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Chronicles of Chaos Issue 004
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CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-zine, November 8, 1995, Issue #4
Co-Editor: Gino Filicetti <ginof@io.org> <_DeaTH_ on #metal>
Co-Editor: Adrian Bromley <bw823@torfree.net>
Assitant Editor: Alain M. Gaudrault <amgaudra@ccnga.uwaterloo.ca>
Web Page Manager: Brian Meloon <bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>
Mailing List provided by: The University of Colorado at Boulder
--> Interested in being reviewed? Send us your demo and a bio to:
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
CHRONICLES OF CHAOS
57 Lexfield Ave
Downsview Ont.
M3M-1M6, Canada
Fax: (416) 693-5240 Voice: (416) 693-9517
e-mail: ginof@io.org
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DESCRIPTION
~~~~~~~~~~~
Chronicles of Chaos is a monthly magazine electronically distributed
worldwide via the Internet. Chronicles of Chaos focuses on all forms
of brutal music; from thrash to death to black metal, we have it all.
Each issue will feature interviews with your favorite bands, written
from the perspective of a true fan. Each issue will also include
record reviews and previews, concert reviews and tour dates, as well
as various happenings in the metal scene worldwide. We here at
Chronicles of Chaos also believe in reader participation, so we
encourage you to submit any material you may have to Gino Filicetti
<ginof@io.org>.
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may subscribe to Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending a
message with "SUBSCRIBE coc-ezine <your-name-here>" in the BODY of
your message to the list handler at listproc@lists.colorado.edu.
Please note that this command must NOT be sent to the list address
<coc-ezine@lists.colorado.edu>, but to the mail server which handles
this mailing list.
WORLD WIDE WEB SITE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are currently in the process of constructing a website for
Chronicles of Chaos. You can check it out by pointing your web
browser to http://www.io.org/~ginof/coc.html. If you have any
comments or suggestions, please e-mail Brian Meloon
<bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Issue #4 Contents, 11/8/95
--------------------------
* Editorial
* Feature Stories
-- Edge of Sanity: On the Edge of Complete Conquest
-- Bathory: Questions and Queries with Quorthon
-- Cathedral's Completed Catharsis
-- Exit 13: Entering In A New Age
-- Mindrot's Mangled Mentality
** Special Feature: Canadian Carnage
-- Monster Voodoo Machine: Rebuilding The Machine
-- Mundane: Manic Musical Mayhem
* Chaotic Chat Sessions
-- At The Gates' Almighty Acclamations
-- Release: Letting It All Out
* Independant Interrogations
-- Quo Vadis
* Record Revelations
-- Six Feet Under - _Haunted_
-- At The Gates - _Slaughter of the Soul_
-- Exit 13 - _...Just A Few More Hits_
-- Unanimated - _Ancient God of Evil_
-- Soul Grind - _LaDiT A.D. 1999: BIHttPotB_
-- Dead Orchestra - _Sounds Like Time Tastes_
-- Mindrot - _Dawning_
-- Dissection - _Storm Of The Light's Bane_
-- g/z/r - _Plastic Planet_
-- Life Of Agony - _Ugly_
-- Voivod - _Negatron_
* New Noise
-- Filthboy - _Whatever You Wanna Call It_ (Home Video)
-- Lethargy - _Humor Me, You Funny Little Man_
-- Destroyer - _Destroyer_
-- Maelstrom - _Eye of the Storm_
* Chaotic Concerts
-- Let the Madness Begin ... Once Again
* What We Have Cranked
* The Final Word
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E D I T O R I A L
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by: Adrian Bromley
All I have to say is "Right fuckin on!!!!" When the G-man and I
started up this mag in August (or the actual idea in late June/early
July), I never thought that it would be this much fun. Sure, it has
been a burden for both of us; Gino with his day and night school
courses and part time job, and me with my warehouse job duties as
well as other publication responsibilities. However, in the end, as
you can see with the actual copy of CoC on your screen, it has been a
growth process for us.
After only 4 issues, we have jumped from about 80 to over 400
subscribers. That is about 100 subscribers per issue all around the
world. We are reaching fans of this music genre in places as far away
as New Zealand, Croatia and Singapore and other places that one would
not associate with metal - but believe us here at CoC when we say,
"Metal exists everywhere."
A big round of applause for all of you who believed in what we
do and for actually digging the material up to this point. Hell, it
can only get better for us - CoC #4 is proof of that.
We hope that all of you read up on some of the great pieces we
have written for this issue with such bands like Cathedral, Edge Of
Sanity, Toronto greats Mundane and Monster Voodoo Machine, Bay Area
metallers Release, and a true god of the metal genre, Quorthon of
Bathory. As well, a great job by Brian Meloon in doing his first CoC
interview with At The Gates.
Can't say much more than a straightforward "thank You" to the
labels that have backed us as well as the new labels we are beginning
to deal with. Keep it coming, and CoC will keep pushing it out,
stronger every time. Our main focus has always been to be a e-zine
that brings the music stories to the fans, as fans. We love the music
as do our readers, and we want to be a mag that can be on the same
level, not some magazine that does it for prestige or fame. Sure we
want to expand and grow, but as we all know it takes time, and time
is on our side.
Thanks again and enjoy issue #4 as much as we did making it.
NOTES: from Gino: Just a couple of messages I want to pass on....
I received some mail from Steve Miller which I think may be of
interest to many. I must apologize, but I lost Steve's e-mail
address, so give him a call or send him some of your stuff. Thanks,
see ya!
> I do a three-hour radio show on KCPR here at Poly. If anyone
> knows of people who have demo tapes that are *good* please give
> them my address to send the stuff to. This is no BS, I am not
> just trying to get free tapes. Verification of my program
> can be done by calling (805) 756-2965
Contact: NO SPEED LIMIT, c/o Steve Miller
PO Box 14356, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406
Local Toronto act Darkheave are currently searching for a new
vocalist. If you are, or know of, a aggressive vocalist in the
Greater Toronto area, and are looking to join an otherwise complete
band please call or write us.
Contact: DARKHEAVE, 131 Beecroft Rd. #801
North York, Ont, Canada, M2N-6G9
Matt: (416) 733-3379 or Jon: (416) 485-3803
Email: galbladder@clo.com
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O N T H E E D G E O F C O M P L E T E C O N Q U E S T
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An interview with Edge of Sanity
by: Gino Filicetti
"I am obsessed by music. I need to get it all out of me or else I
would smash the walls." -- Dan Swano, keyboardist/vocalist.
Probably one of the most influential and innovative death metal
bands around, Edge of Sanity still has what it takes to compete in
today's music scene.
Starting out way back in 1988, Edge of Sanity were one of the
first few death metal bands to take on the more melodic, harmonious
and beautiful approach to this artform. Throughout their four studio
albums, _Nothing But Death Remains_, _Unorthodox_, _The Spectral
Sorrows_, and _Purgatory Afterglow_, Edge of Sanity have managed to
introduce so many new elements into this genre, that it seems they
have sprouted their own new sub-genre.
"I think what we did was to bring death metal into another league
because I come from a background that's different. A lot of death
metal musicians started out listening to Iron Maiden and stuff like
that, and then they went on to Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer, and
evolved to death metal. But I was listening to Genesis, Yes, Pink
Floyd, and stuff like that. Then all of a sudden, it was around the
time Slayer released _South of Heaven_, that was the first time that
I felt that this music may not be as fucking terrible as I thought.
Since I'm a drummer originally, I was always fascinated with Lombardo
and how fast he could play. So I actually started to jam with this
local band that played this kind of Slayer music. And I realized that
it was fun to play fast on the drums and I wanted to get better and
better."
The band's last release, _Purgatory Afterglow_, was well
received by press and fans alike, to say the least. It brought the
band countless stories and unending praise of their work. So what did
Swano think of all these different reviewers saying the same thing
about his work? "It stinks. That's why I want to do a different thing
with the next record. It would be so easy for me to do seven songs,
and the other guys do three or four songs. I make some beautiful
stuff, they make some hard stuff. We find a good title and a good
cover and we record it and it's a pattern. I want to get away from
that and do something that we haven't done before."
The band is set to record their next album, entitled _Crimson_,
in and around Christmas time, with just a bit of a twist to it: "When
it comes to this band we are very impulsive with our creations, so,
we do more in two weeks than most other bands do in one year. Since
we finished the mastering of _Purgatory Afterglow_, we have done
absolutely nothing. In the beginning of November, we are going to
lock ourselves up in my studio for five days and we are just going to
sit there and create what is going to be the longest death metal
track ever written. It will be 45 minutes or so. The whole record
will be one track because that's what we feel like doing. It's a
great challenge. We want to do something really different and to come
into the record from a different point. So we will write this epic
track in five days and then we will hold out for a month, and the
guys will come back and we will record it around Christmas or New
Year's Eve."
Although to many this idea of a one-track epic may sound
curiously interesting, how does Dan feel the majority of his fans
will accept the change? "Well first of all, people will be very
surprised when they buy the record and see it's only one track long.
But you know, I don't give a fuck what people think, really. If they
are into Edge of Sanity the way I want people to be, they will love
it. And if they don't like it, I don't see why they listen to our
music in the first place. Because Edge of Sanity is really about
stuff like 'Twilight'. To me, that is our main style. But you can't
make a record with ten 'Twilight' tracks, because it would be pretty
boring. So that's why we've always had fast tracks and stuff. But
this time, we can make one record that sounds the way we should have
always sounded."
Although Edge of Sanity has always been innovative, they do seem
to have a definite style all their own which is prevalent in all
their albums. Will this trend carry over onto their new project, or
will there be significant changes? "We will actually have a session
singer on the next record", reveals Swano, "but he wonn't have the
same density in my voice. He will sing the parts that I would've sung
in '91, and I will sing like I do now, and there will be this guy
from a local band who's record I produced. When I first heard him I
just fell in love with his voice. I don't know how he does it, he is
programmable. He can do any Death style vocal you want. If you want
some kind of Tardy style he can do it, if you want shock he can do
it, if you want Black Metal screeches that'll rip your ears out, he
can do it. It's no problem. This guy has the technique. He can go
from singing Sinatra to this, and go back again, no problem. It
doesn't hurt his throat. So just like some people bring in James
Murphy for a few leads <laughs>, we will bring this guy in for a few
vocals."
