Hellwitch Interview on The Vault

Next Wednesday tune in to check out my interview with Pat of Hellwitch on The Vault!

The Vault airs every Wednesday night, at 9PM EST only on WP88.7 Brave New Radio.

You can download this interview via the Audio Archives Page. 

Entrenched Interview and Playlist

NJ Death metal machine, Entrenched's drummer and vocalist Charles Snyder - live vocalist it seems - joined me on The Vault this Wednesday for a few hours of military jargon in regards to Preemptive Strike, the band's debut album. As usual, the band picked 95% of the playlist and by the end of the night, we played their entire new album. The full interview with their tracks included can be downloaded here or simply go to the radio archives page and download all The Vault interviews for free.

1. Entrenched - Intro (Mobilize)
2. Entrenched - Bred To Kill
3. Accept - Princess Of The Dawn (Request: Lumberjack)
4. Razor - Thrashdance (Request - Tony)
5. Suffocation - Funeral Inception
6. Entrenched - Landbrecher 666
7. Death - Symbolic
8. Whiplash - War Monger (Request - Tony)
9. Entrenched - ICBM
10. Entrenched - Frenzied Amputation
11. Children Of Bodom - Lake Bodom (Request - Ryan)
12. Sodom - Agent Orange
13. Pestilence - The Process Of Suffocation
14. Bolt Thrower - Cenotaph
15. Entrenched - Burnt And Destroyed
16. Blood Feast - Suicidal Mission (Request - Tony)
17. Hellwitch - Nosferatu
18. Carcass - Incarnate Solvent Abuse
19. Entrenched - Tooth And Nail
20. Morbid Angel - Chapel Of Ghouls
21. War Master - Chapel Of The Apocalypse
22. Entrenched - Anesthetic Death
23. Hail Of Bullets - Ordered Eastward
24. Asphyx - Death The Brutal Way
25. Decapitated - Spheres Of Madness
26. Gorematory - Zombie Slaughterfest
27. Gutwrench - Crawl
28. Napalm Death - I Abstain
29. Slaughterlord - Eulogy
30. Entrenched - Dropping The Tsar Bomb
31. Von - Watain
32. Hell Rot - Marginal

Once again a HUGE THANKS to Charles Snyder for coming on the show with me. I'll be sure to have him and, hopefully next time, guitarist Sean Fitzpatrick on the show again.

Entrenched Exclusive Interview

Next week be sure to tune in to The Vault on WP88.7 for an exclusive interview with black thrash up-and-comers Entrenched who will talk about their new album, Preemptive Strike, their favorite artists, and a whole lot more.

The Vault airs every Wednesday night, 9PM EST.

Pek - Shut Up And Suffer

Look up the definition of raw in the dictionary and Pek's name will be there. At least, a picture of this 2005 demo will appear. Shut Up And Suffer is a sonic bludgeonment of auditory torture not unlike Von. Militant precision, instantaneous transitions into riffs that barely make sense and songs that begin and end in the duration it takes a bullet to end a life. Pek seem to take the stance that if a song can get it's point across in the minimal amount of time, then that's all the song needs. You'll find no selfish three minute solos, no Burzumesque hypnotic expanses and no "epic" compositions. Pek want to kill you immediately.

So does it work? Sometimes. Opening track Shut Up And Suffer, which includes the demo's intro is pretty much an album summary. Riff leading into riff, total disregard for songwriting - not that I think the album needs it - and primitive crushing components one after another until main man Pek, decides the song is done. I already mentioned Von and it's something like that though with a less complete concept of song structure. The seven tracks though have moments of noteworthy interest. Second track, "Pek" - maybe Pek is a little full of himself - starts off with a triumphantly evil march feel, "Surrounded By Evil" is simply weird, with an unsettling intro that's tough to follow followed by the strongest combination of riffs on the demo creating the highlight of the track. Sixth track, Deceased Fuckbeast, aside from having one of the more comedic album titles to exist from a Belgian band, is actually somewhat enjoyable in one of those "What-the-hell" kind of ways.

