Drugs Of Faith - Drugs Of Faith

I'm addicted to Drugs... of Faith. They're like reruns of Cops - every song has an aura of self-abuse, domestic violence, uncontrolled aggression and multiple personality disorders. The lyrics read like a news ticker of Jeffery Dahmer's demented thoughts and once in a while there is some spark of a street smart police officer's advice, off handedly muttered while chasing down some inner demons in a Chevy pickup with expired plates and a loose-cannon in the driver seat chewing tobacco hell bent on getting home to give his mobile home wife a kiss before being hauled off to the slammer for indecent exposure at a cousin's thirteenth birthday party. Way to go guys... you made the shortest most intense audio-representation of trailer park car chases and like Cops, I'm lovin' every boozed second of the distorted reality we see on shows dedicated to the underbelly of American society.

The production on Drugs Of Faith's eponymous debut is very similar to the 2008 demo. Notable differences are difficult to pinpoint. Most notable for me is the mixing and tone of Taryn's bass guitar. The bass on the recently released demo was more prominent, though only slightly, and more gritty and harsh. That harshness is still prevalent and audible on this recording though she takes, what I feel, is a less influential role; jumping in the backseat of that speeding Chevy. Taryn still shines though in, among other tracks, opener "Never Fail," churning out spaghetti-like strands of dirt and dissonance almost halfway through the song.
The dissonance and noise crusting up the edges of Drugs of Faith's sound on their latter demo is marked here on their earlier work. Though not as purposefully included as on their latter work, Richard's disregard for "polishing" this turd-like offering has created enough crevices for the festering and moldy growth of sincerity to promptly find a home among the eight kernels and create the truthful and honest stench that so many albums lack. Richard's guitar playing on the album is excellent, never pretentious, always emotive and natural.

If I had to narrow down my thoughts to a single, long winded paragraph, Drugs of Faith would receive honors in a multitude of categories. "Drugs of Faith" is serious, overtly angry and cynical emotional nihilism perpetrated through cryptic and tricky yet witty and uniquely misanthropically multi-angled lyrics splattered with a rusted iron mallet over a background of bloody muddy oil / water noise puddles. Imagine Anti-Cimex and Nasty Boys with an Isis styled fluidity and you're half-way there. The other half is the totally original delivery of these filthy crust bastards.

Confessor - Unraveled

An older review from about 2006...

I'm a person who takes my music pretty seriously. If I hear good things about a band, I'm going to check the band out. I was hearing a lot of praise for Unraveled calling it a tech-doom masterpiece and a brilliant work of heavy metal and whatnot. After listening to this album, I have an obligation to myself to decide if I enjoyed the album or not and as hard as I tried to judge without being influenced by others, it was hard to disagree with the rumors I had heard. This album is completely awesome. There are so many subtleties that push this album to greatness. Fantastic vocals, brilliant guitar work, and a bass and drum rhythm section that leaves no beat unbeaten.

I can't quite decide what Scott Jeffrey's vocals sound like. They are really hard to compare to anything. Layne Staley does work yet only at times. Other times, the vocals sound more like Tim Aymar from Chuck Schuldiner's side project Control Denied if he was singing one or two octave's lower. Sometimes the vocals waver between the two. Sometimes they waver between wavering between the two and not wavering at, forming a vocal black hole of categorization. Apparently he is going to be singing on the new Watchtower album also and his vocals with Ron Jarzombek's crafty guitar philosophy is an almost unimaginably perfect combination. Back to Confessor. The vocals are great, full, they are full of a melancholic intensity and emotion that rips into your very being. Range wise, this album spans all frequencies of the sound spectrum. At times, high pitched wails are the order of the day and other times low wins out instead. Overall, it is a perfect blend of both the low, the high, and the strangest clean vocal style I have heard in a long time.

Musically, this album takes the prize in a vast array of areas. Yes, there is the signature Confessor time signature manipulation. Yes, there is the estranged guitar melodies. Yes the drummer destroys the fabric of any drumming handbook. Yes the bassist pummels through every riff like twelve elephants fighting over a 3 inch watering hole. Shawn McCoy and Brian Shoaf's playing creates melodies that we never even knew existed. Completely ridiculous riffage is at work on this album and these two twist each riff until they fold over and over infinite times into themselves. Like trying to follow the winding path of a piece of spaghetti through your pasta with your eyes, each riff becomes another, flows into each other riff seamlessly. My mind is boggled by the fact they remember all the riffs. Steve Shelton is one hell of a drummer. My god. He has to be one of the most talented yet overlooked drummers on the face of this earth. Every fill is completely different. The sporadic double bass placement is top notch and never off. Tight. Ridiculous. If drums could talk to their drummers his drums would say something like, "Hey, Steve... what are you doing man??" Then he would hit the drum that talked to him. And it would sound perfect because he has that ability were he can hit things that weren't even on his drum set and still make it sound perfect. All told, listening to the drumming in songs like Hibernation proves how ridiculously talented he is. Now, Cary Rowells, must be doing some bass work to rival that of twenty bassists playing at once. And, he is. Somehow he follows the drums and the guitars, switching off between following one and the other. Altogether, these are five guys who when they come together to create, they do more than create. They create and destroy all musical barriers at the same time. Bravo Confessor Bravo.

Song wise. Each song is ridiculous and awesome. It would be impossible to talk about each one. Basically, Hibernation is one of my favorites. Until Tomorrow and Blueprint Soul are also killer tracks. Listen to the whole album, each song is incredibly monstrous in sound and attitude. Together, these songs show a band who are completely in tune with what they want to create and want to sound like. Perfectly placed breaks, solos, leads and harmonies abundant, this album will tear, and carve out a place distinctly its own in your mind. Like a virus slowly eating away until it has conquered all of you. Confessor have created a masterpiece. Hopefully, they will create another and real soon.

Playlist - 10/21/09

Tonights show is brought to you by the letter "D." Death, Doom, Destruction, Devastation... the list goes on forever. Thanks to all those who have called in, listened, all that jazz.

01. Diamond Head - To Heaven From Hell - To Heaven From Hell*
02. Anthem - Anthem - Shed
03. Nuclear Assault - Survive - Fight To Be Free
04. Apocrypha - The Forgotten Scroll - Fall Of The Crest
05. Testament - Souls Of Black - Face In The Sky
06. Iron Maiden - Rock In Rio - The Number Of The Beast (Request: RYAN)
07. Coroner - Mental Vortex - Semtex Revolution
08. Sodom - Tapping The Vein - One Step Over The Line
09. Sodom - Agent Orange - Ausgebombt
10. Speedwolf - Bark At The Poon - Death Ripper
11. Moder - Fields Of Devastation - Kruez Der Ilusion
12. Necrophagia - A Legacy Of Horror, Gore And Sickness - World Funeral**
13. Sapremia - With Winter Comes Despair - The Despair Of Winter
14. Funerary Pit - Winds Of Hell - Fathomless Depths
15. Gwar - Lust In Space - Let Us Slay (Request: JAY)
16. Nocturnes Mist - Southern Storms - Land Of Fire
17. Apolion - Hungry of Souls - Winds
18. Tod - Hate Campaign, Hymn To The Death - In The Endless Black I Lay
19. Empyrium - A Wintersunset... - Under Dreamskies
20. Drudkh - Autumn Aurora - Glare Of Autumn
21. Jeruselem - Jeruselem - Beyond The Grave
22. Candlemass - Tales Of Creation - Under The Oak
23. Confessor - Unraveled - Sour Times

DECAYING CITADEL SPOTLIGHT - RUIN OF THE WOODED REALM

24. Beyond The Sea Of Fog
25. And That Is Eternity
26. Unholy Salvation
27. Dread Saviour Arise
28. The Final Days Of All

Tape / Vinyl #'s: 3, 4, 11, 14, 16, 17, 18, 21
2009 Releases #'s: 10, 15, 16, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28
Background Music: Skepticism - Alloy

* I think there are a lot of people out there who refuse to admit that Diamond Head had good material post-peak after the early 80's ended. Diamond Head did falter, that is not to be argued though Tatler's ability to write strong songs was never levied.