One thing that can not be doubted is Dan Swano's incredible
involvement in all stages of music. Not only does he have his own
studio where he has produced countless brutal releases, he also
maintains a plethora of side projects. What does all this musical
involvement do for him? "It keeps me alive. I am obsessed by music. I
need to get it all out of me or else I'd smash the walls. That's why
I have so many side projects. My music taste ranges from country
music, for example, all the way to Edge of Sanity-type stuff. When I
come home from a hard day of work, I don't want to think about music,
I just want to listen to something that's easy to take in. Sometimes
I feel like getting into complex stuff. I listen to Dream Theater and
stuff like that. But when I have the time, I listen to Marillion
because they are my absolute favorite band of all time. Listening to
Marillion," continues Swano, "is not like listening to music. It's
different for me than other people, because I can turn off everything
and just sit down on the couch and listen to five Marillion records
and then go to bed <laughs>. They give me so much more than other
records, I hear so much more, I have visions, it's like my fuel to
exist. I've found a band that I can really communicate with and I'm
really proud of that."
Dan Swano's "day job" is music. He owns his own commercial
studio which supports him, his fiance, and their three-year old
child. For many, being submerged in their favorite pastime all hours
of the day is a dream come true. How does he feel being completely
surrounded by his passion around the clock? "It's strange for me,"
replies Swano, "because when I rise in the morning, I get up to make
my breakfast and I put on the radio and hear music. Then I have a few
silent seconds as I go to work. Then it's music again. Then I come
home for lunch break and on with the radio. Then back to work for
more music. Then I come home and it's radio again. When I do the
dishes it's music on the TV. And even when I'm typing letters and
stuff, I have this really small radio by the typewriter. The only
time I don't listen to music is when I sleep, and then I dream music.
It's all around the clock."
When asked what kind of touring the band did for their previous
record, I was shocked to hear, "Absolutely nothing. The last gig we
did, we played a headline show at the Dome Theatre in London for MTV
Europe. That was pretty intense. For our song, 'In The Enigma',
there's this part with clean vocals, and everyone in the place were
voicing over me, and I almost cried. You know, that's something that
happens at your idol's concerts, and it doesn't happen to you, but it
did. The whole crowd was like a massive choir, it was great."
Continues Swano on the prospect of touring, "The problem is that my
voice isn't really good enough for a whole set, and definitely not
good enough for a tour. It's a physical fact, you can't change it, my
throat fucks up. It happens to all the singers I guess. Some people
have a technique to their singing, I sing out of sheer fucking
aggression and then my throat gets fucked up. Just like the pain you
would feel if you scream at someone for 15 minutes, it's the same
pain that I feel when I sing a song.
So does this mean the band is completely against touring? "No. I
think touring would be cool if I could get my ideas across, but the
other guys are not into it. If we find a session singer that could do
a tour and I could still be on stage doing keyboards, samples,
guitars and backing vocals, I would like it. That way we could play
songs like 'Twilight' live that would be impossible with me on vocals
because I can not have a huge rack of equipment in the front of the
stage. I would like to be in the shadows somewhere, and come across
sometimes to do a guitar lead and then go back and be in my little
place. That's if we can find a guy that can do this enormously brutal
voice and enjoy being a frontman."
In closing, I asked the question that is my favorite when
talking to European bands. Do you have any desire to come to North
America? "Definitely, I'd die to go to America. The thing is that
it's costly just to go there. America is like another world to us
here in Europe, it's like being big on Mars or Neptune. The thing is
that if we find any solution to the economical problems, we'd
probably go there. Black Mark is big, but it's not huge when it comes
to touring the US. It's a different world. Here you can go on tour
and travel a certain amount of kilometers and go through almost all
of Europe, but if you travel the same in America you won't get
through Texas! <laughs>"
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B A T H O R Y
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions and Queries with Quorthon
by: Adrian Bromley
"When we started, there were no forerunners. We had to invent
everything ourselves." -- Quorthon, guitarist/vocalist
In the midst of mixing and putting the finishing touches on
Bathory's future collection of material, titled _Blood On Ice_ (a
project of old material six years in the making), one of metal's
"true pioneers," lead singer/guitarist Quorthon, is actually pleased
to get away from the studio for a while to chat with Chronicles of
Chaos.
About _Blood On Ice_ (to be released in January) he begins,
"Some of the stuff has been recorded since 1988. It is funny how the
circumstances were very primitive when we recorded some of the first
albums. The stuff here was recorded in the same circumstances so we
have to catch up a bit with a new bass line or drum roll here and
there. Also some songs needed new vocals. This is a souvenir album
for all of the Bathory fans. It isn't a new album, it has been around
for sometime and all our fans know it as legend," he explains.
Twelve years since their entrance into the world of metal in
1983, Bathory has shapeshifted itself many times over, and in the
process gained and lost many fans. From the beginning and first
effort, _Bathory_ in 1984 onto _Hammerheart_ (1987) or present albums
like _Requiem_ (1994) or 1991's _Twilight Of The Gods_, the
rollercoaster ride of the band's music has been cataloged quite
openly. Quorthon sees the changes brought on by the band and its
music as an important element to the survival of the band.
"People have no clue to what we are to sound like on the next
album," he says, "because we changed every second album. Now we have
touched upon black metal, death metal, viking epic shit - whatever.
There are really no stages that we didn't go through."
Noting the lack of originality in some of today's music,
Quorthon tells us, "There are no patterns that you have to follow to
be successful. As long as bands are original and they have the urge
to experiment, it is good. We did that in the 80's and we took a lot
of shit because people didn't understand it but we also attracted a
lot of other fans. As long as there are young crossover bands it is
great. Fresh blood and fresh sound. You can't always go the New Wave
Of British Metal way forever."
With the band's latest effort and eigth album, _Octagon_, a
follow-up to last year's _Requiem_ and _The Jubileum Volumes_ (1993)
a few years back, the band returns with a very much straightforward,
raw sound that refuses to be seen as anything polished or perfect.
There is a reasoning; "What we are doing now is stripping ourselves,
going into the studio and scream for half an hour and have fun doing
it. We went into the studio to have fun, sweat and excercise. We went
in there to blast off. It is fun now that we don't have to fit a
certain formula with our music. These two last albums have been far
away from what Bathory was in the beginning."
Along with the few releases of this decade, Quorthon also took
time out from fronting Bathory to release his first solo recording,
_Album_. Was the record some form of cleansing process for him, and
if so, does he plan to make another solo project? "We had finished
with the last Bathory album and I had some material, and wanted to
try making a solo record." He played, sang, wrote, recorded, and
produced the album by himself. "It was something I wanted to do."
About future solo stuff he says, "I have twenty songs already written
for the next solo album, but with _Octagon_ being released and the
importance of the _Blood On Ice_ session, I put off the other solo
project for awhile. After the _Blood On Ice_ session people may see
the next Bathory album or next solo album. It is all up in the air
right now."
How does Quorthon feel about the band still being seen as a
major influential factor for a lot of new and older bands? Will the
band still aim to keep up with a sound and style that will continue
to entice many young metalheads to just go crazy? "If I would sit
down and look at Bathory albums being influential on other bands, I
wouldn't look at new Bathory albums because they are too young. The
albums they would refer to would be the older ones. I mean who gives
a shit what we sound like now? We sell just as good as we have always
sold. We don't tour, make videos or do a lot of interviews, and we
are still around. I think that is a great sign of survival."
And about being seen as a musical pioneer? "If somebody had told
me in 1983 or 1984 that we would be around in 1995, I would have told
them to fuck off. It takes a certain kind of stamina to be around for
twelve years, especially with no tours and being a very narrow band
that changes once in awhile. If we had come out right now and had not
wanted to make videos or tour, we would have not survived." Quorthon
adds, "When we recorded the first songs on a compilation in 1984 and
the first album, we were so proud. This was it. We had a record in
record stores. Jerk off, jerk off."
In regards to the band's longevity in this industry and their
survival he says, "The only great old bands that are around right now
are Slayer and Bathory. Also Metallica - but they are in a league of
their own both musically and commercially. I don't see a lot of bands
put into that kind of legend status and inspiration. Everything takes
time to last and to be perfected. Our first albums were shit. Shit.
And if you were to put them up against albums that are being released
nowadays, they are pretty bad." He laughs and says, "You have to have
a sense of humor when listening to old material, and put it into its
own place."
Quorthon is first to admit the bad reviews and press the band
has been receiving ever since the band progressed into the 1990's.
Musically ancient in many people's opinions, Quorthon is confident
that press is press and bad reviews mean nothing to what will become
of the band or what they will do. Like it has and will continue to
do, Bathory stands the test of time regardless of what shit is thrown
at them. "Throughout the 80's, we were ridiculed as being seen as a
Venom clone, and it wasn't until we were deep down in that viking
shit that no one could ever say that we weren't original," reveals
Quorthon. "We had a great problem washing away the Venom-type thing
that we were experiencing. The only thing that was around in Europe
when we began was Venom, and it was a touchy thing to always be
reminded of." He tries to put it in simple terms: "If you go to the
moon, you will always remember that the first guys on the moon were
Americans. Or if you open a hamburger store, you are trying to copy
McDonald's. We were always trying to be Bathory, and never intended
to try to copy any band."
His take on bad reviews? "We have very bad reviews in Europe
with the two last albums and people are confused with what Bathory is
doing. People write to me saying that our sound is bad and 'why don't
you sound check?' And I respond to them saying that if they are
talking about bad sound, they should listen to the first two or three
albums. If the first albums by Bathory, Slayer, Venom, or Celtic
Frost were released today, no one would care. Time goes on and you
have to change. I don't know if it is a good sign with people
complaining that these two new albums are too brutal. Maybe it is a
good sign showing that other people's musical horizons are bordering
up a little."
"The best review that a band like Bathory or Slayer could have
is a shit review. If I was 14 or 15 today, I would never go off and
buy an album like Metallica's last one. I would buy the record that
they would say, 'Don't buy this record. It will brainwash you and
make you kill someone.' Those are the albums I would want to buy,"
says Quorthon, chuckling. I interject, 'And the albums Bathory want
to make, right?' The laughter continues and he finishes, "Yes, that's
about right."
Long live Bathory.
