Hypocrisy record, starting to record it in May, and then
I am just gonna put everything aside except the studio and Pain." And
why that decision? "I don't have time. Too much stress. I feel really
tired. I just got home yesterday from a tour (he played guitar for
Marduk on a 10-day tour in Europe) and today there is a band waiting
to record an album. I am totally shot and this is the way all my days
are. Always working on either projects or producing bands."
The more you hear the Pain record, the more you get the
impression and feel of Tagtgren moving on with his creativity into
more modern sounding musical ideas and sounds. Sure, Pain's debut is
far from what he has done with other projects, but there is no
denying that the industrial-tinged offerings of Pain do hit the
listener fast and furious, leaving us with memorable hooks and a
pulsing rhythm echoing in our heads. "I am glad with what I did with
this record, sound- and style-wise , but I wanted it to have more of
a more techno feel to it but I didn't have time. But next Pain
record, it will be more industrial and techno sounding. The thing I
like about industrial or techno music is the amazing sounds you can
get from machines", he explains, about why he used such styles in
Pain's music. "I like the weirdness of the style. There seems to be
just a huge onslaught of sounds and then all of a sudden there is a
melody to work off of. It's quite fascinating."
About the Pain record, Tagtgren has mixed feelings about the way
the album ended up. He is a tough person to please in the studio and
even his own work is easily criticized by himself. "There are a few
songs on this record that are not as good as some other ones and I
wish the whole album was totally strong, but you can only do so
much", notes Tagtgren. "I put a lot of pressure on myself because I
am doing this all by myself and you get confused. And when you listen
back to the record you think, 'Oh... I should have done this, or did
that.' While there are the good songs on this record and the others
that I am sort of happy with, the main thing is that they all work
off each other and make a pretty solid record in my mind."
Like a lot of his other projects, Tagtgren brings a lot of ideas
into a studio and works them there. He and whomever he is working
with collaborate in the studio and emerge with material and
strengthened ideas. But unlike preparation in the past, when going
into the studio with Pain, Tagtgren had the basis for what he wanted
to do (four songs) but not a complete roster of ideas. Studio time,
hell, even some stressful nights preparing ideas, helped create the
music on the debut album. "When I went into the studio, I had four
songs, and in the studio I had to write four more. That was tough.
Songwriting is an easy process when you are in the mood to write. I
can write easily... if I am in the mood to write. I had to work hard
to get the ideas out for this record."
He concludes, "This record is a very depressing record. Like the
name of the band, it is a painful assortment of songs, though heavy.
Not death metal heavy, but like a fist to the face heavy."
One thing that can also be noted about Tagtgren is his love for
experimentation in his music and not really fitting into a set mold
of ideas. Through past releases with Hypocrisy and The Abyss, even
with Pain, he and his former bandmates have always geared their music
to pushing the envelope with ideas and interpretations of how heavy
music should be directed and delivered to the masses. "I have always
been open to experimentation. If you listen to all the Hypocrisy
records, they are all very different. I think it is cool to do
something original and something cool because then people notice and
you get applauded for what you did. I can't stay grounded with an
idea, I do, I explore with my music. That is what I do and what I
will always do."
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/ ___/ / ___ ____ / /_(_)___ / ___/ / ___ _/ /_
/ /__/ _ \/ _ `/ _ \/ __/ / __/ / /__/ _ \/ _ `/ __/
\___/_//_/\_,_/\___/\__/_/\__/ \___/_//_/\_,_/\__/
____ _
/ __/__ ___ ___ (_)__ ___ ___
_\ \/ -_|_-<(_-</ / _ \/ _ \(_-<
/___/\__/___/___/_/\___/_//_/___/
This is the column where CoC sits down to have a face to face, no
holds barred conversation with your favorite bands, and get the
inside scoop into what's happening in their lives.
C A P T U R I N G T H E C R A D L E O F C R E A T I V I T Y
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews England's Cradle of Filth
by: Drew Schinzel
Since bursting onto the scene with the release of 1994's _The
Principle of Evil Made Flesh_, Cradle of Filth have been both praised
for their orchestral, emotional arrangements, and harshly criticized
for apparently selling their image too much, through countless shirt
designs, scantily clad women adorning their CDs, and their own
merchandising company. Think what you will about the hype and
publicity surrounding them, their musical prowess is undeniable. They
really need no further introduction, and Dani had enough to say in
the interview anyway, so I'll just cut this intro short and let you
start reading.
CoC: So what's new since the release of _Dusk and Her Embrace_? What
have you guys been up to?
Dani: Well, it essentially was released while we were on tour, at
least in England, on November 28th or something. We took a
break over the Christmas period, and we've been designing some
new merchandise and what have you. We've got a tour coming up,
shortly, in Europe. We've been writing new material because we
enjoy writing new material all the time, you know, and it gives
us time to fuck around with it and expand it... it's really,
really good. We're really pleased with it. Also, the video has
gone into pre-production, as soon as I get back from this press
trip I'm on. We start shooting it, probably next Monday [March
3rd].
CoC: Video? For which song?
Dani: It's for the track "Dusk and Her Embrace", but it's
incorporating a track that hasn't been heard that was supposed
to be designated for the end of the LP, but it didn't meet the
schedule. It's like an orchestral piece, it's beautiful, it's
called "Carmilla's Masque". And that's going to be like an
intro to the track, and then we're going to record two versions
of it; you know, one that's sort of MTV-friendly, which the
record company demands, and then our version <laughs>, and then
a live track, but we won't be playing on tour in the video,
it's going to be like a short film, an art film. Then there'll
be an interview. But we've been given quite a good budget for
it, so it's going to be interesting. That's about it; we've
been really, really busy.
CoC: Which members contributed most of the material to the new full
length?
Dani: A lot of the material was actually written with the original
lineup, a while ago. We were waiting for this business with our
previous record company, "Crap"cophonous records <laughs>. To
cut a long story short, we placed a litigation order upon them,
and it looked like our career was in jeopardy, like the band,
there were arguments and stuff because we were getting
frustrated, so there were three of us left to deal with the
court case, to end it, you know, so we could get on with our
musical careers. We recorded the _Vempire..._ EP for them, so
we were then free, because we withheld the masters for _Dusk
and Her Embrace_, to re-record it, which we did, and changed a
lot of it with the new members, and also wrote a couple of new
tracks for it. "Malice Through the Looking Glass" was a new
track, "Humana Inspired to Nightmare" was a new track, and we
did some extensive work with the other songs as well.
CoC: What are your feelings on the other bands that some of the
former members have formed? Some of them have a pretty similar
sound, wouldn't you say? Actually one of them (Hecate Enthroned)
is -extremely- similar in sound.
Dani: Yeah, well I won't even -mention- that band's name because I
mean, people say "Are you worried about it?" Well what have we
got to worry about, it's an imitation, and it's ridiculous. It
doesn't even make much sense, really. But, you know, good luck
to them, if they want to rip off our ideas... it's flattering,
really. As for Blood Divine, I think they're kicking themselves
now, because one of the reasons that... well, the two brothers
were kicked out, but the other guy, I was the best man at his
wedding about a month before he left, which made me the
godfather to his son. But I've often spoken to him since then,
and he's just a completely different character now. I'm sure
he's kicking himself. And, you know, that's his just fucking
reward. But I'm not going to run my mouth and slag off his
band, because they're probably quite good, I mean they were in
our band. I still have a lot of respect for them, but as far as
I'm concerned they're getting their just rewards.
CoC: Any plans for a U.S. tour this summer, or anything else of that
nature?
Dani: Apparently yes, we're supposed to be doing the Milwaukee Metal
Fest this year, and then the preparation for the tour is
underway. Their's talk of us doing, I can't name the band, but
a big band, supporting a re-formed band, if you know what I
mean. I don't really want to disclose who it is, because if it
doesn't pull off then everyone'll just go "awww..."
CoC: What, is it Venom?
Dani: Ehh... could be. <laughs> Anyway... <laughs>
CoC: What would you guys be doing if you weren't playing in Cradle of
Filth? Where do you see yourself, as far as your career, if you
weren't in the band, or even in music?
Dani: I probably would be dead from a drug overdose, I reckon.
<laughs> No, I don't know really, because music is my life. As
well as doing Cradle of Filth, I partially run Vamperotica
(merchandising company). I mean, I don't do the production of
the shirts, obviously, but essentially I sort of run that label
and do the designs and everything. It's a full-time job. But I
suppose I would be in design or something, something along
those lines, but this is my life, and I really enjoy it.
CoC: What do you think of the people who think you're a bunch of rock
stars, because of your image, and your appeal to the 13 and 14
year-olds, and your whole merchandising company?
Dani: Well, you get that anywhere, people say that sort of thing.
Usually it just comes from jealousy, and that kind of stuff...
generally you just end up tending to ignore that kind of shit,
because -I- know different than that. And I know better than
anyone, because I'm me. I was on the Internet last night, and
no offense, but some of the kids on the Internet you can reckon
are probably like 12 or 13 years old, and they just sit in
their room with their computer and they've got no experience in
real life, so it's a window for them to view the world. They
can say what they want, and act as tough as they want. We got
some funny things here like, they were obviously young because
they were fixated with asses, and the idea of me sucking
blokes' dicks, which is all very amusing. And this is where a
lot of this stuff came from, this ideology you've put forth,
about people saying 'image image image' or 'hype hype'... Fuck
'em. So, things like this are a necessity, to come here and do
a press trip, it's what's required of you if you view it as a
job.
CoC: The vocal style you use must be pretty hard on your throat. Do
you think it'll have any effect on you, later in life, or are
you just going to keep screaming it out for the rest of your
time in Cradle of Filth, or what?
Dani: Well I tend not to think about it. I smoke as well, so that
probably doesn't help. I tend to look after it, not as much as
I should. I mean, it sounds painful, but it isn't.
CoC: Do you use much overdubbing, during the longer screams, or is it
all natural?
Dani: Nah, it's natural. It's surprising really, I'm only a little
guy as well. People are like 'How do you do that? If I could
sing like that I'd just do it all the time, in the street!' But
you just have to get in a frame of mind to do that sort of
thing. It's not as hard as it seems; it sounds as if it's
really really taxing. I can't sing like, I don't know, Ronnie
James Dio, or that kind of thing you know. I've got admiration
for someone like Joe Lynn Turner for example, I'm not a fan,
but he's an incredible vocalist. To each their own.
CoC: What have the album sales been like for _Vempire..._, and now
_Dusk and Her Embrace_?
Dani: Well, we've sold quite a few records in Europe and what have
you, and obviously the sales haven't been massive over here,
because it's been on import. This is the purpose of this press
trip, you know, having just signed to Music for Nations, well,
we've got to let people know who we are. And I guess the reason
why some people tag this band as all imagery or what have you
is because all they see of the band are the scraps that have
been thrown from the tables in Europe. And the general
magazines that you would get over here, you know, magazines
like Kerrang, and also Hit Parader, and stuff like that, that's
all talk. They need stuff that sells magazines, they're not
really interested in the music. And the good thing about that,
is that people don't seem to realize that (A) it gives
publicity anyway, and (B) if kids want to know more about the
band, they turn to things that matter, like the underground
fanzines.
CoC: What's your view of the Internet, as far as helping Cradle of
Filth out, and the underground metal scene?
Dani: Oh, well I am total techno-fear-man, all-the-machines-are-
ganging-up-on-me type of person. I am hopeless with computers,
but that's really because I haven't paid much attention to
them, but I'm going to try and get some sort of PC, because
that's just going to help more with the artwork, and the
Internet just looks like a lot of fun. Yeah, I've seen some of
our websites, like in England. Some people who are fans, or
with their own fanzines, just set up websites, and it's like
'Fuck yeah, how did he know that? I only stubbed my toe
yesterday!' <laughs> So yeah, it's incredible. It's like a
whole underground culture, isn't it?
CoC: What size do you want to see Cradle of Filth grow to, in terms
of popularity? Do you want to be any more popular than you
already are?
Dani: Now, this must be a trick question. <laughs> No, I see your
point, but I'd be a liar if I said 'oh, I think I'd like to
stay this size for the rest of my life.' No, of course I'd like
to see us get to enormous stature, but we're not going to
compromise. We don't have to do that because, essentially, our
music... it's -our- music, and we don't really like to have
anybody fuck with it and what have you. It just so happens
that, okay, people dig us and buy our records now. So you know,
we don't go and compromise... because, fuck, we're not in this
to compromise, you know what I mean? We know that we're not
going to be fucking huge, and the rock star thing doesn't
appeal to us anyway. It's just not our cup of tea. The best
thing to get from a band is to get respect, to get people to
appreciate you for creating music. And the best thing in the
world is when people, genuine people, not buttfuckers, love the
record so much they tell you about it and they want to know
more, and it's such a cool feeling to know that you affect
someone's life that much. That is the cool feeling, not the
money. The money isn't important, it's a bonus. That's all it
is. You've got to live, but the main thing is respect, that's
cool.
CoC: In an interview about 10 or 12 months ago (in Voices from the
Darkside #9), you said that you'd written about 80 minutes of
music for _Dusk and Her Embrace_, but of course it's only 53
minutes long (the regular version, anyway).
Dani: "Queen of Winter, Throned" was originally a _Dusk..._ track,
which was changed for _Vempire..._; we re-wrote it, added some
new parts in there and what have you. But I love that, I think
it's great. But we had time to do that you see, when we were
going through the litigation with the record company, we had a
lot of free time on our hands, because they weren't putting us
out on tour, and weren't getting us into the right places and
what have you, so it's understandable isn't it?
CoC: The kid who was arrested for wearing the Cradle of Filth
shirt... would you mind talking about that a bit?
