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Chronicles of Chaos Issue 014
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CHRONICLES OF CHAOS E-Zine, October 11, 1996, Issue #14
Editor-in-Chief: Gino Filicetti <ginof@io.org> <_DeaTH_ on #metal>
Coordinator: Adrian Bromley <energizr@interlog.com>
Assistant Editor: Alain M. Gaudrault <alain@mks.com>
Web Page Manager: Brian Meloon <bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>
Contributor: Steve Hoeltzel <hoeltzel@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>
Contributor: Adam Wasylyk <macabre@interlog.com>
Mailing List provided by: The University of Colorado at Boulder
--> Interested in being reviewed? Send us your demo and bio to:
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
CHRONICLES OF CHAOS
57 Lexfield Ave
Downsview Ont.
M3M-1M6, Canada
Fax: (416) 693-5240 Voice: (416) 693-9517
e-mail: ginof@io.org
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
DESCRIPTION
~~~~~~~~~~~
Chronicles of Chaos is a monthly magazine electronically distributed
worldwide via the Internet. Chronicles of Chaos focuses on all forms
of brutal music; from thrash to death to black metal, we have it all.
Each issue will feature interviews with your favorite bands, written
from the perspective of a true fan. Each issue will also include
record reviews and previews, concert reviews and tour dates, as well
as various happenings in the metal scene worldwide. We here at
Chronicles of Chaos also believe in reader participation, so we
encourage you to submit any material you may have to Gino Filicetti
<ginof@io.org>.
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may subscribe to Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending a
message with "coc subscribe <your_name_here>" in the SUBJECT of your
message to <ginof@io.org>. Please note that this command must NOT be
sent to the list address <coc-ezine@lists.colorado.edu>.
WORLD WIDE WEB SITE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are currently in the process of constructing a website for
Chronicles of Chaos. You can check it out by pointing your web
browser to http://www.io.org/~ginof/coc.html. If you have any
comments or suggestions, please e-mail Brian Meloon
<bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>.
AUTOMATIC FILESERVER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All back issues and various other CoC related files are available for
automatic retrieval through our e-mail fileserver. All you have to do
is send a message to us at <ginof@io.org>. The 'Subject:' field of
your message must read: "send file X" where 'X' is the name of the
requested file. Back issues are named 'coc-n', where 'n' is the issue
number. For a description of all files available through this
fileserver, request 'list'. Remember to use lowercase letters for all
file names. If you experience any problems or are having difficulty,
feel free to e-mail us the usual way at <ginof@io.org>.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Issue #14 Contents, 10/11/96
----------------------------
* Editorial
* Loud Letters
* Ferocious Features
-- Another White Male: Wrestling with Whitey
-- Turmoil: Tackling the Turmoil
-- Soulquake System: The Quintessential Quake
* Chaotic Chat Sessions
-- Mortiis: Mind Melding with Mortiis
-- Moonspell: Irreligious Inquiries
-- Blood Duster: Dusting the Outback
-- Rotting Christ: Revealing the Rotted Remains
* Independent Interrogations
-- Embrace: Embracing the Ethereal
* Record Revelations
-- Abigor - _Opus IV_
-- Ablaze My Sorrow - _If Emotions Still Burn_
-- Bile - _Teknowhore_
-- Blackmail - _A Female Impersonator_
-- Blood Axis - _The Gospel of Inhumanity_
-- Bloodstone - _Hour of the Gate_
-- Brighter Death Now - _Innerwar_
-- Brutality - _In Mourning_
-- Brutal Truth - _Kill, Trend, Suicide_
-- Brutal Truth / Spazz 7" split
-- Cryptopsy - _None So Vile_
-- Dawn - _Sorgh Pa Svarte Vingar Flogh_
-- Devastation - _Violent Termination_
-- Exit-13 - _Smoking Songs_
-- Gates of Ishtar - _A Bloodred Path_
-- Gehenna - _Malice_
-- Godflesh - _Songs of Love and Hate_
-- Hecate Enthroned - _Upon Promeathean Shores_
-- Hypocrite - _Edge of Existence_
-- Inferno - _Utter Hell_
-- Inquisition - _Incense of Rest_
-- Insatanity - _Divine Decomposition_
-- Intrinsic - _Closure_
-- Lethargy - _It's Hard to Write with a Little Hand_
-- Marduk - _Heaven Shall Burn When We Are Gathered_
-- Marduk - _Glorification_
-- Meliah Rage - _Death Valley Dream_
-- Mork Gryning - _Tusen Ar Har Gatt_
-- James Murphy - _Convergence_
-- Mystifier - _The World Is So Good that Who Made It Doesn't Live Here_
-- Mythological Cold Towers - _Sphere of Nebaddon..._
-- Namanax - _Cascading Waves of Electronic Turbulence_
-- Nightingale - _The Closing Chronicles_
-- Old Man's Child - _Born of the Flickering_
-- Opeth - _Morningrise_
-- Pro-Pain - _Contents Under Pressure_
-- Psychotic Waltz - _Bleeding_
-- Sacramentum - _Far Away from the Sun_
-- Samael - _Passage_
-- Sinister - _Bastard Saints_
-- Slapdash - _Bound_
-- Stuck Mojo - _Pigwalk_
-- Therion - _Theli_
-- Thou Art Lord - _Apollyon_
-- Type O Negative - _October Rust_
-- Visions of Disorder - <3-song sampler>
* New Noise
-- Avernus - _A Farewell to Eden_
-- Beauty - _Beauty_
-- Brick - _Brick_
-- Collapse - _From Another Place_
-- Darkheave - _Beauty, Truth, Goodness_
-- Entrafis - _Into Out_
-- Eternal Tears of Sorrow - _Sinner's Serenade_
-- Euphoric Evisceration - _In the Mind of Perversion_
-- Genetic Defense - _Genetic Defense_
-- Glutton - _She Was Beautiful_
-- Mental Crypt - _Sects of Doom_
-- Obscure Disaster - _Zeitalter der Unvernunft_
-- Ossuary Insane - _Fallen to the Pits_
-- Ritual - _Ritual_
-- Rotted - _Instinctive Demise_
* Chaotic Concerts
-- Disassembling the Machine - Monster Voodoo Machine at The Volcano
-- No More Tours, Again and Again... - Ozzy Osbourne at Copps Coliseum
-- A Night of Negativity - Type O Negative at The Warehouse
-- High Quality Metal, Low Quality Fans - Cryptopsy at The Embassy
-- Corroding Your Cranium - Neurosis at The Opera House
-- Anything but Lethargic - Lethargy at the Water Street Music Hall
* Writer's Wrath
-- Black Metal: Fad or Fiction?
* Tours of Torture
* What We Have Cranked
* The Final Word
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
E D I T O R I A L
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by: Gino Filicetti
We're back!! After a nice long vacation, Chronicles of Chaos is
back, better than ever. This issue is shaping up to be just as huge
as our last issue, and promises to be even better.
Our newest section, Writer's Wrath (of which you've seen a sneak
preview last month), is debuting right here in CoC #14. The column's
"inventor", Adam Wasylyk himself, will be writing the first column on
the pros and cons of black metal today.
Also, please join me in welcoming another new writer to the CoC
fold, Andrew Lewandowski. Andrew has contributed quite a few record
reviews this month some of which bring the electronic/noise genre to
these Chaotic pages. Also contributing a large amount of reviews this
month is Drew Schinzel who debuted in our last issue writing the
Slayer concert review. And of course, let's not forget our "veteran"
CoC staff who, as always, have come through with a plethora of
material for Chronicles of Chaos.
Back with us after a well-deserved vacation in Scotland is the
one and only Alain Gaudrault. As you may have noticed, our last issue
had more than a few typos and errors. However you can rest assured
that with Alain back proofreading, CoC's perfection will return.
If any of you are frequent Usenet readers, you already know that
CoC was in the midst of a heated controversy concerning our "love of
keyboards." We decided to give both sides of this fight a forum in
CoC, so we've included two letters from both major parties in this
argument. I hope you'll enjoy this "debate" as much as I did.
Last month's Sepultura give-away went off really well. We had 36
correct responses to our questions. Even though this contest is now
closed, we haven't drawn any winners. But be patient, a winner will
eventually be drawn. Good luck to all contestants.
Here is where I leave you folks, until next month that is. I
hope you enjoy this issue and aren't pissed off if I blew away your
e-mail quota. If for any reason you didn't get this issue in its
entirety, by all means e-mail me and I'll get any missing parts to
you. Later everyone!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Here's a message I thought might be of interest to some of you:
The university of Trois-Rivieres, located in Quebec, Canada now has
its own radio station. It will broadcast on FM 89.1 next year and is
actually broadcasting in the UTREK bar, the sport center and the
students' salon. My name is Eric Luckenuik and I'm the radio's
researcher. My job is to find new CDs and K7 for the radio. If you
have a demo that you would like us to play, you can e-mail me and
I'll send you the address to which you can send it. We have about 40
shows a week, playing music ranging from classical to metal. We have
shows for progressive, techno-rave, folk, alternative, underground,
and blues just to mention a few.
Eric Luckenuik <levaluc@login.net>
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Here's something for all you old Iron Maiden fans:
CASTLE RECORDS is following up its phenomenally well-received
revamping of Iron Maiden's catalog with a tremendous new
best-of-collection, _Best of the Beast_. The release of the
career-spanning _Best of the Beast_ marks the band's first-ever
best-of compilation, and will make a compulsory purchase for the
legions of Maiden fans and metalheads alike.
_Best of the Beast_ is available in three different versions:
- a deluxe, limited edition two-CD set with 27 tracks, including a
60-page hard cover book with rare photos, lyrics and a
comprehensive discography. SEPTEMBER 24th release date
- an ultra-limited (1,000 copies) quadruple-vinyl set with 34 tracks
and a 48-page book. SEPTEMBER 24th release date
- a single disc/cassette collection with 16 tracks and a 20-page
booklet. OCTOBER 15th release date
Once the initial quantities of the limited-edition deluxe two-CD set
runs out, it will be converted to a two-CD slimline set with a
24-page booklet.
_Best of the Beast_ leaves no stone unturned in its coverage of
Maiden's history. The deluxe CD version contains a track, "Iron
Maiden" from the legendary _Soundhouse Tapes_, previously relased
only in an edition of 1,000 vinyl 7-inch singles in 1979. It also
contains a previously unreleased track from those sessions, "Strange
World". These two tracks are the holy grail of collectibles to Maiden
fans. The quadruple-vinyl versions contain an additional two
_Soundhouse Tapes_ tracks which, like "Iron Maiden", were available
only on the limited-run 1979 single.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
And finally, check out some more of Brian Meloon's writing:
Released on Lammas August 2, 1996: (The Shattering of) The Web (Issue
#13). Interviews with Pro-Pain, Acid Bath, Prototype, and Boiler.
Features over 100 reviews, artwork, stories, a page on ECW, etc.
Free, but send $1 for postage or $3 overseas.
Contact: THE WEB, P.O. Box 224, Ovid, NY, 14521-0224, USA
email: azkath@aol.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
M""MMMMMMMM dP
M MMMMMMMM 88
M MMMMMMMM .d8888b. dP dP .d888b88
M MMMMMMMM 88' `88 88 88 88' `88
M MMMMMMMM 88. .88 88. .88 88. .88
M M `88888P' `88888P' `88888P8
MMMMMMMMMMM
M""MMMMMMMM dP dP
M MMMMMMMM 88 88
M MMMMMMMM .d8888b. d8888P d8888P .d8888b. 88d888b. .d8888b.
M MMMMMMMM 88ooood8 88 88 88ooood8 88' `88 Y8ooooo.
M MMMMMMMM 88. ... 88 88 88. ... 88 88
M M `88888P' dP dP `88888P' dP `88888P'
MMMMMMMMMMM
This is the column where we print those lovely letters our readers
decide so graciously to write us. Whether they be positive, negative,
ignorant or just plain spelled wrong, you can rest assured that
they'll be here in their original form. If you'd like to see your own
letter here, e-mail it to <ginof@io.org> and enter 'Attention Loud
Letters' in the subject field. Hopefully all letters received will be
featured in upcoming issues of Chronicles of Chaos.
Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996
From: Gregory Nalbandian <gmnalbandian@ucdavis.edu>
Subject: Attention Loud Letters SC
Dear CoC,
Last issue you guys were begging for letters so, here is one from me
that can be summarized in two words.
YOU SUCK!!!
I can't believe you freaks actually like Pan-Sy-Monium's "Khaooohs &
Krap-Fus-Ion"! Before I knew any better, I went out and bought this
album after reading your origional review, where it was exalted into
the realm of heaviness. Needless to say, I was EXTREMELY
disappointed. Sure they have a few heavy moments but, that's the
whole problem, they are just moments. The whole album is infected
with frickin' keyboards--the black plague of Death Metal--and
saxophones, the both of which ALWAYS detract from the heavy quality
possessed by the music. Yet two or three of you came back in this
anniversary issue, re-rating the album to 9 or 10! What a joke! You
wanna know what my rating is?....It's 1 out of 10. Fuck, this shit is
too light for Peter Pan let alone a bunch of self-proclaimed heavy
metal fans! I bet if I secretly replaced your Pan-Sy-Monium cd with
one from Kenny G., you Helen Kellers would come back in a year or so
and rate it a 12 out of 10! The "Pan-Sy" incident was my first eye
opening experience with CoC. The next few came when I sent for all of
your backfiles--to skim through the older issues. You freaks jipped
Suffocation and Cannibal Corpse badly in your reviews! Pierced From
Within was given an 8 out of 10 and Vile, a 7 out of 10 if I recall
correctly. These two ratings alone should prove to all that CoC's
staff is nothing more than a bunch of deviant choir boys. Fuck,
Suffocation's album deserved AT LEAST a 10 out of 10, and CC's at
least a 9 out of 10!!!
It is apparent that CoC does not favor quality Death Metal. Instead,
these keyboard lovin' freaks will be biased towards any well composed
"metal" that utilizes keyboards. How sad.
Here's 10 ways to improve CoC, in the eyes of a Death Metal Purist:
1. Stop going to church.
2. Quite sniffing glue.
3. Fire Brian Meloon--who can't judge a tune.
4. Rip on keys every chance you get.
5. Improve Record Revelations section (see below).
6. Re-discover DM and realize that it is the elite form of Metal.
7. Go to the doctor and get your ears checked.
8. Stop wearing corpse paint.
9. Repeat after me, "I will no longer be a musical whore by praising
all forms of wimpy metal."
10. Follow 1-9.
Improving Record Revelations
-Rather than having just one fool review each album, have at least
two. Preferably three or four, each with a different bias--Black
Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Thrash Metal, etc.
-Don't let them listen to it together in order to prevent the weak
minds from being influenced by the others.
-Print up a review that contains a paragraph from each of them.
Writers, along with their biases, should be identified and each one
could separately rate the album at the end of his paragraph.
-An overall rating--the average of all the reviewers--might be useful
as well, especially for those who like all kinds of metal.
Here's an example. When Suffocation comes out with their next album,
have a Death Metal stud (something CoC lacks), a Black Metal freak,
and a Doom Metal freak, each review/rate the album separately. In CoC
it would look something like this:
"Death to Keyboard Freaks" by Suffocation.
Average rating: 8.3 out of 10.
Reviewer: Mr. Cheese/Black Metal. Blah Blah Blah, Blah Blah. It just
didn't have enough keys for me so, I had trouble cross-dressing
while listening to this album. I give it a 7 out of 10.
Reviewer: Captain Manly/Death Metal. Blah Blah Blah, Blah Blah. This
has to be the heaviest album I've heard in my life! My rating: 10
out of 10.
Reviewer: Wishiweredead/Doom Metal. Blah Blah Blah, Blah Blah. I
actually got a little hyper listening to this, I breathed faster!
For that, I give it an 8 out of 10.
Despite my badgering, I will say that CoC does showcase some quality
writing, good interviews (if you like that sort of thing), and a shit
load of information on what's out there.
P.S. Don't be misleading......Change your name to Chronicles of
Keyboards!
Date: Thu, 5 Sep 1996 14:09:26 +1000
From: BRETT BENZIE <n1521667@sparrow.qut.edu.au>
Subject: Gregory Nalbandian FAQ (part [001/400])
WHY BOTHER WITH THIS FAQ?
- I just came across a review for the latest UNLEASHED album,
with the subject heading "A review inspired by Brett
Benzie"...funny...unleashed are a band i've never been partial
to, and nor do i own any of their CDs...I assume that, in
gregs inner skull, that Unleashed are my favourite band
because I don't HATE bands that use keyboards.
- I would've replied to that message, but why bother?
- I'm a tad pissed at how a certain patron of this group decided
to flame me just for arguing with greg, yet won't answer my
mail when i question his posts....got it yet gothmog? i know
who MY enemies are...why must you insist on joining those
ranks?
WHO/WHAT IS GREGORY NALBANDIAN?
- Greg is the town freak of alt.rock-n-roll.metal.death.
- he's like that one hyperactive kid in your grade three class
that had to where a helmet to stop himself from hitting his
head all the time....you know, the one who goes berzerk if he
has anything with sugar in it, so you and your mates would
smuggle licorice sticks into class and feed them to him...then
sit back and enjoy the show.
- AGE 15... something he hotly disputes, but repeatedly proves
with each post.
WHY DOES HE POST?
- Unknown. Most people post/subscribe to this newsgroup because
they want to discuss the ins&outs of black/death metal, but
not Gregory. In his case, death metal is purely incidental.
Maybe he has too much time on his hands (just like me for
writing this shit).
GREGORY TOLD ME TO "GO CRY!!!!", WHAT SHOULD I DO??!
- Laugh....laugh REAL hard.
- Don't take it seriously.
- add it to the tally.
WHY DOES GREGORY HATE BLACK METAL?
- He doesn't. He hates "keyboard-using bands". He _thought_ he
hated black metal, and told 90% of the ng-patrons that their
music was "shit", when in reality, what he was trying to say
was "which blackmetal bands are the best?".
- Amorphis is blackmetal to Gregory...says a lot really.
- After getting recommendations on black metal, he went out and
_purchased_ various CDs, on the faith of the opinions of the
people he was flaming.
WAIT A SEC, DIDNT HE JUST SAY HE _HATED_ BLACKMETAL?
- Yes, but he later changed that to "blackmetal bands that use
keyboards"
WHAT DOES "Gregory The Illuminator" MEAN?
- Legend has it, he once stuck a lightbulb up his arse at a
Pantera post-gig party.
WHAT DO I DO IF GREGORY ARGUES WITH ME?
- Argue straight back. History has proven that his case resorts
to blind denial after 2 or three messages.
WHERE CAN I READ UP ON THE ANTICS OF GREG THE ILLUMINATOR?
- Several sources. AltaVista, DejaNews, the mail section of
Chronicles Of Chaos, this very newsgroup.
IS THERE A WWW SITE DEDICATED TO HIM?
- The thought had crossed my mind, but i decided not to give him
the pleasure.
HOW DO I IDENTIFY ONE OF MR NALBANDIANS POSTS?
- Check for - "NOW GO CRY!!!!"
"GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR"
"KEYBOARDS SUCK"
"FENRIZ HAS A SIDE PROJECT? I'D BOYCOT THE FUCKEN
THING!"
Any message about Cannibal Corpse, or Deicide:
"Face it Philip"
Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996
From: Sven Loop <sven@loop.com>
Subject: Re: Chronicles of Chaos #13 (5/5)
HAIL,
Dug the issue as usual. It's fucking great! You packed it with info
for sure. Here's something you might want to check out if you're
bored - this metal site BETA that's going online soon:
<http://www.anus.com/~goat/metal/>
Take care,
GOAT
|--> SVEN: a.k.a. Chris Blanc
Internet consulting/Web design
Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996
From: john dokken <cyclone@connexus.apana.org.au>
Subject: Re: Chronicles of Chaos #13 (5/5)
hey Gino and everyone at CoC,
just completed another mega read!
Although Im personally not so much into death, your e-zine is still
interesting and cutting edge to wot is going on - so it is very much
worthy of subscribing to and following. congratulations on the first
year - You all really deserve it - no shit! Keep it up!
many more years to come
cheers
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
@@@ /\
@@@@@/ \ JOHN DOKKEN MNGMT, IMPORT EXPORT, PROMO
@@@/@@ @
@ /@@@ metal news columnist: Inpress Magazine, Melbourne, Aust
\ / @@@@
\/ @@@@ @@ e-mail: cyclone@connexus.apana.org.au
@@ @@ @@
@@ @@ snail-mail: PO Box 116, EPPING, Victoria, 3076
@@ A U S T R A L I A
@@@@
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
STAMPY WANTS TO COME OUT AND PLAY!!!!!!