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C A T H E D R A L ' S C O M P L E T E D C A T H A R S I S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by: Adrian Bromley
Somewhere between the 80's metal period and the early 90's,
metal music evolved, making heroes out of some bands and victims out
of others. Cathedral's frontman Lee Dorrian is well aware of it: "I
think the 90's has killed a lot of individuality. Metal seems to be
one dimensional and shallow. I like a lot of the new bands, but it
seems to me that it has got too much of a narrow-minded attitude of
late. There is not a lot of room for expression or attitude. It seems
like bands just form for the sake of the one desire of being
instantly famous," he explains, "adopting the sound of the moment,
opposed from doing something from their desire to it. I think it is a
shame because I can see the real root of heavy metal coming back
again over the next couple of years. I think the 80's killed a lot of
the freedom of spirit. Right now, we must try to take the positive
things out of the death metal scene and other dimensions in our music
but also to go back to the original emphasis of what metal was and is
about, which to me is about riffs," Dorrian says. "My main concern is
to write killer riffs."
Killer riffs, a heavy dose of metal, and an amazing production
accompanies Cathedral's latest effort, _The Carnival Bizarre_.
Combining the elements of other previous Cathedral offerings (_The
Forest Of Equilibrium_ and 1993's _The Ethereal Mirror_), this time
around, Dorrian and long time guitarist Garry Jennings - and new
members Leo Smee (bass) and Brian Dixon (drums) - scale down the
intentions of the band, getting back to a more standard metal sound
while in the process making an album that can be easily discovered as
a true metal effort. No compromise, no sell out. "The process of
making this album wasn't that difficult to put together," Dorrian
says. "Three quarters of the album was already written since last
December, and the rest of it came together very spontaneously. The
lyrics were written like that as well, and they seemed to go along
well with the riffs."
He comments, "I think this album is more focused than the last
one. With the previous one were weren't sure what was happening. It
was our debut for Columbia and we had a lot of pressure to record it.
This album was easy. We got all mellow, chilled out, and got our
heads down and recorded it. We recorded it in two weeks and mixed it
in two nights - the atmosphere was great. It came out pretty good
seeing that it was the debut appearance of our new drummer and bass
player. This album may be more accessible than our last album, but I
don't think we have compromised any heaviness. I think it is a lot
heavier than the last one." But do bands that become more accessible
tend to become commercial, losing an essence of their music? His
reply, "If a band gets better at writing songs, why avoid that?"
Besides the actual music of the album, the one thing that does
make a statement is the artwork on the sleeve (a huge collage of
images of good and evil - it takes up one whole side of the CD
sleeve!) Asking Dorrian about the sleeve artwork (done by artist Dave
Patchett) and his actual concept of what it was about he said, "The
basic initial idea was mine for the cover sleeve and I sat down
talking with the artist (Patchett) at his house for two days. We
talked, spoke about songs on the album and drank beers. What he then
did is put down his own interpretations and added a few of his own
[ideas] in the process." He goes on to say proudly, "The artwork
inside are visions and things that I had seen. This album is an
important album for us because we haven't recorded one in a while. We
wanted him to do something special and detailed. Essentially, we said
to Dave that we wanted it [the cover] to be a masterpiece and he
didn't let us down. The actual art concept is based around the two
figures of Jesus and Mary, and how religion and Christianity has
affected people over the last 2000 years - and what it has done to
people. It is a vision." He interprets the piece as "an image where
on one side you have the melancholy of the moon and then you have the
violence of the sun. The idea that the world is falling apart and how
people have lost all touch of themselves to Christianity. The way the
moral viewpoints of Christianity make people ashamed of their
sexuality, of themselves - afraid to be themselves."
And the meaning of the album title, _The Carnival Bizarre_? "No
specific meaning. The actual song was on the original demo and the
lyrics written for the chorus just seemed to fit when we got the art
work. It kind of pieced itself together - I still don't know how it
worked. We went with it because it fit the mood of the album and the
lyrics."
With such a strong belief in the importance of this album, does
Dorrian see this album as an important accomplishment for the band?
"Right now with the line-up, we are all into the same cause and the
same music. It is definitely a band now. I think with the next album,
the new guys are going to contribute more than anyone has done before
because we have the right ideas. We are pleased with this more than
anything we have done. It has captured the vibe we have always been
lookng for, that 'back to basics, raw heavy sound.' The songs are
more focused. We are all pleased with it individually." He adds, "We
aren't doing anything original or new. We are just celebrating the
music we love, and we are pleased with what we have achieved with
_The Carnival Bizarre_."
Has being away for two years from the music scene been
beneficial for the band? "It was very beneficial for us because it
gave us time to focus on what we wanted to be and what we wanted to
do with our music. There were negative sides of course with people
wondering if we still existed, but overall, on a personal level, it
was definitely worth the wait."
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E X I T 1 3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Entering In A New Age
by: Adrian Bromley
Bill Yurkiewicz has a very hectic lifestyle. Between his
extensive work as co-owner of Relapse Records, and his continuous
work with numerous side-projects, it is a wonder that he finds time
to do anything with his band Exit-13. But he does, and he does it
well.
Hailed as one of the most metal/death/grind/extreme music
experimental projects out there, Exit-13 refuses to be lumped into
any genre specific category. It isn't in their mind sets. Yurkiewicz
explains.
"Some people have come to expect that Exit-13 is weird and they
don't know what they are going to get," he says about their music.
"And then others will get into one phase of the band and then want us
to stay that way forever." He notes confidently, "maybe this is some
sort of elitist geek at a record label thing to say but we are doing
what we like. If you like it you are a true Exit-13 fan. If you think
we suck and think we are doing something that isn't as good as what
we have done before then you missed the boat." He adds, "There is
never one thing that is going to do it for me. I like so many types
of music. To describe it, I would say I couldn't just eat veggie
burgers everyday. I like Indian food, Chinese food, etc ... I
couldn't say I would eat Indian food for the rest of my life."
And how does he find time to juggle between record label duties
and band/tour time? Laughing, he says, "I have no personal life at
all. We have so many recordings going at once, all in the works. We
are doing three EP sessions with three drummers and then the full
album by January, tentatively entitled _Didactic Grind_. It has been,
and still is crazy for us. And on top of that, I have to deal with
stuff at the record label level." With some frustration in his voice,
he says, "Whenever I work with the band, it is when I am not busy
with the label. Exit-13 has lost a lot of its impetus because I am
here all of the time."
With numerous projects on the go, not to mention the band's
latest release _...Just A Few More Hits_, a kind of collection of
material from 1994's _Ethos Musick_ recording sessions, many would
fear that Yurkiewicz would be on a crash course to burn out. "I'll
just keep wanting to do more and more," he says passionately. "I keep
having more and more ideas for stuff. If we decide we want to do a
new record and I have no idea, then it is time to call it quits. As
long as I have ideas for this band, I can't see myself being burned
out."
To simplify things, here is a (hopefully accurate) list of the
projects Bill and Exit-13 are involved in:
- _Didactic Grind_ (January): with guitarist Steve O'Donnell, new
bassist Terry Sherry, and session drummer Dave Witte
- _Smoking Songs_: with Brutal Truth's rhythym section Danny Lilker
(bass) and Rich Hoak (drums), and Pain Teens vocalist Bliss Blood.
It has a cover version of classic numbers from the 30's and 40's,
including Ella Fitzgerald's "When I Get High, I Get Low" and Bea
Foote's "Weed"
- 7" Ep, _Whacked Metal_ (on Grinding Death Records): recording
several tracks with Deceased's King Fowley covering Venom's
"Bursting Out" and Riot's "Hard Loving Man" - not to mention a few
original tracks
- a 10" Napalm Death tribute album
- a Beatles compilation
- will perform theme from "The Benny Hill Show" on T.V. theme song
compilation on Slap A Ham label
- a 7" split with Hemdale on Visceral Productions
- a song/track on upcoming Bovine Records crust/grind compilation
It is obvious he has a lot of work put into the band - he knows
what he likes to play and to be a part of. Does that same thought
process carry over into the record label side of his work? "I want to
be successful by putting out the music we (Relapse) like. I don't
want to sign bands to make money, to sell out or rip people off. I
just want to make an honest living, which is putting out extreme
music, whether it be grindcore or noise. When we (him and Matt
Jacobson) jumped into it, we were so naive, and never knew what was
going to come of it. As it progressed and reponsibility reared its
head, we were like 'Oh my God. What are we doing?' We started off
with no real education. We just did it and learned along the way."
About the rapid start the label got by joining both Jacobson's and
his own 7" labels, he cites this being the turning point: "After a
month or so we opened up the offices for Germany-based Nuclear Blast
Records in the U.S., so because they were bigger and established, it
gave us a lot of credibility from the start."
"I think we have a good edge doing the mail order catalog. We
see what stuff people are interested in. We get inside knowledge on
how things are progressing and what poeople are getting into, and
then we apply that to our label. I think Relapse has positioned
itself to have its hands in several cookie jars and not just one. It
is what I like in a band as well. I like all kinds of music and why
would I just want to release one kind of music? It would be boring."
And the good thing about his dual work with the label and the
band? "It enables us to do 100% of the music we want to do without
sucking anyone's ass at a record label."
Having been a true believer in making music that can really
retain no boundaries, what is Yurkiewicz's view on the metal scene of
the 90's? "I think it went through its commercial phase, and now it
is going back into the underground where it belongs. I see a lot of
labels who put out death metal to cash in biting the dust, and I love
to see that because if you are fake from the beginning, then you are
getting what you deserve." He snickers.
Can't say he doesn't have the right to snicker. Both his label
and Exit-13 have been able to go with the trends as well as focus on
originality - and in the long run remain true to their goals they
have set out to achieve. See, determination can bring success.
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M I N D R O T ' S M A N G L E D M E N T A L I T Y
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by: Adrian Bromley
"We want people to know that there is more to the metal genre than
blood, guts, and Beavis and Butthead" -- Matt Fisher, bassist
"Our music is a display of extreme emotions. We capture every
feeling that you can ever imagine and that anyone can relate to. We
touch base with reality on multiple levels. We are trying to get
across a point of view that anyone can relate to," says bassist Matt
Fisher, describing Mindrot's atmospheric sonic assault, found on
their Relapse Records debut, _Dawning_, the much anticipated and long
awaited followup to their recent _Forlorn_ EP (their first release on
Relapse). "We are approaching it poetically and atmospherically,
trying to let people get in touch with their emotions as a form of
therapy. We don't want to be a fantasy band. We want to use poetic
music as an artful expression."