Dani: Yeah, well I'm not too clued up exactly what happened, because
it was all happening while we were out of the country. We
pledged our support to his case, but unfortunately we were
again out of the fucking country when his case came up. He lost
his appeal, which meant that he lost legal aid, so he couldn't
pay for his own solicitor. He did want to fight it, out of
principle. But it's all up in the air really, because he was
determined not to lose, and all eyes were on it on the press
side of things in England, because had he lost, and they
enforced this law they would have had to rewrite everything to
do with censorship. That would have had massive repercussions,
it would have sent shockwaves throughout any form of artistry,
film, television, and music. In general, the music business was
kind of crapping its pants, so to speak, because, you know, a
lot of bands make a lot of money being outspoken. That's what
England should be, it's a land where you can have free speech
so it was kind of worrying. But we ended up giving him the
money that he was charged, basically because it was our fault
if you think about it. I think it's cool. We've got another
shirt now, well we've got quite a few shirts on the way,
because the best thing about it is meeting up with all the
photographers, and also to see the women, it's great fun you
know, it's brilliant. But this one shirt, it's like an attack
back, a retort to the "Jesus Is a Cunt" shirt, and we're going
to get this guy to model it for this issue of Terrorizer.
Basically, it's just Cradle of Filth, with our faces down the
sleeve, along with our names. Why we are cunts, you know, like
the Irish-born keyboardist Damien is referred to as a terrorist
on it, and Nicholas is referred to as Necroboar. It's a cool,
funny shirt. But, I felt we had to say it before everyone else
did. <laughs>
CoC: Why did you sign to Music for Nations, as opposed to one of the
top labels like Nuclear Blast?
Dani: Firstly, to be perfectly honest, what we did, we led
Cacophonous on, we led them up the gardened path for about four
months saying we were going to re-sign to them so they'd take
us out to business meals and, you know, just pamper us because
we'd been treated like shit before then. We were kind of
reveling in it. Behind their backs, we were just going
everywhere. We flew out to Germany, we went to East/West and
were taken out, we went up to see Earache and other people
expressed interest as well. It was like a pick of about six or
seven labels, we had a solicitor to get the best deal for us,
and we got a good one in the end. Because obviously we needed
cash to buy new gear, but it was cool, because we visited
everywhere and got loads of free CDs. <laughs> 'Alright see ya,
yeah, yeah' or 'Yeah, we'll get back to you tomorrow.' <laughs>
That kind of thing. The reason why we settled with Music for
Nations was because, if I wanted to have a go at the record
company because they had fucked up, you'd have to go to Germany
for it, you know what I mean, you can't hit anyone over the
telephone. Music for Nations is, okay we live in the
countryside, but London is like an hour and a half, at most,
and then you're there at the office. So if you have to go up to
check on some artwork, or pick up some mail, or talk to the
M.D. to discuss your next plan of attack, or whatever... plus,
they're a good label and they've got some great bands on their
label.
CoC: What do you think about the new wave of "unholy evil black
metal" bands, from Norway or elsewhere, who rely totally on
image, and who have no real musical qualities?
Dani: I don't think it's fair for me to talk about people's bands
because, you know, it's their life as well, and I don't really
want to bitch about it. Although we've done our fair share of
it in the past, I must admit. But it was fair, it wasn't for no
reason. What -does- annoy me, which we get, is when people say
'oh you're appearing in these magazines... that's not black
metal' And it's like, who the fuck are these people to dictate
to us what is and what isn't, you know, exactly. But I think
that whole Norwegian thing burnt itself out when they realized
they didn't have anything else left to say. But there's some
great fucking music still coming from Norway, like Arcturus,
you know?
CoC: What do you see in the future for Cradle of Filth, as far as the
rest of this year, and next year? Anything special planned,
besides the video and tours?
Dani: We've got new material for a new release, untitled as of yet,
because really we've been too busy to turn our attention
towards writing any lyrics, which is sort of a sad thing to
say, but it's perfectly true. It's going to be like a
_Vempire..._-length mini-album which will see release probably
around September to October, is the plan, and then a new album
will follow next March. Obviously, you know, there's a lot of
work involved there, because the tracks have got to be the
fucking dog's bollocks, and they will be, but time will tell.
Then we've got a big festival, because we've got to get our
faces out there a bit more, and give the fans a good show. Then
I'm getting married this year and I've got to squeeze that in
<laughs>. I love commitments like that, so... But the actual
thought though, now that you're talking about it, thinking
about the rest of the year, and the fact that I'm tired, I'm
like 'Ohhh God... just let me melt.'
CoC: Sure, but it'll be fun though, wouldn't you say? Touring, etc.?
Dani: Well, to be perfectly honest, I'm not a big fan of touring. I
mean I love playing shows, but when it comes to touring... I
get gradually worn down, you know? Like I start really good,
and my voice will get stronger, but my mental outlook gets more
and more worn down, like a fucking pebble on the beach. We've
got a six-week tour coming up, and we've never done anything as
long as six weeks, and to tell the truth, I'm not looking
forward to it. I can be an outgoing character you know, go out
and enjoy myself, but my favorite thing is being at home, you
know. I miss my pets, and it sounds sad, but I really miss my
girlfriend. It's just work done from home, I can do a lot more
things there.
CoC: Well, that's about it. Is there anything you want to say, or end
the interview with?
Dani: Ehhmm... No, because if I open my mouth and say something
ridiculous then I'll just get bad for it. <laughs>
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
S W A N O ' S E D G E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with the legendary Dan Swano
by: Pedro Azevedo
After the epic _Crimson_, much was expected of Edge of Sanity's
sixth full-length album, _Infernal_. Having always been one of
Sweden's leading bands, EoS never were predictable, and _Infernal_
surely isn't a predictable album - many thought this would just be a
soften-up album, after _Crimson_ showed more melody than their
previous album, _Purgatory Afterglow_. However, _Infernal_ turns out
to be overall harsher and less melodic than _Crimson_, and still a
great album in its own right.
This time the songwriting has been split between Swano and
Axelsson/Larsson, with Swano playing all instruments (except drums)
in the songs he wrote, as well as doing all the vocals except in a
couple of tracks where Axelsson takes over.
However, they have undergone some tough times lately, and, get
ready for this, EoS ARE SPLITTING UP. Dan Swano himself told me
(after the interview) that he was going to go on his own now,
although he wouldn't "give up metal" (in his own words). Therefore,
this might very well be EoS's last interview, at least as you and I
knew them so far... so enjoy our e-mail chat with EoS's creative
genius and frontman Dan Swano.
CoC: Would you like to tell our readers some more about your new
album, _Infernal_?
Dan Swano: No! Just kidding! What is there to say? It is one more
album with this weird project. This time we split the
songwriting between me and the rest of the band. I think
it turned out okay.
CoC: Why did you choose to go back to the old Edge of Sanity logo,
which wasn't used in _Purgatory Afterglow_ and _Crimson_?
DS: Ask Black Mark. I would never have let that happen if they had
asked first but they didn't so what can I do?
CoC: Speaking of those two, what's the meaning of all those short
silent tracks in the end of _Purgatory Afterglow_?
DS: We wanted to have 99 tracks but it took such a long time so we
did it just to confuse people and to avoid the "shuffle/random"
play for the consumers, ha, ha!
CoC: About _Crimson_, what process did you use to write it? Did you
write a few melodies and riffs and put them all together, or was
it a sequential process, or none of the above?
DS: We wrote it sequential (nice word). We jammed and had DAT tapes
running. Once every hour we listened to what we'd done and then
we wrote something more serious out of it and all of a sudden it
was 40 minutes!
CoC: What exactly is the meaning of the _Crimson_ cover art?
DS: It shows the young child encaged in the crimson water that brings
eternal pain.
CoC: How well have Edge of Sanity been doing in sales?
DS: We have sold about 100,000 records worldwide until now. I think
it's cool!
CoC: Do you think EoS's quality and success should be measured by
that kind of number (sales)?
DS: Not really. Our records are really good compared to some shit out
there that sell a lot more but these bands tour and really exist
as a band while we are a project that hardly even meet when we
aren't recording!
CoC: Back to _Infernal_, which I found to be a very good album and a
very worthy follow-up to your previous works, why did you use
Axelsson's voice in the two fastest tracks instead of inviting
Mike Akerfeldt again? Was he unavailable?
DS: Mike was not a part of the plan. These songs were written by
Andreas and he just wanted to sign on them. I don't know if I
like it, but it gives the whole thing a different side. Mike is
not into doing session stuff anymore, he did too much!
CoC: Why didn't Sami Nerberg appear on this album? Is everything
alright with him?
DS: He is not totally alright. He had serious drug problems and went
to jail/treatment a few months before the recording and now he's
out, a bit better I guess but they easily fall back, but I hope
he is strong enough to not do so. I hardly know the guy so I
don't know which I believe is the possible outcome.
CoC: How did the work go at The Abyss studio with Peter Tagtgren?
DS: Perfect. Peter is the perfect studio engineer. He is eager to
make things better than possible and I like that. He made a good
job in a short time for our album.
CoC: Is Unisound "dead"?
DS: Yep. Totally fucking dead. I have a new studio now for personal
use only called The Sanctuary.
CoC: Why did you choose to have such different writers for your
lyrics?
DS: Mainly because I didn't have any inspiration or time to complete
them myself. Lyrics are the worst thing! If anyone out there have
some cool stuff laying around, sent it to me!
CoC: What was the reason behind the strange tempos used in the
beginning and end of "15:36"?
DS: My weird mind! Did I fool you? Every one gets fooled by that
weird change. Benny had a tough time playing it but he did it
finally! I will fool you even more with the next album! Beware!
CoC: What was the idea/concept behind "The Last Song"?
DS: I wanted to show you all what I feel deep inside. It is the most
personal song I have ever written and I wanted the end of this
album to be first soft and then almost chaotic because that is
the way I feel when I write. But for the next album, I will
hopefully have more time to record and fix and tricks. Like a
year or so!
CoC: I heard that Pan-Thy-Monium was coming back to life without you.
What's your view on that?
DS: It is all up to them. I have kArAbOuDjAn which is my version of
PTM but much more weird and bizarre! Then can do what they want
but I don't think too many will enjoy it. The finesse is gone.
CoC: I'd like to ask you your opinion on a few Swedish bands I
personally enjoy. Please give a short opinion on each, if that's
alright with you
CoC: Katatonia.
DS: Good band with some problems to find their style. Their latest
releases are kind of different to the first ones but it is fine
with me.
CoC: Dark Tranquillity.
DS: Haven't heard much. The stuff I have heard is better than Septic
Broiler!
CoC: In Flames.
DS: Among the best bands to come out of the metal scene in Sweden.
They really make great material and have a great sense of quality
and their records have a wonderful sound.
CoC: Dissection.
DS: I think this band would be the best in the whole genre if Jon did
all the stuff alone with lets say Hellhammer on drums. Some
moments on the first album is superb while some stuff on the
second album is Zzzzzzzz.
CoC: Opeth.
DS: The best metal band Sweden ever produced in my opinion. This is
the way I want my metal. Progressive and with long epic tracks
and a combination of evil and beautiful things. They rule! They
kicked out their bass player by the way! And have studio time for
the 3rd album in Fredman in September.
CoC: Therion.
DS: I think their death metal had some good sides, especially tracks
like "The Return". But they have too much junk in the music
nowadays. I think it was cool to sing on their latest record but
the best song wasn't on the album! I am not a fan of horns and
choirs, etc., let the normal 5-piece speak!
CoC: Hypocrisy.
DS: Peter is a clever bastard. He is writing death metal with the
same vision as myself. I think their next album might kick some
serious ass! "Roswell 47" might be THE death metal song of the
90s.
CoC: Godgory.
DS: Good outfit. Good ideas, and whatever people say, [they have] a
style of their own. There are things that could be done, like the
lyrics and the arrangements, but all in all a fucking fine piece
of flesh, and their rhythm guitarist is the robot from hell.
James Hetfield go home!
CoC: And, of course, Edge of Sanity.
DS: We suck!
CoC: A lot of bands have been quitting the death vocals lately, but
you haven't (and I'm glad for that). Why? What are the chances
of death vocals for the next EoS album?
DS: It will probably have about the same balance as _Infernal_. I
like that combination. Growlings fuck your throat but having a
lot of spare time between the takes now enables me to give 101%
in every song, not having to think about doing all 10 songs in
one day. That rules!
CoC: Well, wrapping up, anything you'd like to tell our readers, any
final message?
DS: I want to do some serious eating now! Sorry for some limited
answers but I am not used to typing my answers. Call me up and
you'll have 10 pages worth of conversation. Ask anyone who tried
me out!
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N A Z A R E N E W I T H A F A X M A C H I N E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with Impaled Nazarene's Mika Luttinen
by: Steve Hoeltzel
Imagine my surprise when I tried to fax a set of questions to Mika
Luttinen, owner of the deranged throat which fronts this craziest of
bands - and got his voice coming out of my modem instead, "Hello?...
Hello?" It's a surprisingly deep voice, too, especially when you
consider Mika's throat-ripping high-end performance on _Latex Cult_
(reviewed in CoC #11), not to mention the band's three prior
full-length releases. Anyway, we exchanged pleasantries for a (very
expensive) minute or two, then fired up the faxes. And now, thanks to
the miracle of modern communications technology, all you Karmakeddon
Warriors out there can check out what transpired and read Mika's
report on current Impaled activities.
CoC: What's new with the band? How has the recent touring gone?
Mika Luttinen: Not much happening; writing new songs. Touring's been
okay. It has been great to play with Cannibal Corpse,
Immolation, Angel Corpse, and Gehennah.
CoC: What kind of activities have you got planned for 1997?
ML: We will tour South America in March. We'll do Chile, Columbia,
Argentina, and Brazil. After that, no plans, except we'll try to
get to Mexico before summer as well. Late 97: studio!
CoC: The latest update from Osmose says that one of your concerts in
Paris was sabotaged. What is the story there? Do you know who
committed the sabotage, and why?
ML: Believe it or not, until today I thought that we had a normal
power break during the gig in Paris, but as I just spoke with
Herve of Osmose, it indeed was caused by some anti-Impaled
Nazarene people... My guess goes for some black metal nerds.
CoC: The update also mentions some controversy about the cover art
for _Ugra-Karma_. What can you tell us about all that?
ML: I cannot reveal too much, as it seems likely we'll go to court
because of that. Anyway, nobody fucks with us like that, so some
action is to follow. This just proves that Hare Krishnas or
whatever they call themselves are just like any other religion:
they seek cheap publicity and are money hungry. Fuck them.