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Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996
From: Zev Toledano <zeevt@superstudio.co.il>
Subject: Loud letter
Amazingly good work on this e-zine. Keep up the good work!
I would like to propose a new short column for the e-zine. It would
have about 5 to 10 reviews of old CD's that merit at least 8 out of
10. This should be most interesting to newbies who aren't aware of
what classics are out there and even the others surely don't know
every band that's been around in the past 15 years.
Please consider this column. I would enjoy it immensely.
-- Zev Toledano --
Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996
From: Ian Moyle <imoyle@vision.net.au>
Subject: Attention Loud Letters!
Hey All.
I've been with CoC since the very start... and I know I have
slacked off with the email (mainly to Adrain). But FUCK you guys have
fans coming out your ear holes not to worry about me... CoC has
improve so much over the first year you guys will defently see a
second year.. Your reviews Kick ass over all the other mags around.
You are unbias about the music and you take suggestions from us the
reader! You guy need a medle or even better a pay check! for the work
you put into this mag for us. I hope that everyone out there
apricates you guy cause I sure do. Keep up the awesome work!
Raz.
(Bruce Moyle)
Date: Tue, 3 Sep 1996
From: Pedro Azevedo <deec97@tom.fe.up.pt>
Subject: Attention Loud Letters
First of all, since the rest of the letter is all criticism, let
me tell you your e-zine rules! You're doing an outstanding job!!
Now, the nasty part (which is all the rest... hehe). I think it
was Brian who put down Moonspell in CoC #13 to 5/10 on their superb
'Wolfheart'. Giving such an album such a score and justifying with a
comparison of some of the vocals in one music to what you THINK might
be similar to someone neither of us likes is shooting yourself in the
foot as a reviewer. Take a better listen to the album, especially
tracks 1, 2, and 6 to 8. But, of course, even worse is giving Dark
Tranquillity's excellent 'The Gallery' 3/10, together with those
laughable comments, which is, as a reviewer, shooting both your feet
at the same time with a sawed-off shotgun. But you corrected it last
issue, so no problem now. Just HAD to mention it, sorry... ;)
Back to Moonspell, in the original review you make some VERY
nasty comments about my home country, Portugal. So there wasn't much
of a scene back then, so what? We're not an African nation or
anything. Let me tell you to watch out (besides Moonspell's new album
'Irreligious', not bad) for Heavenwood (releasing their debut 'Diva',
good stuff) and Lacrima (still in demo phase, producing one of the
best demos I ever heard), both from Porto, and Desire (I don't know
if their CD is being distributed in foreign countries, but they're
good and unique). I think you'll hear a lot about Portugal in the
future...
To finish off this long letter, I think Loud Letters is too
quiet for such a great e-zine, so let's stir things up a little,
shall we?... OK, just how many of you crap all over bands like Senser
or albums like White Zombie's latest remixes? How many of you think,
like myself, that technoshit and metal are two opposite worlds?
Thanks for reading. Keep up the good work in CoC, guys!!
PEDRO AZEVEDO <deec97@tom.fe.up.pt>
Date: Thu, 12 Sep 96
From: "J.D.Bowden" <jbowden@ASSB01.ARL.MIL>
Subject: Cassette Search
Gino:
Do you know where I can order any music cassettes by the
american death band " Rottrevore ". I've heard alittle of their stuff
on a radio station in Europe, they are BRUTAL. Its a damn shame that
you have to go to another country to hear an american death metal
band on the radio. DEATH/BLACK METAL WILL NEVER DIE !!!!
Thanks & Regards'
Jim Bowden
Date: Fri, 13 Sep 1996
From: Leonardo Castellani 351099 <teskio@spiro.fisica.unipd.it>
Subject: Chronicles Rules!!!
Hi, I' teskio from Italy! Coc it's a magnificent e-zine! Your
contributor (exspecially Brian) are very preparated! Your work are
vvery ggood!!
Bye Teskio
Date: Fri, 13 Sep 96
From: Steven Cannon <cannon01@freenet.tlh.fl.us>
Subject: Re: Chronicles of Chaos
Hey everyone! Glad to see C.O.C. kickin' out another kick ass issue!
Wish my publication could keep up with all the issues WE'VE put out!
Which is why I'm here: To let Y'all know Vibrations of Doom #13 is
out and about! This time around we have aquired RealAudio online, and
the fact now stands that we are able to offer 30-40 digitized music
files on our web site as opposed to about 9 or 10! Also, we have a
new reviewer on site, and have gone to a points ratings system! Check
us out on our web site at:
http://www.transarc.com/afs/transarc.com/public/mirv/vod_home.html
The other thing I wanted to mention real quick, glad that you got in
touch with some of those labels I gave ya! I've been telling people
for years (well, 3 actually) that there are so many other harsh forms
of music besides metal, like Industrial (Cubanate, Front Line
Assembly, Die Krupps, Kalte Farben, Drown, Spahn Ranch, etc.) techno,
and so much more! It's good to see people branch out and try out new
things, that's what Vibrations of Doom has always been about, and
now, it looks like the order of the day at Chronicles of Chaos! Well,
until yer next glorious issue, stay hard, heavy, and open minded!
Hail the darkness,
Steven Cannon.
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The meat of the matter lies here. Read on for the juiciest morsels on
bands ranging from the reknowned to the obscure. No fat, no gristle,
just blood-soaked slabs served hot and ready. Dig in, readers.
W R E S T L I N G W I T H W H I T E Y
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An interview with Another White Male
by: Adrian Bromley
Vancouver's Another White Male's lead singer/bassist Nathan
Dillon is very happy just to have another band recording out, not to
mention on a major label, A&M. The album in question? The 12-song
collage of _Cattle_, a follow-up to 1994's rousing and hard-grooved
independent EP _Yesterday Rolled By..._, which by far has captured
the band's (rounded out by drummer Daniel Wiener, stand-up bass/sax
player James Cowan, and guitarist Sean Webster) insight, intensity
and intuition as musicians. Characteristics of groove and passion
flow from the debut album.
"We really didn't care what the label thought," laughs Dillon
with a sinister yet secure smile when talking about making the record
for a major label. "We knew they supported what we were going to
create. The president of the label, before signing us said, 'I want
you to go in to make a record that I don't want to listen to.' That
was a vote of confidence which allowed us to make the music we wanted
to create. We made a record we felt comfortable with."
And so they did, allowing the creative process to emit variety.
With just one listen, it is quite evident that _Cattle_ has an
assortment of loud bass lines, strong riffs, and crisp vocals in
numerous numbers, i.e. "Exit", "Angst", "Do" and "Tis", a feature
which Dillon finds to be one of the finer qualities of the release.
"We feel the record became more concise than what we had done in the
past. We tried to find songs that were more cohesive and sequence
them in a way. We wanted to make a record that you can put on and
listen to for 43 minutes and come away happy with what you have
heard. That was our own goal, as well as to capture a live studio
feel with what we did in the studio. That was important. For us
variety is key. We aim to reach that within all our songs," explains
Dillon. "But some bands stick to one style. Take Helmet for instance.
I love that band but they play one style, but they do it the best
though. We don't do that. For us it is very much important to express
our styles and voicings. Doing something poppy one time and then the
next time abrasive. We thrive on variety and that carries over well
into our live shows too. My preference is to be really dynamic. I
want to be able grow sound-wise in many different directions in the
future."
Talking about the album Dillon says, "We progressed a lot in the
two years in between the album. When we made the first record we had
never played a show before or done real studio work as two of the
guys were in high school. That is why I think the first record sounds
ridgy, dry, and abrasive. These songs on _Cattle_, we have played for
two years and they have changed." According to Dillon, so has the
band: "When we started the band and made the first record, we weren't
working as a band or living as a band. Now we are doing so and that
is showing up in the way we are as well as the way we create the
music for the band. It is now moreso a group effort than just one
person deciding how we should make music. We feel the need to work
off each other now."
In finishing the interview Dillon says, "It's weird the way we
are as a band and focusing with what we do," says Dillon with
sincerity in his voice, "I think we are different because our only
guideline is that if we are not having fun with what we are doing
then it is over for AWM. No matter what we are doing. I mean if you
aren't having fun, get out."
Adding, he says, "I know so many bands that have to be at a
certain point in their careers at this time or sell so many records.
I couldn't do music that way. Having deadlines doesn't cut it. Just
enjoy it and get the most out of it."
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T A C K L I N G T H E T U R M O I L
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An interview with Pennsylvania's Turmoil
by: Adam Wasylyk
With _From Bleeding Hands_ being their debut album for Century
Media, Turmoil have blown out of the hardcore scene in a big way.
Having played with bands like Earth Crisis, Snapcase and Life of
Agony, they've also completed their first European tour with Madball.
I had the opportunity to chat with drummer Jon Pushnik about Turmoil
and the new album, along with my discovery of the band's unhappiness
with the sound of _From Bleeding Hands_, with a possible re-release
late this year!!
I first inquired about the band's formation and past history.
"The band formed around 1990. The three original members are Jonathan
Hodges (guitar), Jon Gula (vocals), and Jeff Hydro (guitar). They
were all friends and in the same area in Pennsylvania, and just
started going to shows in the late 80s. The first hardcore show they
went to was with Sick of It All, and they were actually metal fans
but after seeing them they thought they were amazing and started
getting into that."
Jon then went on to tell how bassist Gary Rehrig joined the
band, along with himself. "I knew the guys to some extent because I
was in a band called Conviction, and we met up a few times because we
recorded at the same recording studio. Those guys went through a few
drummers and a bassist, and eventually Gary Rehrig started playing
bass for them. I joined the band about a year and a half ago and the
current line-up has been that way ever since, and will probably be
that way until the demise of the band."
For the question on how Turmoil signed with Century Media, Jon
explained in full detail of the band's bumpy road to stardom. "It's
because the band recorded at Trauma Studios. The drummer for the band
Believer (who also owns the studio), whose band was on Roadrunner at
the time, took a tape and sent it to Roadrunner since the band was at
the time shopping around for a label to do a 7-inch. Roadrunner said
"Well if you could sound more like Helmet, we'll sign you," but the
band was like, "We're not going to change our sound just to be on a
label." Century Media really liked it and they were enthusiastic
about it and didn't want them to change anything about it and said
they'd like to put this out the way it is. Turmoil weren't getting
much response or feedback from other labels, so Century Media signed
them for the release that they had and two more releases, where the
LP would have been one of them."
"In the United States, it's been really good"; Jon starts
talking about the reaction to the LP. "In Europe, for the tour, it
wasn't out long enough for us to get any feeling about it. I think a
lot of kids other than in Germany didn't know who we were. After we
would play we would get a much better response as far as selling
items. We didn't really sell anything before we would play, and then
after we would play we would do pretty well. In the United States,
which is the only place we've played since we got back, just from
selling to distributors like Victory, at first it had been slow but
it's picking up because they've been re-ordering it from us. Since we
got back (from Europe) a lot of the people that are calling us are
calling us for shows because of the LP and not because of any of the
older material." The discussion turns to tours that Turmoil are ready
to embark on. "We actually have a few tours lined up right now, and
we're scheduled to do a tour with a band called Damnation from
Washington, DC in October, and then possibly play some weekends with
Deadguy at the same time and in December, we're scheduled to play
with a band called Despair from Buffalo, New York."
I then asked about the production side of the record, as I read
that Joe DeLuca from Starkweather helped in the studio. Jon's opinion
of DeLuca's contribution wasn't favourable. "Let's put it this way,
we were much more happy with the 7-inch that we did prior to the LP.
That's why we chose to do the LP with him because the 7-inch we felt
was in the direction we wanted the LP to be. We were originally going
to record with a guy named Jamie Lock from the Boston area, but we
chose not to do that because of the high cost of recording. Even
though Century Media is putting up the money, it was still the band's
money and we didn't want an overproduced album. We wanted a raw
element there, but with the LP we are at this point, we're not really
happy with the way it sounds. It's a little too raw, a little too
muffled. It's not really the recording as much as it is the mixing of
it. We had the 7-inch mastered in New York but it was recorded with
John Deluca. We let him master the LP and we're just not happy with
it at this point. It is being remixed and remastered, with time for
it to be done in late October and be out by December, only because
the drum sound and vocals are slightly low so we're going to try to
fix all that up and re-release it."
On what the band's lyrics deal with, Jon goes into great detail
in explaining the meaning behind some of the songs. "The first song
on the LP, I wrote the lyrics for. "New Media" is about conservative
talk radio that I had to listen to all summer long working with my
father for a number of summers. It's something I listened to
religiously, not because I agree with it, but more because I felt I
wanted to know what was going on in people's minds; guys like Rush
Limbaugh infuriated me to a certain extent. Not necessarily him as
much as the people calling in and the other talk show hosts of that
nature that were in my opinion putting on a facade, that followers
would believe whatever they said. Some other songs like "60 Minute
Void", which is actually very similar to "New Media". It's about
television talk shows and the culture that they've created through
television talk shows with people that just sit at home and watch it.
In my opinion a lot of it is garbage, that anyone who can be
entertained by someone's family breaking apart. Some of them (lyrics)
are more personal like "Choke" which was relationship oriented, and
"Starve" which I wrote which is about coming out of slavery in
America and then instituting a system of welfare which created a
system of economic slavery. It's not anti-welfare, it's welfare
reform or "Let's see if there's another way to approach this,"
because whatever we have right now just isn't working."
We wrap up our conversation on the band's direction for the
following album. "It's going to be a combination of where we were
taking the band. With the new album there's a little more noise and a
little more technical intricacy of the music integrated into the
songwriting, and we're going to combine that but at the same time
also keep some of the catchy elements and the more tangible things
that the crowd will respond to for the next record, so there's
something there for people who liked the older stuff. No matter what
happens, it going to be intense. We're not going to regress from
that, that's what the band is about."
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T H E Q U I N T E S S E N T I A L Q U A K E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An interview with Soulquake System
by: Adam Wasylyk
Prior to the interview, I had heard nothing about Soulquake
System. It figures, as the band has been in existence for only about
two years and had been mainly confined to Europe. But no more, as
Soulquake System signed a worldwide license agreement with Black Mark
and now have a worldwide audience. With their debut album, _Angry By
Nature, Ugly By Choice_, they demonstrate their fresh hardcore/metal
sound. In their native country of Sweden, they are very active in
playing gigs and coincidentally were the opening act for the
Snapcase/Turmoil tour (see the Turmoil interview in this issue). I
had the opportunity to talk with them about the band's rise from
obscurity and the success of their new album.
As many readers may be unfamiliar with the band (as was I for
the most part before the interview, knowing nothing other than what
was on my trusty bio), I asked about the band's formative years and
how they came to form Soulquake System. "We started about five or six
years ago, but the current lineup for Soulquake System has existed
for about two years now. We did some shows under a different band
name, Tyburn, before [changing it to Soulquake System]. When the
music had changed drastically, we thought a new name would be the
best thing to do. Also, we had changed some of the lineup, too."
I then inquired on the meaning of the band's name, what
Soulquake System meant. "We wanted a name so that people couldn't
tell what the music sounded like. We didn't want a name that someone
could say "ok, they play death metal" or "they play black metal," so
we wanted a name that didn't put us into a category, and we thought
Soulquake was quite intense. It more like described the music, quite
heavy."
Prior to the band releasing _Angry By Nature..._, they released
a demo called _Disbelief_, so I asked about its success in getting
the band's name around. "I think so, we received quite a few good
reviews, and many people got in touch with us and we were doing some
interviews and they wanted to hear more about Soulquake System, and I
think there was quite a good response on that demo." Any
international attention? "Not that much, however we did get some good
reviews for it with some magazines and smaller zines. We are known in
Sweden, in Europe, but not America." Following the demo, Soulquake
System signed to Stronium Records and started the recording process
for their first album. At this time Black Mark entered the picture. I
asked the band about how they came to sign with them. "It was while
we were recording the album actually. They had heard the demo
_Disbelief_ and they phoned us up and we talked a bit and I explained
what was going on with Soulquake System at the moment. They got
interested and we discussed some points; we thought this licensing
agreement would be great because at the same time we were on a small
label, and had the opportunity to get good distribution through a
worldwide label."
I then asked what the response was for the record from fans and
critics. "We haven't heard that much yet but the reaction has been
very good in Europe and here in Sweden, and now we're getting some
reaction from America and Canada and they've been great. We're very
pleased."
Our chat turned to the lyrics on the album and what they deal
with. "It's very different, it's our reaction from how we see things
in life, and most of the lyrics deal with how you should make your
own opinions and that people shouldn't tell you what to do, you
should think for yourself. Some songs deal with racists and things
like that." I asked if there's a mix of personal and political ideas
within the lyrics. He agrees and goes on by saying, "Everything you
do is in some way political. The lyrics aren't preachy, but they are
political."
The band holds a number of strong beliefs. Along with racism,
the band holds strong views against animal cruelty. One of the songs
off the new album, "Info Check", will appear on a compilation that
will be released by The Nordic Association Against Cruelty to
Animals. "It's a strong subject for us, to be against that sort of
cruelty. Two or three members of the band are vegetarians, and we
feel quite strongly about it. We haven't wrote any lyrics about
[animal abuse], but in private, we're sad about that."
Finally I asked if the band was on the internet, since
Chronicles of Chaos is an internet e-zine. "Well, actually I just
bought a computer and the other guitarist did too, and we're planning
to get on the internet in about one or two months. Then we'll be
chatting on the net!"
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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.
M I N D M E L D I N G W I T H M O R T I I S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC Speaks with the Emperor of Evil Ambience
by: Steve Hoeltzel
In the space of a few short years, the enigmatic Mortiis has ascended
from mere membership in a band called Emperor (perhaps you've heard
of them?) to the exalted status of "Emperor of a Dimension Unknown" -
or, untranslated, "Keiser av en Dimension Utjent." (That's the title
of his 1995 release for the Swedish dark ambient label Cold Meat
Industries.) The dark, fantasy-inspired ambience of _Keiser..._
represents a major musical departure from the raw black metal of his
previous band, and Mortiis recently sat down with CoC to explain the
genesis of his experimental works and the status of his many evolving
creative projects.
CoC: Most of our readers will be familiar with the name "Mortiis"
mainly from your days with Emperor. But I'm sure you're pretty
much sick of talking about that, so I'm not going to grill you
about the Norwegian scene.
Mortiis: <laughing> Thank you, man!!
CoC: Still, I'm kind of curious. Your new stuff is so different from
what you were doing in the early days with Emperor that I have
to wonder what prompted you to leave the black metal thing
behind and take your work in a more ambient direction.
M: Well, even when I was in Emperor, I was into stuff like Tangerine
Dream, Coil, Throbbing Gristle - you know, alternative kind of
stuff. And I'd kind of been playing with the idea when I was in
Emperor to do a project that was not metal, but still dark,
original, weird. So when I left the band, I thought "Hey, I'm
gonna do this now. This is my chance."
CoC: So did you feel really frustrated when you were in Emperor,
because this was something you really wanted to explore? Or did
you just get sick of the band?
M: Well, I didn't really plan to leave the band, and I was happy with
the band, so I was more frustrated after I left, because I didn't
know what was going to happen [next]. But then I started Mortiis,
and things just started rolling real fast, and I'm still here.
CoC: Do you still retain any artistic ties to the black metal scene
in Scandinavia? Or are you much more interested in pursuing
something quite separate from all that?
M: I'd say the latter. I mean, I do have contacts in the black metal
scene, obviously. But I don't make music that's got anything to do
with black metal or anything like that. I'm kind of out of that
now.
CoC: Do you think that you'll ever get involved in a metal project
again?
M: Metal? Very, very possibly. Black metal? Probably not.
CoC: Why not black metal? Are you just sick of it?
M: Yeah, I mean, it was great in the beginning, but it's gotten out
of hand, and it's not very great any longer, is it? It all sounds
the same, and honestly, the scene does not need another black
metal band.
CoC: What are the basic themes and ideas behind the Mortiis project?
It seems like there's a basic concept that ties all of your work
together, and I'm curious to learn a little bit more about where
you're coming from.
M: Actually, I'm writing a book about that! <laughs> This is kind of
my nightmare question, you know - it takes so long to explain. In
a very, very small nutshell, Mortiis is based on a world beyond
this. It's my spiritual system of belief, and all the Mortiis
records are based on that. So when you say there's a concept going
through all the records, you're incredibly right. Mortiis is based
on this world which I have created - and which I have great
difficulties in explaining with human words. I mean, there are
these thoughts, and ideas, and visions - but I can't express them
with words. Therefore I'm releasing a book with a lot of lyrics -
very emotional stuff, which I think might enlighten some people. I
hope so.
CoC: How soon can we look forward to seeing that?