** Check out my review of this necessary addition to any death metal freak's collection. Just find it in the quick links off to your bottom right.

Helll's Thrash Horsemen - ...Till Violence

After all the Butterfly Temple and Bestial releases I could handle, I developed the notion that Russia was a total metal wasteland. And so, I've been prepared to accept the fact that Igor Stravinsky would be the sole musical export I would remember the country by. Luckily, after a reccommendation, I got in contact with Nik Komshukov, Hell's Thrash Horsemen guitarist. After a brief wait, their debut album, "...Till Violence," landed in my mailbox in pure foreign glory - covered in bizarre symbols, government stickers and a kaleidoscopic jumble of cyrillic letters like a Christmas present wrapped by Czar Nicholas or Lenin or that dog from Disney's Anastasia. Regardless of who sent me the thing, I was impressed - not so much that I would fly to the Motherland to bow to the guys, but "... Till Violence" has all the aspects of what I liked about the more recent Kreator releases.

Kreator, though at first I thought an appropriate comparison, after a while didn't quite fit... as evidenced by my above scribble and edits (---->). A more honest analysis would be to describe the Horsemen as a less dissonant version of modern Voivod with Pantera groove... hell "Serial Man" basically copies the infamous "Walk" riff. But the strong production, little -core influence and a certain appreciated amount of groove - Pantera or post-Horrorscope Overkill style - gives the album the sense of being the umpteenth album from a classic band rather than a new band's first album or anything a retro-thrash band would pump out. The awkward yet intense English lyrics make for a charming listen. HTH's namesake track remains my favorite though not any one song steals the show.

Rounding out the album is a cover of Testament's "The Preacher" done HTH style. With one cover, an intro track and short instrumental, the seven track album feels short. Only four songs are real songs. I would have loved to have seen one or two more original, full length tracks with slightly less groovy riffs, slightly less chugging and more of the intricacies which I know Nik and second guitarist Andy are capable of writing. "...Till Violence" is a great debut that dispays a good new band with a style that they can mold into practically anything... We'll see where they take their brand of thrash in the future.

Highgate - Highgate + Black Frost Fallout Comp.

Highgate have been throwing their weight around for the past few years, making headway in the doom underground. Worth checking out is the compilation of their demos released by They Used Dark Forces Recordings. While the label name is utterly moronic and awkward, Highgate's demo material is astounding in quality and much more enjoyable then the massive, Moss-like expanse of their self titled debut. Though it's hard to pick out specific bands which Highgate sound similar too, their influences are easy to discern on the debut, possibly one of the reasons I don't like it as much as I do their demo material. The enigmatic nature of a band who have seemingly developed a sound completely their own to the point which influences are difficult to extrapolate is rare. Highgate's demo material is closer to realizing this golden treasure. The debut though is more pigment. I sense a particularly strong love of Isis' style of movement fluidity with the druginess of mid-period Electric Wizard and the rustiness of bands like Nortt.

Speaking of the debut, Highgate have given up what worked so well for them on their demo material - a sense of harmony and crafting actual songs. The simple fact that I can choose a song from their demo such as "Burial Light" and actually listen to the entire song without having to plan my doctor's appointments around it is particularly convenient. It takes a lot of time to listen to a forty-five minute song... forty five minutes to be precise, forty-five minutes in which I can't do a single other thing. The only practical time to listen to an album such as this is when you're laying down to go to bed and you're DEFINITELY going to fall asleep before you hear the whole track. Trust me on this. Highgate is the ultimate somnifacient.

Musically speaking though, this is typical slow, dirge-doom with large single stroke punches left to fester and radiate like the atomic explosions which the band seems to obsess over. The debut, Highgate, opens with the rusty chords, a sample newscast about the effects of an atomic blast, and, eventually around the three minute mark the most evil Sabbath worshiping riff I've yet had the pleasure of injecting into my ear canal. What Highgate have done perfectly on this vast song though is continually maintain direction. The song deviates constantly, never sitting too long or repeating too many times and as it undergoes its myriad transformations reveals the range of possibilities which Highgate also showed on their demos. While Highgate can sludge it out with the best, they can also cut back the distortion and weave supple natural guitar melodies with frightening noise to create unique texture.


This ability to create texture, shown throughout the lengthy track on the eponymous debut, seems planted and frail in the context of the song. The parts themselves are strong and excellent though feel incoherent in the overall structure. They would have worked better had they been their own separate song. I feel Highgate, instead of doing what may have been best for the release, had the notion that releasing one single long track would overwhelm listeners and expect them to accept that this single massive long track is an incredibly epic masterpiece just because it has so much mass. While some are overcome by such trickery, I don't much care for it. So while Highgate eagerly tried to jam everything into a single track and pass it by us without us knowing, their demos sit around, nonchalantly looking on with furrowed brows and scowls, upset that they aren't getting the attention they deserve. Well, I'm going to give them the attention they deserve.

Black Frost Fallout and their 2005 Demo simply rapes the pretentious long winded untitled track of their debut with multitudes of farming equipment. Songs such as the creepy yet sophisticated "Burial Light" busy themselves with driving John Deere cultivators into tight orifices which Highgate's self titled didn't know existed and The opening track, "Black Frost Fallout" is ready and willing to be the most intense of the Highgate songs. Though the drum tone on the Black Frost Fallout material isn't as oceanic - that might be an Isis reference... maybe... - as the drums on the debut, the rest of the album comes off as far more powerful. Maybe this is due to the cassette's ability to amplify the low ends and cut down on the crispy treble frequencies, which in Highgate's case is a good thing. Moments on the debut were a bit too crisp, like a burnt French fry... and no, not one of the delicious slightly burnt fries at the bottom of the batch. I'm talking fried to the point of oblivion. Fried so far removed from edibility that you instead decide to use the crusty mass to puncture Ted the fry-cook's tires in the parking lot after you chip your back molar unsuspectingly on the steel-like encasement that is your overcooked fry.

"The Wolf" is the closest Highgate come to black metal, as the song deconstructs into a flurry of atmospheric black metal near the half-way mark. Suitably, this moment alone renders the demo a depth and texture not found on the debut CD. "Black Frost Fallout" employs a similar tactic during its running time. "Sermon Of The Apocalypse" takes form on the demo as the band's "hit." The first showing is a from the Black Frost Fallout demo, the second is an edit from the 2005 Demo. What's so enjoyable about this song is the simplicity of it's construction and it's movement from harsh to melancholy with a simple harmony. Once again, Highgate's use of harmony on the Demo rules supreme. The 2005 version of "Sermon Of The Apocalypse," though the same song is more atmospheric, a consequence of a more low-fi recording. I think though that this song contains the compilation's best drum tone - distant, spacey and clear. Sadly, the harmonies which I enjoyed on the original sound absent.