It's a demo for sure, though an odd little relic of black metal nonconformity. Not everyone is trying to sound like someone else and this is an example of the many different stylistic oddities you'll come across in the genre. Will everyone like this? Fuck no! Do I? I still don't really know but Pek and his machine-like drummer Nefasto have carved a nice chunk of the black metal flesh out for themselves to occupy. There are a strong grouping of fans out there who are into this and I'm sure any one who gets soggy over Von, Beherit or the more unique side of black metal will enjoy Pek's brand of indifference.

Playlist 05/04/2011

1. Mercyful Fate - The Oath (Request - Tony)
2. The Beast - Enemy Ace
3. Dokken - Into The Fire
4. Impaler - Crack That Whip
5. Overkill - Sonic Reducer
6. Overkill - Fatal If Swallowed
7. Type O Negative - Christian Woman (Request - Andrew)
8. Anthem - Black Eyed Tough
9. Helloween - I'm Alive
10. Coroner - Masked Jackal
11. Manilla Road - Out Of The Abyss
12. Sabbat - How Have The Mighty Fallen
13. Napalm Death - Suffer The Children
14. Sapremia - Spawn Of Desolation
15. Darkthrone - Under A Funeral Moon
16. Slauter Xstroyes - Battle Axe
17. Exciter - Iron Dogs (Request - Lumberjack)
18. Tad Morose - Lord On High
19. Sodom - Outbreak Of Evil (Request - Tony)
20. Morbid Angel - I
21. Pek - Surrounded By Evil
22. Virgin Black - Velvet Tongue
23. Nex - Over Fjell Og Gjennom Torner
24. Holy Cross - Twilight Of The Gods
25. Burzum - Morgenroede
26. Hammerfall - Heeding The Call
27. Teitanblood - Seven Chalices of Vomit And Blood
28. Stargazer - Pypes Of Psychosomatis
29. Primordial - Bloodied Yet Unbowed
30. Accept - Up To The Limit
31. Judas Priest - Freewheel Burning

Playlist: 04/27/11

1. Bolt Thrower - What Dwells Within (Request - Lumber)
2. War Master - Chapel Of The Apocalypse (Request - Lumber)
3. Primordial - Gods To The Godless
4. Primordial - Lain With The Wolf
5. Omen - Die By The Blade (Request - Tony)
6. Black Sabbath - Into The Void (Request - Tony)
7. Darkthrone - Summer Of The Diabolical Holocaust
8. Midnight Chaser - Rough And Tough
9. Midnight Chaser - Turn Your Head Around (Tank Cover)
10. Grave Digger - The Round Table
11. Absu - Four Crossed Wands
12. Sig:Ar:Tyr - Blood Of The North
13. Atrophy - Puppies And Friends
14. Immolith - Slaughter The Legions
15. Abazagorath - When The Skies Opened
16. Morbid Sin - Injector
17. Licht Erlischt - An Aimless Life
18. Immolation - The Weight Of Devotion (Request - Tony)
19. Manilla Road - Return Of The Serpent King
20. Motorhead - Bomber
21. Motorhead - I Know How To Die
22. Artillery - Time Has Come
23. Hellhammer - Massacra
24. Teitanblood - Seven Chalices of Blood and Vomit
25. 1349 - Atomic Chapel
26. Apolion - Inverted King
27. Immortal - Beyond The North Waves
28. Hell Rot - Goat Chapel
29. Burzum - Jeg Feller

Midnight Chaser - Midnight Chaser

What do you get when you combine Budgie and Diamond Head with a bit of freewheeling attitude and baste it in a concoction of badassery? If you answered Midnight Chaser, you already have your finger on what may turn out to be one of the better vintage sounding metal bands out there. Midnight Chaser skirt the razors of edge of being hard rock, but do so genuinely enough to capture the raw essence of what metal was in 1978. Unlike other bands attempting vintage sounding metal like Swedes Enforcer which I sometimes feel play the part like an actor or Wolf who have taken a path towards mediocrity with their last album Ravenous (I still love their first four records), Midnight Chaser take a different approach to old school aiming not for the Vintage sound of traditional metal but seek a trajectory towards proto-metal which can only be accomplished by a group of individuals who really have never left their teen-years for the more extreme metal corruption of the mid-late 80's.