CoC: After _Suomi Finland Perkele_, I was somewhat surprised to see
the band return to the all-out aggression of earlier releases.
What prompted this return? And how do you answer people who say
that you were simply "playing it safe" by sounding so extreme on
_Latex Cult_?
ML: The bottom line is that Kimmo [Luttinen - Mika's brother and the
band's former drummer] changed our style pretty much after the
release of _Ugra-Karma_. It was his vision of how we should
sound, and the rest of us weren't happy at all. It is useless for
a band like us to try to be a copy of Danzig or fucking Paradise
Lost. So, after Kimmo was replaced, it was normal for us to go
back to what we do best, i.e. play aggressive and fast metal. I
guess you're referring to Metal Maniacs, where they said we just
wanted to play it safe. If we wanted to play it safe, we would be
doing fucking gothic metal or whatever, in the line of "Blood Is
Thicker Than Water" from _Suomi Finland Perkele_. It was one guy
who wanted to go a different way, and the rest did not agree.
Nobody expected such a release as _Latex Cult_ from us anymore,
but we fucking proved that we are still here, doing our thing our
way. We can get only nastier.
CoC: You seem to approach your band's lyrics and image with a sense
of humour. Is that a fair assessment? What is your opinion of
those who are (or claim to be) one hundred percent serious about
all this black metal stuff?
ML: If somebody is one hundred percent serious about black metal,
then so what? It does not bother us. Certainly there's some
humour on our first three CDs, but on _Latex Cult_ there's none.
We were pissed off when we wrote it, and I think it shows. Lots
of shit went down two months before we entered the studio, and it
fucking shows.
CoC: I have read interviews in which you describe yourself as a
"cynical individualist." For the benefit of readers who may
think of Impaled Nazarene as a bunch of devil-worshippers, or
whatever, could you please explain what you mean by cynical
individualism?
ML: A better term would actually be "fucking asshole", but anyway, I
see the whole band as individualists, as we do not belong to or
support any political or religious movement or organization. We
have come this far by being ourselves, and that's what I'm proud
of! We never kissed ass or jumped the next trend or sold
ourselves out. For sure, we would have a way bigger following if
we had been into "evil guys and their doings", but we did not
fucking care about them.
CoC: The year 2000 will soon arrive. How does the future look, from
your own perspective?
ML: Things are starting to boil up, I guess.
CoC: What would the next hundred years look like, if Sir Luttinen
were in charge?
ML: Sir Luttinen is actually a name my brother (our ex-drummer) uses.
[Oops! My mistake. - Steve] If I were in charge, it would be the
end of Greenpeace and all things green. Cement or nothing.
CoC: If you could be born again during any past period of history,
what period would you choose, and why?
ML: I prefer present over past, so I am just happy here, thank you.
CoC: What sort of thing have you been listening to lately?
ML: Nothing but my own guitar playing, as the last three weeks I have
been composing new songs - speaking of which, everybody check out
the forthcoming _World Domination II_ CD by Osmose, as it has a
brand new Impaled Nazarene track on it.
CoC: When all is said and done, how would you like Impaled Nazarene
to be remembered?
ML: As a cult band - but I do hope this won't happen for a long, long
time.
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B A R D S O F T H E B L A C K B A L T I C
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC speaks with Nergal of Behemoth
by: Steve Hoeltzel
Proud "Bards of Pomeranian Heathendom", Poland's Behemoth prove that
you don't have to be from Scandinavia to create immense, intense
black metal with originality and flair. Last year's excellent _Grom_
impressed me a great deal (see my gushing review in CoC #15), and the
album remains a big favorite around here still. The band's earlier
material is much more raw and simplistic, but I still think that
their demo and first MCD (whose names you'll find below) are killer
takes on the just-as-raw-as-possible style of black metal. _Grom_, on
the other hand, is quite a bit more muscular and dynamic, an
impassioned, thundering monster of a record. The first time I heard
it, I decided that I'd definitely try to get an interview with these
guys for the zine. Here's the result.
CoC: For readers who may not be familiar with the band, could you
please give a brief history, including your recent activities?
Nergal: Behemoth was formed by [guitarist/vocalist/songwriter] Nergal
in mid-1991. Since the beginning, the music of the band has
been oriented within the canons of black metal. We recorded a
few demo tapes which were very successful and gained a lot of
excellent opinions from all over the world. After the
recording of the _From the Pagan Vastlands_ demo tape, we got
an offer from a German label, Nazgul's Eyre, and an American
one, Wild Rags, to release it on CD format. Shortly after
this, the editions of this demo CD were available on both
continents. Our first real piece was the MCD _And the Forests
Dream Eternally_, which can be ordered from the German
[label] Last Epitaph Productions. Also available is our first
full-length CD called _Sventivith_. In the end of '95, we
recorded our second opus, _Grom_, and months later we went on
a European tour with Pagan Triumph, which made our position
among the black metal bands much stronger. At the moment,
we're promoting our new EP, _Bewitching the Pomerania_, which
is an announcement of our third opus, _Pandemonic
Incantations_, which should hit humanity in the fall of 1997.
CoC: What do you think sets Behemoth apart from the many other bands
in today's crowded extreme metal scene?
N: I think we are far more dedicated to the black metal scene than
most of the other bands on this planet. Behemoth is something I
pay all my attention to, and I put all my heart in it. Because of
that, we stand above the average-ism of today's black metal scene,
and believe me, we shall bombard the human race with our new
album, that's sure!
CoC: The band's sound has really grown from the early days of your
first releases (which I still really like). Do you still
consider Behemoth to be a black metal band? Today, what does
black metal represent to you?
N: Black metal stands for extreme individuality and expression of
yourself within its realm. That's what black metal means to me. Of
course, this is a great style of MUSIC, but I believe that's not
everything that black metal stands for. It's strongly connected to
your life, and it's a kind of thing, an irrational being that
exists among us, feeds our hungry hearts with its magnificent and
totally unique atmosphere and meaning. Something which is hard to
express in any mortal language.
CoC: Many of the lyrics on _Grom_ speak of the power of nature, and
of a return to "ancient pride" - and pride and power are very
evident in your sound. Please tell us a bit more about the
personal convictions behind your lyrics and music.
N: The lyrics are a very integral part of our music, and certainly
one can't exist without the other. I don't want people to look
upon my poems as a kind of manifesto, because it simply isn't one.
They are a kind of mirror of my inner self, the expression of the
inner voice of my soul. I try to express all that's important in
my life, and these are the emotions that are born from my love for
Pomerania and what it's all about, the history, the ancient pride,
etc. I hope you can feel even a little piece of this feeling while
reading my lyrics... if not, then try again until you find what I
call the essence of life.
CoC: If you could be reborn during any period of past history, what
period would you choose, and why?
N: Sometimes I really think that I belong to a different reality,
that I'm the kind of man who belongs to the past or the future,
but its surely a great kingdom of freedom. I'm deeply into
history, but I'm not so sure if there is any period in it which
I'd love so much. Of course, I find it extremely interesting to
read about ancient civilizations, barbaric tribes, etc., but all
in all, I'd prefer to stay in my own world. I still believe there
are some things left to be done on this damn earth, and I shall
realize myself as long as the gods help me in the present life.
CoC: How does the future look to you?
N: As always, it's filled with emotions, and it's exciting to wait
and see how humanity will change when we will have had our third
son. As I said in the first answer, we're working hard on our
third album, which should be out in the end of the year on German
Solstitium Records. Until then, we will be promoting our MCD,
which shows our present face. Just check it out, and you'll easily
notice that we're stronger than ever!
CoC: Tell us about your new material.
N: The new songs differ from the ones on _Grom_. They are surely more
mature in each way. You'll see, we've developed as musicians, and
it's audible on our new record. It's full of extreme emotions. The
sound is also much better than on our previous release. There may
be some more melodies, some more synth parts, but it stays brutal
and fast as hell!
CoC: I believe you recently played quite a few clubs around Europe in
support of _Grom_. How did that go?
N: I must admit that the tour we did in September '96 went really
great. Well, there were still some places where the crowd's
behaviour was really annoying, but fortunately, we are quite a
well known band, and there were always a few individuals who
seemed to know what was going on when Behemoth performed. I just
want to hail all of them, hoping we meet together in the nearest
future... We have played in countries like Germany, Belgium, and
Holland, and in most places the reaction of the crowd was really
amazing. They seemed to know our lyrics very well, which was quite
a surprise for me. After finishing the next recording, we'll go on
tour again, most possibly in the fall of this year or in the
beginning of 1998. Time shall tell.
CoC: Please name four or five albums from the past year or so which
you would consider essential.
N: It's extremely hard to name the most essential ones, but I'll have
a try: Mercyful Fate, _Into the Unknown_; King Diamond,
_Graveyard_; Manowar, _Louder than Hell_; Satyricon, _Nemesis
Divina_; Nephilim, _Zoon_. Well, it's sure that there are still
some important titles left out, but it's really impossible to
decide what counts as the most essential ones, really.
CoC: In the end, how would you like Behemoth to be remembered?
N: Even if we are dead one day, the memory of us will stay immortal,
as our music surely is. Just remember that even if the black metal
wave will pass, never to return, there will come the day of wrath,
and then we will enter the eternal night, rape your bodies with
our magnificent art... This ART forever shall be.
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D A V E D I S H E S I T O U T A G A I N
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats Grip Inc.'s Dave Lombardo
by: Adrian Bromley
Before we even get into this Chaotic Chat Session, I have to be
perfectly honest with you. I was not really into or even impressed
with Grip Inc.'s debut album, _The Power of Inner Strength_, when it
came out in 1995. While the band was the new outfit for ex-Slayer
drummer Dave Lombardo, I felt that the four-piece lacked something
within their music. While it was intense and delivered solid thrusts
of anger and strength at certain points of the record, the music
seemed monotonous and rather stale. Needless to say, upon hearing of
the second effort, _Nemesis_, surfacing, I was anticipating a
somewhat similar outing. Man, was I wrong.
The band's latest effort, _Nemesis_, is a ball-busting,
hard-hitting ride of metal groove. The groove and variety of song
structures, plus throw in vocalist Gus Chamber's rawness in his
vocals, has taken the shape of an immense music machine. Sure, there
seems to be more of a groove here than rip-roarin' metal riffs, but
those who have heard _TPoIS_ and this new record will clearly see the
difference in releases and be happier that Grip Inc. (now a
three-piece with guitarist/producer Waldemar Sorychta rounding out
the band) cleaned up and condensed their sound into something worth
cranking.
Chronicles of Chaos caught up with Grip Inc. founder/drummer
Dave Lombardo to talk about _Nemesis_ and how life has been two years
down the road for Grip Inc.
CoC: With all the press, touring, and work that came along with the
first record, what kind of emphasis or work did you take into
the recording of _Nemesis_?
Dave Lombardo: _TPoIS_ was such a heavy, aggressive, in-yer-face kind
of record, and then we were in the studio thinking
about what we were going to do with this record. I
wanted to set the tone and try to make the new record
more groove-oriented. A little bit funky but still
heavy. I wanted the band to be heard as a band. And as
it goes along we try to continue branching out. We
already have two songs for the next record now and
that is going to be a screwed up, dysfunctional record
with lots of time changes but still sounding like Grip
Inc. What we want to do is with every album to set a
different tone. We just want to be able to play all
the different material live and have all the styles
take you through different mood swings.
CoC: From the critics point of view, some people enjoyed the work of
Grip Inc. while others had their own opinions about the band,
whether it be leaving Slayer to do this or the sound you had
created for the band. What kind of response have you heard from
fans, friends, musicians, or even the label, Metal Blade?
DL: Everything regarding the record has been great. People around the
world are loving it. Europe has been great for us for the most
part, too. Except England. In England they don't really like us
and I think that has something to do with Gus leaving the country
and trying to start a life in the United States. There are three
major magazines over there: Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, and
Terrorizer. We got a hell of a review in one of the underground
magazines over there but in Kerrang! and Metal Hammer, they
didn't have too many favorable things to say. I am gonna make
toilet paper out of those reviews. I'm gonna let them know, 'I
wipe my ass with what you say.' <laughs>
CoC: With your years of experience touring with Slayer and playing
the last few years with Grip Inc., do you feel that your
musicianship has changed?
DL: Definitely. My musicianship goes in cycles and constantly
changes, and I like that because I am able to experiment with
every different style. I am able to express the aggressive Dave
Lombardo style with bits and pieces of music that I have picked
up on. This process of listening to various types of music allows
me to bring those ideas into Grip Inc. and make it its own thing.
CoC: Does music and song writing come a lot easier now?
DL: Grip Inc. is like a writing machine now. Waldemar and myself can
get together at anytime to write music and it still is fresh and
sounding like Grip Inc. Writing is more enjoyable now for us.
CoC: How has the last few years been for you with Grip Inc. and life
in general?
DL: 1996 for me personally was the worst year of my life. A lot of
things happened that year. We had recorded the record and we, as
musicians, were learning to deal and communicate with each other.
There was a lot of turmoil. Now in 1997, it seems much better for
us and we are tighter. We are a close-knit family now. The three
of us are the brains of the group and if something goes wrong, we
are all to blame and not just one individual. We all work off
each other, provide input, and other useful ideas to keep the
band tight.
CoC: The thing that I think sets this album apart from the last
record is the ability for all the musicians involved in the
making of the record to be able to add their own input and
ideas, and not be afraid to try or experiment. Do you agree?
DL: Yes. I find that when you try to keep a musician into a certain
style or mold, they can only do so much, but if you sit back and
let them take control of what they want to bring to a song or a
project, their musical ideas start to flourish. That is what I
wanted from both Gus and Waldemar. I wanted that. Anything that
they felt we could bring to Grip Inc., I told them to bring it to
the music.
CoC: When you started Grip Inc., a lot of people saw it as the
'ex-drummer' of Slayer's band, and that plagued you for your
debut release and pretty much within the press. It has been a
couple of years now since your departure from Slayer: Do you
think with _Nemesis_ that you have severed completely any
affiliation with Slayer?
