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Chronicles of Chaos Issue 020
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/ /_ / \ //7,'o| / \/7/7,','//,'o/(c' ,'o| /_7 / /_ / \,'o|,'o| (c'
|__//n_/// |_,'/_n_/// \_\// |_(/__) |_,'// |__//n_/|_,7|_,'/__)
CHRONICLES OF CHAOS E-Zine, May 13, 1997, Issue #20
Editor-in-Chief: Gino Filicetti <mailto:ginof@interlog.com>
Co-Editor: Rafal Szczyrba <mailto:szczyrba@alumni.cs.colorado.edu>
Coordinator: Adrian Bromley <mailto:energizr@interlog.com>
Assistant Editor: Alain M. Gaudrault <mailto:alain@mks.com>
Contributor: Brian Meloon <mailto:bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>
Contributor: Steve Hoeltzel <mailto:hoeltzel@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>
Contributor: Adam Wasylyk <mailto:macabre@interlog.com>
Contributor: Drew Schinzel <mailto:drew@magpage.com>
Contributor: Andrew Lewandowski <mailto:kmvb73c@prodigy.com>
Contributor: Pedro Azevedo <mailto:leic97@tom.fe.up.pt>
Mailing List provided by: The University of Colorado at Boulder
--> Interested in being reviewed? Send us your demo and bio to:
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CHRONICLES OF CHAOS
57 Lexfield Ave
Downsview Ont.
M3M-1M6, Canada
Fax: (416) 693-5240 Voice: (416) 693-9517
e-mail: ginof@interlog.com
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DESCRIPTION
~~~~~~~~~~~
Chronicles of Chaos is a monthly magazine electronically distributed
worldwide via the Internet. Chronicles of Chaos focuses on all forms
of brutal music; from thrash to death to black metal, we have it all.
Each issue will feature interviews with your favorite bands, written
from the perspective of a true fan. Each issue will also include
record reviews and previews, concert reviews and tour dates, as well
as various happenings in the metal scene worldwide. If you'd be
interested in writing for CoC, drop us a line at
mailto:ginof@interlog.com. Concert reviews are especially welcome,
but please bear in mind that we cannot accept every submission we
receive."
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may subscribe to Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending a
message with "coc subscribe <your_name_here>" in the SUBJECT of your
message to <mailto:ginof@interlog.com>. Please note that this command
must NOT be sent to the list address <coc-ezine@lists.colorado.edu>.
WORLD WIDE WEB SITE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are currently in the process of constructing a website for
Chronicles of Chaos. You can check it out by pointing your web
browser to http://www.interlog.com/~ginof/coc.html. If you have any
comments or suggestions, please e-mail Brian Meloon
<mailto:bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>.
FTP ARCHIVE
~~~~~~~~~~~
All of our back issues and various other Chronicles of Chaos related
files are stored in the e-zine archive at ftp.etext.org. Connect to
this site using your favorite FTP program and chdir to
/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos. For a description of each file in the
archive, check out the README file. You can also reach this site
through a web browser by pointing it at:
ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos.
AUTOMATIC FILESERVER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All back issues and various other CoC related files are available for
automatic retrieval through our e-mail fileserver. All you have to do
is send a message to us at <mailto:ginof@interlog.com>. The
'Subject:' field of your message must read: "send file X" where 'X'
is the name of the requested file. Back issues are named 'coc-n',
where 'n' is the issue number. For a description of all files
available through this fileserver, request 'list'. Remember to use
lowercase letters for all file names. If you experience any problems
or are having difficulty, feel free to e-mail us the usual way at
<mailto:ginof@interlog.com>.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Issue #20 Contents, 5/13/97
---------------------------
* Editorial
* Loud Letters
* Ferocious Features
-- W.A.S.P.: They're Back
* Chaotic Chat Sessions
-- Amorphis: The Search For Perfect Melody
-- Grief: Good Grief
-- Anal Cunt: Conversing With A Cunt
-- Heavy Water Factory: Cooling The Reactor
-- Thy Blood Divine: Bleeding Divine Blood
-- On Thorns I Lay
* Record Revelations
-- Agarthi - _At the Burning Horizon_
-- Alastis - _The Other Side_
-- Blood of Christ - _... A Dream to Remember_
-- A Canorous Quintet - _Silence of the World Beyond_
-- Cardinal Sin - _Spiteful Intents_
-- Cemetary - _Last Confessions_
-- December Wolves - _We Are Everywhere_
-- Driller Killer - _Fuck the World_
-- Dying Fetus - _Purification through Violence_
-- Emperor - _Reverence_
-- Enslaved - _Eld_
-- EverEve - _Seasons_
-- Fear Factory - _Remanufacture: Cloning Technology_
-- Fueled - _In the House of the Enemy_
-- Gates of Ishtar - _The Dawn of Flames_
-- Gehenna - _Black Seared Heart_
-- Napalm Death - _Inside the Torn Apart_
-- Orphanage - _By Time Alone_
-- Various - _Out of the Dark Live Compilation_
-- Paingod - _Paingod_
-- Plan E - _E for Your Eyes_ / _E for You Ears_
-- Septic Flesh - _The Ophidian Wheel_
-- Thy Primordial - _Where Only the Seasons Mark the Paths of Time_
-- Vinterland - _Welcome My Last Chapter_
-- Vital Remains - _Forever Underground_
-- Within Temptation - _Enter_
-- Various - _World Domination II_
* New Noise
-- Chaos Theory - _Scarred for Life_
-- Christhanasia - _Cragoedie_
-- Kaffeine - _Unworthy_
-- Nympha - <rehearsal tape>
-- Solarisis - _Illuminations_
-- Sub-Version - _Foul_
* Chaotic Concerts
-- Korn Kan Kick Keister: Korn with Helmet in Toronto
-- Obliterating Obsolescence: Obliveon with Blood of Christ and Solus
-- Dio Destroys Decadance: Dio with My Dying Bride in Toronto
* What We Have Cranked
* The Final Word
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E D I T O R I A L
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by: Gino Filicetti
Here it is loyal readers, Chronicles of Chaos #20, the big
TWO-ZERO. Can't believe we've actually put out twenty of these
babies. Believe me when I say the time has flown by.
Not much new to report this issue so I'll keep this short. We do
have some pretty interesting chats for you all, and our usual number
of quality reviews. As well, check out our story on Boston's Grief
written by High Times music journalist and good friend of ours, Zena
Tsarfin.
On a sad note, our condolences go out to Toronto's Solus, whose
bass player Doug Regan recently passed away. Solus is featured in a
concert review later this issue and was interviewed in CoC #13.
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CoC's Hellish Osmose CD Giveaway and Infernal Trivia Contest of Death
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks to the generosity of the mighty Herve and Osmose Productions,
CoC hereby gives you the chance to win a copy of Disk One of the new
2-CD compilation of Osmose and Kron-H bands, _World Domination II_.
Disc One contains tracks by: Vital Remains, Marduk, Necromantia,
Angel Corpse, Immortal, Dark Tranquillity, Gehennah, Enslaved,
Swordmaster, Inferno, Demoniac, and Absu. Disc Two is not available
in this giveaway. (For more information on the CD, see Steve's review
in this issue.) We have about 20 copies to give away. In order to win
a copy, you must correctly answer all three of the Osmose-related
trivia questions below.
DO NOT SEND YOUR ANSWERS TO CoC's RETURN ADDRESS. SEND THEM TO STEVE,
AT: mailto:hoeltzel@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu. Please put "OSMOSE CONTEST"
in the subject line of your message, and include your name and postal
address.
In order to keep things as simple as possible, we will accept only
one entry per person and only one entry per e-mail account. Steve
will check the messages in the order in which he receives them. One
copy of the CD will be awarded to each person who answers all three
questions correctly, while supplies last. Once there are no more CDs
available to be won, the contest is over. Winners will receive their
CD by mail.
The questions:
1. Which Osmose band's former vocalist now sings for the Swedish band
In Flames?
2. Which Osmose band hails from South America and has a vocalist who
sings tenor?
3. Kron-H band Raism (formerly called Diabolos Rising) contains
members of Necromantia and which other Osmose band?
Good luck!
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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
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M""MMMMMMMM dP dP
M MMMMMMMM 88 88
M MMMMMMMM .d8888b. d8888P d8888P .d8888b. 88d888b. .d8888b.
M MMMMMMMM 88ooood8 88 88 88ooood8 88' `88 Y8ooooo.
M MMMMMMMM 88. ... 88 88 88. ... 88 88
M M `88888P' dP dP `88888P' dP `88888P'
MMMMMMMMMMM
This is the column where we print those lovely letters our readers
decide so graciously to write us. Whether they be positive, negative,
ignorant or just plain spelled wrong, you can rest assured that
they'll be here in their original form. If you'd like to see your own
letter here, e-mail it to <mailto:ginof@interlog.com> and enter
'Attention Loud Letters' in the subject field. Hopefully all letters
received will be featured in upcoming issues of Chronicles of Chaos.
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 1997
From: bob <bobb@theriver.com>
Subject: Sup
This is to Gino Filicetti. Hey, man, Primitive Rhythm Machine is a
really good album. First of all, listen to it better! Steve Rowe does
not sound like Max Cavalera. The guitar soloing just happens to fit
with the songs being played, it has nothing to do with how hard they
are to play. I'm a drummer, and Bill Rice kicks ass, man, I don't
know why you said anything bad about him. Last, there's nothing wrong
with wanting to be born again. I can see that people who listen to
Monster Voodoo Machine can say stuff about intelligent music like
MORTIFICATION!!
Date: Thu, 03 Apr 1997
From: Nuno Almeida <messiah@jupiter.di.uminho.pt>
Subject: CoC - Attention Loud Letters!
Hi,
I found out your excelent e-zine a couple of months ago, while
browsing in the death metal newsgroup. I liked it a lot. Nice
articles, interviews, album reviews and one thing i really liked,
reviews of demos of bands without record label. You're really helping
the undergroung scene. That's good.
I was also very glad that a portuguese guy (Pedro Azevedo) entered
your staff, as he can help bring really good new portuguese bands to
light, as he did on his reviews of Desire and Heavenwood. Just one
small problem. I didn't like the rating on Anathema's _Eternity_,
which i think is an amazing album (10/10 for sure) and Funeral's
_Tragedies_, which he rated as an 6/10. But no problem at all.
In fact, reading your older issues, I found a real improvement in the
reviews. Rating Emperor's _In the Nightside Eclipse_ as an 6/10, Dark
Tranquility's _The Gallery_ as an 3/10 (!!!) on your old issues and
Moonspell's amazing _Wolfheart_ as an 5/10 on your anniversary issue
certainly is nothing to be proud of, but you're learning fast >:>
In resume, you have a fantastic zine, which is improving along the
way. Keep up the good work.
Nuno
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997
From: Jared Griffith <jazza@xtra.co.nz>
Subject: Letters to the Editor
Thanks for the time and effort you guys put into this publication. I
live in Christchurch, New Zealand and your zine is basically my only
contact with all things hard and heavy. Any music I want I have to
import (very small amount of metal in the record shops)and it usually
takes forever. Therefore your review section comes in very handy
!!!!! I have bought Minas Morgul by Summoning and In The Nightside
Eclipse by Emperor because of your recommendations and have been most
pleased.
A great addition to your zine would be a discography in each review
and maybe a list of similar bands. That would help me discover more
great music.
Once again, thank you for your efforts every month; its much
appreciated. Oh, try and find New Zealand on a world map - then you
may sympathize!!!
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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.
T H E Y ' R E B A C K . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews W.A.S.P.
by: Adrian Bromley
I am the first to admit that I have never been a big W.A.S.P.
fan. I never really got into the band's music or controversial issues
that they faced against 'Joe Public' or the PMRC in the 1980s with
such albums as their self-titled debut in 1985, 1989's _Headless
Children_ and the critically acclaimed theme record, _The Crimson
Idol_ (1991). Bluntly put: I never was a fan.
But like most times in this business as a music critic/writer
you are faced with the task (or in this instance given the
opportunity) of talking to a band or band members that you may or may
not want to talk with. W.A.S.P. was the task I was to face.
As I walk into the classy Essex Clarion hotel in downtown
Toronto, I'm already primed (and somewhat worried and nervous) to
interview original W.A.S.P. members Blackie Lawless and Chris Holmes,
who have just reunited after an eight-year breakup with their Castle
Record's debut album, the mind-rippin' industrial-tinged _Kill Fuck
Die_. As we approach the hotel suite where the two are awaiting my
arrival, visions of Lawless all decked out in a blackened shroud and
skulls and satanic symbols bounce back and forth in my head. Images
of a drunken and violent Holmes (as seen in the movie _The Decline of
the Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years_) is embedded into
my brain. I'm scared now.
I eventually am introduced to Holmes and Lawless, both of whom
are relaxed and somewhat tired from a long day of press. The
interview begins with Holmes pointing at my handheld tape recorder
and asking me, 'Is that a Sony?' I answer cautiously, 'Um... no... a
Genexxa.' Holmes' eyes light up and the towering Holmes, tattooed
sleeves and all sits up from the sofa chair and thunders toward me
sitting on the bed across from Lawless and grunts, 'Shit... we should
break that right now, that ain't a Sony.' I'm thinking, 'Why me?'
While Holmes is rather rambunctious, he is quite peaceful and
quiet for the most part. It is Lawless, wearing a t-shirt and sweat
pants, who is rather calm and willing to talk about the reuniting of
Holmes and himself. 'It was a simple phone call that got this thing
going again for us,' utters Lawless talking about how easily Holmes
and himself mended their ways. Holmes juts in, 'It was rather quick
after I had accepted the collect call.' They laugh in unison.
For as long as W.A.S.P. has been in this industry (since 1985),
you'd have to think that making records and writing songs was easy
for them. Piece of cake. Not true answers Lawless, as he discovered
with penning material for _KFD_. 'It becomes harder for myself as a
songwriter because I become more selective of what I write about. I
want to take my time when writing the songs I make now. To be able to
make them mean something and have a lasting affect.'