So this self titled EP has gotten quite a few spins from me, contains killer tracks across the whole record and an excellent sense of pride. It reeks of a lack of interest in trends, while somehow falling into the movement towards the old school metal that's been erupting out of every garage across America and Europe. I think the most interesting facet, and the strongest attribute of Midnight Chaser is how dead-set on excellence their songwriting aims to be. Even "Out On Your Shield" which is my least favorite track because of the undeniably lame intro riff, is still well written. The band is humbling, everyone shines, is never overshadowed or overbearing. The band sounds like they are rocking together, slamming their bodies around a shaking rehearsal room, too loud for human ears, with all their friends slamming down PBR's and headbanging for no other reason than having a good time. It's that kind of a record.

Quick reconnaissance reveals a four man lineup fronted by Scott Attwood on vocals who sounds a lot like Sean Harris from the aforementioned Diamond Head. The same shouting, wooing, classic rock influenced vocal approach is Attwood's calling card as evidenced on opening track "Rough and Tough," which wouldn't sound out of place on Lightning to The Nations. He hits some decent highs across the disc, such as in "Down For Whatever." The rhythm section on the EP is tight, with Josh Hunt on bass and Brandon Thomas on drums. Nothing spectacular to mention. Stephan Lauck is the sole guitarist in the band and I can't help but feel that a second guitarist would really help strengthen the band sound-wise but as it stands, Stephen's got things under control in the guitarist situation. On this record, the solos are well written and performed but tend to be thin, with Lauck accompanied by only Hunt. It definitely adds to the sense of being a live recording but I hope on their upcoming full length, they dub some guitars under the leads.

The disc opens with "Rough and Tough," a straightforward rocker with a catchy main riff (in G minor I believe). Attwood's Sean Harris style vocals are most evident here though they show across the whole EP. "Out On Your Shield," is a bit a sleeper for me until the solo kicks in, but never really catches my attention. It just seems a bit... lazy. Luckily, it's followed by Tank cover "Turn Your Head Around," the albums fastest. The opening riff is a sleazy, slippery thing that belongs in a seedy bar with scantily dressed women looking for a interesting night. This is one song where the solo is backed by guitars as well as bass, and thankfully so - it keeps the track rocking from beginning to end. Maybe a bit heavy on the chorus near the end but I'll let it pass because I could listen to this one all day. "Down for Whatever" and "Too Wild to Tame" round out the record in an acceptable fashion with two more ballsy tracks. "Down For Whatever" reminds me of some of CKY's more gritty tracks but with an extended instrumental section that might be at home on Fireball Ministry's first record. Fun unabashed lyrics telling it like it is becomes the thematic premise behind pretty much every song on the disc and "Too Wild To Tame" is no different. "Too Wild To Tame" is a quick closer to the EP.

Midnight Chaser have a lot going for them. I look forward to the full length which, according to their Myspace, is out this spring sometime. We'll see. I'll be picking it up and if they've got the same attitude, energy and songwriting prowess evidenced on this EP, I'm sure I'll be giving it plenty of turntable time. Be sure to check them out live if you're out west in the California area - I have a hunch they know how to get a place in a frenzy.