DL: I believe strongly that we have done that. No one can say that
this even remotely sounds like Slayer in any way. I mean, there
are so many bands out there that sound closer to Slayer than Grip
Inc. could ever be. People have to understand that I was their
drummer and I have my own style, and I can't get away from that.
The band, in a way, revolved around my drumming and that is maybe
why people are placing comparisons on our music. I think we have
dropped the comparisons with _Nemesis_.
CoC: A description of Grip Inc.'s _Nemesis_?
DL: This record is not a total metal record in my mind. I would call
it power-rock or power-metal or even a little bit of speed metal.
I think it is good, solid, tasteful music that anybody can
appreciate a little bit no matter what scene or style they are
into. This record can be like a door opening for someone who may
not be into metal but may find it a stepping stone into getting
interested into metal music. Who knows? I'm not trying to turn
people off of metal with my music, rather trying to get more
people interested with our style of music and metal itself.
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A L F A R T I C U L A T E S A L L
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An interview with Oxiplegatz
by: Drew Schinzel
Oxiplegatz is truly one of the more original acts in the death metal
underground. Utilizing a mesmerizing sci-fi atmosphere, baritone male
vocals, wonderful female vocals, and of course some more typical
death/black vocals, this project, solely the hobby of Alf Svensson,
deserves more recognition than it receives. The complex compositions
are all of inspiring, diverse, beautiful, brutal, and everything in
between, encompassing the entire spectrum of emotion and musical
intensity. The man behind Oxiplegatz is obviously -not- one to follow
the current trends, and it will remain that way forever, it seems, as
it should. Alf had some very interesting, and very -true-, things to
say, so do read on.
CoC: Could you please explain how Oxiplegatz came into being, and
give a little background on the band?
Alf: As you might already know, I played for a couple of years with
At the Gates, which was formed by myself and some other guys
from Gothenburg, Sweden, after our first band Grotesque was
split up. After recording the album _With fear I Kiss the
Burning Darkness_, I felt I could no longer go on playing with
the band. We had been on a few shorter tours through Europe and
I felt it was not really my thing, and since the band gained
popularity it was likely there would be a lot of gigs coming up.
Furthermore, we were starting to have different points of view
on the future of the band. Anders was taking over the role of
songwriter more and more, not that I thought his material was
bad, I just felt like experimenting a whole lot more then the
rest of the guys seemed to do. So, I decided to let them develop
in their own direction and do what I wanted to do for myself. I
had a lot of old material that was never used with At the Gates,
and I put together some songs of rather uneven quality. This was
released as the first Oxiplegatz album: _Fairytales_.
Unfortunately, I was not used to doing everything on my own and
the result was, looking back now, not what I would have liked it
to be. I let myself be influenced by others' opinions and ideas,
which I have learned since to ignore completely. The second
album, _Worlds & Worlds_, is in a sense the first real
Oxiplegatz album, with the style formed and the direction for
the band set, even though some songs also on this album are old
material. "Graveyard dream" is an old song I wrote for
Grotesque, which was never recorded. "The End Is Nigh" and
"Journey" were originally meant to be on the first album, but
the recording really sucked so I did a re-mix and added a new
song - this is the last part on the CD, recorded in Studio
Fredman. As I think of it, perhaps the next release will be the
first complete Oxiplegatz album.
CoC: What is the current state of the band?
Alf: I don't know if I would really call it a -band-; it's more like
a hobby of mine. Anyway, I haven't quit yet. I hope to make at
least one more attempt at creating something I won't have to be
ashamed of in ten years or so.
CoC: What's been going on since the release of _Worlds & Worlds_?
Alf: I'm currently working on the next Oxiplegatz project, no title
is yet decided, but it will be an album more or less consisting
of one long piece of music. One day as I was listening to the
radio at work, I was suddenly sickened by the way all music is
essentially the same, in structure and melody. So I thought:
"Sad, sad is the state of society. Has the evolution of the
human brain turned into regression?" Everybody only does what
others have done before them, following the mainstream like a
flock of mindless sheep. The visionary is looked upon with
scorn, people lack insight and depth of vision, rejoicing only
in the image of the familiar and even simple. Unfortunately,
this goes also for the better part of the metal scene. I really
don't understand it - would I pick up the cover of a new band,
decipher the logo, look at the photos of guys in black leather
with long hair, corpsepaint, and inverted crosses, desperately
trying to look evil, read the blasphemous titles and say: "Wow -
cool, this looks interesting, I'm buying?" - I don't think so...
I'm not saying I'm the most original composer there is, but at
least I try not to do exactly what everyone else does, just to
sell. This whole thing with Satan, inverted crosses, and evil is
purely ludicrous. I personally refuse to believe in anything
that was invented by some old goat-fucking shepherd thousands of
years ago in Israel. It's all crap. My interest lies in the
future, and man's evolution into homo sapiens stellaris.
Oxiplegatz is dedicated to the unknown of the final frontier.
Alf: The new project will be the story of a world perishing in the
gravitation of a huge black hole. The inhabitants are forced to
emigrate into space. Strange adventures await them between the
stars as the mystical journey unfolds.
CoC: Where do you get such inspiration for the sci-fi aspect of the
album?
Alf: I have always been a sci-fi fan. Periodically I read a lot, the
problem is only that there are so few good writers. Most
concepts have already been used before, also in this field. My
personal favourite is Jack Vance, who never seems to run out of
ideas for new and strange societies on remote worlds. Besides
reading sci-fi, I have, ever since being a child, been an
amateur astronomer. It's a thrilling feeling to gaze through a
telescope at some distant star and ponder: "What lies out there?
Maybe I'm right now staring at a future home of mankind, or the
blazing scene of an interstellar war going on beyond the
knowledge of us feeble, earth-based primitives. If only I was
born a few hundred years into the future!"
CoC: How has the response been to _Worlds & Worlds_?
Alf: Fairly good I would say. I do not get much mail, but the few
positive words I receive from fans over the world is what
counts. I never expected to satisfy the taste of the commoner.
The album has sold okay, but that don't matter much to me, I
write music mainly for the fun of it.
CoC: Why was there such a time/studio difference between the
recording sessions for the album?
Alf: Periodically I lose interest in music and spend my time with
some of my main interests, which are things like drawing comics,
writing or painting. Recently I've gotten into 3-D graphics,
that is making computer games, and learning this has taken a lot
of time. Music is something I rarely occupy my thoughts with,
only when I'm fed up with other things.
CoC: The artwork which adorns the album is spectacular. Would you
care to talk about this further?
Alf: Thank you - it's actually one of the things I like the most
about the CD. The front cover is made from a mixing of
techniques. I had decided to have a naked woman on the sleeve,
so I took a photo of my girlfriend and blended it into a scenery
made in a 3-D program. The goatbot is one of my first tries at
creating figures with the computer, and as it turned out pretty
cool I thought: this will do for the cover and will also give a
hint at the black metal parts of the music. One thing about the
cover: I wanted it to be white. This color seems to be banned in
metal circles, which suits me fine. The back cover was created
first as a mesh of 3-D objects and later worked upon in a 2-D
art program. All in all I like it a lot - the contrasts between
the white, the black star fields and the metal surfaces are
striking. There, enough of boasting.
CoC: Are you involved in any other projects besides Oxiplegatz?
Alf: Some lesser projects. I recently made a few songs together with
my younger brother, who is into punk. A CD is to be released
shortly. It has not many things in common with Oxiplegatz. I'm
also in a punk band called Oral, which has existed by and by
since 1985. It was my first band and we played
Discharge-inspired music. We released a CD in 1995 with some old
songs, and it is now sold out. I have a few projects of my own
which I don't know if they will ever be completed.
CoC: What is meant by the name Oxiplegatz?
Alf: According to an old Donald Duck magazine, it means "How?" A
gold-devouring creature uttered the word when deceived by the
clever Donald and his nephews. I figured: Most bands have names
that are totally incomprehensible, I'll use an even worse...
CoC: The CD packaging, theme, etc., are all not things that are
familiar to the black or death metal scene, yet the music
retains many of the trademarks. Are you trying to separate
Oxiplegatz from the rest of the faceless bands in the genre?
Alf: I would hope so. I'm sure all the cool satanic bands laugh at my
image, but so what - I laugh at theirs. At least I don't wear
makeup like a raccoon... As you might be aware of black metal is
big here in Scandinavia and I know a lot of guys who actually
claim to be serious satanists or rather devil worshippers. They
perform rites out in the woods, drink blood and cut themselves
up with knives. Ridiculous. I hold them for no better than all
the religious vomit of Christianity and Islam, it's only the
other side of the same coin. Sure, we had inverted crosses when
I played with Grotesque, but that was only to make fun and
provoke. So you could say I try to separate myself from them.
CoC: Towards what direction do you think you are heading, musically,
for the next Oxiplegatz release?
Alf: I have given up the concept of putting songs together in the
standard way. I will just put together a lot of riffs and
melodies as I see fit, one thing inevitably leads to another. I
had an intention to have a really intricate setup of
instrumentation and a lot of orchestral arrangements, but now as
I've made a few attempts at putting the pieces together on my
computer (I record at home using hard disc recording) I find
that the sound tends to be blurred and the details hard to
discern when using too many instruments at once. I'm not sure
yet but perhaps I'll cut the original concept down to a rather
basic setup of drums , bass, guitars and a few choirs and synth
sounds. Simplicity has it's charm, I listened to some old At the
Gates stuff the other day (I rarely do) and I was struck by the
simplicity of the songs - but still, they are clear and definite
in composition. So the next Oxiplegatz album might hold a few
things for those who liked the early At the Gates, since I have
reached the conclusion that bigger is not always better when it
comes to arranging songs. It will still be death metal, not as
fast and aggressive as some of the songs from _Worlds & Worlds_,
but more variations and strange melodies.
CoC: Is Oxiplegatz solely a manifestation of your mind's eye? Do you
think you will ever tire of it?
Alf: Oh yes, I tire of it from time to time and think 'I've had
enough of this shit now! Never again will I waste hours upon
hours on pointless musical exertions.' After all, every new
piece is merely a rearrangement of the same old notes and beats.
But as long as I feel I can do better than the last attempt, I
guess I will try again and make another album... And, most
important of all, I still think it's fun to write music. It's a
way of expressing oneself and visualize your ideas, not as good
as drawing and painting, but still...
CoC: What else do you do in life, besides Oxiplegatz?
Alf: I tend to get involved in more things than I really have time
for. To start with, I work like most others do, a necessary evil
to get enough money to be convenient in life. Since four years
back I run a tattoo studio in Gothenburg, and I work about 25-30
hours a week there. Actually, I'm sick of tattooing and I try to
cut down on the hours in favour of more interesting things. A
year ago I started learning 3-D graphics. I spend an average of
three hours a day at my computer, constructing meshes in 3-D
Studio. I hope to put together a commercial adventure game in
the near future together with a friend who is a C++ programmer.
Another big interest of mine is comics. I try to do at least one
page every week on some story. I recently finished a ninety-page
sci-fi story, inspired by Jack Vance's "Dying Earth" novels. It
will hopefully be released in Sweden during 1997. I also have
another story going, a tale from around the year 1000, when the
Icelander Grette Asmundsson lived a life as an outlaw in
medieval Scandinavia. Lots of violence and sword swinging there.
It's almost completed. Besides these main interests, I train a
lot. There's a good Thai boxing club here that I've been going
to for some time, but recently I changed to shoot fighting,
which is a kind of mixed style of Thai boxing, wrestling, and
Jiu Jitsu. If you've seen the Ultimate Fighting Championships
and those kind of no-rules competitions, you know what it's
about. I train maybe three, four evenings a week. Well, apart
from that, there's not much. I almost never hang out with
friends, sit around listening to music or just do nothing, I
think that's a complete waste of time. Life is short. So, I'm
pretty busy, but on the other hand I'm never bored.
CoC: When can we expect a new release?
Alf: As soon as I feel satisfied with the new stuff. I record a few
parts now and then as I get the inspiration (at home with a
hard-disc-recording system on my PC). I'm not sure when it will
be finished, since I have to start working on the cover and all
that, but I hope maybe in autumn of 1997.
CoC: What are some of your inspirations, musically, and which other
bands in the scene today do you respect and listen to?
Alf: I try to get influenced as little as possible from other music.
"Getting inspiration" sounds pretty much the same to me as
"stealing ideas from others". To be true, I haven't bought a CD
in the last two years, because I never have time to listen to
them anyway. So I'm not really following what has happened in
the scene lately. I kind of lost interest when most bands that I
like left the old death metal style and evolved into something
less inventive or aggressive. I get a demo tape or a CD from
fans now and then, and this is what I mostly listen to, if
anything. New, unexperienced bands often project an energy that
the -big- bands lack. The latest CD I got was an Israeli band -
Grimoire, _A requiem..._ - it's pretty good. I still like a lot
of old stuff though, like Napalm Death's _Harmony Corruption_,
the first Deicide, Incubus' _Beyond the Unknown_, almost
everything with Bolt Thrower, Macabre, and Discharge... I listen
mostly to opera, medieval music, and music from the early part
of this century, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and all their
Swedish likes. I respect every band, whatever their style, that
has something original to give and not only follows the
mainstream. I have problems accepting that everyone must always
try to be so cool all the time and put up a facade, even if I
realize the same could probably be said about myself.
CoC: Why don't you work with any other musicians for Oxiplegatz, as
far as writing/performing music and lyrics is concerned?
Alf: Because I can't stand it when people interfere with my ideas. I
want to be in total control and free to follow my every whim.
Music is always better when created by one individual. I hardly
think that any of the old composers like Puccini, Schubert or
Mahler would have accepted to get their ideas voted down by
others? I personally had enough of this with At the Gates.
CoC: I think that's about all my questions, Alf. You can take this
opportunity to say anything you want.
Alf: Thank you for your interest in my insignificant music. For those
who want to visit my website, the URL is
http://home3.swipnet.se/w-30444. My E-mail address is
alf.svensson@swipnet.se.