M: I'm hoping for some time during this year - at least sending it to
press during this year. I'm not the one releasing the book, so I
don't know, I really can't speak on behalf of the label
[Misanthropy Records] that's going to do it. But I do hope that we
can get some sort of release date at least clarified during the
year.
CoC: Will it be illustrated?
M: Yes. [Mortiis then went on to mention the names of a few
Scandinavian artists who will be contributing to the work, but
they're basically inaudible on the tape of our talk, so I'm not
going to do these people the injustice of butchering their names
here...]
CoC: I've heard a lot of people refer to _Keiser..._ as your best
work yet. Do you agree with that assessment?
M: No, because I have a new one out. <laughs> It's called _Crypt of
the Wizard_, and it's a limited edition thing. It's basically a
compilation of singles that I've recorded. I recorded it at home,
actually, and I suppose the production is not as good as on
_Keiser..._, but the music and the songs are better. There are ten
songs, so they're shorter and a lot more is happening.
CoC: Does it continue to be pretty ambient, or is it more musically
straightforward?
M: It's musically more straightforward. It's more orchestral; it's
more structured. It's more straight to the point, if you know what
I mean.
CoC: Are you at work on any even newer Mortiis material? Or are you
going to take a break from Mortiis for a while to work on some
other things?
M: I'm actually going to take a break from other things to work on
Mortiis. <laughs> I've got a lot of new stuff coming out. I've
been making new music for about a year. Usually, when my music
gets released, it's pretty old. So I've got a lot of new stuff -
I've got a new record which is going to be called _Stargate_. Do
not think about the movie, please. <laughs> 'Cause I've had the
ideas for like four years, and then this movie comes out, you know
- it pissed me off. But I'm going to call it _Stargate_ anyway.
I'm hoping to record in January or something. It's going to be a
lot better than anything I've done. I plan to bring people in on
the record with some more instruments, hopefully. Better
equipment; everything is going to be better.
CoC: You've played live a couple times. How has that gone over?
M: It's been okay. I didn't have such a lot planned for it. I mean,
nothing really happened. I didn't play back, because with the
Mortiis outfit, it's sort of hard to play. [Mortiis wears a kind
of trollish-looking costume and makeup on the covers of his solo
releases, and in concert.] Plus, I don't really want to be seen on
stage in makeup, in the Mortiis figure, with one thousand
keyboards surrounding me. That's going to look pathetic. So I've
been trying to make more of a theater out of it. I don't think the
German public really understood that - but I didn't expect them to
anyway. But I'm going to do another live show this week, and it's
going to be a lot better. I've got more things going on. That's
going to be cool.
CoC: How's the live show shaping up? What are you trying to work into
it?
M: We've got monks, altars with half-naked women on them, a big movie
in the background. This time, there's not going to be any light -
there's just going to be candles, so there's going to be a kind of
occult atmosphere. It's going to be very, very dark. And I'm going
to play a few minutes on an old sixties organ, so it's going to
have, like, a horror sound to it in the beginning. I think it's
going to be pretty interesting. And I'll keep building, taking
away things, adding things, until it gets real good.
CoC: How about the Vond project? Anything new there? [Vond is a
separate solo ambient project created by Mortiis.]
M: Yeah: I'll have a new record coming in October on my own label
[Dark Dungeon Music]. It's been a couple years since the last one
now. It's going to be quite different from the first one. It's
more experimental, not as monotonous but still very monotonous -
just more experimental, and more fascinating listening, in some
crazy, weird way.
CoC: Do you see the Vond project as a way to express a different
facet of your personality than the one you that explore as
Mortiis?
M: Yeah, you could say that. Vond is kind of my human nature:
thoughts, emotions, and feelings that I have as a human... just a
lot of negative vibes. I guess that's the best way to describe
Vond: loads of negative feelings put into music.
CoC: So how do you think of Mortiis as distinct from that?
M: Mortiis is more like my spiritual side, it's very difficult to
explain, to try to say. It's more like my religion, and Mortiis as
a musical project is like a medium for me to express that. People
may wonder why I bother to release Mortiis, because it's so
personal. But I have certain purposes for releasing it, which are
also personal, and I'm not going to get into that now.
CoC: What kind of stuff do you listen to?
M: It depends. I'm really into old heavy metal stuff, because that's
what I grew up with. A lot of Mortiis music is influenced by that,
especially in structure. I like German electronic stuff, 70s hard
rock. I'm going to see Kiss this December - it's gonna be cool.
CoC: Full makeup!
M: <laughs> That's why I'm going. I've been into that crap for, like,
sixteen or seventeen years - I mean, I gotta see it when I've got
the chance. Anyway, I think you get the idea: anything unique or
original...
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I R R E L I G I O U S I N Q U I R I E S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Metal Speak with Moonspell
Questions by: Gino Filicetti
Intro and write up by: Steve Hoeltzel
If any band currently seems poised to make the leap from underground
obscurity to international big-name status in near record time, the
Portuguese goth-metal five-piece Moonspell is it. In just a few short
years, this quintet has displayed remarkable musical development,
beginning with the fairly raw 1994 EP, _Under the Moonspell_,
progressing through the inventive gothic-black metal blend of
_Wolfheart_, and culminating in this year's highly anticipated
_Irreligious_. This work showcases a band masterfully fusing pure
metallic power with the lush textures, somber ambience, and dynamic
arrangements of the best gothic rock. CoC recently caught up with
bass player Ares to talk about the new album and the group who put it
together.
CoC: What has the band been up to since the release of _Irreligious_?
Ares: We've been busy with promotion: we did a promotion tour in
Germany, and we did two release parties, one in Lisbon and
another in Dortmund. After that we did one more show, the Pop
Kom festival in Germany, as special guests at the Samael
release party. In the meantime we have returned to Portugal,
and I've tried to enjoy two really short weeks of holidays,
since we spent the entire month of August in the rainy Germany.
In between, there have been lots of interviews and other promo
activities and obligations. We will now start practicing,
because on the 12th of September our first European tour for
_Irreligious_ will set off, this time with Samael and Rotting
Christ. I'm particularly excited to go on tour, because this
album is way more pleasant to play live than _Wolfheart_, and
because we've been hitting some of the European charts, which
means that the response might be good.
CoC: Let's talk about the new album. How long have you been working
on it?
A: As far as I can remember, we made most of the songs between July,
August, and September last year. We were about to leave the Morbid
Angel tour and we wanted to record the basics, since the tour was
a long tour and we wanted to work on the songs on the road. In
fact, during our third tour - the one with The Gathering - we
already played two or three new songs. We took all the free time
we had between all the touring to compose new stuff, and we would
even try some of the new ideas on sound checks. We usually take
about one year in between every new recording: it's about the
exact time needed for us to compose and record it.
CoC: When did you enter the studio to record the album and where was
this?
A: Once again we recorded in the Woodhouse studios in Germany, with
Waldemar Sorychta (Tiamat, Samael, Grip Inc.). We recorded the
album in May and July. This time we had a bigger studio budget and
more time to do it.
CoC: This album seems to show many more elements to it than
_Wolfheart_ did. How do you think you've grown since the last
record?
A: We have grown in a natural way, learning, accomplishing and
working very hard. We are young people, and we are eager to always
achieve what we want as our goals, so we learn, develop, and
progress. That's the only way to satisfy ourselves: doing what we
like in the best way we can.
CoC: How is the chemistry among band members?
A: Not so good anymore. Right now, I'm not getting any friendly vibes
from the other members. There have been some different opinions,
and we've been discussing all that, but I don't know about the
future. I wish we could be the best of friends again.
CoC: Is there any one member who contributes more to the music than
any other?
A: Probably me, the keyboard player, and the guitarist. Fernando
writes the lyrics, and Mike helps with the arrangements. Usually
we all need to like it, and we all suggest several different ways
to do the song, but the music is mainly composed by the three of
us.
CoC: What themes do your lyrics deal with?
A: Women, decadence, misery, life and death, hate and love - all of
this, mixed with a bit of fantasy. We are going toward a more
personal and realistic kind of lyrics, but we'll always involve
our lyrics with a veil of mysticism. I guess subtle is the word.
CoC: You seem to draw from many influences. Can you name some of the
things that have inspired you during the writing and recording
of _Irreligious_?
A: Hunger, despair, anguish, desolation, misery, ruin, depression,
pain and wrath!
CoC: How is your local scene in Portugal?
A: Lots of demo tape bands and lots of joke bands - but I would
recommend Heavenwood and Inhuman. Both are pretty much
atmospheric, melodic, and keyboard oriented.
CoC: Not too many bands emerge from a country like Portugal. Why do
you think this is so?
A: Probably because most of them simply lack knowledge of what's
needed to promote themselves, and to know what's really happening
outside Portugal. Until one or two years ago, 90% of the bands
didn't know that there is a huge, sophisticated underground scene
abroad. They'd rather occupy their time doing something else
besides practicing, so...
CoC: Are musical pursuits en
couraged or discouraged in your country?
A: It depends. If we were a pop, politically correct and
easy-to-listen-to band, we would be supported and fed for the rest
of our lives. But since our music is somehow subversive and defies
many taboos, they try to make our progress difficult. We are not
accepted in the Portuguese charts, but we sell more than half of
the bands there.
CoC: How has Century Media been as a label for you?
A: So far so good. We can't complain: everything we have asked for
they have given us - but I just wonder about the future. We have
been doing well, sales-wise; therefore they are fine with us - but
I can't stop thinking if in the future we don't sell as much as
nowadays or even more will they still support us? The deal we have
is for six albums and is better for the label than for us, so no
matter how much we sell we'll never see a penny. It's not such a
generous deal, and despite all our good and increasing sales we
are not rich or rock stars. We're in the Austrian, Finnish,
German, Italian, and Portuguese charts, but we are still poor
people and we just want to be pleased with what we do. Maybe we
can change the situation, but it will take some time before we can
do it.
CoC: What are some of your most memorable moments from being on tour
for the last album?
A: Getting robbed in Rome, watching the crowd enjoy us more than any
other band, driving around the Scandinavian landscapes, and
shitting in the Norwegian woods. Usually I think the only good
thing about touring is going on stage every night and feeling the
magic moment of playing. Anything else simply disgusts me - I hate
touring and I hate being away from Portugal.
CoC: Why do you write/play music?
A: Simply because it's the art form I've found where I can express
better what I think and feel about certain things. This is not a
permanent state: I can drop music and start drawing or writing,
which is something I used to do before I got into music.
Everything started as an experiment, and now we are engaged with
this lifestyle. I try to be careful in order not to let me get
dragged down too much by the business side of it.
CoC: What is your dream in life? What do you hope to accomplish?
A: To make my mother come back to life; to give my little sister all
she needs to grow strong and wise; and to build a secure present
for me and my girlfriend. These are the only persons I care about.
Anything else just doesn't matter to me.
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D U S T I N G T H E O U T B A C K
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An interview with Blood Duster's FiN
by: Adam Wasylyk
Australia's Blood Duster, with their new album _Yeest_, has enabled
them to reach North American audiences with their uncompromising
grind and catchy groove that has made it one of my favorite albums as
of late. After interviewing Blood Duster's vocalist Tony over the
phone, I experienced every writer's nightmare: my recorder didn't
tape it!!! Luckily I was able to do an e-mail interview with
guitarist Fin Allman. One of the two parties was calm and serious,
the other was, well, the opposite. I'll let you guess which one was
which.
CoC: So tell me about the band's origins/history/musical background,
how you guys started out?
Fin Allman: Tony and Jason met in a peep show booth when Tony had
masturbated himself into dehydration. I met Jason through
a friend, who he was rooting at the time, and Matt came
to us on a cloud from heaven.
CoC: Where did the name Blood Duster come from?
FA: Naked City. I am not sure why, the original name was
Analdreadlock.
CoC: What musical influences do Blood Duster draw from?
FA: Well we all have different influences. My favorite band is the
Allman Brothers, but we cannot use their kind of music in BD. I
get my riffs from rockabilly stuff, Charlie Daniels band,
Melvins, Primus. Jason p.c. gets his ideas from psychedelic 70s
bands such as the Edgar Winter Group, Abba, and Kiss. Matt gets
his drumming influences from drummers such as Pete Sandoval and
Malevolent Creation, and he also likes jungle drumming. Tony does
not own a stereo.
CoC: Tell me how Blood Duster came to meet Relapse and sign with them?
FA: They approached us after hearing the _Fisting the Dead_ CD. Then
we sent them _Yeest_ and they creamed. We are fucking great.
CoC: Now about your new album, _Yeest_. Isn't it comprised of two CD
singles?
FA: Yep. _Fisting the Dead_ was released in '94 and _Yeest_ was done
and released in 95. We then had the dance track done. And like I
said, we are ace.
CoC: My introduction to you was your song off the _Death Is Just the
Beginning III_ Relapse compilation. How did that turn out for
you and in getting the band's name around?
FA: Oh yeah. Dunno really. I get a lot of e-mail from the U.S.A. but
not Europe. We were already well known in the underground.
CoC: Tell me about your choice for cover art for _Yeest_. It's pretty
sick!! Where did you get the pics?
FA: We got a call from Dr. Jim himself, who actually is a practicing
doctor with surgery and all, and he said "Where the fuck is the
artwork you virgins?" And we had to do it all in one night. So we
pulled out this VD dictionary and said "THAT WILL DO," (it was a
1-inch square) and then when it was blown up to CD size we
thought "shit" and then they did full size posters and we
screamed. It did not look that full on when it was just 1 inch
big.
CoC: On _Yeest_ you have a number of sound bytes from various movies.
Tell me about those.
FA: Yes, they are sound bites from various movies.
CoC: Hmmmm... could you be just a little more specific?
FA: On _Fisting..._ (trax 8-2?) they were from the New Zealand film
maker Peter Jason's "Braindead" which was released as "Dead
Alive" in the US, and from his earlier film "Bad Taste" and "Meet
the Feebles" plus a few from "Necromantic". The _Yeest_ samples
are Dr. Dre, the farty noise before "muthafuckkin'" was from the
Bugs Bunny show, and is the Wile E. Coyote riding a motor bike
through mud. And some (other) film.
CoC: How is _Yeest_ selling, by the way?
FA: They have not been able to tell us yet, but they did say it sold
more than expected. We are discussing a triple live album now.
CoC: How is the metal scene right now in Australia?
FA: Pretty slow. But there are a few big bands up and coming. One
release which is out next month and will be available from
Relapse is the new Christbait album. DISEMBOWELMENT ARE DEAD AND
THANK GOD COZ THEY ARE POX. We are one of the only countries who
can live off the government, but no one bothers to get off their
asses. Pretty sad really. Aussies are so lazy.
CoC: What are you up to now? Are you touring? Recording for the next
album?
FA: Writing the new album, and I have run out of ideas this week so
we are touring a bit.
CoC: So you're going to have a full-length album coming out in the
future? How does it differ from _Yeest_?
FA: A big surprise in which it rocks more, yet is much heavier, and
we pissed off most of the blast bollocks. Blast beats should be
left for the gods such as Napalm Death. Think of your own beats,
that's what I say.
CoC: Have your lyrics created any controversy over in Australia?
FA: Not really, just a few POLITICALLY CORRECT CUNTS having a winge.
They were taken as being humorous and taken quite lightly.
CoC: Does the band have any outside influences other than music, such
as reading?
FA: I read a lot of artistic books. Jason p.c. has a wide range of
reading, mostly unusual stuff like, he has a book full of pranks
people have done. I play Skermish (paintball) whenever I can.
And I used to play a lot of Games Workshop stuff, which I found
through Bolt Thrower. I also have a workshop where I build
guitars and restore old ones. As for influences, we just want to
jam. Touring is one of my favorite things in the world.
CoC: Any plans to tour North America?
FA: Yeah, we want to tour with Brutal Truth, but they are busy.
Perhaps when the new album is out. Brutal Truth are doing a
full-length too, you see, and we love them so dearly and we want
to be with them at all times.
CoC: And finally, since this interview is for the Internet 'zine
Chronicles of Chaos, what are your thoughts on the Internet?
FA: I have been subscribed to CoC for ages now and I think the free
news which the people from CoC slave over their computers to
bring you is a credit to the underground music scene. It is one
of the best ways to keep up with what the metal world is up to.
Usually I have to fork out a heap of money to some gay
corporation who runs a metal mag, and only puts what they want in
it. CoC is run by the people who are a part of the metal family,
and therefore are unbiased and are doing it for their love of the
music, not for the money. I mean you did not pay for this to show
up on your screen, apart from your server. I think the Internet
is one of the best ways to unite the world wide metal family, and
to stay in touch with our international brothers of grind.
FA: Blood Duster would like to thank all at Chronicles of Chaos for
their efforts in supporting underground music, and it should be
known that without the support of people like these, Blood Duster
would not be on your stereo and in the stores of the United
States of America. We dedicate our music to these kinds of people.
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R E V E A L I N G T H E R O T T E D R E M A I N S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with Rotting Christ
by: Adrian Bromley
Mention the role of Rotting Christ and their black metal music
in their homeland and they are praised as heroes - true victors of
the BM scene over there. And that role of a triumphant BM band has
slowly crept its way out of their homeland of Greece and into the
world's metal scene. Praised for what they did with their other
releases such as 1995's _Non-Serviam_ and their 1991 EP, _Passage to
Arcturo_, their debut album for Century Media called _Triarchy of the
Lost Lovers_ is a stunning blend of brutality and passion that rips
and tears through nine epic songs. Much like what they have done in
the past with their other releases, _TotLL_ showcases the deep rooted
growls/vocals and crashing riffs that embedded the black metal
stylings of Rotting Christ as fresh and innovative in their early
days. As well, _TotLL_ finds them breaking in new musical
directions/sounds, with more groove and substance to the material.
Bassist Mutilator (the band is rounded out by guitarist/vocalist
Necromayhem and drummer Necrosavro) corresponded with Chronicles of
Chaos by mail about the new album, signing to a new label and their
progression as a black metal band. Here is how it went:
CoC: Having your record put out by Century Media allows the album
(Triarchy of the Lost Lovers) to reach a much bigger music
buying public than in the past. Aside from more people being
able to purchase the material, how else is signing with Century
Media important for you?
Mutilator: For us, Century Media gave us a real good opportunity for
our music to reach a lot more people and to escape from
the underground limits. Of course, that doesn't mean we're
not the same underground band that we were in the
beginning. With Century Media, it is the first time we
have worldwide distribution with our release, i.e. Japan
and United States. This is also the first time we have had
good support and advertising for a release and the first
time we have really been supported in making the record.
Comparing Century Media to our old labels (Osmose and
Unisound) is like comparing day to night.
CoC: There seems to be a hard-working ethic of brutality meets
passion on _Triarchy..._. Were those truly distant paths of
emotions meant to cross? Opposed to what you have done before,
how would you describe the material that makes up _Triarchy..._?
M: All our music is feelings, instincts and passions. It comes
through us normally. After the thunder comes the calm. We want to
paint pictures with our music. We want our listeners, when
listening to the music, to be able to close their eyes and travel
with it. It is hard to give a description of our music: it is full
of emotions, full of inner freedoms, full of mysticism and wise
occultism.
CoC: How important is it for you to have lyrics in your material,
seeing that a majority if the album is encompassed by epic song
structures? And where did the ideas for lyrics and songs come
from?
M: Our lyrics are very important. Our influences are all around us.
They are in the forests, in the space and in the beast within us.
We want all our lyrics to have an epic touch but still be lyrical
and an important part of the material. To somehow act like ancient
tragedy or glorious Greek mythology.
CoC: Do you think _Triarchy..._ is significant of where the band is
headed musically or do you think the band will evolve more
musically as the next album is assembled?
M: I'm not sure of that. We are pretty happy and satisfied with
_TotLL_ and we think that is what we wanted to create. Sure, we
want to go further and that just takes time, time to allow us to
research ourselves and what we want to do musically.
CoC: What problems (if any) did you face with putting this album out?
M: None. This was the first time we have ever made a record with no
problems. Everything we did was well organized and professional.
CoC: Since your inception in 1987 the band has changed with your
music and your outlook on the industry. Where do you think the
band has changed the most? And the least?
M: I think every album is different but it still keeps the same core.
Maybe with _TotLL_ we went a bit further, reaching more epic and
progressive levels but it is still Rotting Christ.
CoC: Do songs and music come easier now seeing that you have been
doing this for almost a decade?
M: No. It is harder to write material and let everything to come out
on the paper. In the beginning we were satisfied with just
straight songs. It changes nowadays and we really work hard with
ourselves to write really good songs and keep the music strong.
CoC: Seeing that your music has been praised by critics and fans
around the world, was there ever a time when the reviews or
write-ups on your material seemed negative? If so, how did you
get past that stage in your careers? How did you deal with bad
press?