Playlist: 04/20/11

‎1. Accept - Pandemic (Request - Lumberjack)
2. Accept - Fight It Back
3. Steel Horse - Burning Soul
4. Judas Priest - Genocide (Live)
5. TT Quick - Go For The Throat
6. Morbid Sin - Injector
7. Morbid Sin - The Cathedral (Of The Black Monk)
8. Van Halen - Get Up
9. Thin Lizzy - Warriors
10. Spectral Incursion - Visions
11. Slauter Xstroyes - Battle Axe
12. Sepultura - Inquisition Symphony (Request - Tony)
13. Massacre - From Beyond (Demo)
14. Hellhammer - Massacra
15. At The Gates - Night Comes, Blood Black
16. Execration - Fiendish Max
17. Slaughterlord - The Recoil
18. Slaughterlord - Eulogy
19. Cancer - Into The Acid (Request - Tony)
20. Poisonous - Poisonous
21. Druid Lord - Black Candle Seance
22. Indestroy - Terminal Choice
23. Solstice - My Mortal Grief
24. Gutwrench - Necrosis
25. Atlantean Kodex - The Atlantean Kodex
26. Atlantean Kodex - Fountain Of Nepenthe
27. Electric Wizard - The Outsider
28. Electric Wizard - Venus In Furs
29. Burial Invocation - Beyond
30. Forefather - These Lands
31. Forefather - The Paths Of Yesterdays
32. Teitanblood - Whore Mass

Vehemence - Good Shot... Gang Member Dies

If you have some bizarre compulsion to own every thrash demo that no one should own, Vehemence's "Good Shot... Gang Member Dies" may just be the holy grail of thrash demo seekers. Not only does it fit all the criteria for being completely generic, but it also lays claim to one of the most politically incorrect titles of all time. If you collect demos that specifically are politically incorrect while still achieving the status of not being worth anything at all, finding this in a used bin would make you feel like Donald Trump actually finding Obama's birth certificate with a giant Nigerian flag sewn into the paper and a picture of him being born in a rat infested hospital holding a clock and being fed garbage in a baby bottle. Generically speaking, the demo is basically Slayer if Slayer could be a more generic version of Slayer. Vehemence have the riff writing ability of a no-armed infant, the vocal skills of a tumorous Chinese citizen gifted with a pity-episode on Discovery channel and the songwriting diligence of Testament.

The general feel of "Good Shot..." sucks. It is due to what I would refer to as "concessions of weakness." There is an underlying odor of not everyone adhering to the same thrash rulebook - some sound like they want to play the funky parts of Death Angel and others Sodom. I don't think anyone in the band, actually knew what they wanted to play. Second to last track Crimson Death would be a prime example of this and contains a drum beat fifty seconds into the song that sounds like the most synchronized construction crew on earth. As if Vehemence never had a drummer, and instead were just recording at someone's house while the Jones' were having an addition tacked onto their home. The workers, unfamiliar with heavy metal, improvised, pulling all their talent from listening to disco singles in their early life. The kick / snare drum combination sounds like your old-fashioned wooden hammer being slammed against a piece of plywood and the cymbals; a saw cutting through metal flashing. This is the first example of construction metal ever.

How does the rest of the demo fare? Well, across the five tracks, we get the similar drum sound as outlined above, in regards to the orchestra of contractors. One notable exception where Vehemence almost did something worthy of barely a listen would be final track Impositioned Propriety, where guitarists Fernando Vazquez and Sergio Alfaro turn what would have sounded like a sub-par Faith or Fear riff from Punishment Area and decided to tack onto the almost classy traditional metal phrase, the dumbest, way out of left field - like... left field of a different baseball stadium - atonal scale you could muster. Totally ruining a song I spent way too long listening to without any hope of redeeming itself.

I actually think the best part of this whole demo is the artwork believe it or not. It's got such character, with the bars over the liquor store windows in the forgotten part of town. The gang members, one wearing a propeller topped beanie, one three times larger than the others and one born to a mother who was a chipmunk, all gunned down by a man in a ten-gallon hat from the back roads of Arizona or Nevada or something. And all this in front of the Chaka Liquor store at the corner of Griffin and Avenue. I also like how Joey "Stick" had a great understanding of how to draw with perspective but totally gave up on trying to create realistic human beings. I still think Mr. Oklahoma is shooting the gang members with a slingshot.