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,.:/
Here is where CoC gets the inside story on up-and-coming bands. Check
out this column for a variety of fresh, brutal groups. Should you be
an aspiring band on your way to super-stardom, send us your demo and
bio; our address is included in the zine's header.
T H E B L O O D I S T H E L I F E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interrogates Blood of Christ
by: Adam Wasylyk
Most people in Southern Ontario know that Toronto's metal scene
is dead, with the exception of a few small indie bands. What has
grown to become Ontario's metal hot-spot is London, which has had
visits from bands like Suffocation and Deicide in the past few
months. There is also a very sturdy underground with some very
talented bands. Blood of Christ is one of those bands, who have
become the first to sign to a label, Pulverizer Records.
I talked to brothers Jeff (guitars) and Jason (drums) Longo
about BoC's past, present, and what seems like a very bright future.
This is what transpired.
CoC: Tell me about the band's origins, how the band members joined
together to become Blood of Christ?
Jeff: Blood of Christ started out in early 1994, actually probably
earlier around late '93. In the summer of '94 we did two demos,
_Divine Requiem_ and _Frozen Dreams_. The only remaining
members from these demos are Jason Longo (drums), Marek Kopola
(bass), and myself on guitar. Then we started playing live
shows. Our first (which was promoted, booked, and set up by
BoC) was with Cryptopsy and Nefarious on September 2nd, 1995. A
while after this, after a whole year of constant problems and
differences with our vocalist, Conan Bulani joined (August
'96). The rest is history I guess, or is still to come.
CoC: How would you describe your sound to someone who hasn't heard
your music? What bands have influenced BoC's sound?
Jason: Well, our music is very different from any other death metal
band. For example we have a lot of time changes and we hardly
ever play the same riff twice in our newer material. Some of
the bands I personally listen to are Immolation, Korn,
Suffocation, Cryptopsy, Primus, and the list goes on.
Jeff: There really aren't any "influences", we just play what comes
to us naturally.
CoC: Tell me about your demo, _The Lonely Flowers of Autumn_. Did it
result in the band receiving any international attention?
Jason: Our demo, _TLFoA_, was recorded in September 1995 and contains
four songs. It was our first demo that introduced our new
sound to people. We sold a lot of demos and made t-shirts for
it, too. We also got reviews in magazines around the world. We
got a lot of attention for this demo, there was interest from
labels, bands, and 'zines alike.
Jeff: It also is what brought us to be heard by Randy Williams at
Pulverizer Records!
CoC: Didn't the band release a 7-inch a while back?
Jason: Well, we recorded two songs for it but we never saw those
7-inches. It was with Torture Records (Italy) and I don't know
if it got released in Europe or not, but it definitely didn't
come out over here to us in the mail. By the way, we've waited
for over eight months for that fucking 7-inch!
CoC: Of those recordings, what did the lyrics deal with?
Jeff: Well, our lyrics on the demo and the two songs (which will be
released soon - so one way or another we've finally got those
songs out) which were intended for the 7-inch, they're about
life I suppose, but with a very morose outlook. Very depressing
and sometimes using mythical or fantasy ideas to get the
meanings across.
CoC: As you've hinted to earlier, and from what I've heard, Blood of
Christ has signed to Pulverizer Records. What circumstances led
up to signing with them? Did you have any other labels
interested in you prior to signing with Pulverizer?
Jeff: Basically, Marek had sent the demo a very long time ago to
Inner Source 'zine. Randy Williams is the editor of the 'zine,
so he gets the demos and mail. Since he gets hundreds of demos,
he doesn't get to listen to them very fast. But eventually he
came across ours, and he said that it "kicked his ass!" So then
he sent me a letter saying he wanted to do a CD with us, so we
did.
Jason: There was interest from other labels, such as Torture, we were
actually talking with him to do a CD, but... and other labels
from around... well it doesn't matter, we're on Pulverizer now.
CoC: When will the debut CD be released?
Jason: _...A Dream to Remember_ is the name of our full-length. It
will be released some time around the end of February. There
are seven new tracks on it, "The Lost Shrine", "Moonlight
Eclipse", and "Nocturnal Desire", to name a few, and then
there are two older tunes re-recorded. Also, around March or
later, we'll be re-releasing _TLFoA_ on CD [along with] the
two songs from that aforementioned 7-inch, and a bonus track -
it comes out on Pulverizer Records!
CoC: Has there been any talk about you touring out of country?
Jason: Yes, there has been a lot of talking amongst the band. In
fact, we are playing some shows coming up in the States,
hopefully Milwaukee Metal Fest, but I don't think that's for
sure.
CoC: How is the London scene right now? Some feel that it is only
second to Montreal in the way of underground metal bands in
Canada?
Jason: The "scene" is weird because when we play with bands like
Cryptopsy, maybe 80-100 people (and half of those 80 are from
out of town anyway!) show up (at the most) and that pisses me
off because you see people downtown with their death metal
shirts on and they say that they're die hard fans, but where
are they when it comes down to it? Personally, I'm sick of
London, I hate it here. As far as bands go, there is some good
talent here, my favorite band is Flesh Feast, they're brutal.
Jeff: Yes, I agree, but other than Flesh Feast and us, I don't think
there's anything good (in death metal), and the other death
metal bands here (well, they'd like to think they're death
metal), all they do is let their jealousy ruin our scene. They
have destroyed it 100% for the past two years. I am talking
about, well, let's just call them the "S(t)D"'s for the sake of
having a name to go by. They're fuckers to us and to Flesh
Feast, but they're sad because both us and FF are what they
wish they were. Sorry guys, but I've had enough of your carving
on other bands. Oh, and there's also Porno, they're cool too
with what they're doing, but I'm not too sure how they are with
line-up changes and all... I just don't know.
CoC: What are your views on the Canadian metal scene?
Jason: I really don't know what my views are but, I'll tell you
Europe and USA kick ass for death metal. Canada is not as
good. I don't know why, but I think it will always be the
"last stop" sort of things for bands.
CoC: Which bigger bands have you played with and did you learn
anything from them?
Jason: We have played with bands like Cryptopsy, Kataklysm, Gorguts,
Enemy Soil, and Oppressor. We learned some things but most of
the learning was done on our own.
CoC: What personal achievements do you have for Blood of Christ?
Jason: I want to play a lot more shows around the world and make lots
of CDs and move to Europe!
Jeff: Yes, moving to Europe would be cool! We've both been there and
it's amazing. I also just want to play the music we love and
play to all kinds of different crowds in different places. I'm
also looking very hard for a seven-string Ibanez (Universe),
that's a big goal of mine, to get the 7th string! So if
anyone's got one they'd be willing to part with, call me now!
Contact address and merchandise information:
Demo: _The Lonely Flowers of Autumn_ -- $5 US
Jeff Longo, 27 Century Pl.
London, ONT, N6H 4W9, CANADA
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This is where we rant, rave, and rip apart albums. Check this column
every month for the scoop on the latest in heavy hand-outs.
Scoring: 10 out of 10 -- If there was ever a perfect CD, this is it!
8 out of 10 -- A great piece of metallic mayhem
6 out of 10 -- Not too bad of an album
4 out of 10 -- You are treading in dangerous waters
2 out of 10 -- If you like this, you are fucked!
0 out of 10 -- My shit can put out better music than this!
Abigor - _Apokalypse_ (Napalm Records, March 1997)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10)
Once again, Abigor uphold their tradition of simultaneous
preservation and innovation on each new release. Like the excellent
_Opus IV_, this six-track, seventeen-minute MCD features raw,
fevered, and ominous black metal as only this band can create it. Yet
compared to _Opus IV_, the new material is less involved and
experimental, more uncomplicated and direct. Keyboards are not used
at all this time. Nor are the rousing, medieval-styled instrumental
flourishes which the band excels at. And Silenius' trademark
anguished shriek is gone as well. This time, the vocals are delivered
in two distinct voices, sometimes alternating, sometimes overlapping.
The first is a sharp, mid-ranged variation on the standard black
metal rasp; the second, an eerily processed, echoing whisper or
croak. Mixed in with strange musical passages, haunting phrasings,
and murky, funereal guitar tones, the manifold vocal effects lend a
stifling, menacing atmosphere to an already grim sound. On songs like
"Verwustung" and "Ubique Daemon", the results are impressive:
ripping, stirring black metal that retains Abigor's distinctive feel
without merely echoing their prior material. Although they're brief,
the six songs all manage to be interestingly distinct from each
other. Some, like opener "Celestial", are impassioned and simple;
others, like "Ubique Daemon", feature more drastic changes in tone
and speed. All in all, a very cool release - recommended to anyone
interested in hearing totally grim, no-frills black metal done in a
weird and creative way.
Avernus - _Of the Falling_ (MIA Records, March 1997)
by: Adam Wasylyk (10 out of 10)
This is my first "10" given for a review in CoC, and I must say it
earned EVERY mark. After seeing Avernus at last year's Milwaukee
MetalFest (and who will be playing this year as well) and reviewing
their amazing _Farewell to Eden_ demo (review in CoC #14), I had no
idea why these guys weren't signed. Since then Avernus have signed to
MIA records and have released their first full-length which is
comprised of new tracks along with a couple off _FtE_. A doom band at
heart, they also incorporate Arabic and Celtic influences into their
sound which really accounted for the enjoyability factor I got out of
this. Littered on _OtF_ are dueling male and femme vocals which play
off each other beautifully. Eight tracks of melancholic doom with
some flair. Definitely my favorite record of 1997 thus far and is
highly, highly recommended.
Pat Boone - _Pat Boone in a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy_
by: Brian Meloon (7 out of 10) (Hip-O Records, 1997)
This is the most hilarious album I've heard since William Shatner's
_The Transformed Man_. This album isn't quite as pathetically funny,
because Boone is actually an accomplished singer who has some
knowledge about things like timing and melody. In any case, this is
an album of metal and hard rock covers done in big-band style, many
of which turned out better than the originals. Included are such cuts
as "You've Got Another Thing Coming", "Paradise City", "Smoke on the
Water", "Holy Diver", "Stairway to Heaven" (as a jazz waltz), and
"Enter Sandman". Given the inherent difficulties of translating hard
rock and metal songs to a big-band style, the songs actually follow
surprisingly close to the originals. For example, the fast lick in
the middle of the chorus of "Crazy Train" was transcribed for a
trumpet (or some similar instrument). However, a few sections were
altered, usually adding to the comedic value. A case in point is the
altered quiet part in the middle of "Panama": "Think I'll just reach
down... ease the seat back... fasten my *seat belt*." Unlike most
joke bands (GWAR, AC, etc.) which get old very quickly, this album
remains funny long after you've first heard it, which I think has
mostly to do with the fact that it's difficult to tell whether it's
intended to be serious or a joke. Pat Boone has said about this album
that his critics simply didn't get the joke, but I for one found it
extremely amusing.
Official Web site: http://www.mcarecords.com/amp14/reverb/boone.html
Broken Hope - _Loathing_ (Metal Blade, February 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10)
Unlike their last record, _Hope_ (which I did not like much), I found
myself getting into the grindcore/death grooves of _Loathing_. There
seems to be more of a collective feel of strength and attention put
towards a lot of the song structures. Musically, the band has evolved
somewhat into a more dominant sound with _Loathing_, but still not
enough to separate them from the pack of other bands within their
genre. One thing the record has going for it is the continuous
onslaught of rampaging riffs and growls; the intensity almost never
ceases from start to finish and singer Joe Ptacek slaps on some
seriously brutal growls. Intense to say the least. The album lacks
substance and creativity in some places, but overall the record makes
a hard dent into our foreheads.
Dark - _Endless Dreams of Sadness_ (Great Unlimited Noises, 1997)
by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10)
These guys really try to fool people. It's almost like they don't
want people to buy their album. First off, an extremely ugly,
unremarkable, simplistic, -crap- four letter (Dark) logo taking up
half the front cover. Gee, great. Then the title, _Endless Dreams of
Sadness_, which may get quite a few guys who enjoy doom (like myself)
to take a listen, but most of them (unlike myself) will drop this CD,
they won't buy it. Why? Because it's not doom - Dark are actually a
German death metal band who incorporates keyboards to add some extra
melody. You're probably thinking of Crematory by now, but these guys
lean more towards death and aren't as melodic as Crematory - perhaps
not as good either, at least not as good as _Illusions_. But enough
of that, because Dark do have a sound of their own, even if they tend
to sometimes sound a bit like a mix of several other bands. This is a
60-minute album, none of the tracks being what you'd call slow (some
are actually pretty damn fast-paced), through which Dark use both
strong death metal parts and more melodic and ambient passages. They
have a consistent sound: the drumming is excellent and very powerful,
the grunts are pretty good and strong too, and the rest fits in
nicely, the guitars showing enough strength when the keyboards aren't
there. Speaking of keyboards, which are the main reason why Dark
aren't just "another" death metal band, they use keys most of the
time throughout the album, both for melody and for background or
ambient parts. The songwriting is very reasonable, and Dark come up
with several interesting riffs and keyboard melodies. They also
incorporate some acoustic guitars and female vocals here and there.
Dark manage to keep the quality level high enough during the album -
they hardly ever blow you away, although there are some damn good
parts, but they do keep up a very interesting album during the whole
60 minutes, thus assuring a good buy for any fan of melodic death
metal. Besides, they keep shifting styles during each track, so
you're unlikely to get bored. Interesting stuff, like I said, it
won't blow you away but it does have the potential to keep you
interested for 60 minutes, which is well above the average.
Darkness Enshroud - _Unveiled Ghostly Shadows_
by: Andrew Lewandowski (1 out of 10) (Moribund Records, 1996)
The subconscious nature of ambient music results in a tight rope for
all those (and there are many) who dare dabble in the genre; succeed
in crossing the rope, and your satisfaction will be transcendental.