M: For sure. We get some bad reviews but not that many. If the review
is written honestly, then it is okay for us no matter if it is a
good or bad one. We really feel good and respect a good review,
but sometimes the bad reviews written against us are
well-organized against us by our ex-labels. Bad press means
nothing for us. Compared to good press it is just like a drop of
water in the ocean.
CoC: Are Rotting Christ still the "dominating force" in the Greek
black metal scene? Any newcomers we should look out for?
Favorite new bands (from any genre)?
M: I think we still are big there. There are a lot of good acts to
look out for there. Some good bands include Varathron who have
been around so long and have done well for themselves with their
really emotional music. Another good band is Kawir. There are a
lot of bands in and around Greece but no one really stands out
right now as one to really watch out for. Some bands have
followers but that is about it. For my last comment on this
question, Greek does have a very strong scene, especially the
power/epic/progressive music scene.
CoC: Any significance or meaning for the album title? If so, what?
Also - how or why did Steven Kastner get chosen for the artwork?
Do you think the artwork works well with the feel of the record?
M: That album title deals with the music situation nowadays. There
are tons of new bands that say a lot of big words but give no shit
when it comes to the music they create. We are still the same
three members who started out this band and real lovers for what
we have done in the past decade. As for the picture, it was in the
office in Los Angeles and I think the nice artwork works well with
keeping the spirit of the band and its music alive and well.
CoC: What experiences have happened to you along the way to where you
are that has helped allow you to make your decisions more
carefully?
M: We have learned that our old labels had a real bad attitude and
were real unprofessional when it came to dealing with us and our
music. We don't want to have that happen again and we are pretty
confident that Century Media will do a good job with us - they
already have.
CoC: Will the band tour North America seeing that you are now working
with Century Media?
M: We hope so.
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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.
E M B R A C I N G T H E E T H E R E A L
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An interview with Embrace
by: Adrian Bromley
Kitchener, Ontario's doom/gothic quartet, Embrace, have steadily
grown as a band and as songwriters since their beginnings two years
ago, in the fall of 1994. The collaboration of poetry and darkness as
well as metallic riffs fused with passion have all been explored in a
more in-depth manner as the band has progressed as musicians.
The band - comprised of vocalist/keyboardist Laura Weibe,
guitarist Dwayne Pretty, drummer Jason Head, and bassist Trevor Rees
- have released two demos, 1995's _Embrace_, and 1996's _Promo 96_,
and have recently independently released their debut album called
_Coven the Eternal_.
Speaking with Laura Weibe at home in Kitchener, we begin talking
about the mood and atmosphere that surrounds the lyrics and sounds of
the band. "We are strong believers in fantasy," begins Weibe. "When
we started, a lot of the band members were into vampire stuff and the
guitarist was into Celtic music and ideals, so I guess we set out to
make a mood that was not so much reality-based. Kind of an escape for
us and people to comprehend."
The album's nine tracks are ethereal, mesmerizing, haunting, and
eloquent poetic writings and scriptures that are aided by dark riffs
and epic song structures. Most of _CtE_'s material made up a majority
of the material on the band's two previous demos, yet the band has
re-recorded and changed some of those songs to what they appear now
on the debut LP. "We really haven't written any other songs other
than those on the album, except maybe for two. We kept working on
them and changing them into what we wanted them to sound like. We
wanted them on the CD release, but as it was, we weren't happy with
the way they were or the sound quality so we spent time mixing them
better or improving them." She adds, "We spent a lot of time with
these songs. A lot of the material is our feelings, a bit of everyone
in the band, but if you look at or read the lyrics it is moreso about
imagery and metaphor, rather than spurting out our true feelings for
people to discover. Let them discover what they want out of our
music. Let them find their own interpretations."
Finding the sound of the band was something they had to search
out and discover. "It took a while for the band to get to the sound
they have now," explains Weibe. "When we started we were trying to be
a death metal band with male vocals and me singing in the background.
Then we ended up not finding a vocalist that we wanted so I ended up
doing the vocals. At that time we had a second guitarist and we had a
lot of difficulty bringing it together to work. We then cut down to
four members and it worked out pretty well from that point on. As a
band we listen to lots of different things," reveals Weibe about
their influences, "but I have to say that we all have an interest
with bands like My Dying Bride and Type O Negative, and some older
Paradise Lost and goth-style music. We like music with feelings and
moodiness. I guess that is why we play the music we create, right?
Because we enjoy it."
A lot of bands nowadays, especially in the metal genre, are
edging towards breaking away from the mold of being just a typical
metal band by trying to add different elements and features into
their music, in attempting to making their music unique in some form
or another. What does Weibe think is the uniqueness about them? "I
think it is the combination of both the female vocals, the melody and
the keyboard parts combined with the really heavy guitar and bass
sound. I think that is what makes us different. Sure there are some
bands that play music that way, but we do it our own way, with an
Embrace sound."
While independent, and working hard to promote the band in their
area (Southern Ontario), Embrace is slowly trying to get some label
interest in them. Weibe doesn't push away the notion of wanting to be
scooped up by a label, as some young acts would want to be indie for
sometime before signing. Rather, Weibe and her band have their arms
open to any kind of support. "We would love to get signed," notes
Weibe. "It would just be great for exposure and a great experience.
We would really like to get some exposure in Europe, as I think this
music would do well for us over there 'cause there is an audience for
the music we play. We'll see what happens."
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This is where we rant, rave, and rip apart albums. Check this column
every month for the scoop on the latest in heavy hand-outs.
Scoring: 10 out of 10 -- If there was ever a perfect CD, this is it!
8 out of 10 -- A great piece of metallic mayhem
6 out of 10 -- Not too bad of an album
4 out of 10 -- You are treading in dangerous waters
2 out of 10 -- If you like this, you are fucked!
0 out of 10 -- My shit can put out better music than this!
Abigor - _Opus IV_ (Napalm Records, August 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (9 out of 10)
These guys are definitely one of the black metal scene's very best
bands, and this killer release contains their most intense and
creative work yet. Of course, _Opus IV_ features all the trademark
Abigor touches; technical prowess, dynamic structures, ultra-pained
vocals, stirring medieval flourishes, and layers of inventive
embellishments. Just check out the opener, "Crimson Horizons and
Ashen Skies" for all of the above. Yet this CD is even more involved
and, at times, more aggressive than anything they've done before.
Tracks like "Mirages for the Eyes of the Blind" and "Dimensions of
Thy Unforgiven Sins (Part 1)" just seethe with feverish intensity,
plunging through wild musical twists and turns punctuated by
intriguing effects and unexpected interludes. It's ambitiously
creative stuff, but they totally pull it off, producing some very
weird, dark, and evocative sounds - a wild style of black metal which
is all their own. This is the album which the fury of _Orkblut_ and
the complexity of _Nachthymnen_ only hinted at. Strongly recommended
to -any- metal fan seeking something savage, strange, and original.
Ablaze My Sorrow - _If Emotions Still Burn_ (No Fashion, July 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (7 out of 10)
Despite the moniker of this band, which would make one think it were
a doom metal band, Ablaze My Sorrow is yet another in the long line
of "melodic black/death metal" bands hailing from Sweden, the
majority of which are talented and extremely listenable musicians.
AMS is no exception to this trend. In fact, although they are not
better than their brethren, they stand slightly apart, musically. If
you are expecting just another Dark Tranquillity, In Flames or Gates
of Ishtar with this debut album, you'll be fairly surprised at the
direction AMS takes, with the much rawer (not deeper) vocals, and
different melody structures put forth. The playing might not be as
tight as others, and some of the songs just seem to meander on, but
there is enough here to keep the listener interested, and to come
back for more. Indeed, this album took some time to grow on me, I
hardly liked it at all at first, but after a few more listens, I've
grown to like _If Emotions Still Burn_ quite a bit, and suggest it to
all who consider themselves a fan of the genre.
Bile - _Teknowhore_ (Energy Records, June 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (2 out of 10)
I have never been a real big fan of Bile, and let's just say with the
release of _Teknowhore_, I still am not one. I've seen them live once
(Foundations Forum Conference '94) and wasn't that impressed. Though
the band uses lots of samples, visuals, and stage antics all coraled
into one huge live presentation, it just doesn't seem to do the job.
The music lacks something. Creativity? Substance? Whatever the case
may be, the bottom line is that as these "industrial terrorists" hide
behind their visuals or personalities (i.e. Omen, R.H. Bear, Slave)
to create an image, and from that their music lacks. Playing the CD,
it emits no real genius, just noise and more noise of industrial
noise and absurd lyrics rolled into one. The band's debut album for
Energy Records, _Suckpump_ (1994) wasn't anything to get riled over
about either; just the same shit. I'm not recommending this CD to
anyone. Okay, maybe Gwar fans. No, maybe not even them.
Blackmail - _A Female Impersonator_ (Ransom Records, August 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (2 out of 10)
With a really cheesy aura to their EP, _A Female Impersonator_,
Sweden's three-piece Blackmail are a real gem of a find. Cloaked in
Dream Theater-meets-Iron Maiden-meets-Savatage feel to it (not to
mention some Black Sabbath and Kiss influence), the 4-song offering
by the trio is just horrible. The songs ("Female Impersonator",
"Demons Hide", "I Become", and "World of Misery") have a kind of 80s
metal sound at times, too. I mean, the music is okay, some pretty
standard vocals, guitar parts, and melodies are here, but the lyrics?
Ouch! Example: "... so put on your high heels and I'll see you later/
Oooh... female impersonator..." or "... when I'm dead I'll be glad if
I see you in Hell..." Gimme a break. Lots of critics like the band
and their debut CD-EP _Schizophrenic_, and I don't know why. This new
record needs to be put away before it gives someone a coronary.
Blood Axis - _The Gospel of Inhumanity_ (Cthulhu/Storm Records, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (10 out of 10)
Bach originally composed the music for two of the tracks. The lyrics
to "Between Birds of Prey" are taken directly from the writings of
Nietzche. None other than Charles Manson orates the vocals for
another track. Add fantastic packaging along with an apocalyptic and
melancholic aura permeating throughout, and how could I not salivate
all over this disc? This is easily one of the more diverse recordings
that I have encountered; the best description for this is ambient
gothic with heavy symphonic influences, but that alone does not give
Blood Axis justice. A heavy early Current 93 and Death in June
influence can also be detected, but three tracks build a foundation
upon an electric guitar, something that neither of the two
aforementioned bands have been willing to attempt. The vocals can
equal the music in its decrepit beauty; they are deep, unwavering,
and powerful, and the corresponding lyrics generally deal with themes
that can be associated with Nietzchian/philosophical Satanist/etc.
dogma, with a bit of a militaristic flair thrown in. Some of the
better lyrical moments include the two-minute "make love - make war"
mantra, along with the mythology-based "Reign I Forever", written by
H. W. Longfellow. So far, this is my favorite release in an otherwise
disappointing '96.
Bloodstone - _Hour of the Gate_ (Burn Records, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon (5 out of 10)
This is pretty typical melodic death metal. It was dubbed
"death/black," but I see little black metal influence at all. They do
have a fair amount of black metal-like single note line melodies, but
they are played in a death metal fashion. In any case, they're more
closely related to Morbid Angel than Dissection. In fact, their main
sound reminds me of a more melodic Morbid Angel, perhaps like
_Blessed Are the Sick_ meets _The Karelian Isthmus_. I can't say that
it's really bad, but these guys aren't really too professional about
what they do, and it shows. The music is a little sloppy, though not
grossly incompetent. Their main problem is just that the music isn't
that interesting. It's all pretty standard stuff that's been done
before, and done better. It's unfortunate to note that the last three
songs (which are older) are actually longer and more interesting than
the newer songs. That doesn't bode well for their future. I'd avoid
this unless you're a death metal fanatic.
Brighter Death Now - _Innerwar_ (Release, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (9 out of 10)
Unfortunately, power electronics guru Roger Karmanik's 5th
full-length album has disregarded many of the qualities that made
previous works exceptional; namely, their melancholy and
multi-dimensional horror. Instead, he decided to create the next best
thing; sheer aural destruction, which is more in the vein of other
Release "noise" bands, along with Karmanik's earliest creations under
the Lille Roger moniker. In comparison to previous material,
_Innerwar_ is 10 times as intense and painful; BDN are now capable of
matching most Japanese noise bands in the category of nihilistic
brutality. Karmanik has still managed to retain a suffocatingly dark
ambience, largely due to his patented manipulation of rumbling bass
drones and distorted, monster-like screams in the background, the
latter being used to the greatest effect during the album's grand
finale, while, at times, the bass and screams combined to violently
shake the walls surrounding my stereo (although this is due to my
obscenely cheap walls more than anything else). These factors help
add some of his previous work's emotion to the mix; BDN is still
capable of transcending the comparative stoicism of his many peers.
Brighter Death Now has remained one of the more esoteric bands
currently creating music; _Innerwar_ should literally terrify and
overwhelm the typical "metalhead." BUT, Karmanik's latest exploration
of the extreme music spectrum's further reaches will guarantee that
those with a sense of experimentation will be greeted with one of the
more blissful hells in existence.
Brutality - _In Mourning_ (Nuclear Blast, August 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out 10)
Back with their third effort, Tampa, Florida's Brutality return in
1996 with _In Mourning_, a hardening display of massive death metal
sounds and pure intensity. Listen to the strength of numbers like
"Destroyed By Society" or the Oklahoma bombing-inspired "Died With
Open Eyes", and you can feel the heartening satisfaction of Brutality
once again ripping at our skulls as they did with their two previous
records _Screams of Anguish_ and _When the Sky Turns Black_, with
their detonating drums beats, sinister riffs, and gargantuan growls.
With a new guitar section that includes newcomers Dana Walsh
(ex-Degradation) and Pete Sykes (ex-Execration), Brutality have been
able to step above what they have done in the past. A fresh guitar
sound by both have added more intensity to the music the band plays,
as seen on tracks like "Obsessed", "Subjected to Torture" and
"Extinction". But something Brutality lacks with _IM_ is the ability
to stay focused. The record is a scattered assortment of bruising
songs and overpowering heaviness that rarely weaves together one
crushing blow. We get racked around but never really knocked out.
Maybe more focus will next time bring out one strong idea as opposed
to numerous tracks going their own way, and every so often pummeling
us. Other than that, an enjoyable death metal release.
Brutal Truth - _Kill, Trend, Suicide_ (Relapse, October 1996)
by: Gino Filicetti (8 out of 10)
Although hardly EP length, this 35-minute opus from New York's
influential grindcore/hardcore/punk/crust/death/speed metal freaks,
Brutal Truth, is definitely an album to write home about. Contained
herein are ten tracks of ferociousity and mayhem which have an urgent
message to convey: Our World Bites the Big One. Some of the topics
touched on by Brutal Truth this time around are social decline,
scapegoat-ism, war, the great marijuana lie, religion, trends, and
one track whose topic can not be expressed better than it is by the
title, "Humanity's Folly". The music on this release is much more raw
sounding than previous efforts, as if the band said, "Fuck the mix,
let's just play." I think this captures the brutal essence of the
band like never before. As always, the drumming can be described as
controlled chaos thanks to skinsman Rich Hoak. The vocals on _Kill,
Trend, Suicide_ are not as well-defined as they should be. I think
they should have been much higher in the mix and perhaps worked on a
little more; nothing will beat Kevin Sharp's vox on _Need to
Control_. The ninth track, "I Killed My Family", is a cover of a YDI
(why die) song from the early eighties; very descriptive and very
sick lyrics to say the least. Seeing as this is an EP, it seems
Brutal Truth are only teasing us and making us lust for what lies
ahead on their next full-length. Only time will tell people, so be
patient. I know I won't.
Brutal Truth / Spazz 7" split (Rhetoric/Bovine, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski
Brutal Truth (2 out of 5)
Once one of the scene's premier purveyors of experimental grind,
Brutal Truth have degenerated into yet another monotonous grind
bands. These 3 tracks are mostly hindered by a weak production; the
repetitive drums are mastered too high, forcing the equally
repetitive guitars to an almost inaudible level. Granted, this is
just a 7" on a small label and I doubt that they had much - if any -
of a recording budget, but I still expected much better songs from
one of my favorite bands. Maybe it's time for Dan Lilker to find yet
another outfit to play in.
Spazz (3 out of 5)
Surprisingly enough, this is actually an improvement on the Brutal
Truth side. Spazz are more hardcore influenced than the comparatively
deathy Brutal Truth, which improves the track-to-track variety, as I
was actually able to differentiate one song from the next. Also,
they're probably the only band in this genre - hell, one of the only
extreme bands ever, regardless of genre - to actually use a banjo on
a track. This actually improves the song; it adds some melody,
without becoming obtrusive or sacrificing any of the extremity. On
the negative side, Spazz suffers, although to a lesser extent, from
the same recording problems that Brutal Truth does, and they really
should drop the juvenile skater imagery and lyrics - although the
non-skater related "Nuge on a Stick" is fairly amusing.
Cryptopsy - _None So Vile_ (Wrong Again Records, 1996)
by: Alain M. Gaudrault (10 out of 10)
Godly. This is without a doubt some of the most intense music I've
ever heard. Fans of grinding death, your ship has come in, and its
name is Cryptopsy. Turning up the level of complexity and embracing
an appreciation of early speed metal as a few other Montreal-area
bands have been doing of late, these Quebecers merit massive amounts
of recognition for the genius that graces the 32 minutes of this
album. Cryptopsy manages to incorporate a slight Slayer influence,
yet woven seamlessly throughout and weighed down by death metal mire,
creating a unique sound within the death/grind genre. They've taken
the sound pioneered by Suffocation, and added even more razor-sharp
precision, solos which are more musical in nature, and better use of
dual guitars. Interestingly, Jon Levasseur is the only credited
guitarist on this album, although the band dedicates the work to
ex-axeman Steve Thibault. It's unclear whether Levasseur performed
all of the guitar tracks himself, or whether Thibault gave a lending
hand. Regardless, whether it be meaty grooves, chugging rhythms or
breakneck riffing, every note is rendered with expert timing without
losing intensity or feeling. Miguel Roy was recruited for the second
guitarist slot, and judging from his performance at The Embassy (see
this issue), he can hold his own. Eric Langlois' bass playing is
nifty, that is whenever the mix delivers it enough for it to be
readily audible. It's a cool plucking technique which isn't as
annoying as funk slapping. Flo Mounier's drumming is the proverbial
icing, always frenetic, crisp, blazingly fast, and amazingly complex
to the point where I'm often left wondering just how he can manage to
get so many simultaneous beats with only four limbs. Spectacular.
Lord Worm's vocals serve to round out the whole affair, taking a hint
from John Tardy regarding the intent behind his delivery. His vocals
aren't remotely like that of the Obituary frontman, and are at first
listen a seemingly mixed bag of current styles, but the arrangements
of death growls, piercing screams, and grunts in an entirely
unintelligible manner reinforce the concept of vocals as an
instrument on par with drums and bass. The vocals fit the music
perfectly, consistently adding to the intensity without becoming lame
or monotonous, always in time with the music, always properly
reflecting the mood set by the harsh melodies. He utters
uncomprehensible dialogue, and yet, he is able to speak to the
listener through his primitive discourse. My only complaint, and I
was tempted to dock them a mark for it, is that the credits, and in
particular the lyrics, are often washed out in the background,
causing undue strain to the eyes. Lord Worm's lyrics being what they
are, reading them's an absolute must, and in turn, an absolute joy.
His writing style is quite poetic, yet chillingly perverse. Instead
of going right for the jugular in his descriptions of atrocities, he
instead creates mental images on both a physical and emotional level.
Twisted, fluid, nasty. This is definitely the album Gregory
Nalbandian is looking for. Gregory, if you don't have this already,
remedy the situation immediately. Basically, this is the holy grail
of extreme death for 1996. I swear.
Dawn - _Sorgh Pa Svarte Vingar Flogh_ (Necropolis, September 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (8 out of 10)
Back with an altered lineup and a slightly different sound, Swedish
black metallers Dawn's new MCD follows their extremely impressive
(and still played multiple times per week by yours truly) debut,
_Naer Solen Gar Niber for Evogher_. Although not quite matching up to
the awesome first album, _Sorgh Pa Svarte Vingar Flogh_ (which
translates to "sorrow flies on black wings") is still a solid effort.