Knowing now what I was to experience next, I should have avoided
this question to some extent. I ask, 'The album title _Kill Fuck
Die_: Why? What fueled the ideas?' Holmes rapidly responds in a loud
bellow, 'You live in Los Angeles and see how you feel with all the
guns and violence and murders that happen! It is a dangerous place to
be but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I'm reading here in the
paper that the other day like all these people have been shot over
the last couple of weeks, Fuck!, ' he yells, 'That is the last
fucking page of the Los Angeles time everyday.' At this time Holmes
begins to stand up and act out a mock take on life and times in Los
Angeles. He stands by the curtain clad windows of the hotel, drawing
them back and forth while staring out the window mumbling names like
George and Martha as he proceeds to make gunfire sounds, ending with
a shallow scream. I make a quick glance to Lawless perched on the bed
across from me and we both let out a huge ball of laughter. Lawless
almost falls off the bed.
I agree with Holmes about his take on life in Los Angeles and
the ideas put forth towards _KFD_ and he says, 'That's the way I look
at it. Ah well, _Kill Fuck Die_!' Lawless lets out a huge dose of
laughter and says, 'This is too much. You had to get him going
right?' Holmes finishes, 'That's a normal day for us who live in Los
Angeles. To other it's not.'
While on the topic of the album title and the general make-up of
material and ideas for _KFD_, Lawless goes on to talk about the
formation and ideas of the band in the 1990s, having to live on the
edge and be a dangerous entity in the music industry if you want to
get noticed. 'We talk about how we are a dangerous band and all but
when we got back together we said to each other that we had to be the
nastiest, stinkiest, filthiest fucking band on the planet. That's
what we attempted to do and will continue to try to do.' About the
lyrics of _KFD_? Lawless says so blatantly, 'There is not a lot of
deep philosophical thought and social significance within our lyrics
on this record.'
At this point in time the conversation meanders away from a
basic Q&A session and goes more into gibberish about bands of the
90s, touring (which is set to start in May, what Lawless describes as
'an intense show; not for the faint of heart'), and growing old.
Looking at Holmes and Lawless, you can tell that they are
getting on in the years but there still seems to be a youthful glow
in the eyes. And long years in this business has not slowed down
W.A.S.P. or their desire to keep going in this business. Holmes
quips, 'When I started this business with W.A.S.P., people thought I
was an old fuck. Fuck! I'm gonna die doing this!'
Lawless leaves the room to use the toilet. I'm left with Holmes.
Trouble? Who knows? I ask him, while his partner is 'draining a
vein,' about being a songwriter. He corrects me. 'I don't consider
myself a songwriter. I'm an entertainer. I like to make music and go
out and tour and put on a show. Other people might call themselves
songwriters but not me - I'm an entertainer and that is what I do.'
His eyes light up as he tells me that. I am starting to believe him
and for once in this interview I feel a bit more relaxed.
Lawless returns. At this point in time my 25-minute interview is
wearing down and I am starting to notice that after about 6 hours of
interviews during the day, the two are getting restless. Lawless is
squirming on the bed and Holmes proceeds to pace around his small
sofa he has been sitting on during the interview. I couldn't have
asked for a better way to end the interview than with the way Holmes
so effortlessly provided me with a real closer. The topic: critics.
Both Lawless and Holmes have mixed feelings about the way one of
their records is either praised or panned. I ask about that topic and
Holmes once again stands up and walks towards me saying, 'I'm gonna
tell you how I feel.' That nervous feeling comes back to me as the
6ft+ guitarist meanders over to me on the bed I am sitting upon. He
stands over me with a halfhearted grin and leans into my tape
recorder microphone and mutters, 'Fuck'em! That's how I see it. I
don't care what people say about what we do. Fuck'em!'
Lawless laughs as Holmes sits down. Lawless ends the interview
by saying, 'We really don't give a fuck what people say about the
record. We don't care what critics or music journalists really say
about _KFD_. We are doing this for ourselves and our fans. That's
about it. Fuck everybody else.'
I leave the interview with a real feeling that all the mayhem
and shit that came along with W.A.S.P. in the 80s may be coming
around again once more when _Kill Fuck Die_ hits stores at the end of
April. Lawless and Holmes together again - watch out!
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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.
T H E S E A R C H F O R P E R F E C T M E L O D Y
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Esa Holopainen of Amorphis
by: Pedro Azevedo
From the cold northern lands of Finland, Amorphis have been
growing, album after album, to become one of the giants in the
current European metal scene. Few bands are as technically excellent
and creative as they are. As you can read in Gino's interview with
this same band almost a year ago [CoC #11], these Finnish melodic
metal masters made a giant improvement on their _The Karelian
Isthmus_ with 1994's _Tales from the Thousand Lakes_. Last year's
awesome _Elegy_ showed even more improvement on the already great
_TFtTL_, mainly in what concerns melody, and it's also the main
subject of this e-mail interview, as we discuss the past, present and
future of Amorphis with guitarist Esa Holopainen.
CoC: What is it that you think makes the awesome _Elegy_ a better
album than (the also excellent) _Tales from the Thousand Lakes_?
Esa Holopainen: We have developed a lot as musicians and composers
since _TFtTL_ and of course there are lots of things
in _Elegy_ which are more connected to our culture
and folk music. In _TFtTL_, there's lotsa cool things
as well but these two albums are made with different
mood so for us they are two totally different albums
musically.
CoC: Do you think your quality has improved with the addition of the
new keyboardist, Kim Rantala?
EH: Kim's got a part of it as well as Pasi but we had already
composed a lot of songs before they joined the band. Kim's sound
world and musical roots are very different from Kasper's.
CoC: And what about the new vocalist, Pasi Koskinen? Would you say
his voice is better for Amorphis than Koivusaari's grunts?
EH: Tomi's voice is growling and Pasi's voice is pure singing so you
can say that growling vocals are for us more like an effect but
it gives a great mood for the songs. Pasi has a great melody
sense which is very important if you are the lead vocalist. I
can't say which one is better, it's the same thing if you ask
which one you prefer, your guitar or your delay pedal.
CoC: I personally enjoy Koivusaari's style, although I think Koskinen
fits in quite nicely (after enough listens, that is). What are
your plans for the future in what concerns the balance between
the two vocalists?
EH: Pasi's voice is the lead one so he'll sing in almost every track
in the future. We still haven't forgot Tomi's voice and as long
as our music needs a growling voice we will definitely use it.
CoC: Is there any sort of problems in the band concerning your
musical direction (like between new members and older ones)?
EH: No problems at all. When we arrange our stuff everybody must be
pleased with the sound, then we know that we are doing something
good. Even though we have different music tastes between some
members it does not reflect on the Amorphis sound.
CoC: Why did you record _Elegy_ in three(!) different studios?
EH: First we went to Sunlight studio in Stockholm and recorded all
the basic stuff there but during the sessions we noticed that it
wasn't technically prepared enough to finish the album there so
we came to Helsinki and used two studios to finish the
recordings. Finally we ended up going to Liverpool to mix the
album there with top engineering fellow Pee Wee Coleman who did a
really awesome job.
CoC: It's pretty clear that your (Holopainen's) name is the one that
shows up most frequently in the song credits. Do you consider
yourself the band's creative center? (I should mention that you
are currently my favourite guitarist, the one who combines
technique and creativity best.)
EH: I did several songs and was part composer in most tracks but in
our band every member is creative and some people come up with
songs more often. I had a lot of ideas before we started to do
material for _Elegy_. We always arrange the music in our
rehearsal room together as a band. Otherwise, I do a lot of
interviews, etc., so my name might come up often in what comes to
Amorphis. I'm really impressed about your comments what comes to
my guitar playing so cheers for that.
CoC: Just how do you manage to come up with such amazing melodies all
the time? I mean, _Elegy_ is probably the greatest opus of
memorable melodies I've ever heard, it never ceases to amaze me.
EH: We are searching for perfect melody. That's our meaning of life
and that's the rule that we are following.
CoC: How well have your last couple of albums been selling so far?
EH: Pretty good. _Elegy_ has sold so far over 100 000 copies.
CoC: How have the live shows been going lately?
EH: Very nice, we just finished our _Elegy European Tour Part 2_,
which was really cool. We went to play in smaller cities were we
haven't yet played in Europe so much and the response was really
great. Otherwise, we did a massive touring with _Elegy_ and we
still are going to play summer festivals under the _Elegy..._
tour.
CoC: In your point of view, which are the best Finnish bands right
now?
EH: The best one was Kingston Wall which does not exist any more, but
a few cool bands are Xysma, Sentenced, CMX.
CoC: You're supposed to be releasing an EP in April. Would you like
to give us some more details?
EH: It's coming out in June, don't ask me why the delay. It includes
"My Kantele" from the _Elegy_ album, two new tracks, and two
cover tracks, one from Hawkwind and one from Kingston Wall.
CoC: In which ways do you think Amorphis will change in the future?
Will you become heavier, softer, groovier or more melodic. What
do you think?
EH: Hard to say. I hate the word groove, so that's something it's not
going to be. Still heavy.
CoC: OK, that was my last question. Any messages for our readers?
EH: Thanx for this cool interview and I wish you best luck.
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G O O D G R I E F
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An interview with Boston's Grief
by: Zena Tsarfin <zena@hightimes.com>
The members of Boston-based Grief are not exactly happy campers.
While the doomy quartet that specializes in slow, heavy sludge-core
have gotten slightly more upbeat since their first two full-lengths,
_Dismal_ (Common Cause) and _Come to Grief_ (Century Media), Grief
still tend to look for the cloud behind the silver lining, most
recently on _Miserably Ever After_ (Pessimiser/Theologian).
While the core of the band started out as Disrupt, Grief soon
became the favored outlet for vocalist Jeff, drummer Rick, bassist
Randy, and guitarist Terry. With their misanthropic lyrics and credo
"If it's too slow, you're too happy," Grief have become a favorite of
other extreme bands such as Soilent Green, 16, Dystopia, and
Corrupted - all of whom have done split recordings with the band.
I recently got a chance to speak to their guitarist, Terry
Savastano about Grief's new record, plans for the future and cynical
outlook on life.
CoC: Will we ever see a happy album from Grief?
Terry Savastano: Probably not happy, but we're getting away from the
depression thing and more into the anger and
loathing thing. But happy? Never.
CoC: When and how did Grief come about?
TS: Three of the members were in Disrupt, and we played in that band
for a number of years but wanted to do something else. We did
both bands for a while then Disrupt broke up and we're just doing
Grief now. It's been that way ever since about '90 or '91. I'd
say five years and going strong.
CoC: How is Grief different from Disrupt?
TS: It's a different form of music; Disrupt was just charging full of
hardcore and politics and Grief is really slow, monotonous dirge.
I try not to use the word metal, but I guess we are a metal band.
CoC: Face it, you're a metal band.
TS: Yeah, you'd have to say that.
CoC: Sorry about that, but I have to quote Anal Cunt every chance I
get.
TS: It's alright.
CoC: Who are some of your influences?
TS: The usual: Black Sabbath, Trouble, St. Vitus, and the Melvins.
CoC: How did the Grief sound develop?
TS: Just fucking around; just screwing around with certain shit
trying to turn up everything as loud as it will go, tuning things
down and smoking a lot of grass. Plus being bored and bummed out.
CoC: Do you think there's a certain sound that comes out of smoking
pot?
TS: Definitely, that slow churning stuff. We just get really baked
and it comes out. For rehearsal we smoke as much pot as possible
and just get down and make music.
CoC: How do you feel about people associating Grief as a drug band?
TS: As long as they just associate us with grass and drinking booze,
we pretty much frown on everything else.
CoC: How would you describe the Grief sound to someone who has never
heard the band?
TS: Like explosions... really slow, fuckin' funereal dirge music with
a singer who sounds like he got his arms cut off. <laughs>
CoC: How has your sound progressed over the years?
TS: It's gotten a lot more melodic, a tiny bit faster, more involving
and a little more technical - but still true to form.
CoC: Tell me about some of the lyrics on the new record. Was "Low
Life" based on personal experience?
TS: Jeff [vocalist/lyricist] wrote the words to that song and they
were definitely based on personal experiences - just numerous
individuals that will find out sooner or later.
CoC: I also noticed anti-straight edge lyrics in "Straight
Edge-Closed Mind", what prompted that?
TS: We've just taken so much shit from people. People will pretty
much do whatever the hell they want, I don't care - but I hate
people that preach. These militant straight-edge kids can just
fuckin' stick it up their ass. When they stop preaching to me and
telling me what to do, then I'm going to write a song about it.
If you're straight, that's cool; live your own life, make your
own rules. We've actually met people like 'Oh, you're a fuckin'
loser, what the fuck are you doing smoking that shit?' Fuck off!
CoC: The song "Why Should You Care" puts down bands that try to
promote ideas through their music. Do you really believe that?
TS: That's another song that Jeff wrote, you'd have to ask him about
that one! <laughs>. I'm not PC or a veggie and I'd love to take
drugs until the day I die. It doesn't really matter, it's just
music. If people are going to take it really seriously, then they
definitely haven't got it. Everything is so negative because it
just comes right out in the music, a little bit of it is tongue
in cheek.
CoC: You've used the slogan "I Hate the Human Race" for a while, now
the song finally appears on the new record. What took so long?
TS: We had that on the back of our shirt for over a year, it was just
something to put on the back and offend people. When we wrote
music to a song in the studio that didn't have any words we just
used that and now I know people [for which] that's their favorite
song. It cracks me up.
CoC: You also covered "Angry Man" by St. Vitus. Are you big fans?
TS: Absolutely, we love St. Vitus. I've been into them since high
school and turned the other guys onto it. We have all their
records, especially the stuff with Wino.
CoC: With such long, dirge-inspired songs, was there ever a fear that
people just wouldn't get it?
TS: Yeah, that's a constant fear and an everyday occurrence. Most
people don't get it, we have to travel four hours to play in
front of people that like us; no one likes us in Boston at all.
CoC: What caused you guys to become so misanthropic?
TS: I've been that way my whole life, I'm sure the other guys in the
band... well, Randy's half Jewish, so he's kind of... <laughs>.
It's the environment and just life in general.
CoC: I'm a New Yorker, that's my excuse, but was it hard to find
three other people that felt the same way you did about the
world?