Sea of Perdition is a watery ambient track, nice and smooth the whole way through. A nice contrast to the sharpness of "Burial Light," which happens to be my favorite track on the compilation. It has so much going for it - a slightly uneasy mellow interlude, intriguing harmonies and the tormented Highgate vocals ghostly wailing from beyond the grave. At nine minutes, the song is long enough to find yourself lost in, not too long to summon sleep and complex enough to listen multiple times without hearing everything. Hell, it even contains a tiny guitar solo in the vein of early Obituary. With six songs and a lot of interesting and memorable material, this compilation is the best place to start at with this band. The blood-red cassette insert is awesome too, a nice break from all the white print on black pro-covers which arrive daily in my mailbox.

I know this might sound tempting and you'll be searching for a while before finding any copy. Check out Pale Horse Records, they should have some available.

I Just Want To Remember You Forever

Playlist - 10/07/09

01. Grave Digger - War Games - Let Your Heads Roll
02. Motorhead - No Sleep Till Hammersmith - Metropolis
03. Midnight - Farewell To Hell - Vomit Queens
04. Speedwolf - Bark At The Poon - Speedwolf
05. Speedwolf - Bark At The Poon - Death Ripper
06. Venom - Welcome To Hell - Live Like An Angel
07. Darkthrone -Dark Thrones And Black Flags - The Winds They Called The Dungeon Shaker
08. Nachtmystium - Instinct: Decay - Chosen By No One
09. Fornication - Stab - Les Handicapes Du L Er Rang
10. Moder - Fields of Devastation - No One Shall Live
11. Moder - Fields Of Devastation - Kruez Der Ilusion
12. Apolion - Necro Black Elitist Alliance Split - Primordial Hunger
13. Tod - Hate Campaign, Hymn To The Death - Intro / Hate Campaign
14. Annunaki - Throne Of The Annunaki - Perpetual Suffering
15. Golem - Dreamweaver - Diaspora
16. Bestial Warlust - Blood And Valour - Legion Of Wrath
17. Devastation - Idolatry - Legacy Of Faith
18. Morbid Saint - Spectrum Of Death - Scars *
19. Whiplash - Looking Death In The Face Demo - The Burning Of Atlanta
20. Overkill - Taking Over - In Union We Stand
21. Wolf - The Black Flame - The Bite
22. Wolf - Ravenous - Curse You Salem
23. Virgin Steele - Hymns To Victory - The Burning Of Rome
24. Dio - Holy Diver - Stand Up And Shout
25. Altar Of Oblivion - Sinews Of Anguish - My Pinnacle Of Power
26. Xasthur - To Violate The Oblivious - Xastur Within
27. Evoken - Antithesis Of Light - Antithesis Of Light
28. Hell Rot - Vomit Altar - Marginal
29. Auspicium - Dawnland - Mountains Of Pamola
30. Katharsis - WorldWithoutEnd - WorldWithoutEnd

Cassette / Vinyl Rips #'s: 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 28, 29, 30
2009 Releases #'s: 04, 05, 22, 25, 29,

* My God, the brutality! Metallica, stop trying to make money on iPhone apps and listen to what Thrash is supposed to sound like.

Necrophagia - A Legacy Of Horror, Gore And Sickness

Quite possibly one of the most underrated of all the early death metal progenitors, this compilation of Necrophagia's early material from 1984 through 1986 is a great addition to any metal fan's collection though it will find itself most comfortable next to your dubbed Death demos. For anyone interested in the formative years of death metal and the progression from early thrash to the next tier in brutality, "A Legacy of Horror, Gore and Sickness" is practically mandatory. And it's a beautiful release also, a real labor of love from the guy at Baphomet Records. That's a joke kiddies... Necrophagia's Vocalist Killjoy runs the label with a blood-covered hand. But this digipak from back in 2000 has been masterfully put together - great artwork, a nice preface from Mayhem's Maniac in the booklet which folds out to a 10x10 inch poster of Patrick Tremblay's cover artwork.

Tracks 1-11 are all from 1986 and are vastly superior to the 1984 tracks which make up the second half of the album in production quality. Generally, these tracks are easy to hear, enjoyable to listen to and deploy a whole host of different tempos, speeds, riffs, rhythms and structures. "World Funeral" opens the release is pure death metal fashion with crusty guitars and crispy fried vocals. The song displays where Necrophagia's power comes from - the gargled, distorted, pervertedly twisted bass tone which smears all the '86 tracks in a vicious mist of fleshy viscera. "Lust of the Naked Dead" continues with the deadly poison. "Black Apparition" is the album's most gargantuan crusher though; just under seven and a half minutes of pure death-thrash - three minutes longer than the album's second longest track, "Ancient Slumber." What really impresses me about "Black Apparition" though is the meandering, almost black metal, style of the track which evolves, breaks apart, reattaches all it's dismembered limbs and perseveres to slaughter another day.

The 1984 tracks are all rehearsal takes from presumably personal tapes which have never seen the light of day. Dirtier, rawer, and about four hundred percent noisier than the first eleven tracks, this is where Necrophagia truly prove their importance to death metal. From the first notes on "Autopsy On The Living Dead," the combinations even this short track are worth analysis. Opening with a simple rock and roll riff, progressing to an indescribable eighth-note based descending chromatic scale and then devolves into a chaotic mess... all covered with Killjoy's lovely screaming gravy. It shows a bunch of guys trying to make music more brutal than they seemingly know how to. Every one of these eighth tracks has something to say about the state of metal in 1984. They show the complex desire to combine the newer thrash with the aggression and attitude of bands like Motorhead with the evil and speed of bands like Venom.

This is not a release for every metal fan. It is not a universal album. Casual listeners will not appreciate the nuances and importance of the older 1984 tracks, and though they might pick out something from the later, 1986 tracks, the possibility that they won't appreciate how those tracks evolved is very real. I think that had the tracks been placed in chronological order by date of release, date of recording or, if possible, date of composition, that the progression from the rusty awkward attempts of turning speed metal into death metal - see "Insane For Blood" - would have made themselves more clear instead of hiding in the bushes waiting to be found. Still, I would wager that there are a ton of death metal freaks that would find this an interesting journey into the genre's past.

Drugs Of Faith - 2008 Demo

As a metalhead, I have an aversion to aggressive music that falls under categories such as "hardcore" or "post-grind," you know... whatever the kids are calling it these days. I like my aggressive music to be metal the same way that I like my metal to be M.E.T.A.L. So the problem with Drugs of Faith's 2008 Demo lies in the fact that I can't stop listening to it - contrary to every belief my brain has succeeded in instilling in me. Maybe it's the fact that I pick out more of a Napalm Death vibe to Drugs of Faith than a modern "hardcore" vibe. Though there are elements of classic hardcore punk scattered across their short stubby songs, I hear not a single 'tough-guy beat/break down. Time for the modern "hardcore" bands to take notice, because Drugs of Faith are doing things right. But there are other reasons that Drugs of Faith's 2008 Demo is the shortest long-player I might ever own...

Maybe its the gritty guitar tone and huge thundering bass wallop that gets my teeth chattering every time "Race To The End" picks up after "Age Of Reason" leaves me eagerly waiting for my CD player to kick back to track one. Maybe I can't stop listening to Drugs of Faith because Richard Johnson has a unique way of making lyrics which I would not usually care for sound so particularly personal, that I actually sometimes think that instead of hearing him spit them from his dirty lips, I'm hearing my own subconsciousness graft my thoughts onto the foundation which Drugs of Faith lay out for me - like a window or gateway or toilet flange where my inner thoughts could sneak out or be flushed away into the great open world - at their expense.