So what are the changes, you ask? First, rhythm guitarist Andreas is
out, and is now replaced by Herr A. Fullmestad. Second, this release
is much blacker sounding than _NSGNFE_, and is not as overtly
melodic. The production has changed also, the lead guitar is now
nowhere near as high in the mix, and bass is inaudible. Now to the
songs. This MCD consists of four tracks, unfortunately only two of
which can be considered "real" and original songs. It starts off with
"Vya Kal", a quiet minute and a half intro which leads right into the
second track, "Sorrow Flew on Black Wings". To get an idea of what
this song sounds like, just think of any song off Marduk's latest
album, _Heaven Shall Burn When we are Gathered_, played with a little
more melody and variation. The next track, "Soil of Dead Earth",
starts off mid-paced and melodic and then goes into another
Marduk-esque blast, but again played with more melody and variation.
The MCD is concluded with a cover of Infernal Majesty's "Night of the
Living Dead". Since I haven't heard the original song I can't comment
on it in that respect, but listening to it for what it is, it's a
decent track, though distinctly un-Dawn-like. It would be almost
impossible to top _NSGNFE_, and Dawn doesn't quite achieve this, but
_SPSVF_ is still a very good album on it's own rights, and, for only
$10 direct from Necropolis, you've got nothing to lose by buying it.
Devastation - _Violent Termination_ (Defiled Records, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (8 out of 10)
If I heard this during its proper historical epoch - i.e. 1987, when
this was first released on vinyl - I would applaud this as being
highly original, and possibly one of my favorite albums. Now, in
1996, this CD reissue is a bit of an anachronism, although the music
is strong enough to remain somewhat fresh, and is still definitely a
worthy listen. Devastation conjure up images of good ol' mid-80s
deathrash; they have a sense of melody that few, if any, current
death bands are capable of matching, while retaining enough brutality
to match such classic bands as Kreator and Death. The music is
technically competent - more so than many of their peers, as a matter
of fact - and the production is relatively raw, but up to par with
other similar bands. The four additional live tracks at the end of
this album prove that Devastation once had quite an intense live
experience, and culminate a stunning release. Defiled deserves kudos
for finally releasing this one on CD.
Exit 13 - _Smoking Songs_ (Relapse Records, September 1996)
by: Gino Filicetti (8 out of 10)
This album has got to be one of the most anticipated albums I've seen
in a long time. For months I've been asked countless times when Exit
13 was going to release _Smoking Songs_, so I'm very happy to say,
"Here it is folks!" Although not your average Exit 13 album (but then
again, which Exit 13 album could be considered average?), _Smoking
Songs_ proves to be an ultra-cool CD full of marijuana anthems from
the 20s, 30s, and 40s. All of these songs are covered as closely as
possible to the original tunes. Yes, that means that they all consist
of ragtime, swing, and jazz style music. However, don't let that
scare you at all, what lies here is a stoner's paradise, thirteen
tracks of buds, bongs, and big fat J's. Most of the vocals on this
album come to us care of Bliss Blood (from Pain Teens), her
hallucinatory harmonies are definitely a treat, and one of the
highpoints of this album. Some notable tracks include "Light Up!", a
marijuana anthem if I've ever heard one. "Jack I'm Mellow" is a
catchy cover of the 1938 song by Trixie Smith. "1'1 (Thirteen Inches
of Fun)" and "Weed" may be familiar to some of you who got a hold of
the rare _UHF/VHF_ sampler from Relapse. And finally, the hidden
fourteenth track consists of a "grind/swing" song called "Loading
Dock" that is total mayhem! Check this one out people, just make sure
you've smoked enough green beforehand.
Gates of Ishtar - _A Bloodred Path_ (Spinefarm, July 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (7 out of 10)
Gates of Ishtar has gotten a lot of pre-release publicity for their
debut album on Spinefarm Records. Most of it has been on the positive
side, with them being compared to At the Gates and Dissection,
musically. So how does the actual CD rate? It is, not surprisingly,
very good... that is if you don't mind a little bit of recycling and
a decided lack of originality. The album starts out with a fairly
long (for an intro) instrumental intro, which sounds vaguely similar
to a few other Swedish bands. The second track then sets the stage
for the remainder of this CD, which follows a very similar song
structure, and becomes predictable after a while. Alternating between
extremely fast sections which sound reminiscent of a combination of
black metal speed with melodic death metal melodies, and slow
sections with some forgettable solos, GoI somehow manage to pull off
a sound which is both instantly recognizable to any listener of Dark
Tranquillity or In Flames, yet also great to listen to on its own
merit. The vocals are what you usually get from this type of band:
not exactly death metal growling, and not quite black metal
screeching. They definitely aren't bad, just middle of the road.
Unfortunately, this CD falls prey to the recurring problem of a short
playing time. Even with an intro and horrible W.A.S.P. cover at the
end (it's just a bad song, by anyone), this album still seems like it
is over before it even began. With all of the similarities to other
bands of the genre, and some obviously ripped-off parts (track 4
intro = Swordmaster's "Wraths of Time"), Gates of Ishtar still have
an album which is memorable and worth listening to again and again.
Gehenna - _Malice_ (Cacophonous Records, September 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (7 out of 10)
This one is a tough call. On the one hand, Gehenna are a band who
possess tons of talent in composing and performing black metal music
that stretches the boundaries of the genre, incorporating gothic,
thrash, and classical influences while staying (more or less) true to
the atmospheric black metal style most often associated with Emperor.
On the other hand, though, I find it kind of hard to really get into
their stuff. In fairness to the band, there are some undeniably great
songs on this release. Opener "She Who Loves the Flames" is so full
of twists and hooks that it's impossible not to enjoy; "The
Pentagram" rages compellingly from beginning to end; "Ad Arma Ad
Arma" displays a cool flair for experimentation. But all in all, I
think _Malice_ is a bit lacking in the stark viciousness of the very
best black metal. The overall sound is quite reminiscent of Emperor,
but with much greater variety in tempos - and with keyboards that
tend to dominate the mix in a way that gives the music an overly
flowery, sometimes carnivalesque sound. (And I'm not one of these
stupid "All keyboards suck!" people - I just think Gehenna goes a bit
overboard in their use.) I want a frosty sonic wind coming out of my
speakers when I listen to black metal - with this band the result is
often more like syrup. Still, they're unquestionably great at what
they do, so fans of the Emperor style who want to hear something
energetic and interesting should definitely check 'em out.
Godflesh - _Songs of Love and Hate_ (Earache, August 1996)
by: Adam Wasylyk (7 out of 10)
To start off, this isn't the average CD I listen to, but I did find
myself enjoying this. Godflesh return with 11 songs of industrial
metal that is very bass driven, which is what I love to hear on a
record. Songs like "Wake", "Sterile Prophet", "Gift From Heaven", and
"Kingdom Come" really drive the bass sound home and are very catchy
to listen to. Accompanied with the strong music are painful lyrics
from vocalist J.K. Broadrick, whose vocals I thought really stood
out. Musically these guys very much reminded me of Misery Loves
Company. The use of samples and the synths were also very well done,
which I felt truly enhanced the music. Not much else to say, other
than if Godflesh made a fan out of me, then I'm sure older fans will
like it and perhaps others who haven't heard of Godflesh will dig it
too. I look forward to seeing them on their North American tour.
Hecate Enthroned - _Upon Promeathean Shores_ (Blackend, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon (6 out of 10)
Apparently, this band was formed by some ex-members of Cradle of
Filth, and they've taken not only the CoF sound with them, but even
the artwork on the back of the _TPoEMF_ CD insert. Anyway, this
sounds like a better produced, but unfortunately drab and less
interesting version of _The Principle of Evil Made Flesh_. The CoF
style has been nearly completely copped, with similar vocals,
guitars, drums, keyboards, and even some whispering in the albums
opening keyboard-only intro. The gothic elements aren't as pervasive
as they were on _Vempire_, but are evident in about the same levels
as they were on _TPoEMF_. However, Hecate Enthroned really lack the
imagination of CoF, and this ends up sounding like the worst parts of
_TPoEMF_. It does have a few shining moments, however. There are
really only four songs here, as the opener and closer are keyboard
only instrumentals. I'd recommend it to those looking for something
in the style of CoF, but don't expect too much.
Hypocrite - _Edge of Existence_ (Off World, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon (6 out of 10)
Hypocrite are yet another band exploring the fertile waters between
death metal and black metal. Their emphasis is more on the melodic
death metal side, like Amorphis' _The Karelian Isthmus_, but they
incorporate a good deal of melodic death/black metal influence as
well. Most of these black metal-like parts are well done, and remind
me most of Sacramentum's _Finis Malorum_, being melodic, single-note
line riffs, usually with either harmonization or countermelodies. One
nice thing to note is that their melodic parts aren't completely
predictable, which tends to be a big problem among melodic bands
(e.g. In Flames). These parts of the album work very well, but their
transitions between them and the more typical melodic death metal
sections could be a little smoother. They also suffer from the same
out-of-tune guitar problems that Sacramentum did on their MCD, which
really detract from their effect. There are a few repeated motives
throughout the album, which I found curious, because this album isn't
in any way a concept album. Even more curious is the inclusion of the
song "A Black Wound", which seems completely out of place. In fact,
it sounds like something off of Fates Warning's _Parallels_. I don't
know what the band was thinking including it. These guys seem to be
fleshing out the spectrum between death metal and black metal, and do
a reasonably good job at it. I'd recommend them above Amon Amarth
(see CoC #12) in the (more death than black) death/black field.
Inferno - _Utter Hell_ (Osmose Productions, September 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (7 out of 10)
Wish the 80s had never come to an end? Well, slap this CD in the
player, and these guys will take you right back to the good old days
of the evil thrash metal underground. Big time. Think of the Slayer
sound circa _Haunting the Chapel_, cross it with the crazed
riff-mania of Exodus' vicious _Bonded by Blood_, add some vintage
Venom panache, and you've got Inferno. Start to finish, it's a
frenzied melee of wicked thrash riffs (some of which you've
-definitely- heard before), galloping tempos, piercing shrieks of
feedback, and - of course - tons of metal cliches. (I mean, these
guys play "Ripping Hell" and "Storming Metal" back to back!) Some of
the songs are total old school barnstormers - like the multi-riff-ic
"Sodom" and "Infernal Invasion", to name just two. Indeed, I found
_Utter Hell_ a lot more enjoyable than I figured I would - though I
find that it helps to tune out the dumb lyrics. (This especially
helps when the words degenerate from the usual boring Satan stuff
into sexist bullshit like "Necroslut" and "Torment Her" - the kind of
silly adolescent crap that makes metal musicians and fans look
socially retarded.) Still, on a purely musical level, this band
totally delivers the goods - even if they have showed up about a
decade late.
Inquisition - _Incense of Rest_ (Defiled Records, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (6 out of 10)
Released in a time of numerous unoriginal "trend" followers, I find
it quite refreshing when a newer metal band such as Inquisition hits
the scene. Although their sound is in no way revolutionary, it's a
unique hybrid of various styles, thus they comfortably escape
comparison with any other band. The music generally tends to
alternate between blasting death metal passages and melodic, mid-
paced old school black metal, and the vocals are a hybrid of demonic
squeals and guttural grunts; IMO, they fit the music perfectly.
Inquisition show some immaturity in their compositions. The frequent
shifts between blast beats and melodies sometimes lack coherence;
this is most noticeable on "Whispering in Tears of Blood", the first
of this album's four non-instrumental tracks. Also, the outro,
"Meditation Before the Kill", adds too much of a jovial ambience to
the otherwise somber mood. Given some time to iron out these
mistakes, Inquisition have the potential to evolve into one of the
scene's better bands; as is, this is a solid, albeit unspectacular,
debut.
Insatanity - _Divine Decomposition_ (Unisound Records, June 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (7 out of 10)
This up-and-coming Philadelphia band pounds out fairly standard death
metal in the sick and guttural style of bands like Internal Bleeding
and Suffocation. At their best, they do it in a massively weighty
way, melding together some very evil-sounding riffs, raspy shrieks,
super-deep growling, and tempos all over the map. The band sounds
especially heavy plowing through some crushing grooves at mid and
slower speeds - and they're not shy about playing fast, either
(though I think they sound a bit less distinctive when they're just
blasting away). "Transfiguration", "The Blood is the Life", and the
title track all showcase a finely honed death metal outfit executing
some compelling material with conviction and skill. The production on
this CD is a bit rough, though, but it doesn't really take much away
from the music. Does this release measure up to the creative
intensity and technical bombast of a band like Kataklysm or Cannibal
Corpse? No. But it's solid, real heavy stuff nonetheless.
Intrinsic - _Closure_ (Independent, 1995)
by: Brian Meloon (5 out of 10)
Intrinsic are an unsigned band from Phoenix, Arizona. _Closure_
certainly is a competent and serious offering, but it really lacks
any unique style or focus to really set it apart from the throngs of
unsigned metal bands. Their main style seems to be a variant of that
hardcore/Pantera style that is so popular, but upon inspection of the
whole album, I heard parts that sounded like country, rap, old
fashioned rock'n'roll, industrial, and even funk. In fact, I kept
getting the feeling as I was listening to it "hey, that really sounds
like Black Sabbath (with Dio singing)," or "that really sounds like
Memento Mori," etc. However, it is worth noting that there isn't a
predominant influence that I could discern. There are a multitude of
different vocal styles employed, from shouted to distorted to
melodic, and many different feels, all set within the constraints of
(usually) standard song structures. All of this makes for a 15-track
album that really offers up too many styles, and not enough
individual feel or coherence. Although it is well produced and well
played, that alone isn't sufficient to set it apart from the pack.
Lethargy - _It's Hard to Write With a Little Hand_ (Endless, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon (9 out of 10)
Lethargy are one of the few truly unique bands out there right now.
Their sound is probably best compared to the extremely technical
style of Sieges Even (circa _Life Cycle_) or to Atheist (circa
_Unquestionable Presence_), but that's not quite right. There are
some moments which sound like a more aggressive Death (circa
_Symbolic_), and even a slight Primus influence. Most of the album is
aggressive, complete with blast beats, but some of the riffs sound
"goofy" (though not "goofy" in a bad way, i.e. unintentionally
goofy). Their style is very technical, though technical in a
"noodley" way, not concentrating on complex rhythmic syncopations,
but rather complex individual parts weaved together into a single
composition. Unfortunately, these compositions lack structure.
Although there are abbreviated structures here and there, their main
compositional style is the jumble-of-riffs style. For example, the
opening track, "Careborne", has a completely new riff pop up with 8
seconds left in the song. The riff is played a few times, and the
song ends. However unpleasing this compositional style might be (it
isn't at all unpleasing to me), it does fit their approach.
Unfortunately for me, over half of the songs are ones that were on
their previous demos: three are from _Humor Me, You Funny Little Man_
(see review in CoC #4), one is a medley of songs from _Humor Me_ and
_Tainted_, and one ("Among", previously "Among the Dead I Lie") is
from their first demo, _Lost in This Existence_. Still it's nice to
have them on CD, finally. Most of the songs start out with samples,
which seem out of place, since they are used very infrequently
throughout the rest of disc. Also very out of place is the final
track, which is a "remix" of some of their songs, done by the guys in
Forward Now (see CoC #9 or concert review this issue). However,
unlike the Pantera, White Zombie, or Megadeth remixes, this "remix"
bears no resemblance to the original song at all. It doesn't sound
like Lethargy, it sounds like Forward Now, and whatever you might
think of FN, it really doesn't fit with the flavor of the rest of the
album. In any case, the production is great, the playing is great,
and the style is truly unique, so this is essential for all fans of
ultra-technical metal.
Marduk - _Heaven Shall Burn When We Are Gathered_ (Osmose, July 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (9 out of 10)
Ten seconds or so into this CD's amazing opening track, any doubts
that Marduk is one of the most intense bands on this planet should be
vaporized for good. "Beyond the Grace of God" is a totally rabid, yet
streamlined hybrid of haunting black metal riffs, extremely anguished
vocals, and blasting percussion - and it showcases some pretty wild
melodic bass lines to boot. "Beyond..." more or less sets the tone
for the rest of this incredibly relentless album, during which the
band goes on to wring some surprising sonic variety out of the
standard (no keyboards) formula for way-fast black metal.
"Glorification of the Black God" borrows from the classical
barnstormer _Night on Bald Mountain_ (you've heard it), while "The
Black Tormentor of Satan" welds some memorable riffing to ringing
sonic sheets of heavily distorted guitar. Things slow down for the
ultra-grim "Dracul..." - but only momentarily, since "Legion"
follows, and closes the album out at a level of breakneck speed and
severe intensity which is downright scary. (Dig the vocal effects on
this track!) Enhanced by solid production and a clean, clear mix,
_Heaven Shall Burn..._ is an unrelenting and uncompromising slab of
spitting, sped-up rage - definitely Marduk's best work yet, and
easily one of the most extreme black metal releases ever.
Marduk - _Glorification_ (Osmose Productions, September 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10)
This new five-track EP contains four very cool cover songs, plus a
solid remix of one of the best tracks from their latest full-length
release. (See my review of that further up the page.) Each of the
cover songs is a true blast from the blackened past - yep: the 80s -
and together they prove that Marduk can sound awfully wicked, even
doing material which is (somewhat) less extreme than their own. The
early Destruction track, "Total Disaster", is a killer choice for
this band to cover: its super-catchy old school riffs just sound
wicked with Marduk's demon rhythm section lashing them along. The two
old Piledriver tracks are cool, too, since they show that these
grim-faced black metal warriors actually do have a sense of humor!
(Anyway, hearing them crank through "Sex with Satan" suggests that
much to me.) And I like the Bathory cover, too ("The Return of
Darkness and Evil"), even if it doesn't quite measure up to the
creepiness of the original. So even though this EP is a bit mild
compared to _Heaven Shall Burn..._,
it's still some pretty crazy
stuff. Totally recommended to fans of the band, and suggested to
anyone seeking a short sample of seriously blackened, wild sound.
Meliah Rage - _Death Valley Dream_ (Backstreet Records, September 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
Boston's thrash metal band are back with a fully cocked n' loaded
collection of some truly dynamic thrash metal numbers on _Death
Valley Dream_, this being their first release since 1990's _Solitary
Solitude_. It may seem passe to some, but for those that enjoy (and
miss) this sort of metal music, you'll want to check it out. Having
broken up for some time, the band is now regrouped and on independent
label, Backstreet Records, and are back in form once again with
singer Mike Munro delivering some gut-wrenching vocals, and
guitarists Anthony Nichols and Jim Coury providing some serious
guitar shredding, something unheard of in the last little while.
Watch the licks fly on "Blacksmith", "Madness and Poetry" and the
super-cool "War Journal", and be drawn in to the addictive nature of
numbers like the title track and "Prideland". Unlike their previous
records, _SS_ and 1989's _Kill to Survive_, _DVD_ appears to be more
focused and tight with the songwriting as the music seems to lend a
hand in shaping the melody and lyrics and vice versa. It's quite
possible the time apart allowed the band to focus more with what they
wanted to do musically. Whatever the case may be for the sharpness of
the material on _DVD_, the album seems to explode with might and
speed, releasing anger, emotions and furious tension everywhere.
Powerful for sure. Check this out.
Mork Gryning - _Tusen Ar Har Gatt_ (No Fashion Records, May 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (9 out of 10)
After, in most people's opinion, a very forgettable demo in 1994,
Mork Gryning (Dark Dawn, in English) were somehow picked up by
well-known Swedish label, No Fashion Records. NFR must've known
something that no one else did, because Mork Gryning's debut album,
_Tusen Ar Har Gatt_ (A Thousand Years Have Passed), is a masterpiece
and ranks thus far as one of my favorite albums of 1996. Weighing in
at an extremely short 33 minutes, there is hardly a dull moment
during the nine tracks which constitute this chunk of Swedish black
metal. After the one-minute intro, the first real song swiftly kicks
in, and from then on this CD is impossible to stop listening to.
Accusations of sounding a little too much like former NFR band
Dissection have been voiced by some, and they are not untrue. The
song structures are extremely similar to Dissection's, and a couple
of the melodies are also much alike. However, this release is much
faster and more brutal (but definitely not better) than Dissection.
The faster parts are often interrupted with mellow acoustic and
keyboard sections. These parts are good, but most of them seem a
little forced, and not entirely needed. On the other hand, by far the
best part of this album would be the extremely melodic and clean
melodies that are interspersed in each song. On the lyrical side, the
lyrics are supposed to tell a story, and each song is a continuation
of the last in this respect. Although half the lyrics are in Swedish,
the English parts are enough to follow the story by, for the most
part. Overall this is a fine release, and a worthy addition to any
fan of melodic black metal's collection.