Since their inception in 1989 and the release of a few 7"
records, the band - rounded out by singer Adrian Leroux, guitarists
Dan Kaufman and John Flood, and drummer Evan Kilbourne - met critical
acclaim with their industry-only _Faded Dream_ (1992) promo demo,
putting them in the spotlight and building up hype that would grow
even more with the release of what was to be _Dawning_. But as many
will tell you, things don't happen at the drop of a hat all the time,
especially in the music industry. Mindrot knows that very well by
now. "_Dawning_ is basically two years overdue," exclaims Fisher over
the phone from Huntington Beach, California. "It should have been out
two years ago. We were negotiating with labels and the album got
pushed back."
And why did the band opt to work with Relapse, with many other
labels expressing interest in the band? "They have always been
interested in us and we have been updated on what we are doing. They
were interested in 1992 when they heard our _Faded Dream_ promo. It
gave us hype from many other labels. At that time, Relapse was
getting established and we were being given offers by Century Media,
Mechanic, and others. We overlooked Relapse because we needed more."
But according to Fisher, things changed. "In 1995, Relapse was more
established and they made us an offer that seemed right, and we
started to negotiate." In the end, Fisher accounts, both parties got
what they wanted.
So two years down the road, with music just sitting in the
studio as the band negotiated with labels, and _Dawning_ not seeing
much light, does Fisher think that the band or its music lost any
kind of edge that they had originally conceived as being the staple
sound of Mindrot? "If we released this album two years ago, this
would have been our second album. The new album would be more updated
to the sound that we are now. We are all ready to go and record our
second album now. There might have been a few songs that didn't make
this album that'll be on that one." He continues, "Some stuff on this
album was written from 1991 to 1993. We have newer material that we
want to go out on a record, but we'll wait to get the sales and hype
of this album out of the way before we go into the studio."
About the progression of the newer material, Fisher reveals,
"The next album has a variety of sounds of music - spacey melodic
goth stuff to angry and pissed off songs. The pissed off songs are
getting more uptempo, harsher, and aggressive. Our spacey songs are
getting more progressive. A lot of the new material is the same
except it is a little more extreme in both directions."
Like most metal bands nowadays, does Fisher believe that Mindrot
will stick with that atmospheric, spacey material, or that the band
will find themselves experimenting more as the years go on? "We don't
avoid anything. We are much into experimentation, but we are also
into music that is expressive and emotional - music with an emotional
feel to it, music where we can express all types of emotions and not
just anger and depression," says Fisher. "We have always been a band
to experiment, which I think sets [us] aside from other bands. We
don't try to play one genre or stereotype of music. We want to play
emotional and heavy, and at the same time express ourselves through
our music."
Within the coming months, Mindrot will be doing a few shows
along the West coast and then hopefully in March or April head over
to Europe to do some touring. Excited about touring Europe he says,
"Our music is more accessible in Europe, so the label wants us to do
our first tour over there. They are more appreciative of our sound
and style."
Yes you read correctly, Mindrot has never really done a tour
besides a few shows here and there. The reasoning? "We've never
toured the U.S. because we never had a product to back up the tour.
We have always kind of waited around to have a record out to tour and
support a product. It is kind of tough touring in support of a couple
of EPs."
Hopefully Mindrot will be in your neck of the woods sometime in
1996 so that you can get a heaping dosage of emotionally packed metal
music that proves to be extremely heavy and groundbreaking. I know
I'm waiting.
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M O N S T E R V O O D O O M A C H I N E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rebuilding the 'Machine'
by: Adrian Bromley
"The whole heavy seriousness, lethargic element of Monster Voodoo
Machine is gone. There is no more of the 'Suffersystem,' dark angry
side. I've done it before. If I could change the name and not be
Monster Voodoo Machine anymore and release it under a new name, I
would" -- Adam Sewell, vocalist/mastermind
And then there were three.
Toronto's Monster Voodoo Machine (MVM) has gone from a sextet to
a trio in less than a month. Out is bassist Terry Landry, drummer
Dean Bentley and sampler/keyboardist Stacey Hoskins. Remaining
members/mercenaries are guitarists Jason Cuddy and Darren Quinn, and
outspoken mastermind and lead singer of MVM, Adam Sewell. But like
many times before, Toronto's Monster Voodoo Machine has been morphed,
split, rejuvenated, kicked, hailed as heroes, and still the band
manages to display a steady, powerful determination to seek
originality rather than success. Survival is key.
About the departure and restructuring of the band, Sewell
responds, "If you look from the beginning of Monster Voodoo Machine
up to now, the amount of people that have come through the doors is
quite a few. I think if anybody looks at MVM and bandmembers changing
as something drastic, then they have been incredibly clued-out to
what is going on. I said this years ago that the people in the band
at that time were the right people for the job, but things are
changing [with the direction of the band] and it has nothing to do
with people leaving. It is just the way it is. It's no big deal."
The changes that Sewell speaks about are going to find a home in
the band's forthcoming LP, the follow-up to their 1994 Juno Award-
winning (Canadian equivalent of a Grammy) album, _Suffersystem_.
Sewell begins, with a smile and obvious sarcastic, humorous
overtones, "I want to make the ultimate heavy metal record. I want to
make the fastest, heaviest, most crushing, most grinding, most brutal
black metal record ever made. I wanna have an excuse to walk around
with white face make-up and black eye-liner." He laughs and says,
"What?! You don't believe me?"
"It is hard to explain," says Sewell putting on a more serious
expression. "To understand what I am doing now is sort of to
understand that I have never been happy with anything that we have
done before. Right now, I am making the record I have always wanted
to make. The people who I am working with in the studio now are
giving me the freedom to explore things I have wanted to explore,
things that I have never had options to do before." He adds, "By no
means is this a heavy metal record; don't expect _Sufferstytem Part
Two_." And an explanation of one of the main reasons behind his
obvious unhappiness or acceptability of the metal edge that his band
carried on _Suffersystem_? "I have really been unhappy with the metal
sound of our band for a long time. To make another _Suffersystem_
record would be selling out. That is not what I feel comfortable with
right now or feel like doing." Aware of what he will face with the
new material, he says, "Sure reviews will say that we are selling
out." He corrects the supposed statements that'll be made and says,
"Making another metal record would be selling out. That would take no
talent - it takes nothing to throw chugging chords and samples
together. We've done it already, why do it again?"
The album should be out in April or May and will have a tour to
follow in support of the release. Sewell, as well as Cuddy and Quinn,
are in the process of putting together demos - a pre-production of
the album. "When we decide to record the album it will go by fast,"
Sewell said.
In regards to touring he had this to say. "We won't be touring
with metal bands anymore. We'd like to tour with bands like Pop Will
Eat Itself, Fishbone or The Jesus And Mary Chain." And filling the
gap of losing three members on tour and in the studio? "We'll just do
it ourselves, and then when we need to tour we'll get people and take
care of it."
So with a pure adrenalin rush to revamp or mold the sound of the
band, is Sewell and the rest of the band trying to get away from what
they had accomplished with _Suffersystem_? "I don't know if I am
getting away from everything, it just seems like the less logical
progression for us, and the thing for _Suffersystem_ was that it was
a step backwards. This is what I want to do, and for me it is natural
and simple to do. Whether people like it or not, I don't care." He
adds, "I think the first people that may or may not complain [about
the new record] are the people that never bought our records before.
So I don't care."
So what can we expect from the new as yet untitled album? "I
think the main thing is to understand that the samples are there, the
guitars are there - though there are less guitars. I think that with
the new songs, we have been able to utilize the same elements as we
have had before, but in a way that no one else is doing it. I think I
have finally found a way to manipulate sounds in a way that no one
else is doing and feeling comfortable doing it. We are not an
industrial band. I think we know now how to mix samples and guitars
without coming across as Ministry or Nine Inch Nails." Reveals
Sewell, "I never wanted to sound like those bands at all, and I let
MVM fall into that bracket because it was easy to get a response from
people when you do that and I was never happy. Now I know what I am
doing in the studio and sort of found answers I was looking for."
What about having to deal with expectations? The band has won a
Juno for Best Heavy Metal Album, toured successfully with Marilyn
Manson, Fear Factory, Fight, Carcass, and Life Of Agony, and have
been known to put on a killer show (ask Gino! See CoC #3). Are there
pressures mounting with the new album? "If I started thinking of the
pressure of what other people are expecting from me, I'd kill myself
right now 'cause all of these things I am putting pressures on myself
to step forward. Making _Suffersystem_ and having to tour with those
songs for so long was to me just a step backwards, a let down."
Continuing on, Sewell says, "Night after night, the songs didn't
have the dynamics I wanted, or covered the musical scope or range
that I wanted. To me, I am going to try to push myself to cross a
couple of new thresholds and break down some new boundaries. My
biggest goal is that I never want to see another review that names
NIN, Ministry or White Zombie. There has never been a reason to
mention those names before and I want to make sure that nobody does
it in the future."
M A N I C M U S I C A L M A Y H E M
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An Interview with Mundane
by: Gino Filicetti
If there was ever a band who's name was utterly misleading, it
has got to be Mundane. Formed in Toronto in the early 1990's by the
two Rebelo brothers, Alex (guitars) and Vitor (vocals, percussions),
Mundane quickly grew out of obscurity to become one of, if not THE
most interesting and intense live bands in the local Toronto scene.
After only one release, 1993's _Seed_ put out by local label Raw
Energy, and three videos, one could say that Mundane have garnered
themselves a very respectable following. But as any real fan knows,
Mundane are not about albums, or any type of recorded sound. The true
beauty of this band only rears its head in a live setting. If NASA
could capture and harness the energy and adrenaline that goes into
only one Mundane show, they would be able to send 20 shuttles to Mars
and back.
It has now been two years since the release of the band's debut
album, so the obvious question is, 'What will the new material sound
like?' Vitor jokingly replies, "It is called _Suffersystem II_." He
laughs, referring to local Toronto act and good friends, Monster
Voodoo Machine. "It kind of takes off where Monster Voodoo Machine
left off." Then, on a more serious note, "No, the album was supposed
to come out and now it is not anymore. The album is not going to go
through Raw Energy. Right now, what we are doing is shopping around a
four-song demo and trying to get some interest. It will eventually
come out. Raw Energy was a stepping stone to get one album out. It
was like, 'Yeah let's put an album out and see what happens.' It got
our album out nationally, we had a tour, a few videos, and that was
it." He continues, "_Seed_ was what you could do for $2000. I've
always told people how the album was only half finished before we had
to put it out. If we had had more time, the album would sound much
different now. I look at _Seed_ as an old demo rather than an album."