If you fall from the rope, all that will be detected is the dead air
resonating around your immobile bones. Darkness Enshroud do not
merely fall from this rope, they plummet, thus hitting the ground
harder than most. Dulled by 666 layers of tape hiss, the occasional
maggot or fly (rarely manifested in anything but a bass heavy synth
drone or constipated groan) sounds as lifeless as the carcass in
which it explores. Wait! The body twitches ever so slightly! The
sputterings of DE are no less amusing than those of any impotent
creature; an elitist ejaculation of "pure bewilderment for most" can
be found on the CD booklet! A word of wisdom: if you intend on
sucking your own penis in a public forum, please have some reason for
doing so.
Die Sonne Satans - _Sigillo_ (Sadisque, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (7 out of 10)
One of the less prolific artists in the ambient genre, _Sigillo_ is a
collection of the better material recorded over the course of the
band's five-year history. Even though this is a collection of 13
tracks usurped from several different sources, DSS avoid incoherence,
as they rarely stray from a typical dark ambient sound. As in many of
the better minimalist ambient albums exploring metaphysical
soundscapes, choral and sacred elements work at enthralling the
listener. While effective at producing a sonic realm segregated from
reality, this provides nothing that, say, Archon Satani and Raison
d'etre have not already experimented in. Besides unoriginality, a
larger problem manifests in confining song structures. Few tracks
propagate beyond five minutes, thus DSS are rarely capable of
exploring dynamic, or meditative, sounds within a singular track.
Although, the variety of sounds explored by DSS are more numerous
than on most ambient albums, and the problem is rectified once each
song is viewed as a faceless entity amidst a socialist machine than
as a free-thinking individual.
Dimmu Borgir - _Devil's Path_ (Hot Records, 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10)
This four-song MCD has been out for awhile now, but I only just got
around to tracking it down. My mistake, because the two new songs
presented here are quite good. They're also noticeably different from
the band's earlier material: melancholic keyboard lines are no longer
the center of the sound (in fact, Stian Aarstad, who used to handle
synthesizers and piano, is apparently no longer in the band). This
time, the sonic focus is on (great-sounding) guitars and drums, which
gallop at compelling speed through moody black metal, featuring lots
of fluid changes in rhythm and tone. Well-performed, melodious guitar
solos appear in each song, further enhancing the overall feeling of
flow. The agile, riff-heavy style of Old Man's Child definitely comes
to mind, especially in the title track's flowing time changes and
(this is a cliche, but) epic-sounding riffs. Opener "Master of
Harmony" is somewhat harsher, showcasing plenty of blackened speed
with some cool changes and unexpected breaks. In addition to these
two new songs, there are two versions of Celtic Frost's 1984 classic,
"Nocturnal Fear". (The difference between the two versions is in the
vocals: first, there's Shagrath's fairly standard black metal
technique; then, vocals done more in the gruff Celtic Frost style.)
As covers go, this is pretty good, since they nicely recreate the
original's killer groove, in addition to livening up the song with
some cool soloing. Anyway, the two new songs demonstrate musical
proficiency that ranks with the best in the genre. The band's black
metal image may be utterly generic, but their talent is definitely
distinctive.
Disgust - _A World of No Beauty_ (Nuclear Blast, February 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10)
Managing to mix crust/grind metal, death metal, and punk rock into
one heap of musical mayhem comes Disgust and their second release,
_The World of No Beauty._ It ain't pretty at times, as the music
seems to be scattered with multiple ideas, and the vocals seem very
monotonous and stale for the most part, but the music does rampage on
almost every track. It delivers solid blasts from an intense and
vigorous rhythm section, and slick sounding guitars pour from each
song with such might and intensity that we almost manage to forget
about the adequate vocal stylings. Disgust features ex-members from
such bands as Extreme Noise Terror and Motorhead (Wurzel from
Motorhead plays guitar), which may conclude why the band has such a
diverse musical agenda. While not the most intense or creative band
out on the metal circuit, Disgust does deliver some heavy duty shots
of experimentation that'll surely attract listeners.
Elend - _Les tenebres du dehors_ (Holy Records, 1997)
by: Pedro Azevedo (no rating)
I haven't rated this album because I can't compare it to any other
album ever reviewed here. So why rate it? I chose not to. This is an
album that really depends on the listener, this could be a
masterpiece for some and just a weird uninteresting album for others.
How the hell do I even start describing this album?!? Well... let's
say that if you haven't heard these guys yet, then this is -not- what
you're thinking. First off, this is -not- a metal album. Elend do
-not- use guitars, bass, or the usual drums. This is -extremely- dark
classical music combined with black metal vocals. Still with me? So
you want to know how they do it? Elend are a four-piece band from
France, featuring two female vocalists (two sopranos) and two other
guys who take care of all the songwriting, spoken, and whispered
vocals, black metal screams (and I mean SCREAMS), violin, piano,
viola, and overall orchestral synths and keyboards. I must state that
both these guys used to play in orchestras, and so did the female
singers, so they're not exactly a few pretentious guys who think they
can do this stuff - they actually have all the knowledge and training
to back them up. Now why would these guys be reviewed here? Well,
because both of the band's founders were (and are) very much into
death and black metal and their intention was precisely to mix these
musical styles with classical music. Basically, take a piece of
classical music, turn it into something truly dark, magnificent,
deep, melodic, and -not- cheesy, and add two sweet female voices, one
male voice and, very often, black metal screams that sound as if they
came from beyond. It's really hard for me to describe Elend any
better, you just have to listen to it. What I can tell you is that
several other metallers have liked Elend as much as I have. If you're
into either symphonic black metal or just doom, you really should try
this. The album is over 60 minutes long, and Elend manage to apply an
unbelievably dark and moody feel to the sort of structures and
melodies one would expect of a classical piece, just that on top of
this they are just so intense, so violent, and yet so melodic... No
way I'll be choosing favourite tracks or whatever on this one, as
they vary from soft melodic pieces with whispered female vocals and
violins to powerful, truly dark pieces with the most tortured,
anguished and extreme black metal screams I can recall enjoying. It's
just all so intense... one minute the music soothes you, the next
minute takes you to the depths of despair and anger. Just a final
note for the great digi-pak, featuring some true artwork from such
artists as Victor Hugo and Da Vinci, all about this album's theme,
which is basically Elend's version of the Luciferian revolution (very
good lyrics, by the way). This is such an emotionally powerful album
that it leaves you cold inside when you finish listening to it...
like you have been taken on some journey beyond. Be warned that this
is not an album for everyone to like, and you really must be in a
very special mood to fully enjoy it. It really has to be heard to be
believed. Unique.
Edge of Sanity - _Infernal_ (Black Mark, March 1997)
by: Drew Schinzel (7 out of 10)
I really, -really-, wanted to just love this album. I'd been eagerly
awaiting the master Dan Swano's next effort (no, I'm not talking
about the next Unicorn album, either), and upon seeing the old EoS
logo resurrected front and center of the cover, and
Unorthodox-sounding song titles, my spirits went up; I dreamt that
EoS had remained true to the sound they had developed on previous
masterpieces _Purgatory Afterglow_ and _Crimson_, not to mention the
other godly albums in the hallowed Edge of Sanity back catalog. Now,
however, after listening to _Infernal_ a few times, reality hits: The
new Edge of Sanity album is somewhat of a disappointment. Granted, it
would be difficult to match the last two incredibly melodic, catchy,
and indeed, beautiful EoS albums, but _Infernal_ doesn't even come
close. With a decided lack of the high-tuned melodies and the epic
feeling that enveloped previous efforts, _Infernal_ is instead an
eclectic mix of different influences, some good, some bad. All one
needs to do to prove this is to look at the song credits; guitarist
Andreas Axelsson sings lead (black) vocals on two songs, Swano sings
cleanly on three songs, he only wrote the lyrics for one song, and
Axelsson and drummer Benny Larsson wrote the majority of the music.
The biggest difference can be heard in the riffs and song style. The
majority of the riffs are heavy and distorted, and while this style
came out just fine on such _PA_ tracks as "Elegy" and "Blood
Colored", they just seem uninspired and rather unoriginal here. The
clean melodies are all too rare, and to add insult to injury, when
they -are- present, they're usually outstanding, simply punctuating
their dearth. The actual songs seem somewhat lacking as well. Whereas
on _PA_ they had a real sense of feeling and seriousness, on
_Infernal_ that feeling is missing, except on one or two lonely
tracks. Of course, there are some highlights to the album, such as
the third song, "15:36", with its brilliant contrast of clean and
death vocals, and the opener "Hell Is Where the Heart Is" (both, not
coincidentally, written by Swano), however, none of the songs can
match the awesome power of the classics like "Twilight" or "Elegy",
or even the older material like "Enigma" and "Darkday". What else is
there to say? If you are an Edge of Sanity fan, you, of course, have
to have this, since most EoS fans are fanatics and would buy anything
with the Edge of Sanity name on it (not me though, no way <cough>).
If you're not familiar with EoS, however, I suggest starting with the
now-classic _Purgatory Afterglow_ for a taste of what EoS is all
about.
Falkenbach - _En their medh riki fara_ (No Colours, 1997)
by: Drew Schinzel (7 out of 10)
Falkenbach are German folk-inspired black metal, with a few
resemblances to Burzum, along with a little similarity to other
northern folk-influenced acts such as Storm. Simple, mostly mid-paced
drums pace the music, and the guitars are in the same style; you
won't see any hyper-blast action going on here, and it would be
completely out of place, anyway; Falkenbach aren't one of the hordes
of unholy play-as-fast-as-we-can-because-we're-evil-and-we-do-as-
Lord-Satanas-commands bands. Rather, they instead focus on the slower
side, with a little keyboard embellishment here and there, some
flute, and lyrics dealing with the usual desecration of churches,
wandering through dark forests, etc. For the most part, Falkenbach
strike me as just a bit boring. Nothing exciting going on, just
plodding along at mid-pace, waiting for the song to end, the only
exceptions being the second and final songs, both predominantly clean
vocal efforts, sounding a little like Storm (except not as good), and
the fifth song, an interesting instrumental with majority flute and
some thunder thrown in to complete the cliche quotient. Bottom line:
with so much other great new stuff out there, it seems hard to
justify recommending Falkenbach over other, similar acts.
Hades - _The Dawn of the Dying Sun_ (Full Moon Productions, 1997)
by: Drew Schinzel (8 out of 10)
Hades' second full length release is an extremely solid and
fulfilling 47 minutes of epic, mid-paced, Bathory-influenced black
metal. Having never heard anything by Hades before, neither the
previous album _Again Shall Be_, nor the demo pressed onto CD, _Alone
Walkyng_, I went into the album with no preconceptions at all, and
came out pleasantly surprised. Epic, melodic compositions like
"Awakening of Kings", with its terrific melodies, and "Alone
Walkyng", with its Chaucer lyrics (in original middle English) and
pummeling, ominous sound, highlight the album, proving that Hades
have actual -talent- in composing memorable songs, rather than just
putting out any cheesy old schlock with little or no musical skill
and little emphasis on originality. The production is noteworthy as
well; fuzzy on the guitars but maintaining a feeling of control, the
bass is actually audible and plays a rather large part in the
recording. Sure, Hades won't be like nothing you've ever heard
before, but they've managed to carve their own sound out of the
faceless masses, maybe even taking their place among the top, "elite"
bands.
Various Artists - _Identity 3... D!_ (Century Media, 1997)
by: Brian Meloon (6 out of 10)
As compilations go, this is one of the better ones I've heard.
Granted, there isn't anything on this album that isn't available
elsewhere, but it does give a thorough sampling of the various bands
on the Century Media roster. There are eighteen tracks, clocking in
at around 70 minutes, and representing a large variety of styles,
from black metal (Arcturus, Rotting Christ) to hardcore (Turmoil) to
rap-metal (Stuck Mojo) to melodic powermetal (Nevermore, Iced Earth)
to goth-metal (Moonspell) to death metal (Grave, Morgoth). Also
appearing are Sentenced, Strapping Young Lad, Samael, My Own Victim,
Eyehategod, Chum, Merauder, The Gathering, and Trouble. Most of the
bands here are relatively well-known already, but it's well worth
picking up if you're not familiar with Century Media's roster.
Unfortunately, as with most compilations, there are more misses than
hits.
Immortal - _Blizzard Beasts_ (Osmose Productions, February 1997)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10)
"Inhale the effluence of the demon worlds", Abbath snarls on "Nebular
Ravens Winter". I think I'll pass on that, but I will tell you this:
these guys have definitely been inhaling Morbid Angel dust.
Especially Demonaz: his drastic, jagged riffing technique on this
album is heavily indebted to the ferocious early Trey Azagthoth
style. The Horgh/Abbath rhythm section also displays a notable death
metal influence this time, performing numerous sharp changes in
speed, from mid-paced to hyper-fast, and with plenty of alternation
between double bass, blast beats, and even some semi-grinding parts.
Compared to their previous material, especially _Battles in the
North_, the new songs are surprisingly winding and angular, mostly
due to the frequent variations in speed, but also because there are
several quite distinct riffs in every song. Songs like
"Noctambulant", "Frostdemonstorms", and "Suns that Sank Below" make
especially good use of weird, cutting riffs and sudden shifts from
cruising speed into blasting overdrive. "Mountains of Might" and
"Battlefields" take a more measured approach, but I definitely prefer
the more frenetic material, like the title track and the other songs
mentioned above. New drummer Horgh sounds quick and dexterous, but
the drums are actually rather low and thin in the mix, which is
dominated instead by biting guitars and icy vocals. The guitars
retain their grim, alien sound, though the riffing style has changed.
Also, Abbath's vocals are as icy as ever - so Popeye fans will
continue to be gratified. :) Overall, I've really enjoyed this
release. It's an unexpected and interesting change for the band, with
some fierce and engaging material. The heavy Morbid Angel influence
waters down Immortal's uniqueness a bit, but there's still something
singularly chilly about their sound.