TS: In the beginning it was kind of hard, I had Grief in my mind for
a long, long time... years, and then finally I met these guys in
Disrupt and they had similar interests and [we] gave it a shot.
It took off from there, but it took a while.
CoC: Are you planning on touring in support of the new record?
TS: Come springtime, we're going to go down South and do a bunch of
weekends. We want to go to California again, we went there in '93
and it was good, 80% of our audience is there. We'd like to hit
the Midwest again, but we've got to work around our jobs.
CoC: Is playing cathartic for you?
TS: It's a release, everything comes out. Everything that's pissed me
off during the day, I get out at night through my music. If it
wasn't for my music, more than likely I'd be a serious dope
addict, in prison, or just a total fuckin' loser.
CoC: How do people react to the band in a live situation? There's no
clear or defined mosh parts.
TS: No, not at all. Most people just stand there with their jaws
open, a lot of people just frown and walk out, and some people
actually kind of laugh. Other people, the people that like it -
they just stand in awe, mesmerized.
CoC: Any weird fans come out to the shows?
TS: This one guy carved a big upside-down cross in his chest and
dripped blood all over the place, we've gotten some fuckin'
beauties. We've seen some seriously freaky people at our gigs,
but it's nothing really - no one pulls out a gun or anything like
that. Not yet anyway.
CoC: Your last album, _Come to Grief_ was issued on Century Media.
What happened to your deal with them?
TS: They dropped us, they let us go. It's actually worked out good
because I didn't want to work with them any more, it was really
bad. I'm a musician, I just want to play my guitar and sing.
Dealing with labels and people that have a control on what I do,
I don't dig that at all. With Pessimiser, it's just give them a
call and [Chris Elder] does whatever we want or we do whatever he
wants. He's a friend, it works out much better.
CoC: I noticed you had some changes in the line-up, what happened?
TS: Our old drummer, Rick, left. Randy, the bass player, moved over
to drums and our friend [and Grief's artist], Eric is playing
bass for us now. Randy's originally a drummer, he drummed in
Disrupt. When we started Grief, he was actually our singer for
one of the first rehearsals and his voice couldn't take it so he
went out and bought a bass and he's been playing that ever since.
Then Rick left and Randy moved back over to drums and it's
working good.
CoC: If you guys are so miserable, how come you're all smiling on the
back of the record?
TS: Life's basically been going pretty good for all of us. When we
started the band, especially me, I was a miserable little
bastard. I lived at home, always bummed out, getting drunk,
getting into accidents with my truck. I moved out, and just
realized it ain't that bad, you just got to stick it out and try
to think positive. All my negative aspects in life, I just save
'em all up and when I get to rehearsal, or get to a gig, then I
let them out through the music. It works great, it's such
therapy. I just try to save it up instead of being a little baby
and whining about it.
CoC: How has that worked out?
TS: Works fuckin' great, my life's definitely improved and that's
probably why we're smiling on the back [of the record]. It's an
outlet and I hope a lot of people are looking at our music as an
outlet too, instead of just 'Oh these guys are wicked sick' or
just run of the mill. It means a lot to us, and hopefully to
certain individuals it will mean a lot to them, too.
CoC: What's the biggest misconception about Grief?
TS: That's a good question... that we're bland, that we have no
substance. I think we're one of those bands that tend to grow on
people.
CoC: Like mould?
TS: Yeah, possibly or skin cancer. We're not internal, we're like
something you brush off, but we'll always come back.
Contact: GRIEF, c/o Pessimiser/Theologian
PO Box 1070, Hermosa Beach, CA, 90254, USA
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C O N V E R S I N G W I T H A C U N T
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with Seth Putnam
by: Adrian Bromley
As many of our readers and writers like Anal Cunt, and have
expressed that we should do an interview with them, I tried for many
months to get an Anal Cunt interview. Finally I was able to get an
interview with Seth Putnam, lead screamer/sicko/weirdo and ringleader
of anarchy for Massachusetts-bred Anal Cunt, at his home in Boston
late one night to talk about their latest 52-song platter of mayhem,
_I Like It When You Die_.
While Anal Cunt has released numerous 7"s, 12"s, and records in
the nine years of their existence, it wasn't until the early part of
the 90s and working with Earache Records that the band saw some
exposure with such albums as _Top 40 Hits_, 1995's _40 More Reasons
To Hate Us_ and their latest "bad-taste" record _ILIWYD_.
While Putnam was tired after a long day's work, having had a
couple of 'brewskies' beforehand helped add some color to the
interview and kept him somewhat interested in our little chat.
Knowing quite well that Putnam is not a huge fan of the Internet or
technology (i.e. songs off their latest _ILIWYD_ such as "The
Internet Is Gay" and Technology Is Gay" [more like "Seth Putnam Is
Gay" - AMG]) I cautiously try to explain to Seth what our on-line
magazine Chronicles of Chaos is all about and how we reach a lot of
people worldwide who may not get publications with features or
reviews of Anal Cunt. He listens very carefully, but responds quite
scathingly, "That's cool if we don't reach people or they don't know
who we are. I'd rather not have people know about us than read about
us on the Internet."
CoC: Does music still play a huge role in your life now after all
these years of creating music and noise with Anal Cunt?
Seth Putnam: Yeah, it is still an important part of my life and what
I do. This is my life and something I think about all
the time. If we didn't just lose our drummer (Nate
Linehan recently left) we would be out on tour right now
and I wouldn't have to be working.
CoC: You seem to have a large amount of material on each record with
lots of ideas and commentaries going on. Are there messages in
the music or is this just noise?
SP: When we first started doing this music, we had no lyrics, the
music was short, no song titles and we made a lot of this stuff
on the spot. It was all garbage. We were playing a big musical
rock n' roll laugh with really loud guitars and playing all
horrible and shit to make it sound bad. Nowadays...
CoC: Is there something there now, seeing that the music is a bit
more organized with lyrics and song titles, then?
SP: For the first time with the last record, all the lyrics are
written around the song titles for the first time. So all the
music is mean and angry towards all groups of people. It is
totally against everybody and I don't think we missed any one
type of person. Basically we badmouthed everybody.
CoC: I guess it's just a big ranting and raving session then?
SP: Yeah... I guess. I guess it depends on what mood we are in the
day we write the music. The new record is a piss-off but we
didn't say, 'Oh let's piss off this type of person!' No. We just
wrote it because we were pissed off at that particular person.
CoC: And what about the album title _I Like It When You Die_? Is
there a statement for that?
SP: Actually, we didn't even think of the album title. A friend of
mine from the band Sock-Eyed made up some t-shirts for us with
random sayings on it and one of them said, "You're A Bastard. I
Like It When You Die" and we used that for a title.
CoC: And the fascination with everyone being considered "gay"?
SP: In Massachusetts, that is a very common slang term. Kinda like
when people think something is stupid they say, 'Oh that is gay.'
It is a common way of talking around here. I just speak that way
around here anyway. Some people think it really means gay. Not
true. I use the word a lot but obviously the song "Recycling Is
Gay" can't mean that recycling is a homosexual thing. Anybody
with half a brain can pick that out and see that it doesn't mean
anything to do with homosexuality.
CoC: What kind of fans does Anal Cunt draw to a show or buys your
records?
SP: I think the average Anal Cunt fan that comes to our show is an
unemployed, alcoholic asshole loser which is kind of like the
people that we get along with anyway. Troublemakers that like to
start shit up. The fans that buy our records are a mixed lot. A
wide variety from artsy people to troublemakers. I think the
people that like us are the people that are looking for the most
extreme and fastest music that they'll hear.
CoC: And why did you start this band up? To spread anarchy through
music?
SP: I hate that word, anarchy. It's overused. Anyway... when we
started this band up we only meant for AC to last two weeks. To
play one show and make one tape. The fact that we are still
around amazes me.
CoC: Do you consider yourself a joke band?
SP: Maybe in the first two weeks of this band but things evolved for
us and we starting writing about things that interested us or
bothered us.
CoC: Does the music industry get to you at times?
SP: For the last three years straight from January to March I was
wanting to break up the band and not do it again. I just get that
way every now and then but I am the kind of person who gets
pissed off when things go well for me and I try to ruin my life.
I'll get sick of this a couple months of the year but at least I
know now not to let people take advantage of me.
CoC: And Earache Records? How has that been for you guys?
SP: They're there. They don't do any promotion for us. They just put
out the records. I wish they would do better because I think we
would benefit from them helping us out. Originally, Earache
bothered me but I realized that we weren't the bigger band on the
label. I'm used to them not really doing anything for us. We just
let them get the record out and we try to promote the band
ourselves.
CoC: What kind of things piss you off? Things that would make it onto
an AC record.
SP: I don't have my notebook here but we already have like forty
songs written for the next record. All of them just downright
mean towards all people. It is the most violent stuff that we
have ever done. I can't remember any of the titles as we worked
on the ideas really fast.
CoC: Is that gonna be out soon?
SP: Earache pretty much makes us put out an album once a year so I'm
sure in early 1998 you will see a new Anal Cunt release.
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C O O L I N G T H E R E A C T O R
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC chats with Heavy Water Factory
by: Adrian Bromley
Detroit three-piece Heavy Water Factory have always aimed at
creating hypnotic power-driven electronic music with a bite and a
definite roar that would set them apart from the rest, allowing metal
and noise tidbits to be dispersed within the loops and beats of the
techno-driven music. On their second record, _Author of Pain_ (Energy
Records), the band aimed to find a unique style or feel to their
music. They may have found it as their sophomore release, a follow-up
to 1996's indie release _Fluid and Meat_, truly surpasses what the
band had done first time out.
Singer/keyboardist/programmer Jesse McLear (HWF is rounded out
by other keyboardist William West and guitarist Scott Hixson) talks
to Chronicles of Chaos about the music and momentum generated by
Heavy Water Factory.
CoC: What interests you about the kind of music that you play?
Jesse McLear: I grew up listening to bands like The Cure, Joy
Division, and The Smiths, and a lot of these bands used
keyboards. I liked that quality about those bands. That
interested me. And then I started getting into the
industrial around 1989 and it was so different from
anything that I had heard before and I wanted to get
into that. I fell in love with bands like Nitzer Ebb,
Ministry, and Skinny Puppy.
CoC: Do you still play close attention to the new industrial or
electronic music nowadays?
JM: I am finding myself less and less listening to or paying
attention to those kinds of music right now. I just want to stay
focused on what I am doing and not be influenced in anyway by
other bands.
CoC: Where do you want Heavy Water Factory to go as a band? How
important is success for you?
JM: I don't know about that. I am not expecting to be rich or do this
for years to come. I do it right now because I like to write
music. I feel like there is a certain level I am gonna reach and
feel like I made it, but I don't know what that level is. I don't
know what I am reaching for. I don't know if it is a dollar
amount or being famous. I think it is more of a personal
accomplishment for myself. Making music and being happy doing it.
I really care about what I do and I want this to be a personal
thing for me. I'm trying to be myself with every song I write. I
try to make each song better than the last one I wrote.
CoC: The record sounds very focused and clear. How are you in the
studio when working on material?
JM: I work very hard in the studio trying to create the music that I
hear in my head. I try to bring my ideas to life. I am determined
to get it as accurate to what I want but that always doesn't
happen.
CoC: How did you hook up with Energy Records?
JM: We heard good things about them from some of our friends who are
DJs, always talking about how Energy really cares about their
bands and stuff. We sent them a press kit and they really dug our
material. We met up with them and felt a good vibe so we hooked
up with them.
CoC: How would you describe the new record to someone?
JM: I'd probably tell them that the record is full of a lot of
variety of song styles and moods. Usually there is something on
the record, it could be one track, that people usually come away
liking on this record. I like the fact that someone could get
excited about something on this record, to be excited and be
moved by a piece of music that I created.
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B L E E D I N G D I V I N E B L O O D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC interviews Darren White of The Blood Divine
by: Pedro Azevedo
A band formed by the Ryan brothers and PJ Allender from Cradle
of Filth, a drummer such as Was from Extreme Noise Terror, and Steve
Maloney on bass sure sounds more than promising. But what would this
band be without a good vocalist? Well, The Blood Divine undoubtedly
have one who's as good as vocalists can get. Formerly the Anathema
frontman, Darren White is the man who gives TBD that extra quality
and personality with his voice, lyrics, and overall influence. I had
the pleasure of talking to Daz on the phone, and here's the result -
enjoy, and do yourself a favour by checking out their debut, _Awaken_.
Before starting the interview itself, there's something I must
make clear. Darren was interviewed by a Portuguese radio station just
a few days before I talked to him, so I didn't want to repeat the
questions he had been asked in that interview for rather obvious
reasons. However, two of the questions are worth mentioning here. The
first concerns his departure from Anathema - a decision that belonged
to the rest of the band. They claimed that Darren's vocals were
getting worse as the rest of the band got better, and added that his
lyrics in _Pentecost III_ were bad (maybe they forgot about his work
on _Serenades_). "A good move", as Danny Cavanagh once stated. Many,
myself included, will strongly disagree, at least in what concerns
Anathema, since while Anathema lost some of what made them special,
the world did gain a new and superb band called The Blood Divine,
which is probably much more suitable for Darren's vocals than
Anathema right now. Darren blames his departure on the lack of
communication in the band: as he says, "They never told me, earlier
on, how they felt - it was like they were afraid to speak about it.
They chose the easy way out but it helped me, because sometimes some
bad things happen to you, but sometimes you can make something
positive out of that negative experience, and that's what I've done".
However, says Darren, "I can forgive them, but I'll never forget,
because it's not something that friends should do to each other. Then
again, I can thank them for it, because now I'm in a band where I'm
much happier than I ever was in Anathema, and I'm able to express
myself more honestly, more openly." About their next album, Darren
said TBD will most likely record it during April or May, so it should
be out around September. With this out of the way, let's move on to
CoC's interview.
CoC: Suppose you were in some room and someone would play
_Serenades_. What would be your current opinion on the quality
of this album?
Darren White: I think it's good... I think the music was good, but
the production could have been better, and I think I'd
do the vocals differently now, but it was 1992, so...
I'm a better singer now... but I still like it, it's
still my past and it's still in my heart.