Maybe I like Drugs of Faith because I can listen to this entire demo while walking outside to get my mail... and then listen to it again while yelling at the bills left for me by 'ol Uncle Sam. I'm sure theres a lyric in here somewhere that perfectly represents my feelings about that. Speaking from an objective standpoint though, the demo works perfectly. For me, a prime example of someone who usually is not a fan of such chaotic grind, the length allows me to hear something which I would usually not listen to, not get pissed and angry about listening to something I would not normally spend time listening to and instead get a sense of self-improvement and exploratory prowess. For someone who not only likes the dissonant hardcore / grindcore style, the immediate aggressiveness and intensity of Drugs of Faith's demo should compel any listener worth their salt to immediately seek out the rest of their catalog. A demo that can work this hard for a band is a rare find in an over saturated market. A true shame that the original planned split release didn't work out. Both bands would benefit from such a potentially strong showing. Me... I'm just glad I have something I can listen to in the time it takes me to brush my teeth every night.

Mr. Big - Lean Into It

Mr. Big. The name conjures memories of the easy and sleazy hard rock era of the late 80's early 90's and rightly so as evidenced by Mr. Big's most successful album, "Lean Into It." While the pairing of Sheehan and Gilbert might create an orgy among prog-frogs, this album is about as progressive as Loverboy. Judging by the laid back style of the album though, "prog" was probably not the focus which Mr. Big was heading at. In fact, I would be surprised if someone told me that Mr. Big wasn't a brainchild of Atlantic Records Executives. While my particular interest in Sheehan has always lain with his Niacin project and, to be fair, my interest in Gilbert has never quite taken off, Sheehan, Gilbert, vocalist Eric Martin and pigskinner Pat Torpey have created a quintessential hard rock relic.

The album opens with "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy." Though not as immediately arousing as Writhing Afterbirth's "Forced Incestual Intercourse," Mr. Big has kicked off their album in a way which, twenty minutes after hearing the song, will be awkwardly nauseating. The whole sleaziness of the song is repugnantly glorious for such an accessible band. And the whole song is post-marked "The Electric Drill Song." I guess that's a popular position in incest circles? What we find in this song which is carried through most of the album though is a lighthearted tossing around of double entendre and the typical word-smithing (or destruction... whichever you prefer) associated with the glam and hard rock scene which Mr. Big drew influence from in their formative years.

The distinction which makes Mr. Big something more timeless than the glam bands and more interesting the hard rock bands is the sheer variety of styles amassed on "Lean Into It." In this respect, they could be compared to a band which they toured with during their peak - Aerosmith. The maturity evident in both bands, even though the lyrics on some of Mr. Big's songs are giant blocks of ultra sharp cheddar, is shown through the strong songwriting. Every song on the album has strong hooks, strong distinction from other songs on the album, and flawless musicianship (like Gilbert and Sheehan would accept anything less?). Eric Martin's vocals make me yawn though, as technically excellent as he is. He just sounds too clean-cut for my tastes.

I find the main style apparent on the release is a hybrid of two main styles - hard rock songs like "Never Say Never" (barely Hard Rock) and "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy," and cuts like "Alive And Kickin, Voodoo Kiss," and "A Little Too Loose," which have strong southern rock and blues influences. On these tracks, Sheehan is particularly excellent. I find his unique buzzy and overdriven-though-cleaner-than-Lemmy bass tone suitable to create the underlying roughness which the songs require to obtain that meaty southern flavor. Gilbert is all over the frets on almost every song when he has the opportunity. What I like about Gilbert that I loathe in other notable solo-guitarists is that his seemingly laid-back personality is evident through his humble style of playing. I could never imagine Yngwie finding himself perfectly happy playing chords that don't involve seventeen fingers and sixteen toes. While Torpey is a name I'm not familiar with, his drumming on the album is rather standard but he has a great tone and lays down constantly evolving drum lines which never stagnate.

Lean Into It is a pretty chill album, nothing worth yapping on forever about, and most likely something your non-metal girlfriend won't mind listening to and with a culminating track like "To Be With You," she might even think you have a soft-side which could win you brownie points... until you tell the bitch to make you a sandwich. Mr. Big is basically a pretty standard rock band which almost anyone can enjoy, regardless of their preferences. Sure, I could throw on Sodom grab the nearest metal pipe and haphazardly bash in just about every piece of furniture I see... Wait... where's my "Tapping The Vein" CD?

Vuohivasara - The Sigil

"Ok so guyz I have this sick idea!"
Diemonium lets out a massive foreboding sigh. "What is it Thy Agony, Lord of Sickness and guitars?"
"Ok Diemonium, listen up up bazzist becauz you won't be heard practically at all anyway. Let's make an album, where every song sounds like every other song but give them different namez..."
"Hmm. T-Ag, I don't think anyone would like that."
"...And no one will be able to tell that they are the same becauz we'll play them fast like 1349 or Satyricon fast..."
"I don't think I like my bass not being audible T-Ag."
"...And we'll give them namez like "Poison... OF GOD!" and shit in Latin too. Black metal fanz like shit in Latin. Oh man, It'll be awesome!..."
"Ok. But..."
"...And Krig, we'll trigger your drumz and program them so people will think you're Frost! Yeah! This iz totally gonna rock! Now we need a band name... something no one will be able to pronounce... becauz black metal fanz like that shit... like some Native American God'z name or something..."

Well, at least the engineer mixed poor Diemonium's bass into The Sigil. Vuohivasara and their album "The Sigil" is one of those meals you should never eat, or at least try to eat, because you know that even if you get a part of it in your body, it's just going to sit there forever wasting space. It's like trying to eat milk with a fork and knife. You don't need the knife at all anyway, and as many times as you try to get some of that goopy liquid into your mouth with the fork, it just falls apart, elusive, like the songs on this album. There is simply nothing to grab onto, no really semblance of memorable melody, no hint at rhythms, just constant staccato picking and string-nibbling. With nothing solidifying, my fingers just slide through the mixture and get covered in what could only be described as 'grey matter'- the kind of food that tastes like cardboard but is less nutritious.

Though fleeting fans of 1349, pre-Sworn To The Dark Watain (Vuohivasara don't have the memorability of STTD or the ability to write as stunning and engaging riffs) and Keep of Kalessin might find the stinging taste of cardboard black metal delectable, long term adherents will find this release mostly amateur. I know that I personally would rather eat a live spider crab, newly caught from the polluted mud of the Jersey Shore than listen to this release again. Where Vuohivasara fail is in the construction of long-lasting riffs. Every segment sounds unmodified from what first came from guitarist Thy Agony's nimble little fingers.

"Hey T-Ag, I think this riff might be more contrasting if we moved it down a full step."
"...and we'll have like graves on the cover and... Did you say something Diemonium?"
"Uh, I said I think this riff might sound more contrasting if we were to move it down a full step."
"... Shut up Diemonium. The riff's already written. No need to change it!...
...dumbass..."
"I heard that you six-string cocksucker!"