James Murphy - _Convergence_ (Shrapnel Records, August 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (6 out of 10)
After listening to James Murphy's new solo effort for the first time,
I wondered if it was appropriate for review in COC; it can hardly be
labeled "extreme music." Although not an entirely bad album, do not
buy this in hopes of hearing "solos from Spiritual Healing - Part
II." The music here is definitely NOT death metal, but leans much
more to the side of hard rock/metal and maybe (gasp) a little...
alternative. A lot of the tracks have vocals, and these too are your
basic heavy metal/alternative vocals (performed by various well-known
vocalists). Probably the only saving grace of this CD are the awesome
solos sprinkled liberally throughout, which just ooze James Murphy
all over them. Everyone who's heard his amazing leads knows this
sound. Other than that, the extremely boring riffs, below average
vocals, and overall lack of direction lead to an album with
questionable merit and no intensity at all. If more of the tracks had
been like "Convergence", or "Vision", the solo-fests that they are,
this album would've been much better off. Bottom line: If you don't
mind sitting through 3 minutes of crap to hear an amazing one minute
solo, or don't mind only three or four listenable songs, don't buy it.
Mystifier - _The World Is So Good That Who Made It Doesn't Live Here_
by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10) (Osmose Productions, August 1996)
Mystifier's songwriting displays the kind of cunning artistry which
you don't often hear propelling such dark and punishing music. And
these guys can be punishing indeed: they play a predominantly
mid-paced, low-tuned, super-heavy style of death metal, augmented by
a solid production job and set apart by a number of distinctive
touches. For instance: their vocalist is a tenor! This seems
unbelievable, I know, but if you ask me, it works. For one thing, he
sings in a pretty standard "gruff" style most of the time anyway -
but on the odd moments when he belts it out in a (more or less) clear
voice, he adds a very distinctive vibe to the music, encompassing way
more emotional range than the usual death metal burping. The band is
also notable for pushing dense but very crisp-sounding bass lines way
up front in the mix, for featuring some very tasty lead guitar work,
and for artfully spicing their arrangements with keyboards (piano and
organ tones, not new-agey stuff). Their songs tend to gradually mount
from an atmosphere of chilly foreboding to one of big-time tension,
as on the amazing "Chant to the Goddess of Love", which continually
builds and builds in sonic depth and emotional intensity. This isn't
the kind of stuff that reaches right out and grabs you: you have to
really pay attention, but when you do, you find that there's a hell
of a lot going on. The basic formula might wear a bit thin over time,
I think - but this is way heavy, really creative stuff nonetheless.
Mythological Cold Towers - _Sphere of Nebaddon..._
by: Adam Wasylyk (8 out of 10) (Sound Riot Prod., August 1996)
Some great music comes my way from Mythological Cold Towers. Their
slow, doom/death metal approach is very refreshing to hear. Songs
worthy of note are "The Vastness of a Desolated Glory" and "Slaves in
the Imaginary Abyssal Line", both of which demonstrate M.C.T.'s
talent at slow, eerie riffing, and "Exotic Voluptuousness of a Lost
Feeling of Life", for its sheer majestic sound, very similar to
Visceral Evisceration's slow, doomy feel. Keyboards and acoustic
guitaring are scattered throughout most of the songs, which greatly
enhanced the pleasure I got from listening to this. Speed is rarely
used, a slower paced is preferred, and is what the band's good at.
Doom/death like it should be.
Contact: MYTHOLOGICAL COLD TOWERS c/o Sound Riot Productions
P.O. Box 251, Campo Grande, MS, 79002-970, Brazil
Namanax - _Cascading Waves of Electronic Turbulence_ (Release, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (7 out of 10)
While my reaction was somewhat lukewarm to Namanax's debut on
Release, they have rebounded with one of the more inventive noise CDs
yet to come from my home country. The opening track, "Contaminating
Influence", is bass-heavy and monotonous; the sound is actually
somewhat akin to a recorded, and over-amplified, squash match. Next
up is the main course, the 47-minute title track. If the opener can
be compared to a game of squash, the only fitting comparison that can
be made for this one is to an Americanized Chernobyl. After the
initial meltdown and ensuing destruction, this track starts off
sparse, as only the unimportant - due to the fact that they only make
$5 an hour, of course - factory workers get mutilated. As the blast -
BTW, this is a massive explosion - slowly envelopes the surrounding
areas, Namanax adds a myriad of cacophonous clashes and shrieks to
their bludgeoning mix. This is harsh noise, not death metal, so do
you think that the senseless maiming ends here? Of course not! The
bodies continue to pile up; an outside observer can easily discern
the skin of each victim, along with the listener's ears and the
stereo's speakers, being slowly raped from each helpless American.
With about 10 minutes left in the album, and our wonderful nation's
history, for that matter, this piece evolves into an apocalyptic
cacophony suffused with more than enough bass to satisfy the most
critical masochist; by the culmination of this CD, our country
remains a barren wasteland, only she's now relieved of her obtrusive
human population and related skyscrapers. God bless America.
Nightingale - _The Closing Chronicles_ (Black Mark, August 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10)
I was really not impressed with Nightingale's debut album _The
Breathing Shadow_ and its gothic/80s rock format (see CoC #7), but I
must say that the follow-up to that ridiculous first effort isn't
that bad. With the new style and sound of Nightingale being pressed
as somewhere between Marillion, Kansas and Asia (even Canada's Rush
at times), the effort and creativity put forth by Dan Swano seems to
be more there this time. His music seems to work, with its heavy dose
of synthesizers and melodic riffs creating very captivating songs on
album number two. Noteworthy numbers include: "Thoughts From a Stolen
Soul", "Revival", and "Deep Inside of Nowhere." Those who know of
Swano's work with Edge of Sanity and what he did with the 1995
Nightingale release know that his work with his solo project of
Nightingale is representative of him cleansing out other hopes and
ambitions he wishes to create with his music. Seems as though Swano
did some proper housecleaning this time. _TCC_ is worthy of looking
into if you are fans of progressive metal (Dream Theater/Fates
Warning) or wizard rock (Styx/Genesis).
Old Man's Child - _Born of the Flickering_ (Hot Records, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon (7 out of 10)
This is very high quality black metal. I think "bleak" and "grim" are
appropriate adjectives, but it's not terribly "cold" sounding. There
are lots of comparisons to be made to Dark Tranquillity, both because
of the folk-death touches, and because of the Yngwie-esque parts, but
this is primarily black metal. They make significant and good use of
acoustic guitars, fully integrating them into their sound, and not
relying simply on arpeggiated parts like so many other bands do. This
makes for an original and refreshing sound. However, the almost
Spanish-sounding instrumental in the middle of the album seems really
out of place. Some of the vocals are low death grunt/growls, but the
majority are of the screaming black metal variety. Occasionally,
clean vocals are used, but they're a little flat, reminding me of
Mourning Sign's clean vocals. The playing is precise and the
production is good, so this is well worth searching out, even if it
isn't completely satisfying.
Opeth - _Morningrise_ (Candlelight Records, August 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (8 out of 10)
Alright, let me just start this review off by saying that those of
you who are looking for a continuation of Opeth's first album,
_Orchid_, will be heartily satisfied by _Morningrise_. With that out
of the way, on with the review. For those not familiar with Opeth's
style, it is possibly best described as slow to mid-paced melodic
black metal (for lack of a better *-metal label... who makes up these
things anyway?), without typical BM production. Morningrise is, quite
simply, a great album which tires itself out. Opeth's familiar "take
one part 'forest'/black metal, one part acoustic, mix 4 to 5 times
per song, repeat" song structures remain the same, as does the basic
style in which they are played. This makes for a good combination,
although the acoustic sections are a little too liberally spread
throughout the CD, and gets pretty old after the first 40 minutes,
and then there's still 26 more minutes to go after that. Not to say
that the songs are bad, on the contrary, they're melodic and well
played, with great vocals and the occasional guitar solo; they just
left me thinking "Hey, this is a great song! And perfect length, at 6
minutes long... oh, wait a sec... there's still 9 minutes left."
Also, maybe I'm just not in touch with my inner-acoustic-child, but
the acoustic sections are too numerous, and get old fast. So for
those of you who loved Opeth's first release and are looking for more
of the same, by all means pick up _Morningrise_, you definitely will
not be disappointed. And if you have never heard Opeth before and
think you'd like them, go for it. But if you've heard _Orchid_, and
thought it was just alright, then draw your own conclusion.
Pro-Pain - _Contents Under Pressure_ (Energy Records, July 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
The follow-up to 1994's _The Truth Hurts_ by New York thrash-groovers
Pro-Pain is amazing. From the opener "Crush", _Contents Under
Pressure_ hits ya fast and furious with a deadly groove and harsh
vocals provided by singer/bassist Gary Meskil, and _CUP_ just keeps
the rage and momentum going till the bitter end. Sparked by the
downfalls and the corruptive nature of society in general, Pro-Pain's
third offering continues on where the band left off with _TTH_, with
a dedicated pursuit of keeping the death-ish/hardcore vocals intact
and on fire as well as the brutally honest lyrics, calling the
album's ten songs home. Ideas and visions within songs like the title
track, "Gunya Down", "Against the Grain", and the heavy "Political
Suicide" get embedded deep into our skulls. Society and life isn't
always pretty and the boys in Pro-Pain are making sure we remember
that. Heavy duty noise from a band that has come a long way since the
somewhat dismal debut album _Foul Taste of Freedom_ in 1992. Bands
grow for the better sometimes and this is proof of it.
Psychotic Waltz - _Bleeding_ (Independent, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon (6 out of 10)
This is a step in the right direction for these guys. It's a return
to a style closer to _Into the Everflow_ than _Mosquito_. The songs
remain simpler in structure, but they are heavier, more interesting,
and they've replaced the pseudo-alternative influence of _Mosquito_
with the 70s hippie-rock influence of _ItE_. Although I'm no fan of
70s rock, I think this is a change for the better. They've also
retained their Jethro Tull influence, as the intro to "My Grave" will
attest. I guess the overall mix of the album is about half and half
heavy and light, and half and half hard rock and metal. It's a
reasonably coherent album, but it doesn't get boring. Unfortunately,
it doesn't get too interesting, either. The playing is good, with the
best parts being the guitar solos. However, I get a strong sense of
deja vu when I listen to parts of this album, as they seem to be
taken directly from (or at least heavily influenced by) their
previous albums. Parts of "Locust" evoke a strong recollection of
"Haze One", and the solo in "Sleep" recalls the solos in "Into the
Everflow" and "Strange". I'm sure that if you liked their previous
releases, you'll like this one as well. If you haven't heard them,
and you like 70s rock mixed with metal, you could do much worse. By
the way, although this is an independent release, the packaging is
excellent. It's the best indie packaging I've ever seen; very vibrant
and strange artwork.
Sacramentum - _Far Away from the Sun_ (Adipocere, 1996)
by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10)
On their first full-length offering, Sacramentum fix most of the
mistakes they made on _Finis Malorum_. Gone are the out of tune
parts, (most of) the off-time parts, and the poor production. What's
left? Something that sounds a lot like Dissection. They even have
blue/black cover artwork by Necrolord, and their pictures are in
boxes on the back liner. But to discount them as Dissection rip-offs
on this basis alone would be foolish. Their style is less aggressive
than Dissection, but more intricate, avoiding the overly
straightforward approach that Dissection's latest (see CoC #4)
suffered from. As with Hypocrite (see review this issue), their
melodic parts are usually either harmonized or have countermelodies,
which is a technique that I think works especially well. As was the
case with their MCD (although not quite as much so), the songs on
this offering vary often, switching riffs every couple of times that
they're played. In some cases, this amounts to nothing more than a
change of key or a different drum beat, but it does help to keep the
album from getting boring too quickly. Overall, I was a little
disappointed by this album, but I did have high hopes for it, and it
nearly delivered. I'd recommended it for Dissection and melodic black
metal fans.
Samael - _Passage_ (Century Media, September 1996)
by: Gino Filicetti (9 out of 10)
Back and ready to blow your mind away is the newest offering from
Samael. It's hard to imagine that this is Samael's fourth full-length
when you take a look at the age of its members, the average being 23
years old. Despite this fact however, Samael have grown immensely and
produced an album that is both powerful and mature. _Passage_ begins
with a typical Samael guitar riff and is then enhanced by a
cacophonous keyboard sound. Former drummer Xytras has left from
behind his drum kit since their last album, _Ceremony of Opposites_,
and is now Samael's full time keyboardist and drum programmer. Yes,
you heard me correctly, a drum machine IS used on this album.
Personally, I would have preferred a live drum sound, but in this
case, the drum machine just adds to the atmosphere created by the
extensive use of keyboards and samples. This album is home to many
mind-blowing songs such as the catchy lead track, "Rain", the
powerful "My Savior", the experimental "Jupiterian Vibe" and the
amazing "Liquid Soul Dimension". Samael's musical departure from
black metal has been just about completed with this album, but
lyrically, the theme of true satanism, the worship of the self, is
still intact. Check this one out folks. An amazing band amazes us
again.
Sinister - _Bastard Saints_ (Nuclear Blast, August 1996)
by: Adam Wasylyk (7 out of 10)
Having heard much of their older material, I admit I was never a big
fan of Sinister. But you can't deny that they are cut-throat, never
sloppy, and at times quite brutal. This 5-song mini-CD contains 3 new
songs (actually, one is an intro, the others are the title track and
"Rebels Dome") and 2 remixes of older songs, "Cross the Styx" and
"Epoch of Denial". Listening to the new tracks, they are very much in
the same vein as older material, with fast riffing and controlled
blast beats. The two remixes sound great, with better sounding vocals
and production. If this EP is any indication of what the new album is
going to sound like, then Sinister can rest assured that the band
will still be one of the more popular death metal bands around.
Sinister fans should definitely check this out, and expect an album
early next year.
Slapdash - _Bound_ (MNW Zone, August 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (4 out of 10)
Sounding a lot like Pantera from the get-go on opening track "Bound",
Swedish power-groove metal quintet really don't get far away from
that comparison with the remainder of material on this short
11-minute long EP. At times the band sounds similar to San Fran
thrashers Machine Head as well, even Korn on vocals. The material is
rather weak and repetitive at times. I figure if the band hadn't held
themselves up in some garage somewhere in Sweden with Pantera's _Far
Beyond Driven_ or Machine Head's _Burn My Eyes_ on repeat play, maybe
their power-groove metal material would have had some kind of it's
own identity/personality rather than borrowing from someone else.
Stuck Mojo - _Pigwalk_ (Century Media, October 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10)
This record kicked my ass. BIG TIME! From the opening thrust of title
track "Pigwalk" through powerful concoctions as "(Here Comes) the
Monster", "Despise", and "Violated", the newly altered Stuck Mojo
(new bass player and drummer) from Atlanta, Georgia deliver a truly
dynamic and high-powered follow up to their 1995 debut album,
_Snapping Necks_. While _SN_ showcased the band's hybrid blend of
rap/hardcore/metal, _Pigwalk_ replays their sound, yet is enhanced by
the band's determination to further their sound. The album showcases
the amount of experience the band has attained while doing numerous
tour stops worldwide and captured that in the recording of the album.
Thanks to the stunning production of Strapping Young Lad frontman
Devin Townsend and Meshuggah producer Daniel Bergstrand, Stuck Mojo
have finally been given proper care. The riffs are heavier and the
anger of the band is more detailed this time out. Not only does the
band provide some of the thickest, most sharp-shooting grooves around
on this record but lead singer Bonz still carries the role as
frontman well with his rapping/screaming style. Not many people
originally caught on to Stuck Mojo and what they did, but this time
around Stuck Mojo should have the ball in their court. This band is
for real and _Pigwalk_ is probably one of the best releases this
Fall, maybe even this year. It's not how heavy you are, it's whether
you can play your music.
Therion - _Theli_ (Nuclear Blast, September 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (10 out of 10)
Few albums have left me speechless and in awe. Therion's sixth album
and latest effort, _Theli_, is one of them. First, before I go into
my review of the Therion LP, let me recap what CoC editor-in-chief
Gino Filicetti had to say about the band's previous effort, 1995's
critically acclaimed, _Lepaca Kliffoth_: "... this album is so
gigantic, so enormous, so majestic, so incredible, it *really* is
beyond words..." I couldn't have said anything more on the money than
that for _Theli_ as well. A powerful masterpiece of delicateness,
symphonic sounds, and sheer genius. Guided by composer and guitarist
Christofer Johnsson, Therion's sound is something to take note of
with his visions of melding metal and orchestral symphonies. The way
the material on _Theli_ is written, with its strong emphasis on
uniqueness, we the listener are able to see the patterns of
creativity flow from _Theli_, as they unfold. We are there, feeling
and moving with each orchestral pattern or melodic section. Aided by
several choirs on _Theli_ (The North German Radio Choir, The Siren
Choir, and The Bambek Symphonic Orchestra), this has allowed Johnsson
to create what he has always planned to do with Therion; a record
that was set by no boundaries and in return do something that has yet
to be attempted. The album, sometimes leaves the listener in a form
of orchestral ecstasy. The album (10 tracks) is littered with
enormous epic songs, showcasing emotions, complexity and
intelligence. Be thoroughly impressed with such numbers as
"Invocation of Naamah", the ultra-cool "To Mega Therions",
"Interludium", "The Siren of the Woods", and the phenomenal "Cult of
the Shadows." Buy, order, steal, beg or do whatever you can to get
your hands on this record as it truly stacks up to be one of a kind.
Amazing.
Thou Art Lord - _Apollyon_ (Unisound Records, June 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10)
Thou Art Lord is a side project led by members of the excellent Greek
outfits Necromantia and Rotting Christ, and this, the band's second
full-length release, is a very cool piece of work. The backbone of
TAL's sound is simple, raw, and blasting black metal, but they
distinguish themselves from other practitioners of this overdone
style by artfully positioning moments of true raging blackness inside
highly engaging songs which draw equally from 80s power metal and
thrash. This proves to be a really refreshing approach, since all the
"old school" stuff is done with cool and credible style, while the
persistent black metal influence keeps things from sounding dated, or
"retro" in a trendy sort of way. "Prelude to Apocalypse" gallops
powerfully along in total thrash metal style before madly
accelerating into a blackened blast, while "Wardance of the Empress"
weds fast black metal to pounding old school metal thud. On the other
hand, "Societas Satanas" is ripping thrash straight through, and
"Excremental Magick" is just plain raw and seriously eerie black
metal. Throughout its eight tracks, _Apollyon_ showcases crafty,
catchy songwriting that doesn't skimp on impact or speed. A unique
and highly recommended release.
Type O Negative - _October Rust_ (Attic/Roadrunner, August 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
Light the candles, burn incense and pull the drapes down as New
York's dark, blood lusting gothic quartet Type O Negative are back
with _October Rust_, a follow up to the hugely successful 1993 LP,
_Bloody Kisses_. From "Love You to Death" onward, the mood is set for
_October Rust_ - a very sinister, yet ethereal dose of gothic mayhem
bounded by overwhelming guitar riffs, haunting vocals, and
atmospheric keyboards. Much in the vein of gothic forefathers The
Sisters of Mercy, singer/bassist/Playgirl model Peter Steele leads
his band through a much more commercial sounding record with soft
melodies and vocals that in some way seems more justifying to their
sound. I personally liked the rather abrasive, cutthroat mentality
that called their first two releases (_Slow, Deep And Hard_ and
_Origin of the Feces_) home, but I can live with this. But the
question is, what about the music buying public? Would seem so as the
album debuted in the #42 position in the Billboard Top 200 chart.
Call it sellout material, but I think _October Rust_ is a great
record that captures Type O's ability to mix mood and melody - moreso
than they have done in the past, though captured somewhat with _BK_.
Other choice cuts; first single "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend", "Die
With Me", a cool gothic sounding cover of Neil Young's classic
"Cinnamon Girl", and "Green Man". A great follow-up record to _Bloody
Kisses_.
Visions of Disorder - <3-song sampler> (Roadrunner, September 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10)
Having only sampled 10:30 of this Long Island, NY five-piece's music
(their debut album is forthcoming), I was left shaken and
panic-stricken. But oddly enough, I enjoyed the emotional stress and
uncertainty I was subjected to. The music is fucking violent and the
music is repeatedly urged on by truly demented accounts of reality
and hardships told through the powerful screams and lyrics of
frontman Tim Williams on such songs as the anger-inspired "Through My
Eyes", the awkwardness of "Viola", and adrenaline rush of "Watering
Disease". Take the absurdity/creativity of Tool, the hard-driving
stamina of Turmoil, Crisis or local T.O. act Mundane, and incorporate
some heavy death-ish growls of Obituary/Death and you've got the
assorted platter of VoD. It's rough around the edges, but all the
heavy angles meet at one strengthened point. This band has got my
attention, no question about it.
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Your best source of information on the newest of the new, and the
deepest of the underground, New Noise is the place to read about all
the coolest shit you never thought existed! And if you have a band,
don't forget to send us your demo with a bio if you want to be
reviewed; our address is included in the zine's header.