CoC: There've been a lot of bands abandoning the death-style vocals
recently. Your vocals aren't really death vocals anymore, like
they were in the past, but they're still heavy, and, as far as
I'm concerned, excellent...
DW: Thank you.
CoC: Would you say this abandoning of the death vocals is becoming a
trend?
DW: I don't know... there's so many trends, that to me it doesn't
matter. I think it's also a trend if a band just start up singing
black metal style because it's easier to sing that way, you know,
it's easier to scream and it's harder to sing in tune but still
keep powerful. That's the thing that a lot of bands do, they try
to sing softer or in a tune but they lose the power, and to get
the two is the best. I don't know about you, but I think one of
the best singers ever was Robert Plant, because he was able to
get perfect tune but also a lot of power in his voice as well.
CoC: How important are your lyrics?
DW: They're totally important. It's 100% important, if not more, you
know, if it could be more than 100% it would be. It's therapy for
me, it's very important for me that for every word that goes on
to the paper and every word I sing I can defend myself if someone
was to say "What do you mean there? Why did you say that?", I'd
have to be able to defend myself. They also have to be completely
from the heart, so I can find the balance and sort of be clever
with the lyrics, but also be honest and open about my own
feelings. I think that's something I lost for a little bit and I
have regained it now, especially for the second Blood Divine
album, which will be very [much] about personal experiences that
I think anyone can relate to.
CoC: Is there any special reason why your lyrics come out so gloomy
and bleak, especially in the past?
DW: I think it's for two reasons. I use the lyrics as a therapy so
that I can get out the negative feelings inside me, and also I do
try to reflect the atmosphere of the world. There is so much
injustice, so much cruelty and so much pain and suffering in the
world, and those come out in the lyrics. Some people live a happy
life and they don't think about those who are suffering and other
people's pain and sometimes they can't enjoy themselves properly
because they don't realize how lucky they are. I think by talking
about the pain of suffering and injustice, that people can
realize how lucky they are and maybe even go out and try and
fight as well. I always say that if I wasn't playing music I
would be some form of revolutionist fighting against injustice.
I'd be out there defending defenseless animals, setting animals
free from torture laboratories and many other things.
CoC: What inspired you to write the lyrics for "Warm Summer Rain"?
DW: I'm gonna give you a secret away now... for that track, I was
sitting there, and it was very, very late at night, which is the
best time for me to write lyrics, and I was thinking about ideas
while listening to the track (the band had written that track two
or three months before going to studio, so it was almost
completely finished), and I wanted [the lyrics] very, very
simple, but also meaningful and deep. And it's like a football
manager, sometimes he has to admit that his wife helped him pick
the football team; my wife helped me with those lyrics. <laughs>
I knew that the song felt like rain, something made me think that
there had to be rain when the music stops, so I wanted rain to be
in the title, and once she got the idea into my head it all came
out very easy and very simple. Just as if I was walking outside
the house in Summer with rain coming down and I'm looking up to
the sky, feeling the rain on my face, thinking what a great
feeling that is, breathing the clean air and hoping that we'll be
always able to breathe clean air, which is a dream that probably
won't happen, but it would be nice.
CoC: That track features Ruth, an excellent female vocalist...
DW: Yeah.
CoC: ... who accompanied you from Anathema.
DW: Yeah.
CoC: Do you think she'll ever have more weight in the band, do some
larger parts of the album?
DW: I don't know, I think for the second album we're gonna try
something else, but I'll always have her phone number and I hope
that we'll always be friends and that we'll be able to do
something again in the future. I think for the next album we'll
be trying something a little bit different, but we might ask Ruth
again to do some stuff. It's not that we don't like her vocals,
but we wanna do something different in the next album.
CoC: How did you come up with such a name as The Blood Divine? What
does it mean?
DW: I just thought of a few different names for a band, names that I
thought were good, and I majorly thought that this one stood out
as the strongest. When I showed it to the other guys, I didn't
tell them which was the one I liked, I just showed them the list
of names, and every one of them said that's the one. I think it's
good, because it's strong... it could be pretentious in a way,
but we believe in divine blood. It's not just those six people
who are The Blood Divine, it's anyone who feels that they also
bleed divine blood. If you believe that you have your own strong
conscience and your own god inside of you, and you don't worship
an external god but you obey the being inside of yourself, then
you can be part of us, so if you believe you bleed divine blood
you can be part of us.
CoC: Wise words. I suppose you are an atheist, then?
DW: No, I think I have a strong faith, but it's not a Christian
faith, it's not Moslem faith, it's not Hindu faith, it's just a
faith in Nature and life in general. I think that life is the
ever-powerful thing.
CoC: Changing the subject, what bands or which kinds of music do you
guys listen to after work?
DW: Very different stuff. I would say that Paul Ryan is the big metal
fan in the band. He loves mainly the new wave of British metal...
and we all love Iron Maiden. Paul Allender, he's into all kinds
really, he's a rock fan, he likes classical music too.
CoC: What about yourself?
DW: Myself, I love any music that I think can take you away from
where you are at that time, the reality and boredom of where you
are, so that it can lift you or make you feel better. I like a
lot of 60s and 70s stuff, they use a lot of clever sounds that
can help you drift away, and I like bands like Kyuss and Monster
Magnet. I also like that really, really heavy style. Also Led
Zeppelin, the Beatles, Black Sabbath, the Doors... <laughs> I'll
tell you what Steve's into, he's into a lot of punk and 70s and
80s stuff as well... Lou Reed, Velvet Underground... and then
Ben, he's into mad sounds, he likes anything that sounds strange.
And Was, our drummer, he worships Frank Zappa. And he likes Miles
Davis and jazz.
CoC: It's weird that if you ask this to most metal bands, they almost
never mention newer metal bands. What's your opinion on other
Peaceville bands, for example, such as My Dying Bride?
DW: To be perfectly honest with you, I was never really a fan of
their music, even though I have respect for them. We just toured
with them for four and a half weeks, and I respect them, but I'm
more into Cathedral.
CoC: They were a bit like Anathema in the early days... there were
some similarities between _Serenades_ and _As the Flower
Withers_, and the way both bands grew.
DW: Yeah.
CoC: I noticed that you mention a band called Celestial Season twice
in the _Awakening_ credits... you, yourself. Is there any
special relation between you and that Dutch band?
DW: Yeah, their old singer, I knew him in the old days, and also in
the last tour that we've done, a couple of guys from Celestial
Season came down and they were really friendly and all, and we
had a smoke together, and we talked and had a drink. They were
really cool people.
CoC: What's your opinion on the current metal scene? Or take the
Swedish scene as an example, if y
ou know it.
DW: If we take Sweden as an example, I like Entombed and At the
Gates, even though they have split up now. And Opeth... I'm not
really into their music, because their songs are too long, but
they really know how to play their instruments. The only band
that I can think of that are in the extreme scene are Einherjer,
I listened to a demo or something of theirs a couple of years
ago, and it was really epic and heavy music.
CoC: I read in an interview that you don't value black metal too much.
DW: Eh... not really, no... not the current black metal scene,
because it's just full of spotty kids... and...
CoC: So you believe there is no such thing as a good black metal band
right now?
DW: Er... there probably is... I could pick up Terrorizer and have a
look at that... there's probably a good band in that. I'm a
friend of Cradle of Filth's new guitarist, and have been for a
long time, and I always thought Cradle of Filth were good... even
though I shouldn't be promoting them really... but I think
they're okay... Impaled Nazarene, they're okay as well. And
Celtic Frost, from the older scene, and Sodom, I could go on
there... but in the current scene, I think the bands are just
far, far too pretentious and it's just completely fake. I think
it's all a fake image.
CoC: Changing the subject back to The Blood Divine, have you had any
problems in any of TBD's live shows yet or is everything going
alright so far?
DW: Well, there's things like guitar amps suddenly deciding that they
don't wanna work anymore, guitar leads that decide they don't
wanna work anymore... people jumping up on the stage and knocking
things over, but that's not a problem, that's all part of the
fun. One of the things I hate is that on the last tour there was
a couple of gigs where we had to do the sound check while
everyone was in the room... just little things, because when
you're a professional you want everything to be right, but then
again, if there's a problem you make up for that problem by
trying that bit harder in the show and trying to basically play
the next song so good that people will forget what happened. I
mean, I've got a lot of experience, so as long as I can use that
experience to make TBD a better band, I'll try everything I can.
CoC: How satisfied were you with _Awaken_, both musically and in
terms of production?
DW: We're like every band, we see all the faults because we look at
it objectively.
CoC: Would you say there's a lot of faults?
DW: I mean, I can look at it and say "that could have been better",
and we would have done it differently now, but at the same time,
considering that we'd only been together for six or seven months
when we recorded it, I think it's a miracle that we were able to
do it so well and I'm happy about that. But I think we are a much
more mature and much better band now, and we would do it
differently now.
CoC: How did you manage to do such a great debut album, considering
you all came from such different bands?
DW: Yeah... I mean, I do things that are only for the more
open-minded people, and I heard that the Portuguese fans are
open-minded...
CoC: Some are and some aren't... like anywhere else...
DW: Yeah, but I think in England the emphasis on music is more on if
it will sell, if it's commercial. I think that we will do quite
well in Portugal, and the likes of Germany, Italy, Spain and
places like that, also like America, Scandinavia and Japan...
we're doing well in a lot of places, and we're trying at the
moment to sort of break into the English scene. It's a very sad
thing, but even though in music it's great to use your heart, to
break into the English scene you gotta use your mind as well, and
you gotta be clever. At the moment, I'm trying, and it's a new
thing to me having to be thinking about business and all. I think
people will accept it in England, but not like in Portugal,
you're far more open-minded and the people really understood the
diversity of the music in Portugal and countries like that.
CoC: Has _Awakening_ been doing well in terms of sales?
DW: Uh, I don't know, I think so... I'm not really sure about that...
but I hope so! <laughs> It means that we can carry on.
CoC: Is there any news about your second album you'd like to share
with me?
DW: Let me think... not really... <laughs> Well, we'll be more
mature, more groovy in a way, more rocking... more focused...
less silly bits, if you know what I mean... all really hard and
true, more honest.
CoC: Will your vocal style remain the same?
DW: I will always keep the heavy style, but I obviously always try to
become a better singer, not just shout all the time, put tunes in
there... but at the same time I'm confident that I'll keep the
very heavy style and use tune and melody as well.
CoC: What's your opinion about all those bands out there who write
music just to try and sell lots and lots and lots of copies,
even if they know that their music is crap, saying "Our music is
crap, but it'll sell, so let's do it!"?
DW: Yeah, that's really sad... they're ruining the whole music scene.
It's like a product, like Coca-Cola, so many bands are products
of their record label, and that just makes me sick. That's one of
the reasons why I don't like the black metal thing, some of the
bands need to wear their makeup because they don't know how to do
anything else and they're not confident enough in their music.
CoC: _Awaken_ keeps shifting from doomy parts to great melodies to
powerful parts all the time, so it's really hard to put a label
on your band. Would you like to try and label TBD yourself, or
would you say that's just useless?
DW: Heavy rock'n'roll... <laughs>
CoC: Nothing with the word "metal"?
DW: I could say metal, but when you say metal, the pigeonholes come
alive in people's heads and they expect you to sound a certain
way, whereas I can say, yeah, we're a heavy metal band, but
people will think "Oh, it sounds like that, then...". And if I
said we're a death metal band, people would say "Oh, it sounds
like that..." So I don't really want to categorize ourselves,
because of the labels the people have in their own minds, so I
would say that we capture the spirit of heavy metal, but not in
the old style, more drifting in a rock'n'roll spirit, the music
being open and hopefully something that'll break some boundaries,
or change the world... that'd be my dream...
CoC: Now's the time for you to say whatever you want to our readers...
DW: Bleed divine blood, be yourself, use your mind as well as your
heart, respect people... respect life.
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O N T H O R N S I L A Y
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Interview by: Panos "nahitfol" Agoros <http://nahitfol.home.ml.org>
Intro by: Pedro Azevedo
The Greek band now known as On Thorns I Lay was formed in 1992 under
the name Phlebotomy, having just released their first EP _Dawn of
Grief_ at the time. They came back under the name On Thorns I Lay to
release _Sounds of Beautiful Experience_ for Holy Records in 1995, an
album that featured quite a lot of original ideas (and nice
packaging). Also, strange as it may seem, it's rather far from what
I'd call doom, even though they use a suggestive name, as the mood is
actually quite light. The band quit the female vocals they had used
in their EP, and _SoBE_ was a mix of atmospheric death with
influences varying from classical music to some rather strange
"rockish" stuff - it's one of those love-it-or-hate-it albums. On
Thorns I Lay have a new album ready for release during Autumn this
year - here's a chat with guitarist Chris Draga.
CoC: It seems that you have disappeared for some time after the
release of your debut CD. What happened?
Chris Draga: Here we are, two years after the release of our debut
CD, entitled _Sounds of Beautiful Experience_. The delay
was due to many reasons that created some trouble. These
reasons were:
a) The bass player left the band for personal reasons.
b) We were not in the least satisfied with our previous
album. In fact we were disappointed, so we needed
some time to think, to test different musical
approaches, yet we didn't want to divulgue them. And
now, two years later, we are stronger and heavier
than ever.
CoC: Did the reactions to your CD satisfy you?
CD: Our first CD doesn't represent us at all. To be honnest I believe
that it was awful [Yet I enjoyed it a lot -- Panos]. However it
obtained some good reviews (4/5 at Kerrang and 8/10 at all Metal
Hammer mags). People liked it. The reactions were better than
they should be. According to these I assume that our 2nd album
will have a better fate. The production is perfect and the sound
is more complete and more atmospheric than ever.
CoC: You're one of the few underground metal bands who express
happiness and joy through their lyrics and music . Would you be
one of the rare humans for whom life is not pain?
CD: At our first album we wanted to express such feelings and to send
these messages, indeed; this can be read in the title too.
However the second CD deals with the mystery and the ancient
memories of the lost Atlantis. It's an opus written for the
earliest and more fascinating culture of the world. We were
delighted by the atmosphere that this ancient culture rose, so we
decided that our music and lyrics should be based on this subject.