He continues about the new album and the circumstances surrounding
its release, "If it doesn't come out, then we may release an EP,
because we have all of these songs already written and we are
starting to work on others. The reason being we may continue to write
and add three or four songs to our material and that is way too much
material to have lying around." One important thing Vitor mentions
about the new album is its emphasis on drum rhythms, at times up to
four or five tracks of drumming alone. "It is going to make the new
Sepultura record sound weak (laughs)."
One major change the band has undergone in the past year is the
loss of their drummer Drew Gauley. The experience has opened the
band's eyes to how difficult it is to find a decent drummer in a
short space of time. The result was that Vitor took on the duty of
drums; "In the studio, there was a lot of pressure because of the
drum tracks, as well as the sound of the songs. We played songs over
and over. After the drums, I did the percussion stuff and then the
vocals. Needless to say, I was in the studio a lot." He adds, "I get
sick if I go into the studio now. I'm just not comfortable with the
studio." About recording the album, "We recorded with Rob Sanzo again
with a lot more time put into this album. It sounds really good. So
far, we have spent two weeks making the album. Vocals are done, but
we still need the same amount of time to finish it up."
Then the time came when the band had to head out to Foundations
Forum in Los Angeles to play (a killer set!), and they were still
without a drummer and couldn't wait any longer. Their current
drummer, Scott (from local band Self), a long time friend, was the
obvious choice. The band, however, knows what it's like to have a
member stolen from their ranks. "We were going to Foundations in a
couple of weeks and auditioned all of these drummers and found it not
working out. We knew of Scott and had to make a move."
Mundane, like so many other bands out there, want to exhume
themselves from the burial of obscurity. The path to this goal is
obviously getting hooked up with the right label. "I don't think I
would be comfortable or secure on a major label. Our material is not
really that accessible. A major label goes out to get you fans before
you have fans - or before your album comes out. I'd rather be on a
label that puts an album out, and then we go out and get our own
fans." He continues, "For us to even become some sort of a big name
band, we need a good label behind us because we can only do so much
as a band. And then I hope things get a lot easier. It doesn't matter
how good you are, people always have this pre-conceived notion that
if you aren't signed, then you aren't worth checking out."
With a bigger, bolder sound always comes the task of pulling the
material off in a live setting, something which Mundane have proved
beyond the shadow of a doubt they excel at. "We can pull it off, but
the problem is that we play really fast. We are working on it." How
does the band feel playing live rather than canning their tunes in a
studio? "Live is very different for us. We want to sound great but
pull everything off. It is a different experience for us."
Keep your eyes peeled for this band my friends. If you know good
music, then you will most certainly will dig Toronto's very own
Mundane.
Contact: MUNDANE (Vitor & Alex), 156 Argyle St.
Toronto, Ont, Canada M6J-1P1
Phone: (416) 532-3212
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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.
AT THE GATES' ALMIGHTY ACCLAIMATIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by: Brian Meloon
CoC: Let's start at the beginning; tell me about the early days of
the band, how you formed and so forth.
TL: Well, we started around 1990 in Gothenburg, Sweden, by releasing
our first mini-album on a small Swedish independant label. And
that kind of got us hooked up with Peaceville; after that, we
released three albums with Peaceville, and that's where we are
today.
CoC: How'd you come up with the name 'At the Gates'. is there a story
behind that?
TL: No, it's just more like we played around with some words and
stuff like that, and it came around. I think it's a pretty good
name, because people remember it. It sounds a bit more weird than
most other death metal bands. And it's still got that death metal
feel to it as well.
CoC: You've got five albums, including the first one. How many videos
have you done?
TL: So far, we've done four videos, actually. We did one for "Kingdom
Gone" from _The Red In the Sky Is Ours_, and then we had one for
"The Burning Darkness" off _With Fear I Kiss The Burning
Darkness_, and then we did the title track from _Terminal Spirit
Disease_, and now we just completed work on "Blinded By Fear"
from _Slaughter of the Soul_. That's already been played three
times on the European Headbanger's Ball.
CoC: Is MTV Europe a good or bad thing?
TL: It's both good and bad. I mean, for us it's always been good,
because we have a good relationship with them. But I still feel
like they have no competition because it's only one channel, so
they can pretty much rule. They pretty much control which bands
are going to be big and stuff like that, and that's what's sad.
CoC: About your split with Peaceville, was that because you guys just
grew out of the label?
TL: Yeah, we did all three albums we were under contract to do, and
when we came up to signing with them again, we didn't feel really
comfortable, because Music For Nations had bought out Peaceville
in Europe. And that got us in a really weird situation, so we'd
rather go with a label that really showed interest in us, and
Earache really got 100% behind us.
CoC: So, tell me about your influences, both your past influences and
what you're currently listening to.
TL: When we started out, we were experimenting a lot, and trying to
be a little different on the first EP, _Gardens of Grief_, and on
_TRitSIO_. I think we tried in a way to be the King Crimson of
death metal or something like that. We always listened to death
metal all the way... all the old stuff: Insanity, Possessed, Dark
Angel, stuff like that, stuff like Slayer and Judas Preist have
always been an influence. Slayer and Judas Priest are the two
favorite bands that we all have in common. Currently, we listen
to a lot of different stuff. Some albums that I've gotten into
within the last month are the new Mindrot album which is fucking
awesome, and Neurosis, and stuff like Assuck; the more crusty
things. And even some of the new death metal bands, like Seance
totally bash it out, and I like the n
ew Suffocation, and there's
also very different stuff that I get into.
CoC: Can you tell me about your lyrics, what inspires them?
TL: Well, on the new album, I've written all the lyrics for the first
time. I've written every word, and they're very personal to me.
It's something I really stand for. It's how I view my last couple
years in life, and the world around me, stuff like that. It's
pretty much critical towards society, government control, media
control, that sort of thing.
CoC: Can you tell me what kind of transitions you made musically from
_TSD_ to the new album? I noticed some experimentation going on.
TL: Well, the real change is that it's even more straight to the
point and more aggressive, and faster, but we incorporated some
new ideas, some new song structures and stuff like that, to try
and develop it. But the important thing for us is to write good
songs. We concentrated really hard on that with this one.
CoC: Tell me about your vocal style, what inspired you to sing like
that as it's not the usual death metal style?
TL: When I started out, who really got me started singing was Jeff
Picara (sic) from Possessed. That was my ultimate inspiration
when I started. It's always been a source of inspiration: all
singers that have a really desparate, aggressive voice I really
like ... you know, like Pentagram. I like how they go over the
top, but you can still hear that they are controlled, that's what
I try to do.
CoC: Can you tell me what your feelings are about the death metal
scene in general? Is it dying?
TL: Well, I've gotten a lot of questions about this over here in the
US. I've heard about this thing going about the decline of metal,
the death of metal. Coming from Europe, that's horrible, because
in Europe, it's still a very huge scene and a very good market
for metal. I think it's just some big media people want to kill
it off. I mean, there's still a good underground here in the US;
I see a lot of good bands and shit like that.
CoC: Yeah, there's still a good underground, it's just that the
mainstream media doesn't take hold of it.
TL: Well, that's just it: fuck the mainstream. That's what it's
always been about. I mean, that's why you can't kill death metal,
because it's always been about the underground. If it was just a
fad, the big media would pick up on death metal for awhile, and
then drop it, and we'd say fuck it we'll go back to the
underground. They can have their Poison, their Skid Row.
CoC: Does the band have "day jobs?"
TL: No, we're committed to the band now. Since we've signed to
Earache, we have no spare time at all. We've been rehearsing so
hard, and when I go back to Sweden again, I think I'll have done
like 200 interviews for this album. And the warm up shows now for
the tour, and stuff like that, we rehearse so hard for those, we
rearrange the sets all the time. I don't really think about my
future after At The Gates, because that really scares me. This is
what we want to do ... forever.
CoC: Are you familiar with the Internet?
TL: A bit ... I don't have a computer myself, but at a friend's
house, I've checked it out a few times. You're doing this
interview for the Internet right?
CoC: Yes, we're an e-mail zine.
TL: That's cool. I really like that it's starting up, because it's
time for us derelicts to infest that stuff as well. I'm doing
three or four e-mail zines here right now actually. It's pretty
cool, I've never done one before, but it's inspiring, really.
CoC: So, any final words for your fans across the world?
TL: Well, thanks a lot for your support everybody. I mean, we would
have never been here without you. This is the biggest step for us
ever, to be on Earache, and we never would have been able to do
that without the support of the underground. Never forget the
underground.
R E L E A S E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Letting It All Out
by: Adrian Bromley
On the phone from San Francisco is singer/guitarist Aaron Zimpel, one
quarter of Bay Area's metal/rock quartet Release. Relaxed and taking
time off to write new material for their follow-up to their Century
Media debut, _End Of The Light_ (out hopefully mid-96), as well as
preparing for a tour, Zimpel (AZ) is eager to do this whole press
thing.
(Release is rounded out by: Gary Wendt (guitar), Nathan Harlow (bass)
and drummer Steve Kilgore.)
CoC: Seeing that the band released an album last May, a quick signing
and release with Century Media, does 1996 (the future) look like
an easy process for the band?
AZ: Some things will be, other things will be harder. Getting the
tour together and touring will be difficult, but it is something
we are really looking forward to doing. Plus we are going into
the studio knowing what we want to do with the new album/material
we are working with. It will be a growing but exciting process
putting the album together. It should be a smooth year 'cause we
are moving at a smooth pace. It looks good.
CoC: The band radiates a very multi-influenced sound throughout the
record. And upon reading the bio, it also allows me to come to
the conclusion that the band has a very diverse intake with what
the bandmembers listen to and what they bring to the sound of
Release. Is it hard to stick with one sound?
AZ: It flows very naturally for all of us. Everyone has a bullshit
detector. If something immediately doesn't sound right to someone
we all speak up and it doesn't pass. It surprises me how much
flows from us. Lots of bands have trouble writing. We have enough
material for the new album, so by the time of the recording we
should have twice as much stuff.
CoC: How do you want the band to be perceived?