Scoring: ***** -- I see a record deal in the future
**** -- Great piece of work
*** -- Good effort
** -- A major overhaul is in order
* -- A career change is advisable
Avernus - _A Farewell to Eden_ (4-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (*****)
Unbelievable! Not only for the music, but for the fact that these
guys are actually unsigned!! Their appearance at the Milwaukee
Metalfest amazed me, and their four-song demo, _A Farewell to Eden_,
definitely lived up to my expectations, and more. Starting off with
the tribal sounding title track, I found myself struggling to come up
with words to describe their sound. There's as I mentioned before a
tribal element in the music (using instruments like tambourines and
African drums) which is a predominant factor in a couple of the
tracks. Perhaps slow, melodic metal? Efficient keyboarding is one
strength of the band which is very emotional sounding, another is the
male and female singing which accentuates the music beautifully. Not
one single complaint here (including production-wise), this is one of
the best demo's I've ever heard. Record companies please take note!
Contact: AVERNUS, P.O. Box 508257, Cicero, IL, 60804, USA
Beauty - _Beauty_ (3-track demo)
by: Brian Meloon (****-)
As I've said in reviews before, industrial really isn't my favorite
style of music. However, there is some industrial that I enjoy, and
this is some of the better industrial I've heard. It essentially
follows the style of Fear Factory, mixing metal with industrial,
though more of a middle ground between the two styles. It's at times
technoish (e.g. the intro to "Outpatient"), and at times heavy.
There's also some pretty strange stuff here too; dissonant and weird
sounding sections that really add an extra element to the overall
effect. The drum programming is pretty good at times too, and the
bass is cranked way up, even beyond the guitars most of the time,
which makes for an interesting and unique sound. The vocals are
usually shouted, with some being distorted, and fit right into the
style of the music. The songs all run together, and the song
structures are varied. Unfortunately, the song structures in some
cases hinder the song's effect, as in "Outpatient", which gets going
full speed, and then slows down again abruptly. Still, this is an
excellent effort for a one-man industrial project, and his next
offering sounds promising.
Contact: BEAUTY, 3178-B8 Summit Square Drive, Oakton, VA, 22124, USA
e-mail: gse@ocsystems.com
Brick - _Brick_ (5-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (***--)
A five-piece from Minnesota, Brick, on their self-titled five-song
demo play death metal with enough tempo change to keep things
interesting. Songs like "Humanities End", "Destined to Die", and
"Conflict" are good representations of the band, which in some parts
have speed but it isn't used excessively, and for the most part they
prefer a slower beat. Production is pretty good too. Not bad.
Contact: BRICK c/o Manitou Productions
P.O. Box 600218, St. Paul, MN, 55106, USA
Collapse - _From Another Place_ (4-track demo)
by: Brian Meloon (****-)
This is some pretty interesting and technical thrash. It sounds most
like a thrashier Voivod, but it's pretty interesting, with a lot of
complex syncopations, a la Meshuggah. A lot of the technicality is
(for lack of a better word) tedious: it's not the "twiddly-twiddly"
complexity that the shredders have, nor the flashy complexity of
Atheist or Lethargy, but rather the dense kind of complexity that
makes the songs difficult to really follow on the first few listens.
Adding to this effect are the numerous changes in the music, and some
rather choppy transitions between sections. A number of the
transitions are very smooth, though. The vocals also remind me of
Voivod, although they're more melodic, and not as nasal. They
certainly fit the music well. The production is good, thick, and
heavy sounding, and the packaging is very good too. This is a
professional offering, and worth checking out if you like technical
stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if they're signed shortly.
Contact: COLLAPSE, P.O. Box 4557, London, SW20 8XJ England
e-mail: veilmaya@dircon.co.uk
Darkheave - _Beauty, Truth, Goodness_ (4-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (***--)
For an unbelievably low amount of money (the rumor around T.O. says
$50 or less) North York, Ontario's Darkheave produced and recorded
their follow-up to their debut 4-song demo, _No Life 'til Pedro_
(which was done on 4-track for $20). Now that we get past the overall
cost of the band's recordings, we get down to the heart of the
matter, the music. On _BTG_, Darkheave lashes out with some heavy
death metal numbers (aided by multiple samples) that shout Napalm
Death or (old) Fear Factory styles. As well, there is an underlying
element of groove that is found on this recording, therefore citing
influences of Machine Head and Kyuss. After noting that, it seems
that those influences and sounds make this 4-track demo sound like a
collection of musical influences rather than a full-fledged solid
effort by the band. I know the band has potential to do something a
bit more aggressive and more detailed to their sound as opposed to
mimicking other bands because of the work on their previous demo
tape, which showed a varied Darkheave sound of metallic mayhem and
groove. _BTG_ shows definite signs of growth in sound and harshness,
and besides the low-cost production muffling direction or wanted
sound, this demo actually hits its mark with its rawness and rather
harsh brutality. Tracks like the powerful "Die a Tribe" and opener
"Bastard Diabolic" are worthy of checking out. Sounds heavy, but more
emphasis on a Darkheave sound is needed. 'Nuff said.
Contact: DARKHEAVE, 7 Haddington Ave.
North York, Ontario, Canada, M5M-2N6
voice: (416) 733-3379 (Matt), e-mail: untied@netcom.ca
Entrafis - _Into Out_ (4-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (****-)
Some may recognize Entrafis from their appearance on the _Sonic
Obliteration_ compilation, but the band is no more, that is, with the
presence of the member who originally formed the band. Jake Evans,
who in November 1991 named and formed Entrafis, called it quits in
February 1995, but the rest of the members are continuing with the
Entrafis name. This four-song demo is the last for Evans, who will
continue with his latest ideas and concepts which were initially
intended for Entrafis, through his new work in the future. Enough
band history, now on to the music. As I said this is a four-song
demo, and the songs lie on the technical side of death metal. Rarely
fast, concentration on slower song structures is evident and pulled
off nicely, leaving this as a better than average demo. Evans, on his
feelings of the rest of the band continuing on as Entrafis says "I
feel without my lyrical and musical approach, it is just not the
same." Well, the lyrics I could personally do without (as they aren't
the greatest), but musically, that's a different story. Some great
Canadian talent here.
Contact: ENTRAFIS c/o Jake Evans
119 Purcells Cove Road, Halifax, NS, B3P-1B3, CANADA
Eternal Tears of Sorrow - _Sinner's Serenade_ (5-track demo)
by: Gino Filicetti (***--)
Hailing from Finland, this multi-faceted metal band displays a lot of
talent, but one of the shittiest demo recordings I've heard in my
LIFE! However, if one overlooks that one minor detail, it becomes
evident that EToS can hold their own. This tape is actually a
four-son advance tape in lieu of their full-length debut being
released by X-treme Records later this year. The demo begins with
"Dawn, a very soft melodic intro to the song, "Another One Falls
Asleep", which showcases EToS's musical style which remains
consistent throughout this demo. The vocals are probably my favorite
part of this tape: they are growled and pretty low in tone, but not
extremely guttural, the way I like 'em best! The guitar sound has a
definite black metal styling to it, but can become quite folkish a la
Amorphis in songs like, "Sinner's Serenade". Overall, a solid advance
tape: let's just hope the album has better production than this.
Contact: ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW c/o Jarmo Puolakanaho
Tuulimyllyntie 7 B 18, FIN-93100 Pudasjarvi, FINLAND
Euphoric Evisceration - _In the Mind of Perversion_ (7-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (***--)
From Illinois, Euphoric Evisceration play some better than average
death metal with below average production. Six songs can be found on
this demo, starting off with the plain weird "Sovereign", and in the
remaining tracks, EE demonstrate a good balance of speed and
heaviness. In songs like the title track, "Autorotica", "Tainted
Lies", and "Fractured", there is some vocal diversity present with
three different band members contributing vocals. Musically good but
unfortunately the production brings it down a tad.
Contact: EUPHORIC EVISCERATION c/o Alan Collado
129 E. Dennis, Wheeling, IL, 60090, USA
Genetic Defense - _Genetic Defense_ (7-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (****-)
I rather enjoyed this demo from metallers Genetic Defense. The music
is heavy and at times very catchy, evidence being the first track,
"Conform". Other songs, like "Stone Man", "Sick and Hurting", and
"Ritual Punishment" are enjoyable to listen to, while there are few
moments of weakness to be heard. From what I could hear, it sounds
like there are some Pantera and perhaps Prong influences. The vocals
are raspy and are quite different than most voices I've heard on
other demos. Production is very good too, and that only helps out
their sound and my enjoyment listening to this. The lyrics are pretty
depressing too (if that counts for anything). There is no real speed
factor here, the band definitely prefer a slower beat so the guitars
can take over. Genetic Defense JUST earn a four-star rating. It's
worth listening to.
Contact: GENETIC DEFENSE, 4802 East Ray Road Suite 23-261
Phoenix, AZ, 85044 USA
Glutton - _She Was Beautiful_ (3-track demo)
by: Gino Filicetti (*****)
As soon as the package labeled "Glutton" arrived in my mail, I knew I
was in for a treat; and gosh darnit, I was right! This is the third
self-produced, self-printed, self-pressed demo these boys have
regurgitated to the masses in their presumably short, but unknown
lifespan. I can safely say that everything about Glutton's music is
original; the riffs, the vocals, the lyrics, the artwork, the bio,
and their entire (non)image can not be compared to any other mere
mortals. The production on this tape is quite muddy, but strangely
enough, it suits the music well. The first tune, "Excessive
Premonition", is the highlight of the demo. It starts off with a
bunch of weird, haunted house-style shriekings that give way to some
very catchy riffage which dominates the rest of the song. The vocals
Glutton call their own are a sort of raspy whisper that comes across
quite clear in parts. The lyrics are somewhat poetic but totally
undecipherable, which only adds to the mystique of the band. I would
definitely recommend this recording to any and everyone, especially
to all the numb fuck A&R reps who haven't signed these guys yet. For
more insight into the mentality of Glutton, check out CoC #12's
Independent Interrogations.
"Send All Wounds To:" GLUTTON, PO Box 56691
Harwood Heights, IL, USA
e-mail: miketv@mcs.net
Mental Crypt - _Sects of Doom_ (4-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (***--)
Musically this demo isn't bad, but vocally it left a lot to be
desired. The five-piece from Sweden play death metal combined with
more traditional elements of metal which accounts for the music
sounding okay, but the vocals sounded more whiney than powerful. The
demo was recorded in the Abyss Studios by Peter Tagtgren, who is
better known for being in Hypocrisy. I didn't find the production
exceptional, but it's better than most demos I've heard of late. With
a band in its infantile stages, the best producer in the world can't
make up for lack of talent. That is somewhat the same case here.
Musically, there isn't anything great. For the most part, it's
average material. Lyrics deal with death and gloom, song titles are
"Genocide", "Suffocation", the title track, and "Pandemonium". I do
see potential in Mental Crypt, but some musical and vocal changes
will have to be made for them to prosper. _Sects of Doom_ just
scrapes out an average mark.
Contact: MENTAL CRYPT, c/o Sven Erik Fritiofsson
Solgatan 8C, S-663 30, Skoghall, SWEDEN
e-mail: sven-erik.fritiofsson@enator.se
Obscure Disaster - _Zeitalter der Unvernunft_ (6-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (****-)
Hailing from Germany are Obscure Disaster with this being their debut
demo. Formed in 1992, this five-piece are good at writing and
performing melodic death metal. The demo starts off with a cool
choir-sung intro, then swings into songs like "Menschenfleish" and
"Obscure Life Disaster" which really showcase their talent for this
type of death metal. Great production really helps out OBSCURE
DISASTER's sound, which left every instrument to be heard clearly.
Speed is used but not excessively. This will please a wide spectrum
of death metal fans.
Contact: OBSCURE DISASTER c/o Dennis Wendig
Wiesenkoppel 8, 29640 Schneverdingen, GERMANY
Ossuary Insane - _Fallen to the Pits_ (3-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (****-)
Original? No. Enjoyable? Yes. Ossuary Insane are a death metal band
who don't use speed as a crutch. The constant tempo changes keep the
listener guessing, from blast beats to slower, more intricate
patterns. Vocals are what you've come to expect from a death metal
band. The guitaring is well done and the drumming is great. Songs
"From Beneath the Blood" and "Summoned to Death" were a treat to
listen to, while the closing track "Blaspheme Unto Rebirth" had more
bark than bite. Sound clips are also used throughout the demo.
Production could be better, but on the whole some enjoyable, brutal
(yet catchy) death metal to be heard.
Contact: OSSUARY INSANE, P.O. Box 22094, Eagen, MN, 55122, USA
Ritual - _Ritual_ (3-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (***--)
"You gonna do something or just stand there and bleed?" This sound
clip starts off RITUAL's heavy three-song demo. The vocals on this
very much reminded me of Pantera's Phil Anselmo. Actually, not only
do the vocals, but also the music reminds me of Pantera. "Bombshine"
starts off the demo with some heavy riffing, "Silent Treatment" has
an acoustic intro and then becomes very much like the first song, and
the demo ends with "Nail in the Coffin", which starts out with some
soft guitaring and then breaks out into the most aggressive track and
also my favorite one. Not bad, but there is plenty of room for their
sound to grow and become more their own.
Contact: RITUAL, 4452 N. Overhill, Norridge, IL, 60656, USA
Rotted - _Instinctive Demise_ (4-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (***--)
Not be confused with Canada's own Rotting, Milwaukee's Rotted, with
the four-track _Instinctive Demise_, perform some brutal death metal
in the same vein as Suffocation, especially vocal-wise. Songs "Beyond
My Sight", "Substance Replaced Reality", "Remorse Destiny", and the
title track are performed brutally and are unrelenting in their
aggressive style. Very good production and a good demo layout put
this over the top. However, if Rotted want to go beyond the demo
stage, then they have to incorporate some more musical styles into
their present sound. They do have the talent, but they'll have to
back it up with more originality, to separate them from the hundreds
of Suffocation-sounding bands out there. If they indeed do this,
you'll be hearing the name Rotted again in the future.
Contact: ROTTED, P.O. Box 341062, Milwaukee, WI, 53234, USA
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Here is where Chronicles of Chaos gives you the lowdown on the latest
shows coming your way. Check out Chaotic Concerts every month for the
scoop on the bands brutalizing the masses with their own form of
terror.
D I S A S S E M B L I N G T H E M A C H I N E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Monster Voodoo Machine at The Volcano in Kitchener, Ontario
with Ink, October 4, 1996
by: Jay Smith
Most fans of hard music in Canada will admit that this country
is not necessarily that much of a spawning ground for high quality
heavy metal acts that break through with commercial success. Having
this in mind, October 4th at the Volcano in Kitchener, Ontario, was
an especially dramatic night, where the last Monster Voodoo Machine
gig ever took place.
The night started with unwanted complications (MVM arriving/
checking sound late due to Highway 401 traffic accidents/problems).
However, when openers Ink started the night off at approximately 11
o'clock, all was forgotten. For about a half an hour, newcomers Ink
treated the Volcano to their infectious blend of melodic hip-hop
core, displaying elements of bands like Orange 9MM, while maintaining
the drama and intensity of bands such as Tool. Despite minor problems
with sound and a bassist with a broken hand, Ink played a powerful
set, and shall be a force to be reckoned with in the future. However,
the people in the Volcano were there for one reason only; they wanted
to see MVM go out with a bang.
At about midnight, the lights went out and over the PA came an
acoustic/country-tinged ditty about a band named Monster Voodoo
Machine, who, as it ended, triumphantly sauntered out and wasted no
time in diving into a ferociously intense version of "Temple". The
crowd, as well, wasted no time in becoming exponentially overzealous
(and unfortunately, a tad too violent). Adam and the band spent a
majority of the time in between songs continually humbly thanking the
crowd for their respect and support throughout the band's five-year
reign. Musicianship-wise, they were in their finest hour, playing
tighter than I had ever seen them play! In addition, Adam informed
the fans about the future of the members of MVM, with the band
mutating into a new hardcore punk-styled band (minus Adam) called
Semi-Auto Reflex.
Monster Voodoo Machine's set stuck to the definitive MVM
classics of each album: "3 Year Plan" from _Burn_; "Get On With It",
and "Born Guilty" from _State Voodoo/State Control_; "Inside These
Walls", "Defense Mechanism", and "Fetal Position" from
_Suffersystem_. The only non-album track of the night was a cover of
Dag Nasty's "Dag Nasty", which incited the already crazy crowd to
elevate their animosity. In addition, the band played a fair amount
of new songs from the newly-released _Pirate Satellite_ EP, crushing
the crowd with "Ghetto Blaster", "Water to Wine" and more. The
surprising aspect of the show was that this was the only show that I
had ever been to where the sound was beyond 100% perfect - album
quality. MVM appeared to be finished the show after having played a
tear-jerking rendition of "Distanced". Minutes later, we were treated
to a skull-crushing encore containing "Bastard Is As Bastard Does",
in which they invited ME (to whom they dedicated the rest of the show
to for having designed the MVM homepage) on stage to share vocals
with Adam, "Voodoo #1", and the closing epic, "Copper Theft", when a
majority of the members proceeded to dive into the crowd, instruments
and all.
Like them or not, Monster Voodoo Machine made a big impact on
the hard music scene in Canada, sticking to playing uncompromisingly
angry hardcore/metal anthems like no other. If you were a fan of MVM
and you did not show up for this event, I'll conclude by tormenting
this article's readers by commenting that they missed the best hard
music concert in Canadian history.
Check out the MVM web site at:
http://www.golden.net/~molotov/mvm/mvmhq.htm
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Here is an excerpt from MVM's press release:
MONSTER VOODOO MACHINE CALLS IT A DAY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After five years, one album, 4 EPs, 1 Juno award, and several
hundreds of thousands of miles behind them (not to mention a few #1's
along the way), Monster Voodoo Machine has decided to call it a day.
As of August 14, 1996, band brainchild Adam Sewell has sent word
that it's time to move on. "It felt as though there wasn't anything
more that could be accomplished with Monster Voodoo Machine", says
Sewell. "I just think it's better to go out gracefully while the name
still means something"
"We never had the best of luck in Canada", says Sewell. We're
probably the only band to win a Juno in a rock category and never get
picked up by Canadian commercial radio."
Contrary to popular belief (read: stereotype), Adam Sewell and
the rest of MVM would like to extend a very large, heart-felt and
sincere THANK YOU to everyone who has been there and who has helped
along the way.
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N O M O R E T O U R S , A G A I N A N D A G A I N . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ozzy Osbourne at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario
with Danzig, Sepultura and Neurotic Gypsies, September 28, 1996
by: Alain M. Gaudrault
I could hear opening act Neurotic Gypsies as I was waiting to
pick up my tickets at the wicket. Sounded like nothing special, but
of course, we still weren't in the venue. Unfortunately, it didn't
get much better after we'd taken our seats. This unknown act, who
filled the slot for Clutch, who filled the slot for Fear Factory, who
took over for Prong after their recent breakup, smacked of Alice in
Chains clones, thanks to the sub-par Layne Staley-esque vocal
delivery. The music seemed rooted in 80s-era heavy metal, which made
me believe that they were likely a last-minute replacement from the
greater Toronto area, as this style of music still seems to pervade
here, despite its lack of popularity. A forgettable act, particularly
with the remaining lineup lying in wait.
Sepultura were on next, much to my surprise, as I expected them
to be of higher ranking than ex-Misfits modern day goth-crooner, Glen
Danzig. It's a shame their set was so short, as it basically forced
the band to choose between focusing on their latest two (highly
successful) albums, or pleasing the older crowd with past favourites.
They chose the former of the two approaches, playing nothing from
their first four releases, and only the title track off their fifth,
_Arise_. Disappointing to an longtime fan, to say the least. I must
admit that they did a good job of playing what they did, turning in
solid performances, yet not overly spectacular, possibly because none
of the new material seems to be particularly difficult to play,
taking away from the frenetic pace which graced Sepultura shows of
yesteryear. The fusion of the South American tribal music to metal
makes for an interesting listen, and the 6-person tribal drumming
session at the end of the set was rather memorable, and yet the music
itself is quite forgettable. The crowd in the pit ate it up, though,
but then, I've seen trendies mosh at far lamer shows in the past.
Quicker than you can spark up another spliff, Danzig took the
stage and proceeded to show the world just how much he loves himself.
Opening with massive hit "Mother", the band received a reasonably
enthousiastic response which lessened as the set dragged on. Danzig's
brand of "goth and roll" can be a bit hard to take. It has the
semblance of sleazy 80s-era hard rock, but with a darker, doomier
edge. While I personally found the material more entertaining in a
live setting, the crowd didn't really seem to be getting into the
music, or perhaps they were actually listening, for a change.