CoC: In your 7" EP, when you were still named Phlebotomy, you used
delightful female vocals. Why didn't you do so in your debut?
Will you do it in the future?
CD: The female vox didn't express us on the first CD. However, on the
second one there are many parts with female vocals that match our
music. We used them to show the difference between hatred and
love, brutality and tranquillity, war and peace.
CoC: Let's talk about your new musical direction. Your contribution
to _The Holy Bible_ (Holy Recs' unreleased tracks compilation),
was an excellent surprise for me. Will your new songs be in this
vein? I mean with no death growlings and with more rock stylings?
CD: Our contribution to this compilation was just an experiment for
us, fortunately or unfortunately. We are pleased with the
conclusion. Besides, in this way we wanted to test the studio
that we had chosen to create our second album. We really like
this style, however death metal lives in our hearts. We've
listened to it for ten years now and we have connected our own
lives with this kind of music. We are open minded but we will
never stop worshipping our music.
CoC: I know you like rave and techno music. Why don't you do a
side-project in this vein?
CD: In fact we DON'T like techno and rave music. [Their singer stated
liking rave/techno in several interviews and even quoted
Prodigy's debut album as one of his all-time faves, maybe Chris
forgot that. -- Panos] We like the atmospheric drum'n'bass, the
dark breakbeat, the psychedelic trance and any other atmospheric
dark feeling music. Our new CD contains melodic death metal
tracks full of atmosphere and mystery. We worked very hard, with
the help of the latest computers in order to create a hymn
towards the ancient Atlantis.
CoC: Magus Wampyre Daloth (Necromantia) in an interview with Chaotik
Webzine said that, "The techno movement is empty from any
sense". Do you agree?
CD: My answer is YES. The techno movement is empty from any sense.
CoC: I greatly enjoyed the dreamy dimension of "Sounds..." and
"Taxidi Nostalgias" the closing track; can someone say that you
are dreamers?
CD: We were and we shall never stop being dreamers. The second album
is a dream, a vision (the title is Opama=Vision) of the last
Atlantis.
CoC: Have you anything to say to our readers?
CD: Fight for death metal, stay underground, stay away from all
techno, sleaze, funk, poseurs and other bullshit. Our forthcoming
CD is a pure atmospheric death metal creation so even if you
don't consider buying it try to give it a listen.
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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!
Agarthi - _At the Burning Horizon_ (Red Stream, 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (8 out of 10)
Agarthi come from Italy, and play a pretty original blend of
symphonic metal combined with elements of death and black, all played
with conviction, albeit with a rather weak production effort.
Although they employ the use of keyboards heavily, Agarthi don't use
the atmospheric, simple sounding effect. Instead, they convey more of
an evil, nefarious feeling, with the guitars usually following suit
with melodic riffs and some more choppy, Iced Earth-style riffage,
all played at a mid-to-fast pace, and with a ton of variation;
there's never a boring moment on the 23-minute mini-CD. The vocals
here are a little creative, too. Some of the time, your obligatory
black rasp (actually more of a black growl, really), some of the
time, the growl mixed with a clean male baritone voice, Agarthi went
for something original, and it paid off - the vocals are a rather
refreshing change from most bands' monotonous single style, although
at times the clean vocals sound a bit amateurish, unfortunately. No
need to worry about that though, as Agarthi's MCD is still very
worthwhile; the truly dark atmosphere, good execution, and perhaps,
foremost, the bit of originality should be enough to convince anyone
of their musical prowess.
Alastis - _The Other Side_ (Century Media, April 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10)
For those of you into the works of such bands as Tiamat, Samael or
Moonspell comes the latest Century Media signing, Alastis (all the
aforementioned bands are on CM, too). _The Other Side_, the debut
album for Century Media from this Swiss quartet (they have had two
previous releases), is knee-deep in epic song structures, ambiance,
and heaviness. Produced by the brilliant Waldemar Sorychta (Grip
Inc., Tiamat, Samael), _TOS_ showcases a truly unique pairing of
ambiance with intensity. The music is deafening at times with a
towering presence of darkened ambiance coating the assault against
our senses. Brutal yet soothing, the varied assortment of songs and
ideas do make this an album worth investigating. While the variety of
songs is adequate and the band isn't doing anything really
'groundbreaking,' it is the sound of _TOS_ that is the album's best
asset - thanks to Sorychta. Chock one up for Sorychta once again as
he has brought out something unique sounding in Alastis, allowing
them not to be dismissed as just another doom/dark metal band.
Blood of Christ - _... A Dream to Remember_
by: Adam Wasylyk (8 out of 10) (March 1997, Pulverizer Records)
Some of you should be familiar with Blood of Christ from my demo
review (in issue #11) and my interview in the last issue. Being one
of the better bands to come out of the London, Ontario metal scene,
they have just released their first CD which is a great debut and
will gain them a far larger fan base around the world. Mixing
elements of doom, black, and death metal, Blood of Christ take no
prisoners when it comes to brutal music. Melody also plays a part in
BoC's music, as there are some slow acoustic bits that fit between
the brutal parts. Fans of the Cryptopsy/Kataklysm kind of death metal
should find this appealing, as will other fans of death metal that
like some melody in their music as well. Very dark and very, very
brutal.
A Canorous Quintet - _Silence of the World Beyond_ (No Fashion, 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (8 out of 10)
Hey! It's that time again... you guessed it, time for more Swedish
melodic death! No Fashion (and plenty of other labels) just seem to
keep pumping them out, but even though the genre may be getting just
a -little- overcrowded with copycats, for every five or ten lame
ducks there are one or two bands like A Canorous Quintet: quality,
moderately original (nothing groundbreaking here, but no blatant
cloning either), and refreshingly energetic and powerful. Not really
overtly 'evil,' the lyrics as always focus on darkness and other such
things, but the music doesn't always follow suit. In actuality, the
music on _SotWB_ is actually a little upbeat at times, probably as a
result of the high-tuned, clean melodies and the usually flowing
overall sound of things. The vocals are for the most part neither
death nor black (death vocals are used at times though), but instead
more of a top-of-the-throat screaming, naturally matching the often
times frantic musical pace. In fact, frantic is a good word to
describe A Canorous Quintet's music. Frantic, melodic, maybe a bit on
the hyper side, ACQ prove that they are -more- than capable of
composing quality melodic death metal, and have come up with an album
worthy of recommendation.
Cardinal Sin - _Spiteful Intents_ (Wrong Again Records, 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (8 out of 10)
As soon as you hear the acoustic intro to Cardinal Sin's debut MCD,
_Spiteful Intents_, you know John Zwetsloot has got to be involved.
The guy just seems to have an affinity for soft acoustic pieces,
sometimes with whispered vocals, sometimes without, and who can
really blame him? I think we all enjoy a little moody acoustic
goodness every now and then, and as long as, along with the acoustic
sections, Zwetsloot keeps on writing the kind of riffs he did with
Dissection, and now Cardinal Sin, I'm not going to complain. It would
figure that the two best songs on the sixteen minute offering are
written by Zwetsloot, and bear no slight resemblance, in riffage, to
his work with Dissection. For reference, just listen to "Heaven's
Damnation" off of the latter's debut, and you'll know what I mean.
Dry, sharp, black vocals complement the melodic riffing, accompanied
by some fairly simplistic drumming. So, basically, you'll find no
surprises here, and it may not be worth one's money for such a short
release, but for what it is, _Spiteful Intents_ is well done. Oh, and
what's this? The final song is a short acoustic outro...
Cemetary - _Last Confessions_ (Black Mark, April 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10)
After the release of their last effort, the brilliant 1995 release,
_Sundown_, you'd have thought that Sweden's Cemetary would have been
gearing up for world domination. Didn't happen. Instead, following
years of slugging it out as a veteran death metal band (molding more
into a goth/metal influenced band towards the end) and touring, the
band decided it was time to bring the music of Cemetary to an end.
The results of this decision to end a somewhat successful career are
displayed on the band's farewell LP, _Last Confessions_. While not
the best selection of material to end a career with in my books
(also, 28 minutes seems a bit short and rushed), as
singer/guitarist/songwriter Mathias Loldmalm and his band have
created a very melodic and gothic release with _LC_, a far cry from
what the band had delivered to the metal masses years ago with the
death metal onslaught of their debut album, _An Evil Shade of Gray_.
Despite changes in styles of music, this record has its moments, i.e.
"Caress the Damned" and "One Burning Night". Interesting to see what
creativity the band will conjure up as Loldmalm and drummer Christian
Silver have formed a new band called Sundown, with a debut album in
the works for June release on Century Media. We'll see if disbanding
was required.
December Wolves - _We Are Everywhere_ (Independent, 1997)
by: Drew Schinzel (9 out of 10)
One of America's finest black metal acts, December Wolves have
returned with a short, two-song offering of what is to come from the
band. Featuring only two tracks, "We Are Everywhere", and "... Not
with Tainted Blood", this release is not meant to be the band's next
album, but only a taste, and to me it tastes like skilled, melodic
black metal with a lot of variation. Unlike their debut album, _Til
Ten Years_, there aren't any female vocals, acoustics, or keyboards
on this sampler, and there really is no need for them; December
Wolves' music succeeds on practically every front, and to add
anything else would simply be unnecessary. Without a doubt, if there
is one thing that sticks out about December Wolves, from both their
previous efforts and this one, it's their use of clean, mid-paced
melodic parts, usually with a decidedly folkish, anthemic, and (for
whatever reason) Irish sound. This is a very good thing, especially
in the title track, which has one of the coolest, most folkish
sounding melodies I've ever heard. Don't take that the wrong way,
though. It may sound a little folkish at times, but even then, it
undeniably -rocks-, and folk music will be the farthest thing from
your mind when in the next instant they are unleashing an
Abigor-esque blast. If this is any indication of the next December
Wolves album, I don't know if I can wait for it.
Driller Killer - _Fuck the World_ (Kron-H, March 1997)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10)
Another great signing for Kron-H. These guys may have kind of a silly
name and a ridiculous album cover, but musically they are no joke,
and _FtW_ is, hands down, the most skull-cracking release I've heard
so far this year. It's down-tuned, riff-mongering metal-core - but
with the emphasis firmly on the metal element, where it belongs. With
the kind of thickness and weight you'd expect from a death metal
band, this stuff hits you right in the gut, a steely alloy of
catchiness, heaviness, and utter sonic might. Thirty-two minutes
gives you sixteen unpretentious, energetic, riff-propelled songs,
short on complexity but long on drive, and loaded with pummelling
grooves and pounding choruses. Resistance is futile. This is the
musical equivalent of a twenty-ton tank looking to mow you down;
chugging monsters like "Freeman", "Hellcome", and the rabid "I
Couldn't Care Less" are proof. The CD's production is simply
excellent: Andy's guitar sound is titanic, and it fits perfectly into
a clear, muscular mix which nicely balances all the instruments with
Cliff's great, deep-but-not-quite-death-metal vocals. This is one of
those records that just makes it seem like the vast majority of the
bands that claim to be really "hard" or "brutal" these days are
either pathetically self-deluded or totally full of crap (or both).
This, in other words, is the shit. An awesome release.
Dying Fetus - _Purification through Violence_
by: Adam Wasylyk (7 out of 10) (February 1997, Pulverizer Records)
Having seen these guys play at last year's Deathstock in NYC, they
were one of the highlights of the show. Very heavy and fast, they
never let up intensity-wise. The big question for me was if they
could bring that energy into the recording studio. The answer is yes,
as _Purification through Violence_ does a good job in utilizing vocal
styles and musical structures so there is never a dull moment. Songs
like "Skull Fucked", "Nothing to Pray For", and "Nocturnal
Crucifixion" take no prisoners when it comes to no-nonsense, brutal
death metal. Included is a cover of Napalm Death's "Scum", entitled
"Skum (Fuck the Weak)". Eight songs at just under 30 minutes, it's a
little short but then again, I (along with others I'm sure) can't
take a full hour of this at a time. Well produced and well played
brutal death metal, yours for the asking.
Emperor - _Reverence_ (Candlelight Records, 1997)
Music review by: Steve Hoeltzel (7 out of 10)
Of the three songs on offer here, only "The Loss and Curse of
Reverence" will appear on the band's upcoming full-length. In a
couple of ways, this song seems "busier" than Emperor's earlier
material: there are more discrete sections than in most earlier
compositions, and the production is a bit more layered and polished.
Personally, I think that these developments actually tend to subtract
from the classic, "epic" Emperor vibe. Still, all the band's
trademarks are present - Ishahn's vocals, haunting melody lines, and
segments of icy, synth-washed speed. But this time, the numerous
sections are generally too short to permit the buildup of any
sustained atmosphere. One of the main riffs is punctuated by an
annoying squealing guitar that makes me think more of Sunset Strip
than of Spitzbergen, and more squeaky wah-wah effects seriously mar
what would otherwise be the grimmest moment in the song. There is a
pause for a corny-sounding spoken exhortation, too. Most of the
song's individual parts do retain the basic Emperor feel, but somehow
the whole assembly of parts just doesn't congeal as effectively as
their earlier material - at least not for me. (Of course, this is the
"Video/Chaos Mix" of the song, so perhaps the full-length version
will differ.) The second track, "In Longing Spirit", is a reworked
version of an older song from 1992. Slow, moody, heavy on synth and
light on guitars, this one showcases some nearly-spoken vocals which
have a tinge of the pompous goth style to them. Not a bad song
overall, but nothing special either. Closer "Opus a Satana" is an
all-synth reworking of the mighty "Inno a Satana", arranged and
performed entirely by Ishahn. It's surprisingly enjoyable, with
cinematic sweep and sprightly momentum. Fun stuff.
Video review by: Adam Wasylyk (no rating)
After obtaining a copy of the EP, a trip to Adrian's was in order as
I didn't have the capabilities to play a CD-ROM video. Watching it
for the first time I was surprised at how much money went into it.
The video opens with a camera zooming over a barren landscape while
later scenes depict fire-breathing, forests, and several shots of the
band playing in front of what appeared to be a castle. Perhaps a
little cliche but very entertaining to watch. My problem with this
CD-ROM was the video is in a small box in the middle of the screen,
but the video itself truly makes up for for that. Overall it's
definitely worth a look-over.