Yeah, something like that. The musicianship on the release is something which I can be positive about though. All the members of the band are shown in excellent form on their instrument. Infidel Viktor Capricorn, whose name immediately makes me burst out laughing from sheer bombasticity, has a typical though strong black metal screaming and wailing style. Krig's drumming is on par with the speed and intensity of the Thy Agony's guitar riffs as is Diemonium's bass playing. Vuohivasara has a lot going for them. They just have to start writing songs that actually stick to the nerve endings in my brain.

Playlist - 09/30/09

If this list doesn't make you find the nearest Bible and turn it into a million weightless pieces of ash, then I don't know what will.

01. Judas Priest - Hell Bent For Leather - The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown)
02. Grave Digger - War Games - Let Your Heads Roll
03. Anthem - Anthem - Warning Action!
04. Fates Warning - The Spectre Within - The Apparition
05. Iced Earth - Iced Earth - Iced Earth
06. Metal Inquisitor - Doomsday For The Heretic - Thane Of Cowder
07. Shadow Keep - Corruption Within - Corruption Within
08. Znowhite - Act Of God - War Machine
09. Polterkrist - The Death Cell - God Creation Failure
10. Death - Leprosy - Open Casket
11. Darkthrone - Soulside Journey - Sunrise Over Locus Mortis
12. Halopent - The Ancient Of Days - Septic Torture
13. Halopent - The Ancient Of Days - Morbid Feast
14. Napalm Death - Diatribes - Just Rewards
15. Drugs Of Faith - Drugs Of Faith - Never Fail
16. War Master - Chapel Of The Apocalypse - Chapel Of The Apocalypse
17. Hail Of Bullets - Warsaw Rising - Warsaw Rising
18. Iniquity - Grime - The Bullets Breath
19. Carcariass - Killing Process - Lost In Agony
20. Benighted In Sodom - In Hora Maledictus Pt I - Discarded Halos
21. Aeternus - Beyond The Wandering Moon - Sentinels Of Darkness
22. Folkstorm - From The Pale Woodlands - Frozen For Eternity
23. Drudkh - Blood In Our Wells - When The Flame Turns To Ashes
24. Apolion - Hungry Of Souls - Life's Remains
25. Venom - Welcome To Hell - Welcome To Hell
26. Venom - Black Metal - Countess Bathory
27. Grand Magus - Monument - Ulvaskull (Vargr)
28. Candlemass - King Of The Grey Islands - Of Stars And Smoke
29. Catacombs - Echoes Through The Catacombs - Echoes Through The Catacombs

Cassette & Vinyl Rips: #'s 9, 22, 27
2009 Releases: #'s 12, 13, 16, 17, 22

Saturn Form Essence - SFE000451208

My stool has been particularly soft the past several days and I blame my constant need of post-fecal-deposit-showers on the strange undulations on Saturn Form Essence's "SFE000151208." Why? Well, I've listened to the forty minutes of rumbling, stomach shaking drone about four times in the past week. You can gauge whether listening to the same sounds for over three hours was a waste of time on your own but my bowels feel clean and empty. It's kind of like the claims on the back of Earth's "Earth 2." You know the ones: "...found it difficult to think of the things that disturb me... Afterwards, everything seemed right with the world." Or, "When I got up, I could swear I was a few inches off the ground." How about this medical miracle? "My tension headaches have disappeared!" Saturn Form Essence's curiously titled sound experiment could claim the same effects and add colon cleansing to the list. In fact, I think I know who funded this recording:

Saturn Form Essence's music however deserves a bit of analysis. While it may have miracle effects, few will care to actually listen to it the whole way through unless inebriated, high or watching Baywatch in slow motion with volume on mute. Musically though, the single untitled track is an unwavering wall of dread and uneasiness. While most drone prefers to simply stay in one place for a moment then move to a new location like a tribe of retarded nomads, (not that nomads are retarded, but slow nomads... ahhhh you don't get it) Saturn Form Essence is fond of floating in the same place forever. While forever might seem like a long time, and it is, if you were placed in a cell, with no clock and no windows in the dark with only Saturn Form Essence playing, its possible you might live longer, the body's natural processes slowed down believing that each massive sweeping swell of synth is a unit of time.

Three aspects of comprise the entire forty-four minute marathon of numbness. The first and most noticeable is a low to midrange cresting melody of around four or five notes all played at the tempo which a dead snail's speed is measured. Occasionally this melody moves an octave higher, providing at least some sense of change however don't get surprised when it simply drops from the sky and plummets back to Earth (pun intended). The second aspect is the ultra low end rumblings which are the cause of my intestine-massage-treatment. This rumbling is static, never changing and always felt deep in the recesses of the core. The third and final aspect is a very faint static in the 16khz region. Though possibly nothing more than white-noise, it is there and because so little is happening, it is very audible.

If you allow the undulations to take over you, you may begin to hear phantom sounds, I occasionally feel as if I am hearing sonar beeps in the back of my head. This is most likely a bizarre waveform creation of the multiple effects coming into contact with each other. Ultimately, Saturn Form Essence have created an interesting soundscape though I don't know exactly what the purpose of such an exploration might have been. I do get a sense of cosmic expansiveness from "SFE000451208" but I would rather get that cosmic atmosphere from something more interesting and complex such as Darkthrone's debut, Soulside Journey. In terms of dread and uneasiness, Perdition is much more adept at producing those hateful energies. As for a straight ahead drone piece, it is worthy but doesn't award me anything when it ends. I would much rather listen to the Sunn O))) and Boris collaboration or Earth's early albums.

What I do like about this release though is the simplicity and seeming ease at which the sounds morph into new, but stale effects. The whole thing is a bit boring but maybe that was the idea. Hell if you're stuck floating around in space for hours waiting for your life to diminish, there isn't going to be a lot going on. Maybe a star here and a piece of debris there... but as you slowly watch the Earth or your live-allowing spacecraft float away, perhaps this could be the soundtrack to your plunge into the inevitable abyss that is the end of your existence.

Blackspell - Interview

Demon of Darkness is a focused individual, with his mind set on the future of his black metal band, Blackspell. With a release now out on Thorn Laceration Records that, though rough in spots, reveals what could be the start of a large extreme metal scene in the middle east region, Demon is the go-to-guy to get a sense on what is going on in a very unlikely - and dangerous - part of the world for extreme metal to flourish but where there are metal heads, there will be metal.

CT: Thanks for answering my questions Mr. Demon of Darkness. Can you please update us on the history of Blackpell for readers with no knowledge of the band?

DoD: You are welcome. The history goes back to late 2008, when I was trying to make some songs. At that time, I created the song "Lies Blocking Your Eyes" but didn't record it until 4 months ago, then I recorded the rest of the songs in june 2009.

CT: Syria isn't known for metal, especially black metal. How did you come to discover black metal and what has it been like being a black metal fan in a country which has no scene? How frustrating is it to get the records you want?

DoD: The scene is healthy if we are talking about the Metalheads, they are very thirsty for extreme music and there is a big metal fan base but on the other hand, people here hate that kind of music but I think they will use on listening to it by the time. I discovered black metal by listening to some Immortal, Burzum, Mayhem... songs on the internet, in that time I was a huge Slayer fan - and still so - and I needed something more extreme to listen to.

CT: You would view the internet as beneficial to the metal scene then? What is your opinion on the ease at which people can find music freely online and the downloading culture we see so often these days?

DoD: Yes It is, I think it's a very good thing .

CT: I'm going to say that you weren't aiming to break boundaries with your demo, "Dark Winds From Black Sky". Why take the road of raw and primitive black metal as opposed to say, something more atmospheric and subtle?