Regardless, Glen Danzig pranced around like the steroid-pumped rock
star he wants himself to be, and did a good job of that. His vocals
were acceptable, particularly towards the end, but his unmelodic
yelling and shortness of breath detracted from what could have been
adequate material on a good night. The most interesting part of the
set was the band's latest addition, ex-Prong guitarist/songwriter
Tommy Victor, who's bound to suffer the constraints of working with
the likes of Glen.
It was obvious that timing was crucial, as the first opening act
had started playing immediately at 19:00, as advertised; now, after
only 10 or 15 minutes at most, Ozzy was ready to take the stage, but
not before the video montage which has become de rigueur on his
latest tours. The two large composite monitors adorning each side of
the stage were just big enough to offer everyone a good view of the
sometimes funny, sometimes self-aggrandizing footage. Whereas the
montage leading into last year's performance at Toronto's RPM
Warehouse consisted mostly of Ozzy slickly spliced into various
well-known music videos and movies, a large portion of this year's
served to showcase the career of heavy metal's madman, featuring
concert footage with the mighty Black Sabbath, outtakes from the
Randy Rhoades era, clips from his mid-eighties glam stage, and full
circle to the more heavily Sabbath-inspired releases of late, most
importantly _Ozzmosis_, the album which he is currently promoting.
After a shorter-than-expected video session, the real Ozzy took
the stage to an eager audience, who immediately seemed to be
transported back in time some 15 years. Chants of "Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy"
were screamed everywhere, home-made banners were proudly displayed by
fans, and lighters burned brightly during Ozzy's ballads. Of course,
I can't really blame them all. After all, I *was* wearing my 13-year
old "Bark at the Moon" jersey with the white sleeves, and I *did* get
the urge to stand up and pound my fist in the air. Ozzy generally
does a good job of pleasing just about all of his fans, and has a
pretty good idea what his audience wants to hear. His band, featuring
Joe Holmes (former student of Ozzy's late ex-guitarist, Randy
Rhoades) on guitar, ex-Suicidal Tendencies bassist Robert Trujillo,
ex-Faith No More drummer Mike Borden, and an unknown (and inaudibly
introduced) keyboardist who filled in the empty spaces in the music,
were quite adept at playing the whole spectrum of Ozzy's catalogue.
Several Sabbath numbers were performed, including "Paranoid", "Iron
Man", "Sweet Leaf" (one of my personal favourites), and "Children of
the Grave". Oddly enough, though, despite the massive success of
1986's _The Ultimate Sin_ and the well-received _No Rest for the
Wicked_ (1988), not a single track was played from either of these
albums, possibly an attempt to downplay some of the more embarrassing
moments from a period known for its willingness to reward style over
substance. I suppose, having Joe Holmes in his band, Ozzy feels it's
a good opportunity to put more emphasis on his older material, which
in my opinion is clearly superior. Emphasize he does, playing
mainstays such as "Crazy Train", "Suicide Solution" and "Goodbye to
Romance". Holmes executed Rhodes' work quite skillfully, mirroring
many of the late guitarist's techniques. Strange that a tour in
support of an album should only feature a single track off the latest
release, but I've read an interview where Ozzy admits that his
producer pushed him so hard in the studio that he now has a difficult
time performing the material live. "I Just Want You", his latest
single, was the only _Ozzmosis_ track performed that night.
Unfortunately, most of Ozzy's set was plagued with vocal
problems. Ozzy just isn't feeling all that well, it seems, and in all
honesty, it showed. His voice would cut out entirely at times, he
could reach none of the high notes, and his singing seemed gravely.
It's unclear whether it served to rest his weary body, soothe his
sore throat, or just to give the rest of the band some space, but
Ozzy vanished for awhile in the middle of the set while the rest of
the cast played an instrumental medley of Sabbath and early-era Ozzy
tunes. I started wondering if he'd even come back. Another handful of
songs, and Ozzy called it quits, coming back for the obligatory
encore. The set was a tad on the short side, but considering the
state of his vocals, I can't say I blame the poor guy. This show is
recommended mostly for fans of Ozzy who want a return to the way
things used to be done, which apparently is a Hell of a lot of
people, judging from the crowd.
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A N I G H T O F N E G A T I V I T Y
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Type O Negative at The Warehouse in Toronto, September 22, 1996
with Life of Agony and Manhole
by: Adrian Bromley
Like a scene from the depths of Hell, thick smoke and noises
that conjured up images of Hell's evil spawn, Type O Negative took
the stage to a thunderous applause at this, their first stopover in
Canada with their latest release _October Rust_. Gigantic
frontman/bassist Peter Steele emerged through the dense smoke amidst
powerful guitar riffs and haunting organ notes to serenade the
audience with his vengeful tales of lust and hate. It was something
to see.
Along with guitarist Kenny Hickey, Josh Silver on
organ/keyboards, and drummer Johnny Kelly, Steele commanded the
nearly sell-out crowd with ear-crushing versions of such songs as
"Kill All the White People", "Christian Woman", "Too Late: Frozen",
and of course, the ever popular "Black No. 1". The band also
showcased newer material off _OR_ like "Love You to Death", "My
Girlfriend's Girlfriend", and covers of Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl"
and The Doors "Light My Fire". The only problem with the show (ask
Gino) was the somewhat muffled sound that The Warehouse sometimes
provides band's music with. It happened with Type O and it was a
shame as the band had a killer show with great songs and an amazing
light show.
Opening the show were longtime friends of Type O, Brooklyn
four-piece Life of Agony. The band played hard and had the crowd in a
frenzy for most of their 40-minute set. LOA's sound was much clearer
than Type O's at times, as singer Keith Caputo belted out such
numbers as "Lost At 22", "Damned If I Do", "Seasons", as well as
older favorites "Through and Through" and "This Time." LOA always
rocks hard and plays with feeling. It was evident this night too.
Other openers included Los Angeles' Manhole, a hard-edged
female-fronted outfit that stood their ground with stunning display
of aggression and attitude. The band played some great material off
their debut album _All Is Not Well_ (Noise Records). If you are into
the band Crisis, I recommend checking this band out.
I was hyped to see this show and wasn't let down and I'm left
wondering, "How many times will Type O play Toronto with _OR_?",
seeing that the band played here four times with their breakthrough
album, _Bloody Kisses_. Who cares? I'll be sure to check them out
every time, as they always put on a spectacular show.
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H I G H Q U A L I T Y M E T A L ,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
L O W Q U A L I T Y F A N S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cryptopsy at The Embassy in London, Ontario
with Blood of Christ, August 31, 1996
by: Alain M. Gaudrault
Let me just start by saying that the poor turnout pretty much
tainted what could have been a phenomenal evening, but was instead a
complete letdown for both bands. With perhaps 50 people in
attendance, the room was sparse, to say the least. London's (Ontario)
Blood of Christ opened,
performing quite well under the
circumstances, and inciting me to later pick up a copy of their demo
_Chapter III - The Lonely Flowers of Autumn_, reviewed in CoC issue
11. I highly recommend this tape; its combination of death, black,
and doom metal is quite impressive for a band at the demo stage, and
well-produced to boot! In any case, back to the concert. Aside from
the vocalist who seemed genuinely into the material, the rest of the
band pretty much looked like they were zoning out, likely bummed from
the empty room. They still played well, showcasing their talent
effectively despite their disappointment, the vocalist in particular
showing good control over his delivery. A band to look out for if
they can break out of the going-nowhere-fast southern Ontario metal
scene. Maybe I should just move to Montreal.
Cryptopsy took the stage shortly after and proceeded in showing
the scant few just how powerful their music can be in a live setting.
Granted, the sound could have been better, but it was actually quite
good, permitting one to easily identify the various instruments in
the mix. Of particular note were the performances of Flo Mounier
(drums) and Eric Langlois (bass), who have such an unmistakable
mastery of their instruments that I was often unable to take my eyes
off them. Lord Worm, with his witty banter and master of ceremonies
style presentation, lightened the mood considerably, and delivered
his vocals with ferocity and conviction. The band played a rather
even distribution between both of their full-length releases, with a
slight emphasis on their latest, _None So Vile_, a most worthy
death/grind offering, I must add. Unfortunately, there would be no
encores, and understandably so, I suppose. Nonetheless, Cryptopsy
showed no compromise in their playing intensity as a result of the
turnout. A great night for those fans who bothered showing up. Do
make an effort to see them if they happen to come your way.
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C O R R O D I N G Y O U R C R A N I U M
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Neurosis plays the Opera House in Toronto, August 31, 1996
with Bloodlet and Tree
by: Adam Wasylyk
As of late I have been going to live shows for bands I had heard
little or nothing about. I first went to the Clutch/Orange 9MM/Fu
Manchu/Core show when the tour rolled into Toronto. I knew of the
bands but I didn't have an album of any of the three bands (as Core
didn't play at this show). I was surprised that I enjoyed each band
so much, especially Fu Manchu. For the Neurosis show, I had heard
selected tracks of two of the bands' albums and had never heard of
the third. I was looking forward to seeing and hearing some more new
music.
A crowd of around 200 had came for the show, which began with
Boston's Tree. The hesitant Toronto crowd stood and watched while
they went into their hardcore set. The singer very much reminded me
of Clutch's vocalist (even mannerism-wise), but I enjoyed this band a
lot less than the aformentioned Clutch. Perhaps I have to hear more
hardcore to know what's bad and what's good, but I didn't like this
at all.
Following up were Florida's Bloodlet, which appeared to be the
band most people came to see. A lot of people seem to be into
Bloodlet's hardcore sound, but I can't seem to find out why. The
band's vocal approach is definitely different from the hardcore pack,
but they just plain irritated me. Frankly, I couldn't wait until they
were off the stage.
Last up was the band whose live shows I had heard a lot about,
Neurosis. I had heard before the show, and then saw for myself
Neurosis' visual show, which consisted of film projectors and about
six or so slide projectors. The images were intense but never
obscene. The visual intensity went right along with the band's
musical intensity, combining industrial and hardcore rather well.
Older songs were combined with songs off their new album _Through
Silver in Blood_, like "Purify", "Aeon", and my favorite song of the
night, "Eye". To sum up their set, they were very noisy, very loud,
and very intense!!!
Thank the gods Neurosis were on the bill, otherwise it would
have been a total loss. I will continue to go to shows with me
knowing little or nothing about the bands playing. Hmmmmmm, I hear
that the Godflesh/Genitorturers tour is coming.
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A N Y T H I N G B U T L E T H A R G I C
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lethargy at the Water Street Music Hall in Rochester, New York
with Forward Now and Time's Up
by: Brian Meloon
This was the CD release party for Rochester's Lethargy (see
reviews in CoC #4 and this issue), who released their debut CD, _It's
Hard to Write With a Little Hand_. Deadguy, who are apparently big
Lethargy fans, were scheduled to headline, but they never showed. A
quick scan of the crowd revealed a mixed bag of metalheads and
hardcore types, with a sizeable contingent of people who looked like
neither: mostly (pre?) teen boys and girls. The show was all-ages,
and probably 200 or 300 people showed up: a good crowd, but not even
half of the venue's capacity.
Forward Now lead off the ticket with a 20-minute set consisting
of four songs; two new and two from their demo, _Smileremover_ (see
CoC #9). They stayed away from their more industrial songs (although
using a drum machine played on an ADAT still gave them an industrial
feel), instead choosing to concentrate on their heaviest and most
metallic/hardcore offerings, such as "Coward White Man". The crowd
didn't really get into their set, which was probably mostly due to
their unfamiliarity with the band, but also perhaps had something to
do with the tempo of the songs. They didn't stay at a consistent,
moshable speed for very long: the fast parts were too fast, and the
slow parts were too slow. Unfortunately, the sound wasn't very good
either. Although it wasn't too loud (ear plugs optional), it sure
sounded that way. It was very muddy and difficult to really hear what
was going on. The guitarist and bassist seemed to be playing complex
parts, but it really was impossible to tell that they weren't just
faking it and moving their hands up and down their fretboards. Still,
it was an entertaining and energetic set.
The sound problems continued through Time's Up's set. Not being
familiar with these guys, I didn't pay close attention to their set.
They seemed like a typical hardcore band. They were certainly
competent on stage, and the crowd really got into it. The security
had their hands full, and they escorted at least one irate individual
out, with the security guy telling him "that's not 'having fun.'"
They played for about 30 minutes, enough time to complete probably 8
or 9 songs.
Last up for the evening was Lethargy. I caught nearly all of
their fifty-minute set, and it was well worth the price of admission.
They ran through nine of the songs on their debut CD (minus the
remixed final track) virtually note for note, which is quite an
accomplishment considering the complexity and technicality of their
compositions. My personal favorite was the long and technical
"Medley", although the crowd seemed to prefer their closing number,
"Spill". The sound was dramatically improved, being louder (ear plugs
encouraged, but not essential), and much clearer. There was a little
banter between songs (such as: "This is a song about an ex-bitch.
It's called 'Erased'."), but not too much. Other than a delay while
the band members and some audience members had shots, the set was
fairly fast moving, and the audience really got into it. Much of the
time, Lethargy's music was too complex, intricate, and/or quirky to
really mosh to, but there were at least a few sections in each song
that got the pit moving. I'm a little surprised that they didn't have
an encore, since the crowd really liked them. In fact, I'd speculate
that Lethargy was even a bigger draw than Deadguy. In any case, they
played long enough for me to have a good time and get my money's
worth.
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@!! !!@ @!@ @!@!!@! !!@ @!! @!!!:! @!@!!@! !@@!!
!: !!: !! !!: :!! !!: !!: !!: !!: :!! !:!
::.: ::: : : : : : : :: ::: : : : ::.: :
@@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@@ @@@ @@@
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@!! !!@ @!@ @!@!!@! @!@!@!@! @!! @!@!@!@!
!: !!: !! !!: :!! !!: !!! !!: !!: !!!
::.: ::: : : : : : : : : : :
Here is where things get ugly. Writer's Wrath gives our writers a
chance to voice their own opinions about certain hot topics in the
scene today. Check out this semi-monthly column for the most obscene
and controversial ramblings this side of the National Enquirer.
B L A C K M E T A L : F A D O R F I C T I O N ?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by: Adam Wasylyk
Hi there, and welcome to CoC's newest column, Writer's Wrath! I
will be bitching about something that I've been noticing as of late,
how black metal is becoming commercial and trendy. Before you say
"What is this guy talking about?," here are a few things I've noticed
that lead to where I'm coming from.
My first point comes from a media point of view, which I first
discovered after purchasing an issue of a mag called Metal Hammer.
Reading an article on Cradle of Filth, the accompanying photos had me
thinking "What the hell is this?" Three photos in particular, shots
of Dani (vocalist) washing dishes and sitting on the toilet, and
another shot of the band standing beside a bathtub (of course all of
them trying to look evil, but how evil could the drummer look with
his feet dangling above the bath water?). I couldn't believe that CoF
agreed to do the photo shoot, and that Metal Hammer would
commercially exploit the black metal image in this way. The popular
alternative magazine Spin (this issue had Trent Reznor on the cover)
did an article on the Norwegian black metal scene awhile back. The
article was well written, but it was very much biased (the writer was
Catholic/daughter of a minister), and to this day I still don't know
why they published the article in the first place. Oh I know,
controversy sells magazines, right? What readers of Spin really cares
about black metal? And how many articles do you think Spin have done
since then on black metal and the number of talented bands within the
scene?
My second point comes from a band point of view. What really
bugs me is when bands transform from death metal to black metal. If
the band is changing purely for the music itself, that's acceptable,
but when it comes to just doing it for monetary gain then that's what
I have a problem with. I do know that it's going on out there, and
all it's accomplishing is in hurting the scene.
It's sad to see black metal turning into an overpopulated (and
in some cases undertalented) scene. Being at first amazed by some of
the black metal bands (Enslaved, Emperor, etc.), a lot of what I hear
now just doesn't measure up. I take comfort in knowing that the
copycat bands will eventually die off and the bands true to their
roots will remain intact.
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___ __/_________ ________________ _________ __/
__ / _ __ \ / / /_ ___/_ ___/ _ __ \_ /_
_ / / /_/ / /_/ /_ / _(__ ) / /_/ / __/
/_/ \____/\__,_/ /_/ /____/ \____//_/
________ _____
___ __/______________ /____ _____________
__ / _ __ \_ ___/ __/ / / /_ ___/ _ \
_ / / /_/ / / / /_ / /_/ /_ / / __/
/_/ \____//_/ \__/ \__,_/ /_/ \___/
Welcome to Chronicles of Chaos' tour listing column. Check out Tours
of Torture every month for the scoop on who's coming to town and
where to catch your favorite bands. If you have any information about
upcoming tours, we'd be more than happy to hear about it. Contact us
at <ginof@io.org>.
Grave (U.S. Tour)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oct 1 - Jaxx, Springfield, VA
Oct 2 - Obsessions, Randolph, NJ
Oct 3 - Sea-Sea's, Moosic, PA
Oct 4 - Club Babyhead, Providence, RI
Oct 5 - Saratoga Winners, Cohoes, NY
Oct 6 - CBGB's, New York, NY
Oct 7 - Sports Palace, New Britain, CT
Oct 9 - Foufounes, Montreal, QUE
Oct 10 - The Rat, Boston, MA
Oct 11 - The Chance, Poughkeepsie, NY
Oct 12 - Metropol, Pittsburgh, PA
Oct 13 - Bogart's, Cincinnati, OH
Oct 14 - Drop Shop, Huntington, WV
Oct 16 - Reptile House, Grand Rapids, MI
Oct 17 - Thurston's, Chicago, IL
Oct 19 - Asylum, Toledo, OH
Oct 20 - The Rave, Milwaukee, WI
Oct 21 - Mirage, Minneapolis, MN
Oct 22 - Rock Island, Wichita, KS
Oct 23 - Pure Energy, Colorado Springs, CO
Oct 24 - Mercury Theatre, Denver, CO
Chum
~~~~
Oct 5 - Common Grounds, Charleston, WV
Oct 11 - Drop Shop, Huntington, WV
Oct 16 - Area 51, Lexington, KY
Oct 18 - Ron's Crossroads, Akron, OH
Oct 19 - Whit's End, Toledo, OH
Oct 22 - The Rat, Boston, MA
Oct 24 - Memory Lane, Baltimore, MD
Oct 25 - Lost Horizons, Syracuse, NY
Nov 2 - Velvet Elvis, Savannah, GA
Nov 3 - Spikes Doghouse, Jacksonville, FL
Nov 7 - Monaco Bob's, New Orleans, LA
Nov 10 - Impala, Fort Worth, TX
Nov 12 - Panama Red's, Wichita, KS
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W H A T W E H A V E C R A N K E D ! ! !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gino's Top 5
1. Brutal Truth - _Need to Control_
2. Exit 13 - _Smoking Songs_
3. Another White Male - _Cattle_
4. g/z/r - _Plastic Planet_
5. Korn - _Korn_
Adrian's Top 5
1. Stuck Mojo - _Pigwalk_
2. Vision of Disorder - <3-song sampler>
3. Rotting Christ - _Triad of the Lost Lovers_
4. Type O Negative - _October Rust_
5. Meliah Rage - _Death Valley Dream_
Brian's Top 5
1. Lethargy - _It's Hard To Write With A Little Hand_
2. Abigor - _Opus IV_
3. Sacramentum - _Far Away From the Sun_
4. Korova - _A Kiss in the Charnal Fields_
5. Vauxdvihl - _To Dimension Logic_
Alain's Top 5
1. Cryptopsy - _None So Vile_
2. Samael - _Passage_
3. Vader - _De Profundis_
4. Iced Earth - _The Dark Saga_
5. Corrosion of Conformity - _Wiseblood_
Steve's Top 5
1. Abigor - _Opus IV_
2. Marduk - _Heaven Shall Burn When We Are Gathered_
3. Thou Art Lord - _Apollyon_
4. Mystifier - _The World Is So Good..._
5. Pitch Shifter - _Infotainment?_
Adam's Top 5
1. Samael - _Passage_
2. In Flames - _The Jester Race_
3. Avernus - _A Farewell To Eden_ demo
4. Neurosis - _Through Silver in Blood_
5. Celtic Frost - _To Mega Therion_
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T H E F I N A L W O R D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, here ends one helluva issue. I couldn't complain about the Loud
Letters I received for the last two months, it's probably the most
we've ever gotten. Good work people, keep 'em coming. Also, next
month we are thinking of publishing a reader survey for all you
crazies. If we do go through with it, we'll need the support of every
subscriber. Our survey will not have served its purpose if we only
get twenty answers. See you all soon.
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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #14