Enslaved - _Eld_ (Osmose Productions, March 1997)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (9 out of 10)
Enslaved has always had a highly evocative sound: guitars that ring
with echoes of vast, windswept spaces; ferocious rhythms that summon
images of surging seas, rains of arrows, and snapping bones. And
without a doubt, _Eld_ is their most fully realized and evocative
recording yet. Harsh riffing with a fine feel for underlying melody,
and driving, often raging rhythms are arranged and ordered more
organically and with somewhat greater complexity than before. In
addition, really stirring 'clean' vocals are used with great
effectiveness, adding lots of emotive texture to an already
impassioned sound. Check out "Alfablot", a simply incredible song:
harsh vocals and excellent drumming propel furious, engaging riffs
which glide effortlessly into haunting slower sections, graced by
clean vocals that are wonderfully phrased and well performed. If
Grutle can learn to deliver these cleaner parts with the same kind of
vocal power that his harsh vocals display, then some of these
passages will really sound majestic. As is, they still sound great,
and they are artfully used to provide melodic phrasing to blasting
passages ("Kvasirs Blod") and to sections of more subdued rhythmic
strumming, as in "793 (Slaget Om Lindisfarne)". The latter is the
album's 16-minute(!) opening track, which runs the gamut from mellow
synthesizer score to laid-back, rhythmic strumming to all-out
blistering attack. Also notable is "For Lenge Siden", which tones
down the ferocity a bit, only occasionally blasting; mostly rocking,
pounding, and galloping its way through a collection of tough, catchy
riffs. This is simply a -great- record, by a band with a distinctive
sound, alive with Northern black metal's deep ferocity, powerfully
expressive, and skillfully refined.
EverEve - _Seasons_ (Nuclear Blast, March 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10)
Since the band's conception in 1993, Germany's EverEve have managed
to carefully structure their gothic/doom metal-influenced sound. The
band has taken their time and used experience to help chip away all
useless elements within their music and focus clearly on providing
the music with enough character and structure to truly capture what
the band is about. Accomplished. On _Seasons_, their first
full-length LP and debut for Nuclear Blast (they had a 1994 demo
called _On the Verge of Tears_), what we are provided with is
stunning meshing of both powerful doom metal (growls and all) and the
eerie and darkened wallop of goth. With no real set pattern of
combining both elements, EverEve create multiple pairings of the two
genres, allowing the album to supply us with ample creations that
overflow with enough passion and strength to keep us satisfied from
start to finish. A recommended purchase for those that like a bit of
goth with your metal.
Fear Factory - _Remanufacture: Cloning Technology_
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10) (Roadrunner, May 1997)
Finally! After many failed attempts to get out a 'remanufactured'
version of sophomore release _Demanufacture_ to the public, Fear
Factory finally unleashes _Remanufacture_. This remixed collection of
material totally disassembles the previous _Demanufacture_ material
and puts it back together in numerous techno/industrial-laced
formats. Much like the band's previous EP, 1993's _Fear Is the
Mindkiller_, this will surely shock some of their fans with the
predominantly smooth techno feel and production circulating
throughout the record. It's still heavy though, as producer
extraordinaire Rhys Fulber (Frontline Assembly, Delirium) brings a
heavy crunch to the industrial/techno-tinged numbers. Basically, all
the songs off _Demanufacture_ get put through the blender with many
parts re-organized or forgotten. In a nutshell, it's all the same
shit 'cept more fucked up. Note: the remix of "Replica" is fucking
amazing! Live a little and watch (and listen) to see how Fear Factory
combine their powerful music and their views of technology to take
shape and form a twisted and distorted product for our ears. Crank
it!
Fueled - _In the House of the Enemy_ (Energy Records, March 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (2 out of 10)
Crap. From the opening number, "Reconstricted", I knew I was in for a
beating - I really wanted this to end. Managing to mix techno
(samples), metal, and hardcore with a slight groove, California
four-piece Fueled really seem to be lacking something in their
10-song debut for Energy Records. There really is no identity to
their music, as the music is just layered on thick with lots of
samples and monotonous guitar riffs. And what's with the vocals? They
sound so stale and bland. Sounding a lot like a second (or even
third) rate metal/techno/hardcore hybrid band, Fueled's sound needs a
lot of work before they will see any kind of success. I'm just glad
Energy Records has some better bands like Hanzel Und Gretyl and Heavy
Water Factory waiting in the wings.
Gates of Ishtar - _The Dawn of Flames_ (Invasion Records, 1997)
by: Drew Schinzel (9 out of 10)
Some things just can't be explained. This is Gates of Ishtar's second
album, the followup to their debut, _A Bloodred Path_, yet it bears
little resemblance to their initial effort. Where did the killer,
bouncing melodies go off to? What happened to the abundant variation
and occasional tempo changes? I can't give you the answers, but I
-can- say that Gates of Ishtar, on the surface, have produced a
fairly generic album of Swedish melodic black/death metal, almost
completely devoid of originality (even moreso than their debut, which
wasn't exactly groundbreaking), and lacking most of the elements
which made the previous effort such a joy to listen to. Now for the
part that can't be explained: I just can not -stop- listening to _The
Dawn of Flames_. This has got to be one of the catchiest, most
addictive releases I've heard in a while. As mentioned, there is
hardly an original concept here, and in fact _TDoF_ is even more
derivative than _ABR_, and, in fact, if only superficially listened
to, one might not be able to stand this album. I know I sure
couldn't, at first. After the first two listens to this album, I was
completely disappointed and nearly disgusted. But then, I listened
closer and heard that, although yes, it is rather generic and lacking
in creativity, the style is pulled off without a hitch, and there
really are very few unlistenable moments on the CD. This release is
just filled with dramatic choruses, flowing melodies, and competent
playing, combining to constitute a release which, although dissimilar
in style, surpasses the debut.
Gehenna - _Black Seared Heart_ (Holycaust, 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (6 out of 10)
Ho hum, another demo of a now well-known black metal band pressed
onto CD. Wait a second though, this one's a bit different. First of
all, it's not on Necropolis (thank goodness). Second, there are some
previously unreleased songs and demo versions of released songs to
fill out the space and make it viable as a full-length, albeit at a
paltry 32 minutes. What's on offer here is basically more of the
same, demo tracks which aren't particularly good (that's why they
were never released in the first place), and some songs you've heard
before, but only with worse production and a few minor alterations
from their album versions. Oh, and try to hold back your excitement,
but there's an intro and two (yes two) outros to be heard as well.
When it comes down to the bottom line, you have to ask yourself if
you really need another album like this. If you're a big Gehenna fan,
the answer of course would be yes, however, if you aren't a follower
of these painted warriors, you'd be better off to stay away..
Napalm Death - _Inside the Torn Apart_ (Earache, June 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
Now that the soap opera is over (y'know, the lead singer swaps
between Napalm Death and Extreme Noise Terror?) we can get on with
the real issue here: new Napalm Death. While I liked the limited
_Greed Killing_ EP, I found myself not being too impressed with the
style and direction that Napalm Death had provided with their last
offering, _Diatribes_. It seemed a bit rushed and unorganized - no
real fundamental foundation for the music to strike from. Not the
same with their latest, _Inside the Torn Apart_, a record that
showcases the band's control of both groove and the destructive
death/grindcore nature that has been an integral part of the band
since day one. From the get-go, this 39-minute assault of noise and
groove lashes out with severe intensity putting aside any ideas that
the band, while always molding itself, was on its last leg of
creativity. _ItTA_ is a good record primarily for the fact that a lot
of the material delivers solid grooves and the vocals of Barney,
while more death-ish in nature now, deliver some powerful,
ultra-heavy doses of momentum that have not shown up in the last few
releases. Some experimentation finds its way into the new material
(check out closer "The Lifeless Alarm") but in the end it's still
Napalm Death and that should bring a smile to any metallers who live
for the band's extreme music ideas. Heavy.
Orphanage - _By Time Alone_ (DSFA Records, 1996)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
"Epic mix of melody, aggression, Gregorian choirs and danceable
grooves"... is this publicity or a warning? Well, I was curious to
see what Orphanage would come up with to describe their new album _By
Time Alone_, after they had described their debut, _Oblivion_, as
"Innovative Gregorian groovey Celtic doom death metal"... I guess
they did it again. This time, however, there seems to be more of a
Meshuggah feel to their sound, or maybe some Fear Factory influences
- they boost a quite powerful sound, thanks to Vogelaar's guitar,
which sounds almost like a bass. Orphanage have chosen to use lots of
strange tempos and weird rhythmic sections which probably won't make
much sense at first, and, unfortunately, there are a few nice
melodies that get a bit smothered by all this, even though the
combination of the two is what makes them unique - the melodic part
being the best, in my opinion. In fact, as you probably noticed, the
"Gregorian" part stayed in their description, both because of the
good keyboard melodies and the very interesting female vocals done by
Rosan van der Aa. The album starts off quite nicely, the first few
tracks being majorly responsible for the album getting an 8 instead
of a 7, especially "The Dark Side" and "Cliffs of Moher" (in which
Rosan sings solo, great melody), and then moves on to a less melodic
second half, the quality being generally a tad lower, yet still quite
enjoyable. The last track, the "hidden" one, features a
dance/techno/whatever part, which is about as interesting as finding
a dead fly in your food. Overall, a good album, with a rather
original sound and good rhythms and melodies.
Various - _Out of the Dark Live Compilation_
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10) (Century Media, 1997)
Six bands, six examples of some of the best European metal being made
today. Each band plays two tracks, for a total of over 60 minutes,
and the live sound on this CD is as good as it gets. So let's move on
to the important part, which is who plays what, and how. The opening
tracks belong to the Portuguese band Moonspell, who play their
classic "Vampiria" from _Wolfheart_ and "A Poisoned Gift" from
_Irreligious_. As usual, the guitars aren't too brilliant, but the
songs were well chosen (even though I'd rather listen to "Alma
Mater") and the overall performance is very solid. Next comes the
true highlight of the whole CD: The Gathering, from Holland. Words
fail to describe just how excellent they are live, from every band
member playing perfect and with an amazing sound to Anneke van
Giersbergen's awesome femme vox - and she doesn't miss a single note.
They play "Leaves" and "Eleanor" from _Mandylion_. Samael, from
Switzerland, take over next, and they sound as good and powerful live
as one would expect - they play "My Saviour" from _Passage_ and the
older "Mask of the Red Death", taken from _Ceremony of Opposites_.
The Finnish band Sentenced come next with "Bleed" from _Down_ and
"Dance on the Graces" from _Amok_. I never was much of a fan of
theirs, but their performance seems perfectly reasonable. Rotting
Christ play "The First Field of the Battle" (not much of a good
choice, in my opinion) and "King of a Stellar War", both from the
Greek's last album _Triarchy of the Lost Lovers_. They don't seem to
play too tight live, but it's not bad either, and the second track is
still quite good. The finishing act belongs to Crematory, from
Germany, who rather disappointingly have chosen "Ist Es Wahr" from
their self-titled album and the not-so-bad "Eyes of Suffering" from
_Transmigration_. Being a keyboard-based band, their live sound is
similar to the album's. So, if you don't know most of these bands,
you really should buy this digi-pak; if you do know them, well,
either you enjoy live albums a lot or you don't. As far as I'm
concerned, The Gathering's remarkable performance is enough to make
this album worth it, even though the second half of this compilation
is quite inferior to the first.
Paingod - _Paingod_ (Century Media, April 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10)
I'll be honest with you about this LP. The self-titled debut album by
Florida's metal outfit Paingod (formerly known as Raped Ape) has its
moments. So you're wondering, 'Why such a high rating?', right? Well,
to be truthful, when Paingod is 'ON' (which definitely outweighs the
bland areas of the record), they really kick your ass. Tight,
intense, and downright anger-inspired lyrics lash out at us with a
strong groove and some hardcore elements intact, too. But when the
album's material isn't chock full of monstrous and violent heaves of
aggression we are left to waiting for another dose of intensity.
Maybe this record should have been released as an EP? In my books, it
would have been a better move to include such killer tracks as
"Paingod", "Scream When You Burn", "Blind Vision", and "One and the
Same" as an EP to keep the momentum strong and plentiful rather than
a stop and start affair. Just a suggestion. A mixed bag of goods with
some treats for all the metal kiddies out there.
Plan E - _E for Your Eyes_ / _E for You Ears_
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) (E Records/Repulse, March 1997)
Weird shit here with these 3-inch mini-CD 4-song EPs from Finnish
project Plan E. This is really weird music, not all metal but weird
and extreme nonetheless. Both EPs manage to pull in a very solid
sound and style with each release, with _E for the Eyes_ focusing
more on some really odd and obscure space rock shit and the other one
hitting a more melodic industrial stride. The thing that seems to be
very appealing about Plan E material is the clear focus on
abstracting emotions from a song rather than just a cool lick or
melody. This music is for those that may appreciate some form of
thought going into a piece rather than just creating fucked up shit
just for the sake of it. Plan E's label, E Records, also has an
endless supply of bands and releases in the same vein as Plan E, some
even more obscure.
Contact: E Records, P.O. Box 50 90251 Oulu, Finland
voice/fax: +358-8-3120-558
mailto:jani.lehtosaari@mail.suomi.net
Septic Flesh - _The Ophidian Wheel_ (Holy Records, 1997)
by: Drew Schinzel (8 out of 10)
Now with their third full-length album, Septic Flesh have taken their
atmospheric, avant-garde brand of death metal to new heights, while,
perhaps unfortunately, not abandoning their harsher roots: they just
don't fit in with this type of music anymore. To me, Septic Flesh
never quite did the brutal death metal thing very well, brutality was
never their thing; creativity, melody and atmosphere was where it was
at with SF, and nothing has changed. _TOW_ contains some awesome
material, mostly in the form of mid-paced, clean melodies with of
course the usual guttural vocals and keyboard accompaniment.
Unfortunately, sprinkled between these parts are sections of forced,
uninspired brutal death, which would be absolutely fine, if it didn't
seem thrown in just to contrast the more laid back moments. New to
the Septic Flesh fold is Nathalie, and although the appearance of her
female vocals may seem a bit dubious to some, she's a welcome
addition, and her beautiful vocals complement many of the songs
perfectly. Overall, another fine effort from Septic Flesh, with some
new dimensions and upholding of the old ones; just skip the
unnecessary parts.