Kalisia - _Skies_ (Adipocere, 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (9 out of 10)
Finally out after almost a year of delay, comes Kalisia's debut MCD,
_Skies_, an excellent, refreshing release of extremely progressive,
melodic, skillfully played death metal (and -not- from Sweden). Three
of the four songs on the album are in the 7-10 minute range, but
Kalisia don't just fill up time with useless repetition or long,
"atmospheric" intros and outros; instead, they develop each
composition to its fullest, whether it be through a ripping guitar
solo (or three), spoken female narrative, or a refreshing infusion of
keyboard or flute. Every instrument shares equal space in the clean
production, and each member of the band handles their respective
tools -very- well, an all too rare quality of today's bands. The
lyrics lean towards the more mystical, spiritual, individual side of
things, and are in themselves great, but honestly, it doesn't matter;
the lyrics could be about scissors for all I care, because Kalisia,
above all, are a band based on music. Sure, of course all the other
bands in the world are based on music, but Kalisia are not ones to
rely on a set mold, structure, or any other meaningless restraint
placed on bands (by themselves). Basically, there's not much in the
manner of negative things to share about Kalisia, and all too many
positive things, which ends in my high recommendation of this
outstanding MCD. Do yourself, and Kalisia, a favour, and pick up
_Skies_ for an awesome listening experience.
Killing Culture - _Killing Culture_ (Edel America, March 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
Few new bands possess the traits of a great band that may possibly
lead them to success. May I introduce to you Killing Culture. The Los
Angeles-based quartet deliver fast and furious riffs of intensity and
might, wrapped within a darkened shell of hatred and anger. I really
like this record. Why, you ask? The production is killer (let's thank
Anthrax' Scott Ian for that), the music flows vigorously, and the
band's music has a cool Slayer-like sound (_Reign in Blood_/_South of
Heaven_ era) to it. So will this band be successful? Why not? They
have worked hard to get their music so well-executed and I feel that
the speed/thrash feel to the record radiates a very positive 90s feel
to it. It also allows the band to bring more modern elements to a
sound that never really died but was just left by the roadside and
never given the opportunity to make a leap into a more modern era of
metal. Loud, brash, and extremely tight, Killing Culture lash out at
us with its jagged claws in hopes to strike us down. Could happen as
this record plays hardball from the start. Check this band out.
Killing Spree - _Terror from Beyond Space_
by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10) (Napalm Records, February 1997)
This is an impressive debut CD of hard, biting, and well-produced
cyber metal, dominated by punchy riffs, precision percussion, and
lots of cool electronic loops and samples. Beginning in fine fashion
with the no-nonsense, tribal-styled groove that propels opener
"Cosmic Trigger", Killing Spree combine the regimented precision of
industrial music with tough, organic riffs and hard, heavy bass lines
in roaring arrangements. The drummer is not an electronic rhythm
machine, but a human one, and the guitars sound thick and clear. The
riffs are for the most part straightforward and chunky, hard-hitting,
yet not particularly complex. Vocals are delivered in a gruff,
mid-ranged voice that manages to be both expressive and aggressive.
But what really sets this album apart from other purveyors of the
"industrial metal" style is the band's wily use of electronics. One
member does programming and sampling exclusively, and this guy's
effort really pays off, giving the music a cutting, futuristic edge
without becoming overbearing at all. All kinds of cool, looped
effects and whacked frequencies whisper and crackle just underneath
the guitars, adding lots of color and interest to the sound. (It
really pays to listen closely.) Also, samples are used with more
skill and restraint than they usually are by metal bands who sample.
(See the chorus to the thundering "Believe".) A number of short
tracks are completely electronic excursions into a warped, aggressive
variant on techno music: for enjoyable examples, check out "1248
F.P.S." and "Drugs Anyone?". A couple of other songs suffer, I think,
from riffs that are a little bit flat. But strong tracks like those
already mentioned, plus the potent "Whore" and "Cross", display a
talented band with big potential. Compelling stuff, and for those
interested in the more futuristic strains of extreme metal, it's
definitely worth seeking out.
Lake of Tears - _Lady Rosenred_ (Black Mark, March 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10)
As the melodic/doom metal band Lake of Tears has evolved over the
last few years with two previous records (_Headstones_ and _Greater
Art_), it seems as though the band decides more and more to make
their music take on multiple personalities, rather than gearing
towards a certain genre of music. Case in point: _Lady Rosenred_ EP.
Each song on this three-song offering (a release issued before the
forthcoming third LP, _A Crimson Cosmos_) is different from one
another, as the band explores duo singing arrangements on the title
track, a dance/techno metal feel on "Devil's Dinner" and the Pink
Floyd-esque song "A Crimson Cosmos". Much like the experimental ways
of Cathedral's _Hopkins: The Witchfinder General_ EP, this release
just goes to show that Lake of Tears feels the need to search out and
find new ideas to bring to their music. It also shows that they enjoy
playing those creations too.
Various Artists - _Violent World: A Tribute to the Misfits_
by: Zena Tsarfin (3 out of 10) (Caroline Records, February 1997)
Some ideas are just better conceptually than they are practically.
Such is the case with _Violent World..._, a compilation of hardcore
bands covering the horror-punk legends, the Misfits. While I love
both the Misfits and several of the bands that appear on the record,
I found that the combination didn't work when fused together. The
Misfits were unique because of their dark humor and outlandish charm,
but when covered by straightforward minimalists like Pennywise and
Snapcase, the macabre and campy essence of the band is lost. Among
the weakest tracks on the 14-song record are White Z--err--Prong's
"London Dungeon", Goldfinger's "Ghouls Night Out", and Therapy?'s
lame version of "Where Eagles Dare". _Violent World..._ does have its
moments: Sick of It All's "All Hell Breaks Loose" rages and Deadguy's
"Horror Business" is worth a listen. But for my money, the hands-down
winner here is Earth Crisis' rumbling metalcore cover of "Earth A.D."
Luckily, no one tried their hand at "Bullet" or "Skulls", and while a
handful of the included bands did deliver ardent versions of the
Misfits' tracks, it seems that the crux of the fiendish legends
simply cannot be captured by the baggy-pants generation.
Nastrond - _Age of Fire_ (Napalm Records, February 1997)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10)
This one gets high marks on the strength of its many strange musical
twists and weird atmospheres. As on the band's debut CD, _Todeslaut_,
basic, raw-sounding black metal techniques provide the sound's
foundation, but the songs on _Age of Fire_ are distinguished by
strange, oddly memorable structures and numerous unexpected
surprises. Case in point: "Vanished from the World", which begins
with raw, clunky black metal, then instantly transforms into a weird
dark ambient piece including an ultra-deep-voiced lecture about how
"History proves that man is a beast of prey." Next song, "The Red
Force (of the Trapezoid)" weaves through a maze of weird breaks and
creepy, buzzing guitar tones. On the follower, "Emancipation", more
buzzing black metal is punctuated with laid back, toe-tapping piano
interludes during which two voices, one normal and one sped up, utter
occult incantations (or something like that). Two spoken pieces about
Satanism (LaVey's atheistic version) close out the album, while
Biblical quotation and rebellious exhortation begin it. A couple of
these spoken tracks feature some cool synthesizer work - especially
"Opening of the Mouth". The vocals are a raw, blackened yell,
snarling in the upper-middle range, while the guitars are a loud,
abrasive, high-end buzz. There are numerous tempo changes, usually
between mid pace and high speed, and in many cases, these changes are
sudden and drastic. For my money, the best songs (the ones mentioned
above) occupy the album's second half, but the first tracks contain
some great moments, too, especially the riff-laden "Womb of Chaos".
Interesting stuff: odd and effective, and not quite like any other
band I've heard.
Oppressor - _Agony_ (MIA Records, Winter 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10)
Much like their bland live show, Oppressor seems to be stuck in a rut
of sorts with this, their second release, _Agony_, a follow-up to
1993's _Solstice of Oppression_ (Red Light Records). The problem is
that nothing seems to keep us, at least myself, too interested as the
record plays through its nine tracks. While full of some strong
guttural vocals, some cool ideas scattered throughout and a
predominant technical style added to their music, the Chicago
four-piece never really gets past neutral with this metal machine.
The heaviness of the record loses momentum throughout as we reach
each individual technical section. I like the rough and coherent
vocals of singer Tim King, it's just that this record needs to stick
to one idea, rather than breaking momentum at halfway marks to go
onto another technical metal influenced idea. Approach this if you
like somewhat technical-influenced death metal.
Phlebotomized - _Skycontact_ (Cyber, February 1997)
by: Drew Schinzel (9 out of 10)
For those not familiar with Phlebotomized, they are the Dutch sextet
who released their awesome grindy death/doom debut full-length
_Immense, Intense, Suspense_ a year or two back, with some extremely
guttural vocals, atmospheric violins, and keyboards, and an all-out
heavy, yet sorrowful and melodic release. Now, put that Phlebotomized
out of your mind, because the material that the band has put forth on
their followup, _Skycontact_, has undergone a -major- musical
transformation, and bears almost zero resemblance to _IIS_ at all.
The eight tracks and nearly sixty minutes of music present on
_Skycontact_ represents a giant metamorphosis, combining several
elements, from atmospheric, psychedelic interludes complete with
spacey sound effects, to toe-tapping, upbeat guitar riffs, to quiet,
ballad-esque sections, and the occasional lapse back to the days of
old with double-bass frenzies and guttural vocals. No, _Skycontact_
is definitely -not- for the close-minded listeners out there who shut
themselves off into one genre and shun all others, this is
open-minded music, for open-minded people, and Phlebotomized pull it
off perfectly. I guarantee there was never a period during
songwriting when the band came to an impasse because "this riff
doesn't fit the style" or something "wasn't extreme enough"; they put
their souls into the music with no restraints at all, and it shows.
There are just so many different styles, melded perfectly into a
one-hour release of pure feeling and emotion, that it's impossible
not to give this original, and indeed -brave-, album a very high
recommendation.
Slough Feg - _The Lord Weird_ (Beef Rock Records, Winter 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10)
How I got to review this CD I'll never know... but anyway I did and
actually liked it a bit. The record is an assorted musical melding
pot with ample amounts of rock, 80s-era metal music and progressive
metal all rolled into one. Reminiscent of a more rock-oriented
Manowar-meets-Megadeth, the three-piece of Slough Feg deliver their
battle cries of metal to the fullest extent. Such dedication of their
music and what they do shine within the music of _TLW_ and that helps
make the music seem worthy of a listen rather than turning your head
to it. The production and musicianship is top notch. To note, as the
band's album twists and turns with various styles, the music of
Slough Feg seems to take on somewhat of an operatic feel to it as we
reach the end of the record: "High Season III", "High Season IV", and
"Highway Corsair". Kinda corny at times, but so is the music of
Manowar (most of the time) and people still buy their music and go to
their shows, right? Slough Feg carries and waves the flag of metal
quite well.
Various Artists - _Sonic Obliteration Vol.2_ (Black Mark, March 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10)
Following in the footsteps of the excellent double-CD offering of
Sonic Obliteration Vol.1 (1995) comes this release, a fine collection
(13 songs) of some of Canada's hardest working metal or
metal/industrial acts. For those who may not know of any of these
bands, I highly recommend checking out this release to get a taste of
what the Great North has to offer to the metal masses. Get floored by
the dominating thrusts of power by such powerhouse acts as Solus,
Jaww, and Summertime Daisies, and knocked into frenzy by varied metal
hybrid acts like Mundane or Jane Doe, the industrial-tinged outfit of
Inner Thought or the Cathedral-esque riffage of Tchort and the Family
Mantis. While there are literally hundreds of metal acts across
Canada, I believe that this compilation (assembled by Ed Balog at
Black Mark Productions' North American office in Toronto) truly
represents the best multiple-styled metal bands in all of Canada. Get
it or be a loser for years to come.
Trial of the Bow - _Rite of Passage_ (Relapse, February 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10)
The Australian duo of Renato Gallina and Matthew Skarajew create some
of the most passionate and flawlessly executed, not to mention
mind-blowing, musical arrangements on their debut release for Relapse
Records entitled _Rite of Passage_. Beautiful, sensual, and downright
thought-provoking sounds emanate from the ambient/experimental/world
music passages created by the two musicians, thanks in part to the
use of unique instruments (tabala, manjira, etc.) and the ever
flowing creativity of the two. No words can really describe the
emotions this album releases, as you must hear it yourself. Truly
breathtaking.
Troll - _Drep De Kristne_ (Damnation Records, 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (7 out of 10)
Behold, another cold, frosty release for dark souls from the northern
lands. Okay, I really shouldn't poke too much fun at Troll's
unoriginal image and posing, but it's hard to resist, with an album
name such as _Drep De Kristne_ ("Kill the Christian"), two giant
pentagrams inside the lush digipak, and a member named Nagash
Blackheart. Besides, such stupid image-mongering just takes away from
what should be the focal-point of Troll: fairly high-quality,
atmospheric black metal. Droll as it is, _DDK_ is a fairly solid
attempt, although not bold in terms of originality, with many
similarities to Emperor and other purveyors of this rather
overcrowded style, with all eight tracks being of the very listenable
variety, including two great, ominously foreboding synth
instrumentals. However, it's difficult to forgive Troll's unabashed
lack of originality, and indeed a little hard to see their role in
the future of black metal. In addition, _DDK_ is rather short, at
only 36 minutes, so you can decide for yourself if you want to pay
the toll. Maybe I'm not the right person to question their motives,
but I'm having some problems seeing Troll's goal with _DDK_ as it
looks to me like, on the whole, they're much more concerned with
appearing like the brave, mighty warriors of the Frosty Desolate
Northland that they obviously are than with trying to maybe be a
little more creative. With hearts of the blackest coal, Troll have
produced a worthy effort, low on creativity and high on derativity,
but good nonetheless.
Windham Hell - _Mirror of Souls_ (Moribund Records, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (4 out of 10)
Windham Hell are possibly the best example of "experimental" metal,
representing both the positive and negative aspects of the genre.
Acoustic guitars and keyboards intersperse the "traditional" riffing
of melodic death metal, yet the latter aspects are degenerate in
comparison to practitioners of "pure" metal. Incessant repetition and
a muddy production drains all energy from the guitar work. Only
pretentious guitar solos disrupt the monotony. These dominate each
song, yet an intrinsic vapidity does not allocate them enough power
to build a foundation of their own. Once combined with ineffectually
grunted vocalizations, the resulting mix lacks any energy. Yet once
the guitars dissipate and the "experimentation" commences, WH display
the melancholy and talent that never fully surfaces during their more
voracious moments. Any metal band willing to cover Vivaldi (twice, no
less) and experiment in sound collages on the same album deserves
some amount of praise. Unfortunately, WH neglect to sufficiently
explore their sedate tendencies, resulting in an album that remains
incarcerated within a void between experimentation and aggression.