AZ: Just something slightly original. Something honest. Obviously in
quotation marks, we are a "metal band." I think we are dark with
soul in it, kind of moody as well. We are not trying to be this
way (moody/expressive), it is just the way we are. [The music] is
all real personal stuff too. I think the music as well as the
words convey a kind of personal feeling.
CoC: Did the band ever think that they would be at this point in
their musical careers? Ever?
AZ: It was a sort of a goal to strive for. We weren't necessarily
looking for a giant record deal, and when this label signing
[with Century Media] fell upon us, it was a great feeling. It has
been fun and it has also been a lot of work for us because we do
everything ourselves - management, booking, etc ... It is pretty
gratifying to see a CD on the shelf, advertising for the band,
and doing press. It has been an interesting experience.
CoC: Will the band ever change their music style to meet fame or
become more successful?
AZ: We won't do it. We have already gotten marked or pegged as being
kind of rip-off artists. We don't necessarily jump on any
bandwagon. We all like various types of music, and as long as we
keep listening to that musical variety, we will have our own
sound and style. Maybe one day the scene will catch up with us
rather than us having to catch up to the scene.
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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.
Q U O V A D I S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by: Alain M. Gaudrault
In our last issue, Chronicles of Chaos reviewed a self-titled demo by
a Montreal-based death metal outfit, Quo Vadis. This group of
talented musicians is yet another example of a band struggling to
survive in today's fickle metal underground. The following interview
with Bart Frydrychowicz, Quo Vadis' guitarist/vocalist, offers
insight into these metal hopefuls.
CoC: When did Quo Vadis first form?
QV: The band first came to being in 1992 as a result of a school
battle of the bands.
CoC: How did the current lineup come to be?
QV: Originally, the lineup included five members, and the band played
mostly thrash covers. Due to musical differences, two of the
original members left the band (singer and bassist). As such, Quo
Vadis remained unchanged for two years pushing towards heavier
overtones (and going through 17 bassists in the process). The
arrival of our fourth permanent member, Remy Beauchamp, in the
summer of this year has had an almost catalytic effect, instantly
resulting in the completion of our debut release.
CoC: What kind of musical training have the members of the band?
QV: All of us have some musical background, however Arie is the only
one with official musical training. He has been studying violin
for 15 years, completing the McGill Conservatory of Music. Remy
took piano for four years, and I have some classical guitar
background as well.
CoC: How is songwriting approached?
QV: Musically, we come up with riffs and ideas, then we meet as a
band, developing them into songs. One of the reasons for our
unique sound, in my opinion, is the fact that neither Arie or me
has the desire or patience to learn each other's riffs, resulting
in both of us writing stuff that will sound good with the other
guitar. In this way, we almost never play two identical lines but
complimentary lines. I really like that. Also, we take a long
time to complete each song, making sure none of the riffs we play
ever get boring; if they do, it means that there is something
wrong. Lyrically, we let one person take care of a song at a
time. This also reflects our pluralistic approach to the band ...
everyone has a say. Everyone writes lyrics.
CoC: Is Quo Vadis just a release of creative energy, or are there
plans of pursuing careers in music?
QV: It is both. We are under no pressure to succeed which gives us, I
think, a different perspective on things, resulting in better
material and more mature songs. That is not to say we are under
no pressure. It is very difficult to juggle full-time university
studies and a very serious project like Quo Vadis. We are all in
sciences, which I think adds another angle to our creative
energies, since we are very often stressed and frustrated with
the workload. This aggression comes out especially during shows.
CoC: How has the _Quo Vadis_ demo fared thus far?
QV: We are very pleased with the response to our tape. We ran out of
tapes within the first three weeks, forcing us to order 500. We
just got the shipment last week. Our goal is to sell over a
thousand copies before August 23rd (I wagered 2 pitchers that we
will). So far we're approximately a third of the way there.
CoC: Is your material well-accepted by Montreal audiences?
QV: Yes it is, in spite of the fact that the Montreal scene is geared
mostly towards grind. The interesting thing is that most of the
tapes we sell is through word of mouth, not through the
traditional sites of distribution of the underground. That is
probably due to the fact, as I said, that the local scene is
oriented towards Cannibal Corpse/Suffocation type of stuff. I've
been told more than once that we do not fit into the mold of the
Montreal scene. I am glad we don't.
CoC: How would you currently rate the Montreal metal scene?
QV: Very vibrant. There is a great attitude of bands helping each
other out. No back stabbing. People are busting their balls to
make things happen and working very hard to keep things alive
despite the general lack of respect from club owners and
promoters. There is no money in it and I think that people are
doing this out of their love for music. I think this is also why
the Montreal scene, in contrast to other parts of Canada, refuses
to die. However, attendance at shows is small for local bands.
The whole scene in terms of an audience consists of the same
group of 500 people who support the locals and come to the shows.
It is different for big-name bands of course.
CoC: Is it difficult for Quo Vadis to successfully play such complex
compositions in a live setting?
QV: We have no problems with the material on the tape. Our new
material is pushing the limits of our technical skills. We
incorporate violin and female vocals into our live shows, and
especially on the new material, this requires some innovative
approaches on how shows must be organized.
CoC: Has there been any label interest in the band so far?
QV: So far, we've been contacted by one small label, and are
currently trying to work something out with them. We have no
plans of contacting any labels on our own yet until we establish
ourselves in the underground first. They pay much more attention
to bands who have a strong backing.
A copy of their much recommended demo can be obtained by contacting
Bart at:
Contact: VomiT Productions, 2155 Prud'Homme #5
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H4A-3H3, Voice: (514) 369-1686
Email: b_frydr@vega.concordia.ca, b_frydr@alcor.concordia.ca
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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!
Six Feet Under - _Haunted_ (Roadrunner/Attic, Oct 1995)
by: Gino Filicetti (7 out of 10)
After long last, I finally got my hands on this CD which I had been
frothing at the mouth for since the word spread on the side project
of Obituary's guitar genius, Allen West, and Cannibal Corpse's
mastermind Chris Barnes. Fittingly named, Six Feet Under have
produced an album of unreal wizardry and genius that many people in
today's scene quickly peg as being mediocre. Before hearing anything
from this band, I caught wind of many rumors spreading around about
the foursome. For the most part, they were described as "Obituary on
drugs." However, as soon as I got a hold of one of their tracks,
"Lycanthropy", I was very impressed to say the least, sure it's
simple, but since when does technicality equal excellence? Certainly
not in my book. The first thing I noticed on this release was Barnes'
vocal approach. I was never a big fan of Cannibal Corpse, and I'm
still not, the main reason being that I despised Chris Barnes' voice.
But on this outing, Barnes seems to have lightened up his voice a bit
(that's still not saying much), and made it more accessible. I'm sure
that many of you hardcore Cannibal Corpse fans will not be pleased,
but I think that THIS is what Barnes should have sounded like all
along. The other big name in this band is of course the immortal
Allen West of Obituary. The music on this outing is similar in a
multitude of ways to Obituary, but it does possess something
undeniably different and original about it. The speed, for one thing,
is a big change. Six Feet Under have mastered the world of slow,
chugging death metal that will rip your body apart from the inside
out. I did notice one riff from "Beneath A Black Sky" which sounds
exactly like the riff Obituary used practically throughout their
entire _The End Complete_ album; I was disappointed to say the least
but I was expecting similarities to pop up. My favorite track is by
far "Lycanthropy." The lyrics here seem to be the typical
gore-infested travesties that have come to signify the writing style
of Chris Barnes, however a few tracks like, "Tommorow's Victim" and
"Human Target" break away from the blood 'n guts, guts 'n blood
mentality of Barnes. All in all, a solid album even if most people in
today's metal world think it's boring and repetitive. I'll probably
be one of the few who actually think it's a great achievement for two
influencial death metallers.
At the Gates - _Slaughter of the Soul_ (Earache, Nov 1995)
by: Brian Meloon (7 out of 10)
It should suffice to say the following: if you liked _Terminal Spirit
Disease_, you'll like this, and if you didn't, it probably won't
change your mind. There are a few new things this time around, such
as playing with feedback, more guitar solos, and some keyboards, but
mostly, this outing sticks to the style of _TSD_. The main change is
that this is more to the straight death metal/rock side than their
previous releases, with less melodic stuff and "wetter" guitar tones.
Tomas's vocals are still very "rabid" this time around. He sounds
like he's foaming at the mouth in a couple of places. There are two
instrumentals here, both a different style than "The Scar" or "And
the World Returns"; one is a more typical-sounding slow acoustic
number (mostly clean arpeggios), and the other features keyboards
heavily, and brings in distorted guitars near the end. Both are nice,
but I prefer their older, more unique style. The production is pretty
good, but I don't really go for the guitar tone; it's too "death
rock" for me. There are eleven tracks here, with the longest clocking
in at 3:52, and the shortest 2:12, but most right around 3:00, making
it a little difficult to get into the songs, since they're over right
away. But, while this is a little behind _TSD_, it's still pretty
good.
Exit 13 - _... Just A Few More Hits_ (Relapse, Oct 1995)
by: Gino Filicetti (7 out of 10)
I have been waiting to hear Exit 13's material for so long, I found
it somewhat unreal that I was actually putting this CD in my player.
As my finger approached the play button, I felt the anticipation
build inside of me of actually listening to a WHOLE Exit 13 CD!. I
was first exposed to Exit 13 with a few of their sample tracks on
Relapse's UHF/VHF compilation, and I had heard from more than one
reliable source that Exit 13 were absolutely fucking amazing, so I
put on the CD and was blown away with the intro sample of someone
getting into their car and peeling away at MAXIMUM VOLUME. After
that, I knew this was going to be killer. The CD starts out with
"Legalize Hemp Now (Radio Edit)" (sure! as if any radio station would
have the balls to play it!). The music is extremely catchy, with a
low-tuned bass sound and high- pitched guitar chords which make the
music weirdly appealing. The vocals throughout this album are
constantly changing, something for which I have undying respect. The
next song, "A Man And His Lawnmower" is a Dead Kennedy's cover. Bill
is back to his extremely vicious and ultimately cool screams and
screeches. After this is one of my favorite tracks on this album,
"Oral Fixation", which is about the unforgettable experience of
ultimately satisfying women. The vocals this time are of a mid-range,
growl/talk type with the rhythm section grinding the way they do
best. Next is my other favorite track, "Constant Persistence of
Annoyance". An expertly written tale of dealing with someone that
absolutely bugs the shit out of you. The next two tracks are very
experimental ambient/noise deals, with the last track "Snakes and
Alligators" eating up a whole 21:49 minutes of the CD!! Definitely a
great album which makes me infinitely more curious and anxious for
this band's next release.