Thy Primordial - _Where Only the Seasons Mark the Paths of Time_
by: Steve Hoeltzel (7 out of 10) (Pulverised Records, January 1997)
Like a lot of recent entries in the black metal stakes, this is a
band with definite talent but very little originality. Still, you'll
find some good songs on this release, should you decide to take the
Thy Primordial plunge. Their overall sound could be likened to that
of Emperor or Setherial, although these guys are neither as
atmospheric nor as musically inventive. Still, they rip through some
decent material at a hellish pace, and the album is peppered with
passages which I really like ("Svart Gryning", in particular, has
some great moments). Also, by black metal standards, the playing is
very good, the production is pretty solid, and the guitar sound is
unusually full. On the other hand, except for the complete absence of
keyboards, the songs really don't contain much to separate these guys
from the rest of the black metal pack. When I have this disk in the
player, I find it quite enjoyable in spots, but once it's over...
well, it's rather forgettable, since it's largely generic, even if
well-produced. If you get into Emperor-style black metal but get
turned off by the rudimentary production typical of many bands, then
I think you'd definitely enjoy this CD. If, on the other hand, you're
somebody who hankers after ever-weirder black metal variants, then
this will probably seem not bad, but more than a bit 'samey.'
Vinterland - _Welcome My Last Chapter_ (No Fashion, 1996)
by: Drew Schinzel (7 out of 10)
Another slab of melody from No Fashion, though Vinterland tend to
lean more towards the blacker side of things. Much darker than a few
other of No Fashion's recent releases, Vinterland have an album
comparable in some aspects to Dissection's godly debut epic, _The
Somberlain_, but not quite as variant or skilled. That's not to say
that there aren't any good things about _WMLC_, because there are a
few to mention, probably most notably the intangible feeling of
darkness, sadness, and emotion present in most of the songs, among
them the best probably being "Still the Night is Awake", a high
velocity storm of stirring melody and fierce percussion. However, on
the down side, a few of the songs tend to lapse into a very similar
sounding structure, and the lyrics have got to be some of the most
cliched pieces of writing I've ever seen. It's easy to see why only
one song's lyrics were printed, with such original lines as "Let the
wings of grief carry me to the kingdom far beyond all light." But
really though, put the trite lyrics out of your mind and focus on the
music, and there are enough quality elements here to warrant more
than a few listens, although this is the type of album you don't just
pick up and play any old time, it's more of a mood-oriented release.
Nonetheless, if you can forgive some sameness among the songs and
don't listen with headphones on for too long (will make you go deaf,
-quick-), _WMLC_ can be pretty enjoyable.
Vital Remains - _Forever Underground_ (Osmose Productions, May 1997)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10)
It's about time this band got signed to a label that can give them
the kind of promotion and distribution they deserve, because as the
old saying goes, These Guys Kick Ass. Their 1992 debut, _Let Us
Pray_, is creepy and seriously heavy, and _Forever Underground_
continues in that vein, injecting a bit more variation and some
all-out speed. (The band also put out an album in '95, but I haven't
heard that one.) This has 43 minutes of music packed into six tracks
- one of which is just a 0:90 intro. That leaves five unusually
lengthy numbers, which again display this bands mastery of crushing,
mid-paced death. There's no shortage of blast beats or cool breaks;
they're just used with some calculated restraint. I think this
approach actually adds a lot of impact: when the first blast beats
rip through the first song - not until the 3:00 mark - they release
tons of tension built up by the pounding verses. Many bands overuse
the blast beat to the point that it just becomes tedious, but not
these guys, even though they blast like crazy through the awesome
"Battle Ground" and the enjoyable "Eastern Journey". They also don't
overload their music with too many riffs and breaks. Tempo variations
and killer breaks are numerous, yet scarce enough to ratchet up the
tension and to preserve momentum and flow. The production is great,
as are the performances, especially newcomer Dave Suzuki's precise
and powerful drumming. This guy has got the blast beat down cold.
Tony Lazaro cranks out some great riffs, some of which have a slight
Morbid Angel feel, due to the way certain notes and chords get bent
around for emphasis. Bassist Joe Lewis belts out solid, traditional
death metal vocals. There is also -very- minimal use of synth - never
during a verse or chorus, but only to subtly underscore a few rhythm
guitar breaks with eerie tones. I guess this means that those who
attempt to prove their highly questionable manliness by ragging on
bands who use keyboards can snipe about Vital Remains, too. That,
however, would be a big mistake.
Within Temptation - _Enter_ (DSFA Records, April 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
Having only been around a little more than a year, the sextet known
as Within Temptation have done wonders in such a short span of time.
The band recorded two demos (_Enter_ and an untitled one) before
signing to DSFA where the band re-recorded and fixed up material from
those previous efforts to form their DSFA debut, _Enter_. The music
of Within Temptation can best be described as melodic, slow metal,
very similar to labelmates Orphanage or Century Media's The
Gathering. While angelic female vocals (by the superb Sharon den
Adel) accompanied by a powerful showing of synthesizers dominate this
release, the band also brings into the fold heavy guitars and the
rough death growls of singer Robert Westerholt. And what a great
combination are den Adel's soothing harmonies and the vicious grunts
of Westerholt that go hand in hand throughout the release. The music
is memorable and deserves to be mentioned as it truly showcases the
band's ability to capture a triumphant sound that band's rarely can
reach. No doubt this is one band you will want to watch grow with
experience.
Various - _World Domination II_ (Osmose Productions, April 1997)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (9 out of 10)
This is a killer compilation and a great value: two CDs with a total
of 29 tracks, 18 of which are available here for the first time, and
11 of which won't be made available anywhere else. All that for
$12US! Disc One consists mostly of material that's available on the
latest CDs from: Marduk, Driller Killer, Angel Corpse, Immortal,
Gehennah, Enslaved, Inferno, Demoniac, and Absu. Except for the
Demoniac CD, we've reviewed all these albums in CoC, so I won't
discuss these tracks individually. Disc One also contains a
vinyl-only (until now) track from Necromantia, which I like a -lot-
better than the other stuff on their recent MCD. Quite enjoyable. In
addition, there's a track from the godly new Vital Remains disk, a
great song from the new Dark Tranquillity full-length (review by Drew
next issue), and a hyperactive, anthemic speed metal freak-out from
the upcoming Swordmaster CD. And that's just the first disc... The
second CD consists entirely of unreleased material. Four of the 15
tracks will eventually appear on upcoming CDs, but that leaves an
impressive 11 tracks exclusive to this compilation. The four
future-release tracks come from Raism, Sadistik Execution, Gardenian,
and Devilyn. Devilyn play crushing death-grind, complex and tight as
hell, like Incantation on lots and lots of speed. Gardenian is cool,
too - basically it's melodic death metal, but they spike the punch
with some really heavy, pounding parts and good, noisy production.
(Most melodic death metal bands bore me with their overdone elegance;
not these guys.) Raism and the totally insane Sadistik Exekution are
probably better known to most readers, so I'll just say that I
enjoyed their tracks, too. Finally, the exclusive material. The disc
is opened by Impaled Nazarene with "I Am the Killer of Trolls", a
catchy, molten slab of nuclear-core as only these guys can do it.
Bewitched follows with "Blood on the Altar", another take on their
rather dated Motorhead-meets-Mercyful Fate style, but all in all a
quite enjoyable song. Next up: Disfear, who pulverize everything in
sight with a pummelling style of crusty deathcore that makes most
other bands sound like flaccid wannabes. I tell you what: these new
Kron-H signings kick ass. The Loud Pipes are another good one,
abrasive, charging hyperactivity with insane vocals and great riffs
that are half Discharge, half Judas Priest. The Rocking Dildos are
here, too, as are Swordmaster, Tsathoggua, Mystifier, Conqueror
(grim, unrelenting black grind), Majestic Midnight (black metal),
and... well, the last one's supposed to be a surprise. That's a ton
of solid, diverse material, and for so little money that this
compilation comes highly recommended. CoC will be giving away about
twenty copies of DISC ONE ONLY; details are elsewhere in this issue.
Clarification
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In my review of Necromantia's _Ancient Pride_ MCD in CoC #18, I
complained about some of the political rhetoric and symbolism used by
the band. "European consciousness, my ass," I said. This wisecrack
was a clumsy way of making my point, since it could easily be read as
an anti-European slur. To insult all Europeans, or all of Europe's
committed pagan/heathens, was not my intent. Instead, I simply wanted
to express my strong dislike for the fascistic connotations of some
of the ideas and imagery on this release. And I am not calling
Necromantia a bunch of fascists; I am just saying that I personally
find their choice of imagery to be uncool. -- Steve Hoeltzel
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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/\ \ \_____ __ /\ \ \___ (_)___ ___
/ \/ / _ \ \ /\ / / / \/ / _ \| / __|/ _ \
/ /\ / __/\ V V / / /\ / (_) | \__ \ __/
\_\ \/ \___| \_/\_/ \_\ \/ \___/|_|___/\___|
Your best source of information on the newest of the new, and the
deepest of the underground, New Noise is the place to read about all
the coolest shit you never thought existed! And if you have a band,
don't forget to send us your demo with a bio if you want to be
reviewed; our address is included in the zine's header.
Scoring: ***** -- I see a record deal in the future
**** -- Great piece of work
*** -- Good effort
** -- A major overhaul is in order
* -- A career change is advisable
Chaos Theory - _Scarred for Life_ (6-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (***--)
The bio by this New Jersey three-piece says that they "... want to be
the future of heavy metal, not a memory of the past". Well... not
exactly as they had planned, but I guess a good attempt to
constructing heavy metal music in this day and age. Unlike the
strength and perseverance of the almighty Manowar (around since
1982), Chaos Theory have been working since forming in 1995 to create
metal and they have a long ways to go until they can really call
themselves a -true- metal band as Manowar have. But aside from that,
the 6-song outing by this metal band is okay. It's got the right
attitude and right sound (check out "I Abandon" or "Kill the
System"), it's just that I'm not too keen on some of the vocals and
the ideas behind some of the songs, though not funny topics (rape,
murder, and suicide) sound cheesy. A good attempt to introduce metal
into 1997 I guess, just not sure how well it will go over to the
somewhat fickle metal music audience of today.
Contact: CHAOS THEORY, 82 Eaton Rd. Bordentown
NJ, 08505, USA
mailto:ChaosTheory@aol.com
Christhanasia - _Cragoedie_ (4-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (***--)
Another one-man project (this time from an individual named Mouth),
France's Christhanasia play some interesting black metal with only
one fault: production. Taking influences from bands like Emperor and
Mayhem, Mouth has created some good music on _Cragoedie_. The
keyboards are well played and are the bright spot on this recording.
The production really hurts this, the guitars are just too low and
dirty sounding, especially when the track "God Without a Name"
begins. The music is here but unfortunately the production isn't.
Hopefully Mouth will put more money into production for his next
demo. Until then, I can't recommend _Cragoedie_.
Contact: CHRISTHANASIA, 3 Impasse Teissere, 13014 Marseille, FRANCE
mailto:roffi@usa.net
Kaffeine - _Unworthy_ (15-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (-----)
Fucking horrible! I can't believe that anyone would put out such
terrible stuff (I CAN'T call this music). I also can't believe I
wasted time listening to this piece of shit. Littered with the most
fucking stupid sound-bytes, I guess they chose them to go along with
the equally stupid songs. A number of times I found myself
fast-forwarding, to save what is left of my sanity. Using the most
horrible alternative vocals I've ever heard, they then in turn use
the most horrible death metal vocals I've ever heard. As the songs go
by, the music gets worse and worse. The lyrics are also the worst
I've ever read by any band, along with a equally horrible demo layout
(a huge piece of paper folded incorrectly with small photocopied
lyrics). The funny thing is this loser has a copyright on his lyrics.
HA! Like anyone would want to copy them! I'm compelled to repeat a
couple of lines from the lyrics, just to show how fucking bad they
are. Check out this verse: "Tough luck, what the fuck? A hell of a
day the only way. I know my life is a bucket of spit, I know this is
it. Find a coin on the highway when my car broke down, hear
everything without a sound. Keep it as a charm, for I mean you no
harm". Or how about this gold nugget of a lyric: "You make me sick,
you make me want to pick.... MY ASS!". The only positive aspects I
see out of this demo is that I now have a tape to dub music onto,
along with a new tape case that I can use to replace one of my older,
cracked ones. _Unworthy_ this certainly is, of my time and yours.
Fucking horrible!
Contact: KAFFEINE, c/o Jason Smith
4124 East Kellis Court, Springfield Missouri, 65802, USA
Nympha - <rehearsal tape> (4-track demo)
by: Pedro Azevedo (*****)
What a surprise here. When I was handed this unpretentious-looking
tape, I expected anything but this. Being just a 21-minute long
rehearsal tape from a young band I had never heard of, I just hoped
they would show some good ideas and some playing skills, but what we
have here is one of the best demo tapes I have ever heard - and,
believe it or not, the sound is cleaner and better than what I would
have expected to find in a "real" demo. In fact, even though this is
a mere rehearsal tape, this young Portuguese band manages to play
tight and melodic throughout the 21 minutes, no errors are to be
found, and the music's damn good too, especially the femme vox.
Nympha show influences from bands ranging from The 3rd and the Mortal
and some Theatre of Tragedy to Anathema, while the lyrics seem to be
in the same style as My Dying Bride and Enchantment (although I'm
guessing here). This is basically very melodic doom with a
well-played heavy guitar, lots of competent keyboards, tight and
strong drumming and a surprisingly great "angelic" femme vox provided
by Liliana Barros, whose vocals are complemented by some
spoken/whispered male backing vocals. Only the bass stands as rather
unremarkable, but that's no surprise, considering their musical
style. The core of their sound is Liliana's voice, accompanied by the
guitar and the strong presence of the keyboards, which range from
sorrowful backgrounds to good melodic tunes, but not "drowning" the
guitar sound. All is very melodic, the melodies being relatively
simple but very effective, soothing and sorrowful, although they do
use some (again very good) faster drumming parts and heavier guitars
to avoid being monotonous - in fact, the heavier and the more
melodic/ambient parts both blend in and complement each other and
prevent the other from getting boring. What I would suggest to this
band is getting a second guitarist - this might add more power to
their sound, as well as allow a few death backing vox once in a
while, which I think might fit in nicely. I must again recall that
this is a -rehearsal- tape, which is what blows me away the most. I
mean, I went back to listen to the demo tapes I have from My Dying
Bride and Anathema, and (even though they both were much more
aggressive and less melodic than Nympha at the time) all I can say is
that the future sure seems bright for this young band. Nympha have
b
ecome one of my bets for the future, together with Lacrima from
Porto (whose demo tape I hope to review soon - not an easy one to
find). I sincerely hope these two bands won't stray from their
musical path and keep improving and creating better and better songs.