DoD: Well, I've been really infleunced by many raw black metal bands like: Marduk, Darkthrone... etc, but I tried to make something new, to mix between raw black metal and melodic black metal -like what I did on "In The Cold Dark Woods"- and I hope that it's worked.

CT: Can you give a hint of your tracks on the upcoming split with Folkstorm and Morktar split? Will they be the same style as your demo? Can you reveal any lyrical subjects to us?

DoD: Well, the style is "Black Ambient," there are two songs and two covers, my new songs have almost no lyrics.

CT: How did you come in contact with Thorn Laceration Records? How has working with Chris been for you? I know you are releasing the split through Thorn Laceration Records. Do you think you will continue to release music through his label or do you foresee a label change in the near future?

DoD: Well, I did come in contact with him on Myspace, I knew Chris before he has the lable and he's a really good and smart guy. Yes I'll continue release music through Thorn Laceration Records, It's a strong and good lable.

CT: How did you go about recording the "Dark Winds" demo? I doubt there are recording studios available which would willingly take on a project such as yours.

DoD: I recorded the demo through my PC. There are few recording studios that let me play this kind of music in it, but it's expensive.

CT: What programs and equipment did you use to capture your rituals? How long did it take you to record the demo and how long did you spend mixing and finalizing your music before having it released?

DoD: I used my 20 watt bass amp, Phil Pro guitar, Echo 4 Strings bass and drums machine. I recorded "Lies Blocking Your Eyes" directly from my amp and the rest of songs by some softwares on my PC. It took only 4 days to be recorded and mixied. I bought some new equipments (ESP guitar, Marshall amp...) to get much better sound on my next albums.

CT: What would you say your lyrics represent to you? What meaning do you find in your lyrics? What meaning do you find in black metal that you don't find in other styles of music?

DoD: It's really good question. My lyrics on the Dark Winds Demo represent my feelings and hatred against all of my enemies. I found the truth and the freedom in Black metal, there is no hypocrisy in this genre,

CT: What artists and musicians have influenced you the most? Do you plan on including any Syrian folk influences in upcoming released or will you remain the same general entity? The Iron Maiden of Syrian black metal possibly?

DoD: Well, I've been influenced by many artists like: Marduk, Rotting Christ, Bathory, Immortal, Burzum, Xasthur, Darkthrone, Dissection, Moonblood, Gorgoroth, Dark Funeral and many more... No I don't plan on including any Syrian flok influneces I'll remain the same.

CT: What Cd's, artists, movies, books have you been enjoying lately? What would you recommend to readers?

DoD: Artists: Rotting Christ (Sakis is one of my friends), Moonblood, Elimi, Mourning Soul, Circle Of Ghosts. Movies: The almighty Lord Of The Rings, Bram Stoker's Dracula. Books: anything for Lovecraft like The Call Of Cthulhu.

CT: How have your neighbors taken to your black metal? Surely metal is still offensive, loud and shocking in a country with no experience with the aggressiveness of pure metal fury!

DoD: Most of them used to it, I didn't play loud very much .

CT: Is it difficult to find like minded people in a predominantly Muslim country with no history of extreme music?

DoD: It's really difficult but not impossible , the people didn't read or listen about this music , they only listen to what other people say about it. I think if they listen to it or understand what it's all about they will accept it.

CT: How do you foresee the metal scene in Syria in the near future? Do you think it will grow into an underground movement? Is there fertile ground in Syria for a huge metal explosion? If so do you think there are any particular factors that might contribute to this?

DoD: I think yes It will grow, because there are many great bands in here like: Obia, Absentation and The Hour Glass and there will be more. The first particular factor will be: the people understanding for this music.

CT: Are there any particular resources for people interested in checking out the newest bands from Syria? Obviously myspace would be a good place to start but are there any Syrian fanzines focusing on the country's scene or any radio shows that play local metal and hard rock?

DoD: www.metalliza.com, www.syrianbands.com

CT: Do you view Blackspell as having a particular role in bringing metal to Syria? Possibly in opening the minds of those around you to art and music that they would not have experienced before?

DoD: Like what I said before, there are many Metalheads in here, many black metalheads, and I did this record for them

CT: What are your views on religion? Do you adhere to a particular church or faith? If not, what would you describe your spirituality to be?

DoD: Sorry, but I prefer not to talk about religon .

CT: Would you care to comment on the political issues in the region? How has the Iraq war and democratization of Iraq affected Syria? Has it affected you personally? What are your thoughts on the Israeli / Palestinian disputes?

DoD: Excuse me please, but I have nothing to do with politics .

CT: What is next for Blackspell?

DoD: I'll release a new ep in the next month and I'll keep on recording new albums .

CT: Last words?

DoD: Thank you for the interview

Playlist - 09/23/09

01. Mindless Sinners - Master Of Evil - Broken Freedom
02. Icarus Witch - Songs For The Lost - Out For Blood
03. Icarus Witch - Songs For The Lost - The Sky Is Falling
04. Sahg - Sahg I - Godless Faith
05. Solitude Aeturnus - Alone - Scent Of Death
06. Tristitia - The Last Grief - Slaughtery
07. Manilla Road - Voyager - Voyager
08. Venom - Welcome To Hell - Welcome To Hell
09. Death - Scream Bloody Gore - Evil Dead
10. Death - Human - Lack Of Comprehension
11. Watchtower - Energetic Disassembly - Meltdown
12. Watchtower - Control And Resistance - Instruments of Random Murder
13. Spiral Architect - A Sceptic's Universe - Insect
14. Ripping Corpse - Dreaming With The Dead - Seduction Of The Innocent
15. Sapremia - Existence Of Torture - Spawn Of Desolation
16. Morgoth - Resurrection Absurd - Lies Of Distrust
17. Hail Of Bullets - ... Of Frost And War - Hail Of Bullets
18. Hail Of Bullets - Warsaw Rising EP - Warsaw Rising
19. At The Gates - The Red In The Sky Is Ours - Neverwhere
20. Aeternus - Beyond The Wandering Moon - Sentinels Of Darkness
21. Hell Rot - Vomit Altar - Goat Chapel
22. Hell Rot - Vomit Altar - Marginal
23. Tod - Hate Campaign, Hymn To The Death - Blood Filled Eyes
24. Imynvokad - Tongues of Death - By Blood Does The Beast Arise
25. Wendess - Wendess EP - Par Le Vent
26. Bosque - Bosque / Senthil Split - Under The Capricorn Sky Part I
27. Nyctophobia - Beyond The Pillars - War
28. Dictator - Dysangelist - Sanctus

Cassette and Vinyl Rips: #'s 14. 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28
2009 Releases: #'s 18, 25, 28
Background Music: Sunn O))) - Black One