Unanimated - _Ancient God of Evil_ (No Fashion, Summer 1995)
by: Brian Meloon (5 out of 10)
This was billed as "Dissection-like," and I can see where that
comparison could be made, but this is not as good as _The
Somberlain_. Basically, I'd describe this release as a cross between
melodic black metal (Dissection, Sacramentum) and bluesy rock'n'roll.
It's a mixture that really doesn't go together well, sort of like
toothpaste and orange juice. Reminiscent of At the Gates' _Terminal
Spirit Disease_, but with more extreme varieties of bluesy
rock'n'roll, and black metal. The worst part are the guitar solos,
which are very standard bluesy rock (is that a wah-wah I hear?), and
really clash with the melodic, tonal background music. That said,
this isn't really bad if you remove the guitar solos. The rock stuff
is banal, but doesn't ruin the disc by itself. The production,
playing, and packaging are good, so if you don't mind (or if you
actually like) hard rock and lighter black metal, give this a shot.
Soulgrind - _LaDiT A.D. 1999: BIHttPotB_ (M.M.I. Records, Apr 1995)
by: Gino Filicetti (8 out of 10)
First off let me take a minute to expand this album's title. The
full, complete, un-acronymed name of this release is _Lust and Death
in Tuonela A.D. 1999: Black Industrial Holocaust through the
Pandemonium of the Bizarre_. Strange? You don't know the half of it.
Hailing from the frozen expanses of black metal's premiere homeland,
Finland, comes Soulgrind, "the avantgarde hymn of reborn chaos and
depression" (according to their adjective-excessive bio). The CD
starts off with a number called "Introitus, Nostradamus 1999" which
begins as a classical/gospel sounding, happy happy, joy joy type song
with birds tweeting in the background alongside children playing, and
all of a sudden, when you didn't think life could get any better than
this, comes The Armaggeddon. The second track, my favorite,
establishes the mood and style of the rest of the CD. With a constant
switch from light to heavy doom, "Black Orchid" proves to be original
in the face of the current trend in stagnation that is plaguing black
metal today. The vocals are some of the best I've heard in a long
while. Utilizing both the higher and lower range of aural agony, the
vocalist gets his point across exceptionally well. The entire album
is as unpredictable as chaos theory with its plethora of random
sounds, samples and noises, to its surprising tempo changes, and the
good dose of haunting female vox thrown in for good measure. Other
notable tracks include "Elaman Keirre (Spin of Life)" which is sung
completely in Finnish, and "The Pandemonium of the Bizarre" which is
an unconceivable ambient/classical mix of epic proportions. If you
are a fan of black metal that leans towards death and doom, this CD
is DEFINITELY for you.
Contact: M.M.I. RECORDS, c/o Markus Woeste
Heerstrasse 77, 58553 Halver, Germany
Tel/Fax: +49(0)2353-137159
Dead Orchestra - _Sounds Like Time Tastes_ (Choke Hit Records, 1995)
by Gino Filicetti (6 out of 10)
This CD was nothing more than a leftover from Foundations Forum. It
was one of many in my HUGE pile of music that Adrian picked up for
me, and when I first reviewed stuff, it didn't grab my attention, so
I just skipped over it. Then one fateful night, I was looking at it,
and decided, what the fuck, I'll give it a whirl. And whirl it I did.
What I heard absolutely impressed me to no end, and I couldn't
believe that I was just going to let this CD fade into obscurity
under the heaps of dust that now cover a lot of my CD collection. The
first thing that is noticed when listening to Dead Orchestra is the
sound of their vocalist's throat. I could have sworn on my grave that
I was listening to Oderus Urungus from GWAR. But the music is
definitely nothing close to a rip-off of GWAR. The music on this
release is very much influenced by a lot of old school thrash, but
has a certain essential groove element that keeps it free of
stagnation. The lyrics on this album are amazingly very serious and
to the point, which proves shocking to someone with the mental
picture of GWAR in their mind. My favorite track by far is "Satan
Loves Me", a well- written, sarcastic song about the
misinterpretations many people have about non-religious people.
Altogether, a great album which surprisingly enough was recorded at
Morrisound Studios (Obituary, Suffocation). Definitely something to
pick up if borderline 90's thrash is your taste.
Contact: CHOKE HIT RECORDS, PO Box 11548
Wichita, KS, USA 67202
Mindrot - _Dawning_ (Relapse/Nuclear Blast, Oct 1995)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
Bassist Matt Fisher said that with _Dawning_ (their debut album), the
band was trying to show that "there is more to metal music than
blood, guts and Beavis And Butthead." True are his words. With their
emotionally packed album _Dawning_, Mindrot draws the listener into a
state of mind that is stunned, neutralized, and forced to deal with
pressures provided by pain, love, hatred, and fear. This is a
powerful onslaught of emotionally charged material that delivers pure
riveting doses of musical mayhem. From the opening title track to
"Across Vast Oceans", _Dawning_ is solid music. The band manages to
develop a rapport with the listener, allowing them to judge how the
music is to be taken in, but given only limited ways of doing so. As
if they have you cornered with only two possible ways out, that too
is the way songs like "Burden", "Forlorn", and "Anguish" are to be
dealt with. Will you see these musical offerings in their eyes or
your own? It's up to you. Loud, abrasive, and cruel at times,
_Dawning_ is atmospheric poetry, music for the thinker and the
believer. _Dawning_ is purity that displays itself as an uncertain
lump of emotions to be sorted out.
Dissection - _Storm Of The Light's Bane_
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10) (Nuclear Blast/Relapse, Oct 1995)
Kind of like a cross between Carcass and early Dickinson-era Iron
Maiden (with death metal vocals), Dissection's sophomore effort (a
follow-up to 1992's _The Somberlain_) is worthy of the attention that
it is attaining in Europe. Stronger than their previous effort, in
regards to strong production and more experience shown through
songwriting, Dissection's album develops an atmospheric campaign as
it carries on. The listener is drawn into a world of music and images
with the lyrics and the music both downright brutal ("Retribution -
Storm of the Light's Bane") and well-done pieces of musicianship i.e.
"No Dreams Breathe in Breathless Sleep" or "Unshallowed". This album
displays a lot of what seems to be circulating in the metal genre
market nowadays, and as that may be seen as a bad thing, Dissection
manages to add just a bit of their own sound within a very much
standard-like direction and sound. Other tracks to note are the great
opener "At The Fathomless Depths" and the speed-like assault of
"Thorns Of Crimson Death". Standard European metal? Sure, but at
least it paints a somewhat different picture that we can all look at
for some time before we go onto the next one.
g/z/r - _Plastic Planet_ (TVT, Oct 1995)
by: Alain M. Gaudrault (7 out of 10)
Being a huge Black Sabbath fan, I just couldn't resist picking up
this Geezer Butler side project. This is easily the heaviest release
ever produced by any member of his former group. He's hooked up with
Deen Castronovo on drums (who also appears on Ozzy Osbourne's latest,
_Ozzmosis_), Pedro Howse on guitars, and Burton C. Bell on vocals.
Fans of Fear Factory will recognize Bell's name, and are encouraged
to give this album a listen. While the songs have a modern
metal/industrial feel, Sabbath stylings appear throughout. Bell's
vocals are more melodic than they are on any of Fear Factory's
releases, and give the songs an almost gothic touch. Unfortunately,
the melodies don't sound distinct enough from one song to another to
make them stand out, which is my main beef with this album. Geezer's
bass is fortunately prominent and adds greatly to the overall sound,
which is surprisingly fresh and interesting, seeing as Butler's not
done much else than Black Sabbath for the last 25 years. In fact, he
is credited for both music (with Howse) and lyrics. _Plastic Planet_
is a valiant effort from a pioneer in heavy metal, but readers are
cautioned to give it a listen before buying, as it won't necessarily
appeal to ALL Sabbath/Ozzy fans, or Fear Factory fans.
Life Of Agony - _Ugly_ (Roadrunner, Oct 1995)
by: Adrian Bromley (4 out of 10)
There are those sophomore albums by bands that fall into the
"triumphant" category, and there are those that fall into the
"disappointment" category. But what about those that walk the fine
line between those two options? Are they poor showings of improvement
and growth? Average sources of material not meeting the expectations
of true fans? Well with _Ugly_, Brooklyn's four-piece known as Life
Of Agony have found themselves walking that ever so popular line and
are in for quite a trip this year. Losing quite a bit of that
hardcore/metallic element that made their 1992 debut _River Runs Red_
so brilliant, this time around, though still with hard grooves in
place, LOA run wild with soft choruses, melody, and translucent yet
mesmerizing guitar bits and pieces that mold _Ugly_ into a very
(gulp...) alternative album. Sure, this album lacks the steam and
energy displayed with their debut, but with that notion aside, there
are still good cuts, ie: "Lost At 22", "Unstable", and the groove of
"Fears". True, this album may make LOA lose fans, but the one winning
quality is the extremely addictive tones displayed by the grooves of
guitarist Joey Z. Hey, something has got to keep this album afloat,
right?
Voivod - _Negatron_ (Hypnotic, Oct 1995)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
Not a really huge fan of Voivod in the past - actually never really a
fan except for that cool Pink Floyd cover - but I can honestly say
"Now I Am!!!" Hitting you like a ton of bricks with first
number/single, "Insects", Voivod's latest effort _Negatron_
(featuring new singer, Toronto native Eric Forrest) seems to stray
some distance from this Montreal-based three-piece's previous musical
styles. GOOD! With a vicious, lion-like roar, _Negatron_ shreds with
the heavies and seems reluctant to let go throughout the album.
Taking on a strong resemblance to Max Cavalera's/Alex Newport's
side-project Nailbomb at times (mixed with classic Voivod-isms), the
music generated on this ten-song offering doesn't lose momentum,
taking on bigger, stronger shapes and forms as the album continues to
play on. Title track, "Project X", "Meteor", and "Cosmic Conspiracy"
are guilty of fueling the fire bestowed by this revamped Voivod. New
singer, new direction and new sound, Voivod finally finds refuge on
my CD shelf. Sometimes change is good, sometimes it is bad. For
Voivod it was needed.