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/ /\ / __/\ V V / / /\ / (_) | \__ \ __/
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Your best source of information on the newest of the new, and the
deepest of the underground, New Noise is the place to read about all
the coolest shit you never thought existed! And if you have a band,
don't forget to send us your demo with a bio if you want to be
reviewed; our address is included in the zine's header.
Scoring: ***** -- I see a record deal in the future
**** -- Great piece of work
*** -- Good effort
** -- A major overhaul is in order
* -- A career change is advisable
Black Mass of Absu - _Black Mass of Absu_ (4-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (***--)
Heavily loaded down with obscure noise and pummeling slabs of
heaviness, the music of doom/ambient/noise band Black Mass of Absu is
a deadly concoction delivered with brutal force. It's full of growls
of anger and delivered so to-the-point that it manages to get under
your skin quite easily, crushing you beneath the weight and
gargantuan assault of noises and screams. While the music might be
powerful, I feel that the music lacks some creativity and ideas
within it, managing to always deliver the same kind of expression and
emotions to each song. Not monotonous sounding, rather a sometime
lackluster performance in some areas of this demo. In short: the
music drags on in places. Besides that, it is overall a good demo
that proves that ambient/noise music can be just as heavy as any
grindcore record could be.
Contact: BLACK MASS OF ABSU, P.O. Box 638 Kenmore,
New York, 14217, USA
mailto:MrSkiMask@aol.com
Bongwater - _Pissed Off and... Fuzzed Out_ (6-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (****-)
Holy fuck! I am almost came in my pants after listening to this demo
tape from East Coast sludge-mongers Bongwater. It rocks. Managing to
pull in a varied assortment of low-tuned fuzz-sounding guitar chords
influences from such bands as Black Sabbath, Kyuss, Fu Manchu, and
Monster Magnet, this band hits the nail right on the head with the
truly hard-hitting musical deliverance. It's so 'fuzzed out' that it
sounds killer. While the production on this 6-song demo could have
been better, to make the guitars sound stronger and make the vocals a
bit more coherent, I'm pretty sure that that would have taken away
from the raw and unpolished way of the recording. I also liked the
jam, laid-back feel that the band brought to the music. While the
band's music sounds a lot (A LOT!) like the last incarnation of
Kyuss' material, 1995's _... And The Circus Leaves Town_ LP, I can't
help but feel compelled to follow this band in the future and see
what becomes of them. Again... they rock! One of my fave demos from
1997 for sure.
Contact: BONGWATER, c/o Neddal Ayad
P.O. Box 204, Bay Roberts, Newfoundland, A0A-1G0, CANADA
mailto:nayad@morgan.ucs.mun.ca
Master - _Demo '96_ (3-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (***--)
Legends in the underground, not only have they toured Europe and
released seven records on Nuclear Blast, but they've influenced
countless death metal bands. Being dropped by their label some time
ago, I hadn't heard from them since, and assumed they were gone.
Well, Master are back and ready to take on the world again, starting
with their _Demo '96_. This is truly a testimony to Paul Speckman's
"never give up" mentality. Three songs of old-school death metal with
some cool guitar hooks that keeps ones interest through each song.
Thin production doesn't help this but it doesn't hurt it too much
either. _Demo '96_ doesn't offer anything new or particularly
exciting, but it does offer some cool tunes that may remind you of
yesteryear. It's very doubtful that this demo will land Master a
record deal, but down the road, hopefully they'll be on a label where
they belong. I must say, it's good to see Master back!
Contact: MASTER, 1271 N. Clark St.
West Hollywood, CA, 90069, USA
Pressure Point - _Grasp_ (4-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (**---)
Focusing heavily on the hardcore aspect to their music,
hardcore/metal outfit Pressure Point work hard to deliver some solid
grooves and momentum around their true life experience lyrics. I see
this band as a second rate Merauder, Vision of Disorder, or Turmoil
with their hard-edged guitar riffs and proficient use of hardcore
ideals in their music, all stapled together into a mediocre
hardcore/metal packaging. Though the lyrics are (I'm assuming) from
life experiences, they sound cheesy and somewhat cliche at times and
that also takes away from what maybe the band was aiming for. Also,
the music lacks any real kind of zip, rarely breaking any kind of
heavy groove with what they have on this 4-song demo. Anyway,
Pressure Point is a band that has followed the right steps into
becoming a hardcore/metal act, but finally has come to the day in
their lives where they either stay as they are (and be like everyone
else), or branch out and make a name for themselves. We'll see.
Contact: PRESSURE POINT, c/o Reaction Records
P.O. Box 763-D Rahway, New Jersey, 07065, USA
Putrocorpse - _Bowel Chronicles_ (6-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (-----)
I didn't know what mark I should give this demo. A two? A one? I
decided on a zero (a first for me to give a demo) so people will know
that I didn't give this demo pity-marks of any sort. Taking one look
at the photo on this demo (guy with eyes popping out), I knew
immediately that I was in store for a cheese-fest. Starting off with
"Reversed Evacuation (intro)", this is by far the worst keyboard
intro I have ever heard (on a demo or a CD). The following five
tracks could be described musically as "under-produced Cannibal
Corpse-wannabe death metal". Songs like "Death Rattle", "Morbid Fear
of Death", and "Constipation" are laughable and also angering at the
same time. C'mon guys, can't you think of anything original or
interesting? I review enough bad death metal as it is, I don't need
more of it! Again I could have given this one or two out of five for
effort and brutality, but this is my stand against Cannibal Corpse
clones and monotonous death metal. Sorry Putrocorpse, but you've
become my sacrificial pig. No more time will be wasted on this fecal
matter.
Contact: PUTROCORPSE, c/o Stucchi Marco, via Villa Paradiso 42
Cornate d'Adda, 20040 MI, ITALY
mailto:putro@freenet.hut.fi
Rich Hoak/Family Harsh Noise Experimentation
- _Disassociative Cognition_ (split demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (***--/***--)
Once again we are reunited with the world of FHNE (aka chaotic music
aficionado Bill Sannwald) with this split demo called _Disassociative
Cognition_. On one side we have the experimental work of Brutal Truth
drummer Rich Hoak called "Confusion of The Passers-By" and the second
side, a section devoted to FHNE madness, consisting of 16-chaotically
grown ideas by Sannwald. While Hoak's piece may be long and
never-ending at times, the task of trying to get the listener to have
an 'altered state of perception' succeeds. From the start, Hoak's
piece is truly odd and eccentric, moving at varied paces of combating
noise elements and rehashed emotional tidbits. It's fucked and quite
annoying at times... but cool. Speaking of fucked, you need not get
past the opening track, "Bombing", to feel the insanity brewing in
Sannwald's... er... FHNE's musical creations. While this may not be
one of the better demos from one of Sannwald's side-projects (like
the Thought Masticator and Intellectually Raped demos I have gotten),
it is quite a collection of obscure noise pieces that stun the senses
at regular intervals. With the thought of more FHNE (or Sannwald)
demos reaching me in the future (I get at least one a month), I can
only sense that the madness and ideas placed into the noise/music
will only grow more diverse, extreme, and definitely bizarre.
Contact: Rich Hoak, #3 Bethel Church Road
Dillsburg, PA, 17019, USA
mailto:rich666@voicenet.com
Bill Sannwald, 3538 Paseo Salamoner
La Mesa, CA, 91941, USA
mailto:satan666@ucsd.edu
Semi-Auto Reflex - _Semi-Auto Reflex_ (6-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (***--)
Surfacing from the ashes of now defunct Toronto techno/hardcore/metal
faves Monster Voodoo Machine comes hardcore/metal outfit Semi-Auto
Reflex, a band that has potential to get somewhere if they play their
cards right. It's in the music, baby! Having been a *big* MVM fan,
and seeing that most of SAR is made up of MVM alumni, it isn't hard
to pick up some of the hardcore-esque qualities and sounds that
proved to be an integral part of MVM. But forget the MVM past and
let's get down to business. This six-song demo by the band is
bursting at the seams with true conviction and rawness. Lashing out
at us with killer riffs and a cool-ass groove, SAR totally manages to
meld hardcore and metal with ease. Reminiscent to more metal-oriented
versions of Sick of It All, Biohazard, or maybe (somewhat) the
Cro-Mags, SAR's debut demo features strong songs with noteworthy
numbers like "Nameless/Faceless" and the odd, but cool cover version
of the Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House". A band to watch out
for if you live in or near the Toronto area.
Contact: SEMI-AUTO REFLEX, 38 Greensides Avenue
Toronto, Ontario, M6G-3P6, CANADA
Voice: 416-656-7658 (Darren)
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Here is where Chronicles of Chaos gives you the lowdown on the latest
shows coming your way. Check out Chaotic Concerts every month for the
scoop on the bands brutalizing the masses with their own form of
terror.
F U C K T H E F O G
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hemdale with Blood of Christ, Flesh Fest and Wicked
At The Embassy in London, Ontario
by: Adam Wasylyk
It was a terrible night to drive ANY distance to see a show. The
fog was so thick that at times it was almost impossible to see the
dividing line in the road. After a full two hours of driving in this
fog (and getting lost a couple of times as well) we finally arrived,
and to our luck a full hour before the first band was to hit the
stage. Whew!!
Opening the night's festivities was Wicked who played an
industrial/gothic/black metal hybrid that neglected to entertain
neither I nor the audience. It's apparent that Wicked don't have any
sound of their own as it seems as though they're happy with borrowing
ideas from different genres and mixing them up and passing it off as
their own sound. Sorry guys, but a new musical direction or more
originality is in order. The most entertaining and endearing aspect
of Wicked's set was that the singer looked like Alanis Morisette with
corpse paint. NO JOKE!!!
Following were local death/grind band Flesh Feast, who played a
good set of Deicide/Cannibal Corpse-influenced death metal that kept
the crowd enthralled for the entire set. Having the most intense mosh
pit of the night, FF's dueling vocalists kept things interesting
while the drumming never got monotonous. Having seen Flesh Feast a
couple of years ago, tonight they sounded more tight and intense and
the crowd responded accordingly.
Recently signed to Pulverizer Records (see an interview with
them in this issue), Blood of Christ followed and went on to play the
best set of the night. Playing songs off their demo _Lonely Flowers
of Autumn_ and some newer tracks that will appear on their debut CD
for said label, they simply could not be denied on this night
(despite the sound problems). Look for Blood of Christ at this year's
Milwaukee Metal Fest!
Headliners Hemdale finished out the show and admittedly in a
somewhat negative fashion. Playing gore-inspired grind numbers, the
bass sound was great while the guitar could hardly be heard. The
band's antics on stage provided for some visual entertainment but
they couldn't do the same musically. About five songs into their set
the songs became interchangable as you couldn't tell the difference
between each song. But I guess that's why they call it grindcore,
right? It became painfully clear that Hemdale were the wrong band to
headline. The absence of a pit and lack of crowd response were the
indicators of this. Hemdale started off somewhat entertaining but
ended off just tiring.
Encountering fog for most of the trip back, I was truly lucky to
have survived the night. But then again, I'd do almost anything for
Chronicles of Chaos!
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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. KMFDM - Xtort
2. Heavy Water Factory - _Author of Pain_
3. Chemical Brothers - _Exit Planet Dust_
4. Korn - _Korn_
5. Carcass - _Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious_
Adrian's Top 5
1. Hammerfall - _When the Dragon Lies Bleeding_
2. L7 - _The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum_
3. Pain - _Pain_
4. Ephemeron/Thought Masticator - _Removing Seminal Stains_
5. Cathedral - _The Carnival Bizarre_
Brian's Top 5
1. Quo Vadis _... Forever_
2. Pat Boone _Pat Boone in a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy_
3. Elend _Les tenebres du dehors_
4. Meshuggah _All This Because of Greed_ <2-song promo>
5. Leger de Main _The Concept of Our Reality_
Alain's Top 5
1. Necromantia - _Scarlet Evil Witching Black_
2. Voivod - _Rrroooaaarrr_
3. Pungent Stench - _Been Caught Buttering_
4. Manowar - _Louder than Hell_
5. Obliveon - _Cybervoid_
Steve's Top 5
1. Abigor - _Apokalypse_
2. Absu - _The Third Storm of Cythraul_
3. Immortal - _Blizzard Beasts_
4. Meatmen - _War of the SuperBikes II: The Double Album_
5. Atrax Morgue - _Sickness Report_
Adam's Top 5
1. Avernus - _Of the Fallen_
2. Satyricon - _Dark Medieval Times_
3. Satyricon - _The Shadowthrone_
4. Another black metal compilation Steve dubbed for me, you rule!
5. Pan-Thy-Monium - _Khaooohs & Kon-Fus-ion_
Drew's Top 5
1. Phlebotomized - _Skycontact_
2. Kalisia - _Skies_
3. Hammerfall - _Glory to the Brave_
4. Excretion - _Voice of Harmony_
5. Immortal - _Blizzard Beasts_
Andrew's Top 5
1. Legendary Pink Dots - _The Chemical Playschool Volumes 8 & 9_
2. Steve Stapleton & David Tibet - _The Sadness of Things_
3. Carcass - _Symphonies of Sickness_
4. Alchemist - _Lunasphere_
5. Regard Extreme - _Resurgence_
Pedro's Top 5
1. My Dying Bride - _Trinity_
2. Dissection - _Storm of the Light's Bane_
3. Dark Tranquillity - _Skydancer_
4. Edge of Sanity - _Infernal_
5. Elend - _Les tenebres du dehors_
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T H E F I N A L W O R D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Goodbye everyone, it's been nice having you once again. Next month
will mark our twentieth issue, we hope to see you then.
-- Gino Filicetti
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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #19
All contents copyright 1997 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.