Playlist - 09/17/09

Position / Artist / Album / Track

01. Hades - Born To Metalize Split - Gloomy Sunday
02. Overkill - Taking Over - Deny The Cross
03. Whiplash - Messages In Blood (Thunderstruck Demo) - Spit On Your Grave
04. Whiplash - Messages In Blood (Looking Death In The Face Demo) - The Burning Of Atlanta
05. Hallows Eve - Death And Insanity - Nefarious
06. Blind Guardian - Follow The Blind - Banish From Sanctuary
07. Heaven And Hell - The Devil You Know - Fear
08. Oblique Visions - Seas Of Serenity - Sweet Tranquility
09. Morgion - Cloaked By Ages, Crowned In Earth - The Mourner's Oak
10. The Puritan - The Black Law - It Is Your Own Decision To Respect Life
11. Napalm Death - Breed To Breathe EP - Breed To Breathe
12. War Master - Awake In Darkness / Warplague
13. Morbid Angel - Covenant - Sworn To The Black
14. Death - Scream Bloody Gore - Evil Dead
15. Hail Of Bullets - Warsaw Rising - Liberators
16. Hail Of Bullets - ...Of Frost And War - Advancing Once More
17. Sodom - Agent Orange - Tired And Red
18. Drudkh - Forgotten Legends - False Dawn
19. Drudkh - Microcosmos - Decadence
20. Aeternus - Beyond The Wandering Moon - Vind
21. Aeternus - Shadows Of Old - Prophecy Of The Elder Reign
22. Astrofaes - Dying Emotions Domain - Path To Burning Space
23. Folkstorm - From The Pale Woodlands - Frozen For Eternity
24. Apolion - Hungry of Souls - Winds
25. Apolion - The Mute God Of Deaf Men - Into Chaos
26. Fornication - Stab - Evil Sperm
27. Fornication - Stab - Les Handicapes Du L Er Rang
28. Absu - Tara - Pillars Of Mercy
29. Nyctophobia - Beyond The Pillars - Beyond The Pillars

Tape / Vinyl Rips: #'s 1, 8, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29
2009 Releases: #'s 7, 12, 15, 19, 23,
Discussion Music: Moss - Cthonic Rites

Immolith - Hymns To The Countess

With Immolith's newest EP, Hymns to the Countess, gone is the intimacy of the rehearsal demo in favor of a more accessible and professional sounding release. The modern guitar tone definitely plays to the legions of black metal fans out there who are soaking up the sounds of Watain and Keep of Kalessin. While Immolith still revel in the raw, simple-minded approach to black metal, I miss the sound of their demo. Regardless, Hymns to the Countess still proves that Immolith have much more left to spew forth. Opening the EP is a re-recording of "Ghost Tower of Inverness." While the song is generally unmodified in structure, a technical guitar solo and blasphemous harmonies have been included to help along the track's instrumental break. Second track "Slaughter the Legions" also plays with the idea of harmony and melody, offering a more straightforward structure to match the call to arms style of the track. Personally, I like this track the most of all the songs on the EP. It includes several interesting riffs and a very Graveland-inspired lead to match the song's marching feel. What stands out on this release is Isiamon's ability as a lead guitarist which took a backseat on the Rehearsal demo. His complex leads showcase the purposed simplicity of the riffs on the EP and contrast perfectly with the technicality of his guitar solos . Vocally, Warhead -- also on drums -- is adequate but not standout. His standard blackened vocalizations do nothing to really hurt the sound of the EP, but they don't really surpass my expectations. He's just... there. This is one area where I feel that Immolith have not yet found their way. But the main fault with the EP is Warhead's drum tone, which, admittedly, sounds way too processed and lacks the natural feel I found so inviting on the demo. Warhead's drumming is, as always, top notch. Once again, Immolith rounds off the EP with their excellent cover of Venom's “Countess Bathory.”

Playlist - 09/09/09

If you turn 9/9/09 upside down what do you get? 6/6/06. Pretty evil. Last night was the first official show. Though there was a vast array of styles and genres present, A lot of old school metal made itself present. And seriously, when was the last time you heard Morgoth on the radio? Yeah... You're welcome.

01. Metal Inquisitor - Doomsday For The Heretic - Doomsday For The Heretic
02. Crimson Glory - Crimson Glory - Dragon Lady
03. Napalm Death - Diatribes - Just Rewards
04. The Puritan - Lithium Gates - It Is Your Own Decision To Respect Life
05. Orphaned Land - Mabool - A Call To Awake
06. Blind Guardian - Tales From The Twilight World - Lost In The Twilight Hall
07. Hardingrock - Grimen - Fanitullen
08. Hardingrock - Grimen - Den Bergtekne
09. Drudkh - Autumn Aurora - Glare Of Autumn
10. Drudkh - Blood In Our Wells - When The Flame Turns To Ashes
11. Liege Lord - Master Control - Feel The Blade
12. Iced Earth - Burnt Offerings - Burning Oasis
13. Iron Savior - Unification - Coming Home
14. Iron Maiden - Piece Of Mind - Revelations
15. Fates Warning - Parallels - Point Of View
16. Manilla Road - Spiral Castle - Merchants Of Death
17. Manilla Road - Crystal Logic - Crystal Logic
18. Morgoth - Odium - Resistance
19. Hell's Thrash Horsemen - ...Till Violence - Hell's Thrash Horsemen
20. Coroner - Mental Vortex - About Life
21. Forefather - Steadfast - Theodish Belief
22. Akercocke - Choronzon - Leviathan
23. War Master - Chapel Of The Apocalypse - Chapel Of The Apocalypse
24. Candlemass - Death Magic Doom - Hammer Of Doom
25. Ancient Blood - The Profane Hymns Of The Sovereign Darkness - Profane Devotion
26. Funerary Pit - Winds Of Hell - Fathomless Depths
27. Evoken - Antithesis Of Light - The Mournful Refusal

#'s 19, 24 - 2009
#'s 25,26 - Cassette Rips

Playlist - 08/06/09

An interesting show last night. Right after passing a large tractor trailer halfway down Rt. 3 on my way to the station, I get a message from Mr. Evil relinquishing duty of the night's show to me. Apparently, he had gotten stuck in a massive tie up on what I refer to as New Jersey's colon (Interstate 80) due to a truck explosion. I was left playing what I had available at the station. I somehow pulled out a decent show from the big beige box 'o metal. Thanks to all that listened. I promise some new tracks soon. The second studio is now painted and finished so music can once again be imported into the computer system. Anyway, Thursday's playlist, completely made on the spot:

Artist - Album - Track

01. Accept - Balls To The Wall - Balls To The Wall
02. Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengeance - Devil's Child (Live)
03. Blind Guardian - A Night At The Opera - Punishment Divine
04. Hammerfall - Renegade - Templars Of Steel
05. Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness - Immortal Rites
06. War Master - Chapel Of The Apocalypse - Thrones of Tyranny
07. Bolt Thrower - Those Once Loyal - When Cannons Fade
08. Napalm Death - Harmony Corruption - Suffer The Children
09. Napalm Death - Death By Manipulation - Harmony Corruption
10. Devastation - Idolatry - Legacy of Faith
11. Armoros - Pieces - Critical mass
12. Gama Bomb - Citizen Brain - Zombie Brew
13. Venom - Black Metal - Black Metal
14. Aeternus - ... And So The Night Became - Warrior Of The Crescent Moon
15. Aeternus - ... And So The Night Became - Ild Dans
16. Funerary Pit - Winds Of Hell - Fathomless Depths
17. Enslaved - Ruun - Entroper
18. Opeth - The Roundhouse Tapes - Under The Weeping Moon
19. Primordial - The Gathering Wilderness - The Gathering Wilderness
20. Apolion - Necro Alliance - On The Altar
21. Apolion - Necro Alliance - Red Desert
22. Absu - Absu - Sceptre Command
23. Nuclear Assault - Game Over - Radiation Sickness
24. Wolf - The Black Flame - Steelwinged Savage Reaper
25. Midnight Priest - Demo 2009 - Rainha Da Magia Negra
26. Witchery - Dead, Hot and Ready - Call Of The Coven
27. Iced Earth - Alive In Athens - The Hunter (Live)
28. Electric Wizard - Witchcult Today - Satanic Rites of Drugula
29. Obituary - Cause Of Death - Chopped In Half
30. Coroner - Punishment For Decadence - Masked Jackal
31. Death - Leprosy - Pull The Plug
32. Black Sabbath - Headless Cross - When Death Calls

War Master - Interview

Here is a quick preview of my fantastic interview with Daniel of War Master.....