I also hope there's someone at some record label with his eyes and
ears open.
Contact: NYMPHA, c/o Ricardo Fernandes
Rua Padre Costa n.400 1-esq.
4465 S. Mamede de Infesta, Portugal
Voice: (351) 2 9014223
Solarisis - _Illuminations_ (8-track demo)
by: Adam Wasylyk (****-)
Pretty impressive stuff. Solarisis is the brainchild of one Gijs van
Ouwerkerk, who's responsible for all the sounds heard on
_Illuminations_. Reminding me a bit of _Ceremony of Opposites_-era
Samael, the music is best described as symphonic metal with some dark
metal influences. Good musicianship can be found on all eight tracks,
which consists of some well played instrumentals. Keyboards are used
all throughout the demo which help enhance Solarisis' sound, but the
guitars were left a little too weak. The production, aside from the
guitars, is pretty good and the demo layout is top notch. The lyrics
are well written (something rare these days), which deal with
struggles between God and Satan. Although I disagree with Gijs's
views on veganism, he's put out a good demo and I hope to hear more
from him in the future. A copy of this demo can be obtain by sending
$7.95US to the address below.
Contact: SOLARISIS, c/o Gijs van Ouwerkerk
Campuslaan 55-107, 7552 NK Enschede, NETHERLANDS
mailto:g.vanouwerkerk@student.utwente.nl
http://www.dra.nl/~manichee
Sub-Version - _Foul_ (6-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (*****)
Holy shit!!! Run to the hills and hide as there seems to be something
powerful and lethal coming from Western Canada. Storming out from the
commercially successful Vancouver rock/pop music scene comes the
complete opposite: Sub-Version. Power-packed with grindcore/death
metal and some hardcore intensity, this Vancouver quintet push all
the right buttons with this truly powerful display of material. This
demo has got enough rhythm, growls, and enormous guitar riffs to kick
yer ass and leave you craving more. I'm floored by the might of this
demo tape. Fuck! If New York's Brutal Truth ever had a Canadian
cousin, this would be the band. I'm still floored writing this as the
music cranks. I have not heard a demo by a band hit me so hard and
fast in the last little while. Sub-Version's demo just doesn't have a
handful of intensity within their music, it's got a truckload of
intensity. A whole fuckin' truck baby! You want some prime dosage of
Canadian heaviness then search and get this fucker.
Contact: SUB-VERSION, P.O. Box 42585 #105-1005 Columbia St.
New Westminster, BC, V3M-6H5, Canada
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\ \ \/\_\\ \ \___ __ ___\ \ ,_\/\_\ ___
\ \ \/_/_\ \ _ `\ /'__`\ / __`\ \ \/\/\ \ /'___\
\ \ \L\ \\ \ \ \ \/\ \L\.\_/\ \L\ \ \ \_\ \ \/\ \__/
\ \____/ \ \_\ \_\ \__/.\_\ \____/\ \__\\ \_\ \____\
\/___/ \/_/\/_/\/__/\/_/\/___/ \/__/ \/_/\/____/
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/\ _`\ /\ \__
\ \ \/\_\ ___ ___ ___ __ _ __\ \ ,_\ ____
\ \ \/_/_ / __`\ /' _ `\ /'___\ /'__`\/\`'__\ \ \/ /',__\
\ \ \L\ \/\ \L\ \/\ \/\ \/\ \__//\ __/\ \ \/ \ \ \_/\__, `\
\ \____/\ \____/\ \_\ \_\ \____\ \____\\ \_\ \ \__\/\____/
\/___/ \/___/ \/_/\/_/\/____/\/____/ \/_/ \/__/\/___/
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.
K O R N K A N K I C K K E I S T E R
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Korn with Helmet and Limbizcit
At the Warehouse in Toronto, Ont., March 25, 1997
by: Adrian Bromley
Six months after their canceled show back in October (due to
drummer David suffering a broken wrist, day of show), SoCal
hardgroove quintet delivered a pummelling 70-minute set, showcasing
material off the band's two platinum selling albums, their 1994
self-titled LP, and 1996's _Life Is Peachy_.
Korn opened their set with "Twist", the lead-off track of their
latest LP, and without hesitation went right into their hit-song
"Blind" off their debut LP. Singer Jonathan Davis, all decked out in
a sequenced pair of Adidas sweatpants, kept the crowd's momentum fast
and furious with brutal growls and screams of anger. His flailing
chicken-like dance grooved along with the band's furious onslaught of
material, as did the violent mosh pit.
Normally a haven for poor sound, this show at the Warehouse
sounded rather good, though there were times when the sound was
muffled. Despite some sound restrictions, Korn did their damnedest to
keep the intensity fresh and loud with every song. Their set included
such crowd faves as "Shoots And Ladders", "Clown", "A.D.I.D.A.S.",
and "No Place To Hide". Having toured since virtually the release of
the record last October, Korn's monstrous machine of strength hasn't
lost any momentum. Always a good show, Korn didn't disappoint those
that waited out the six months for their return.
Opening the show was sampler/rap/rock hybrid outfit Limbizcit
and eclectic New York act Helmet. First on, Limbizcit kept the beats
loud and quick-paced, lashing out samples and witty lyrics to the
audience. A solid set. As for the band next up, Helmet, they always
put on a good show. Fresh from the studio with their latest LP,
_Aftertaste_, singer/songwriter/guitarist Page Hamilton led his
four-piece through a roller coaster 40-minute set showcasing both old
("In the Meantime") and newer material ("Like I Care" and "It's Easy
to Be Bored"). My only problem with Helmet most of the time is
Hamilton's vocals - not loud enough. But besides that, when you add
to the show his dynamic stage presence and his thunderous riffs,
Helmet rules during their allotted time that they play. They always
play their heart out.
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O B L I T E R A T I N G O B S O L E S C E N C E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Obliveon with Blood of Christ and Solus
At the Generator in Toronto, April 4, 1997
by: Adam Wasylyk
Taking our seat at the Generator, I took a moment to soak up the
ambiance. I then buried my nose into a magazine. The Generator is a
horrible club, and I hate going there for shows knowing that these
bands could be playing in a much better venue. I mean, the stage is
positioned in a way that it's sideways to most of the club so you
have to go to the very back of the place to see the band! Fucking
stupid. Anyway, onto the band's playing tonight.
Opening the show was London's Blood of Christ, who played a good
portion of material off their new CD _... A Dream to Remember_ (see
review this issue). Although playing a very brutal set, unfortunately
they were lacking something since the last time I saw them with
Hemdale (or maybe it had to do with the significantly smaller crowd
in attendance tonight).
Next up were Toronto's Solus who played material off their indie
CD "Slave of Mind". Perhaps best described as "death rock", they
played an okay set but failed in keeping my interest the entire set.
Rather I was reading from my free Doomhauled zine, which is the most
sick thing I've ever read. Perhaps Solus are one of Toronto's better
metal bands, but you can easily be the best if there isn't any
competition.
Montreal legends Obliveon closed out the show in a great
fashion, playing technical thrash/death that kept the attention of
all in attendance. Playing a variety of tracks such as "Nemesis", I
was confused when they left the stage to only come back to do an
encore song. How rock star-ish can you get? I mean, one woman was
chanting for them to come back but that was about it. Perhaps
inflated egos made them do an encore, but to tell the truth the crowd
didn't want it (from my vantage point) [What are you talking about? I
was there, and I was screaming my fucking lungs out for an encore! -
AMG]. A good band playing some good music, it's just too bad the
crowd didn't treat them as such.
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D I O D E S T R O Y S D E C A D A N C E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dio with My Dying Bride
At the Warehouse in Toronto, April 22, 1997
by: Alain M. Gaudrault and Adam Wasylyk
Adam:
How rare is it to see a band that released one of your favorite
records of 1996 and to see them on your birthday? Well, I would be
that lucky individual as Adrian and I made our way to HMV to see My
Dying Bride play a short set and afterward to an autograph session.
After some technical difficulties, MDB finally hit the stage and
played a shortened set with most of the songs off their not-so-new
record, _Like Gods of the Sun_. The title track and "Dark Caress"
were the highlights as Aaron's vocals were emotionally charged while
Martin did a great job going back and forth between keyboards and the
violin. To my surprise, the sound at HMV was great and would end up
being better than at the show. An autographed photo topped off my
afternoon, my expectations for the evening's show high.
We arrive at the Warehouse, only to find out that I wasn't on
the guest list! Lacking the money for a ticket, the heart
palpitations began. Fortunately Paula Hogan, who works at
Fierce/Mayhem and who had flown up from NYC to see the show took care
of me and got me in (thanks again Paula!!!). Having some time to kill
before MDB were to take the stage, we talked to other zine writers,
label people, and friends in attendance. For what seemed like
forever, MDB finally took the stage playing most of what they played
at HMV with the addition of a couple of other songs, one of them off
their _The Angel and the Dark River_ LP. This was hands down the
LOUDEST concert I've ever been to. MDB were very heavy and also very
emotional, while Aaron writhed in sorrow on the floor of the stage.
The crowd, mostly consisting of older metallers waiting for Dio
seemed content to sit through their 45 minutes, and thankfully so.
MDB proved to me that they not only sound great on record but they
sound great live. Presently they are supporting Dio, so you are
advised to see them if they visit a town near you. I also heard that
after the Dio tour that they'll be playing some shows with
Suffocation supporting. I can only hope that tour will make its way
back to Toronto, as MDB are definitely a band to be experienced live.
Alain:
While Adam and Adrian got to see MDB twice, I was unfortunate
enough to have arrived at 21:45, just as MDB were ending their set. I
got to hear them play the tail end of their last song as I was
waiting in line to buy my ticket. Needless to say, I was upset and
disappointed, but I'm nevertheless a bigger fan of Dio, so that was
consolation enough. This review will be short and sweet, because
there isn't much more that can be said about a Dio concert that
hasn't been said before. It all boils down to whether he can still
deliver the goods, and for those fans of his and his older work with
Black Sabbath, and Rainbow, it's all comes down to Dio's voice. It
was my first Dio concert, and I walked away pleased, having heard
renditions of all the classic songs, such as "Holy Diver", "We Rock",
"The Last in Line", "Rainbow in the Dark", as well as newer cuts from
the last few albums. The crowd reacted favourably to Sabbath's
"Heaven and Hell" and "The Mob Rules", and there were more Rainbow
tunes than I'd expected, including "Man on the Silver Mountain",
"Long Live Rock and Roll", and "Mistreated", the latter easily the
most beautifully and emotionally rendered song the entire evening,
yet odd in its choice since it's an old Deep Purple tune that Rainbow
used to do live. But a good song is a good song, and Ronnie knows
that all too well. The only sore points were the too-long solos on
both Tracy G. and Vinny Appice's part. I can somewhat forgive Appice,
since he's a well-respected veteran, and he had a few interesting
licks, but Tracy just got downright annoying after the first minute
of his interminable solo. But let's face it, you go to a Dio show to
hear him sing, to experience the quality of high caliber metal;
everything else plays second fiddle. Well worth the admission price.
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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. Filthboy - _Diverse Reality_
2. Vondur - _Stridsyfirlysing_
3. Impaled Nazarene - _Latex Cult_
4. Fear Factory - _Remanufacture (Cloning Technology)_
5. Marilyn Manson - _Portrait of an American Family_
Adrian's Top 5
1. EverEve - _Seasons_
2. W.A.S.P. - _Kill Fuck Die_
3. Paingod - _Paingod_
4. Fear Factory - _Demanufacture_
5. Killing Culture - _Killing Culture_
Brian's Top 5
1. Don Caballero _For Respect_
2. Labyrinth _No Limits_
3. Dark Reality _Oh Precious Haze Pervade the Pain_
4. Red Tide _Hybrid_
5. Artension _Into the Eye of the Storm_
Alain's Top 5
1. Grim Skunk - _Meltdown_
2. Grip Inc. - _Nemesis_
3. Sacramentum - _Far Away from the Sun_
4. Cryptopsy - _None So Vile_
5. Dark Funeral - _The Secrets of the Black Arts_
Steve's Top 5
1. Driller Killer - _Fuck the World_
2. Vondur (rules) - _Stridsyfirlysing_
3. Vital Remains - _Forever Underground_
4. Absu - _The Third Storm of Cythraul_
5. Various - _World Domination II_, Disk Two
Adam's Top 5
1. Old Man's Child - _Born of the Flickering_
2. Blood of Christ - _...A Dream to Remember_
3. Emperor - _Reverence_ EP
4. Bathory - _Jublieum Vol. 2_
5. Bathory - _The Return_
Andrew's Top 5
1. Naked City - _Black Box_
2. K.K. Null and James Plotkin - _Aurora_
3. Zeni Geva - _Nai-Ha_
4. Incapacitants - _Asset Without Liability_
5. Malevolent Creation - _Retribution_
Pedro's Top 5
1. The Gathering - _Mandylion_
2. Edge of Sanity - _Infernal_
3. In Flames - _Subterranean_
4. Dominion - _Interface_
5. Gorefest - _False_
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T H E F I N A L W O R D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
See you all next issue. Currently we're trying to get that long
promised survey together. The only problem is finding the time, but
hopefully we'll get that out soon, all we need then is your
participation. Thanks again for reading, later. -- Gino Filicetti
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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #20
All contents copyright 1997 by individual creators of included work.
All opinions expressed herein are those of the individuals expressing
them, and do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone else.