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Your best source of information on the newest of the new, and the
lowest 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.
Filthboy - _Whatever You Wanna Call It_ (Home Video - 3 videos)
by: Gino Filicetti
When I first heard from Buzzy (guitarist) that Filthboy was putting
together a home video compilation of their three, count 'em, THREE
videos, I didn't know what to expect. At first, I was MORE than
surprised that this band actually had a video, never mind THREE of
them. It doesn't surprise me much anymore, because if there is any
indie band capable of pulling off such a feat, it is Filthboy. The
beginning of the tape starts out with the boys talking about how
Filthboy was formed, and how their videos came about, all the while
being completely hammered out of their minds. The first video shown
is for "Turncoat Angel", which was filmed with support from their
previous label, Putrid Mind Records. This video shows the band
jamming in their rehearsal space, as well as frolicking through the
local graveyard. The second video for "Standing Still" was done by
Kevin and Buzzy themselves, and features Kevin posing as a mad axeman
raving on and on to himself. The final video, and the first one ever
made, is for "My Deadly Wish". In my opinion, this video takes the
cake. The Filthboys strongly disagree, but I still insist it is. It
has live footage from their first ever gig, and has the video strobe
effects going which I think give it a good professional feel. At this
point, the home video ends with "Ever the Villain" playing through
the credits. One disappointment is that the blooper reel the guys
compiled did not come through in the final cut after the credits
where it should be. However, this video makes for more than a solid
effort on behalf of the band, and a good chance for people to get a
visual glimpse into their sick and twisted minds.
Contact: FILTHBOY, c/o Buzzy Beck, 1616 McFarland Rd.
Dormont, PA, 15216, USA
Voice: (412) 343-4198, Email: hate@telerama.lm.com
Lethargy - _Humor Me, You Funny Little Man_ (5 track demo)
by: Brian Meloon
This is the best thing I've heard in the last six months, and it goes
right at the top of my list of the best recordings (so far) of 1995.
It sounds a lot like Embryonic Death's _Stream Of Solidarity..._ demo
(1993), which I've described as a quirky version of Atheist, maybe
like Atheist mixed with Demilich and some Primus-like quirkiness.
Actually, this is goofy on two fronts: at times, the melodies are
"silly" (hence the Primus reference), and at others, the music is so
complex and technical that it's silly (like Sieges Even, Watchtower,
Atheist). The vocalist really sounds a lot like Chuck Schuldiner (on
_Symbolic_ especially), which fits the music very nicely. Speaking
again of the music, there's really a lot going on here: riffs all
over the place, lots of varying tempos and time sigs, dense drumming,
yet the playing is really tight, and even the blast beats sound good.
The guitarwork is also impressive as the harmonized parts really add
a lot to the overall sound. The production is really good too. The
only (very minor) problem I see is with the packaging. I'm not really
totally sure this is going to be released, but be sure to write to
them, and be patient (and include an SASE or IRC!) since they're
lazy. So lazy, in fact, that they actually didn't have any J-cards
printed up for this demo.
Contact: Lethargy, P.O. Box 13693,
Rochester, NY, 14613-0693
Destroyer - _Destroyer_ (4 track demo)
by: Alain M. Gaudrault
One word describes this recording: poor. Poor recording, poor vocals,
poor musicianship, Texas-based Destroyer has it all. Basically, these
guys just aren't ready for prime time. The vocalist can't carry a
melody, and while the lyrics attempt to be somewhat profound, the
accompanying music is far too simple and reminiscent of bad 80s
metal. Tempo changes are just too forced, not fluid enough to make
the song seem like a cohesive structure. While the guitar playing
leaves much to be desired, I'm told that their 16-year old axeman was
out all night before walking into the studio to put down the songs on
tape. I don't buy it, even after listening to the live cut appended
at the end to display his true skill. Not much else to say except
"keep trying, guys."
Contact: psy_tcs@hal.lamar.edu, pbkl81a@prodigy.com
kblc35a@prodigy.com
Maelstrom - _Eye of the Storm_ (8 track demo)
by: Alain M. Gaudrault
Who'd have thought that anybody would have the balls to release an
instrumental demo? Maelstrom have done just that, producing a quite
impressive product, a "concept demo album" as the band puts it. The
idea was to do something that had not previously been done, and to
possibly involve listeners by encouraging them to write their own
lyrics, or even to jam along with one's favourite instrument. How
successful are they in their endeavour? Methinks they've listened to
one too many Judas Priest albums. If you've got Rob Halford's pipes,
by all means, get your hands on a copy of _Eye of the Storm_ and wail
away. While the Tipton/Downing influence is great, most of the solos
are very neo-classical, a la Ygnwie Malmsteen; and yes, this
combination of styles does work. The songs are actually very
enjoyable, and the riffs even occasionally memorable, which is saying
a lot for an instrumental album. Unfortunately, I just don't consider
Maelstrom on par in terms of musicianship with their two primary
musical influences. The drums and bass are particularly unexciting,
leaving guitars as the single source of appeal. Nonetheless, a solid
effort, indicative of their determination to be heard and
appreciated, and possible good things to come. Their next release is
said to be heavier and will feature a full lineup, including
vocalist. For fans of hard-driving heavy metal, this is worth a
listen, although its appeal may be limited these days.
Contact: Maelstrom c/o RawSound Records, 10200 USA Today Way
Miramar, Florida 33025
e-mail: rawsndrec@aol.com
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L E T T H E M A D N E S S B E G I N O N C E A G A I N
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Ozzy Osbourne at The Warehouse in Toronto, October 10, 1995
by: Alain M. Gaudrault
Ozzy Osbourne, former frontman for the once-mighty Black
Sabbath, is showing the world in his own inimitable way that, as he
puts it, "retirement sucks." Ozzy's previous tour was touted as being
his last, the "No More Tours" tour, in support of his then current
release _No More Tears_. Restless and bored, the madman of rock and
roll put together a promotional tour in anticipation of his
forthcoming release, _Ozzmosis_. Only appearing in small venues and
clubs, and playing his most popular material, this is a mini-tour
strictly for the fans.
As he has done in the past with groups such as Motley Crue, and
most notably Metallica, Ozzy has brought along an opening act which
he feels has great potential for major success. American
death/industrial crossover act Fear Factory were the lucky recipients
of this prized slot. Their 45-minute set showcased songs off both of
their full-length albums although more emphasis on their latest,
_Demanufacture_, was to be expected. While energetic and raw, the
performance seemed not quite as focused as it has been in the past.
This is perhaps due to the utter lack of audience feedback to their
material, other than the occasional "we want Ozzy" bellows. Ozzy fans
have been known to be rather intolerant of opening acts, and the
crowd at the Warehouse was no different. Few cheers and little
applause were all the thanks Fear Factory received before leaving the
stage.
Of course, the crowd was eagerly anticipating those four
trademark words ushering in another evening of musical mayhem: "Let
the madness begin." Ozzy, ever the comedian, started the show with a
video montage of himself spliced into various bits of film, including
"Forrest Gump" and music clip footage of Elvis, The Beatles, and
Madonna, among others. This served only to build the crowd's
anticipation which exploded as Ozzy hit the stage, sporting both a
hot new guitar player, and a legendary bassist, the ever-enigmatic
Geezer Butler, also of Black Sabbath fame. The set list included
Ozzy's greatest hits such as "Crazy Train," "Flying High Again,"
"Bark at the Moon," and his most recent hit, "Mama I'm Coming Home."
Featured also were such Black Sabbath classics as "Iron Man," "Sweet
Leaf," and "War Pigs." In fact, a full third of the show consisted of
Sabbath tunes, not surprising since half of the band is comprised of
ex-Black Sabbath members!
While Ozzy may not have the greatest singing voice, he sure
knows how to pen a memorable hook, and goad his audience into a manic
frenzy. And the latter he did at the Warehouse. The energy level was
high from beginning to end, letting up momentarily for ballads such
as "Goodbye to Romance" and "Mama I'm Coming Home." Ozzy himself
seemed to be having a damn good time, and looked in much better
physical condition than he did in the mid-1980s. The man is lean,
mean, and ready to assault fans with yet another slab of goodies with
the upcoming _Ozzmosis_. Should he come through your area in support
of the album, I highly recommend checking it out, even if only for
that warm, fuzzy feeling we all get when listening to those immortal
songs from his previous band.
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W H A T W E H A V E C R A N K E D ! ! !
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Gino's Top 5
1. Monster Magnet - _Superjudge_
2. Mundane - _Seed_
3. Six Feet Under - _Haunted_
4. Monster Magnet - _Dopes to Infinity_
5. Samael - _1987 - 1992_ (Double CD compilation of _Worship Him_
and _Blood Ritual_)
Adrian's Top 5
1. Cathedral - _The Carnival Bizarre_
2. Monster Voodoo Machine - _Burn_ (EP)
3. Mindrot - _Dawning_
4. Sepultura - _Chaos A.D._
5. Filthboy - _Filthboy_ (demo)
Brian's Top 5
1. Lethargy - _Humor Me, You Funny Little Man_ (demo)
2. Nocturnus - _Nocturnus_ (7")
3. Sacramentum - _Finis Malorum_
4. Dissection - _The Somberlain_
5. Alchemist - _Lunasphere_
Alain's Top 5
1. King Diamond - _The Spider's Lullabye_
2. Alice Cooper - _Dada_
3. Ozzy Osbourne - _Ozzmosis_
4. g/z/r - _Plastic Planet_
5. Mundane - _Seed_
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T H E F I N A L W O R D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So here you go everyone, Chronicles of Chaos #4, done and gone. I
must apologize for its lateness, but this past week has been so
hectic and full of work, school, work, and more school. Did I mention
work? I never thought this issue was going to be so huge! It
surprised the fuck out of me, and it just took that much more time to
complete. But I'm sure all of you don't mind. I guess it's much
better to have a late Chronicles of Chaos, than a short little shit
Chronicles of Chaos. As you all should know by now, CoC's subscriber
list is over 400 people strong worldwide, and should be over 420 by
the time you get this! All I can say is, "See? I knew we'd be up
another hundred since the last issue." Let's just hope that we'll be
past the 500 mark for CoC #5! We are already in the process of lining
shit up for the next issue, and it looks very promising, so enjoy
this one, boys and girls. Take your time, read through it, and
hopefully you'll be done by the time CoC #5 is released! :)
-- Gino Filicetti
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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #4