CT: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview Daniel. It's a great honor to expose great death metal to the unsuspecting. Tell me about the formation of War Master. How did the band come together and when?

DANIEL: Hey Jon! it's my pleasure... you're doing a good thing here. War Master was birthed from the slimy diseased infested cunt that is Houston, Texas in February of this year. The band is composed of myself (vocals) , Neal (guitars) Ben (guitars) Tom (bass) and Steven (drums). I use to be in a death metal band called Blaspherian. Check them out they're great....heavy evil Incantation / Archgoat worship. Neal was one of the founding members of a grindcore band called Insect Warfare and is currently involved in a heavy as fuck death grind band called Nibiru and the rest of the guys are in Dissent which is a ripping metallic / crustcore band.
The way the band came together is Neal and I were hanging out at the shop I work at - I am a tattoo artist by trade. We were sitting around and he was talking to me about how Steven and him were thinking about starting a doom / sludge band with a heavy Bolt Thrower influence to which I responded by saying " Man..fuck that! Skip the part about being a doom band and just make it a Bolt Thrower worship band. We all love Bolt Thrower and old school death metal in general. I had the itch to do some death vocals again....so here we are!!!

CT: War Master... Is this a Bolt Thrower reference or are you paying homage to other, inferior deities?

D: War Master... just sounds cool and reflects what the band is about (War, Death, Chaos..etc,etc). But, yes you could say that it is a Bolt Thrower reference. There are already two other bands who are active with the same name...we knew this going into it but didn't give a shit because we thought they sucked!

CT: The Chapel of the Apocalypse promo is, as far as I can delineate, your first release. How did the recording of the promo proceed? Where was it recorded?

D: The Chapel of the Apocalypse demo is our first attack. We recorded the demo back in May and it was recorded and mixed in about 6 hours. It was recorded by a friend of ours who has a studio called Dead City.

CT: Chapel of the Apocalypse has a completely natural and live flow to it exemplified by the immediate transition into "Awake in Darkness" but also in what seem to be untouched subtleties across the album such as slightly out of time chord changes and rhythms. I think the disc profits from this attention - or ingorance - to produce something honest. Was there an effort on the part of the band to acheive a more natural and live sounding release?

D: Well...the music on that demo is live with the exception of the vocals, they were recorded separately. So yeah..that explains the organic sound and flow of the recording, thats what we wanted. Plus, it's a demo and should not be sterile and perfect.

CT: It seems that there are more bands that are taking the route of recording all the instrumentation in a live setting and then adding the vocals later on. I know that the recent Immolith demo was done the same way. Do you think that a lot of bands try to be too perfect and produced on their first releases and in fact kill the heart and soul of the music they were trying to make? Is there too much attention to "production" in metal these days?

D: Well....I think that in the " true metal underground" this has always been the approach. It's only been in recent years that people have been focusing soooo much on production and judging a release strictly on that. I do think a lot of metal bands these days try to sound too perfect on their first releases and it really does kill a lot of the energy a band could have if they would just focus on writing good songs. A band could have the best production in the world and their songs could suck.
I myself can look past a recording thats a little rough around the edges if the music is there. It also depends on what you are doing...I think many bands, metal ones especially, have lost sight of what a demo is and what it is for. I think a lot of people think that you can just stick songs up on MySpace and you're ok. But had we not spent a day in the studio and made the demos that we passed out in Maryland it may have taken you or anyone else just a little longer to discover our music. You have to take it to the people... I dont see demos passed around as much anymore... and when I do it's just what we are talking about here to much focus on production and not songs. Now if you are working on an LP...I think that's different I can see maybe spending just a little extra time on production because it's a full length, but I think the same idea applies... good song writing comes first.

CT: Would you call Chapel of the Apocalypse a promo or a demo or an EP?

D: Chapel of the Apocalypse is a demo...that is listed on the back of the CD-r above the song titles.

CT: Oh man, I completely missed that... What is your opinion of the release after all is said and done now? Is there anything you would change on it?

D: I think that it is perfect for a first demo and I personally would not change a thing...however I think there are a couple of things Neal wanted to do to it but didn't get done to due to time restraints. I can't remember now what those things were...but for the most part everbody is happy with it.

CT: Your vocal performance on Chapel of the Apocalypse is particularly emotional and, most importantly, visceral. How did you approach the vocal duties on the album?

D: My approach to the vocals on the demo is like anything else I try and tackle in life.... with pure aggression and power!! I like to also focus on clarity in my vocals... most of my favorite death metal vocalists had a lot of clarity in their vocals, meaning if you are paying attention you can tell what they are saying for the most part.

CT: So you would say you're leaning away from the Tardy method and more towards the Drunen technique?

D: Wow...that's interesting I don't really think I sound like either one of them. I think they are both killer Death Metal vocalist but I don't think I take any influence from either one of those guys. I think John Tardy had a awesome stage presence. If there was one guy I could site as an influence for what I do it would have to be Ross Dolan.

CT: I detect several key influences in your music such as Asphyx and Grave. In your own opinion, what bands have influenced the sound of War Master? What bands and vocalists have influenced you personally that might be different from those that have influenced the band?

D: Wow!! thanks...to be compared to both of those bands is an honor!!! Fuck yes! Grave and Asphyx are major influences. I grew listening to both of those bands, and a whole lot of other bands from that time period. Other bands that have inflluenced War Master from this time period would be Dismember, Carnage, Nihilist, Entombed, God Macabre, Autopsy... etc, etc, the rest of the late 80's early 90's death metal scenes!
As far as any influences outside of the band that I would be into...theirs probably not that many but if I had to name one it would be Ross Dolan from the band Immolation. I don't think the rest of the guys know or jam that shit, but to me their first LP " Dawn of Possession" is a death metal masterpiece. It made me want to start a death metal band and do vocals. Other guys that influenced me early on were Dave Herrera from the mighty Imprecation which was a killer death metal band from here in Houston back in the early 90's and Craig Pillard from the first Incantation LP.

CT: Can you give insight into the process behind your song creation? How is the music arranged? Who writes the lyrics to the music?

D: The process behind writing War Master songs is pretty simple. Ben pretty much writes all of the music and Tom and Neal may add a riff here and there and then I name the songs and write all of the lyrics.

CT: What lyrical topics and subjects do you concentrate on? What interests you about these topics and why do you feel that they complement War Master's music?

D: Lyrical themes for War Master may be fantasy based and / or reality based... as long as the subject involves death or some sort of mayhem. These topics I feel are important because with a name like War Master and the sound that we have you can't sing about how cool your car is or how much pussy you fucked over the weekend. Besides we're a death metal band and I would like to keep topics in the realm of death and chaos. No one else in the band writes the lyrics except me, I am not opposed to others writing the lyrics as long as they sound good and fit what War Master is all about.

CT: "Thrones of Tyranny" is my pick for best track on the promo. Are you pointing fingers in this song towards religion or political parties or there something more philosophical you are trying to say with this track?

D: Man...I could write a whole fucking book on this question alone....


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