Playlist: 04/13/11

‎Last week's playlist:

1. Gutwrench - Necrosis
2. Razor - Going Under (Request from Tony)
3. Heathen - World's End (Request from Tony)
4. Black Sabbath - Thrill Of It All
5. Black Sabbath - Sign Of The Southern Cross
...6. Manilla Road - The Ram
7. Queensryche - Queen Of The Reich
8. Exxplorer - Metal Detectors
9. Horrifier - Exordium / From Beyond The Grave (Request from Joe)
10. Exciter - Rising Of The Dead
11. Jag Panzer - Harder Than Steel
12. Jag Panzer - Bringing On The End
13. Saint Vitus - Saint Vitus (Request from Tony)
14. Anthem - Headstrong
15. Anthem - Fire N The Sword
16. Suffocation (GER) - Mantis
17. Suffocation (GER) - Intestinal Disease
18. Suffocation (USA) - Mass Obliteration
19. Malevolent Creation - Premature Burial
20. Morbid Saint - Scars (Request from Lumberjack)
21. Kreator - Tormentor
22. Hallows Eve - Nefarious
23. Faith Or Fear - Straight To Hell
24. The Beast - Enemy Ace
25. Mortal Sin - Endangered Species
26. Clamfight - Ghosts I Have Known
27. Maegashira - The Man Who Named God
28. Burzum - Valen
29. Wooden Stake - In The Godless Moonlight
30. Accept - Balls To The Wall

Poisonous - Demo

Poisonous hail from the death metal hinterlands of Brazil, and have this two song demo released before their debut LP by Genocide Productions, a label which seems to have a knack for releasing very interesting South American bands such as Mystifier, Mausoleum and Impetuous Rage. Poisonous seems to be their newest attempt to push a band into the death metal stardom. So, this Demo from 2009 was most likely a cheap teaser to garner interest for the label who, I'm sure, knew they would be putting out a full length from the band a year after this little cardboard promo thing. As much as I hate these cardboard promos, which never fit anywhere, be it CD binders, CD cases, with my CDs on the shelf - they seem to disappear between everything (I'm pretty sure I lost my Ravage promo this way) - and they are easily destroyed by practically any kind of mishap. Still, Genocide have a nice little promo here with some cool old school styled demo artwork and a nice back cover as well. Campy sticker on the disc to set it apart from... non-stickered cardboard promos as well... Whatever.

The music is strong, supported by a covenant of musicians who know exactly what they want the band to be. Michael Hellriff and Fabio Ramos have delivered some crusted over, Swedish styled riffs, coated with Brazilian murk and aggression. The Brazilian atmosphere really is best heard in the ultra low, reverb bogged growls and snarls, similar to Headhunter D.C. Hellriff supplies these additional abilities as well as his guitar gruntwork. E. Evil on bass and Alex Rocha round out the unit, with strong rhythm, heaviness and simplicity. While some extra effort would have been nice in the buried area, Poisonous' style doesn't seem to lend a whole lot of care for dynamics on this demo - they go one speed, and in a bevy of 16th notes at that. The mix on this lends good instrument separation so were Mr. Evil to leave the shadow of the guitars and show some reckless abandon, my claim of simplicity would be borderline remiss but nevertheless still valid.

The demo leads off with an atmospheric intro which seems to last too long, some eerie piano sounds under what must have been Hellriff wandering between his house and the local watering hole on the other side of the Amazon rain forest - deep bellows and screams and cadaverous undead animal mating calls soak the intro in a shallow atmosphere. With first track, the not so anonymously titled "Poisonous," we get a showing of standard if not enjoyable nor memorable death metal but the band is impassioned in their approach and easily likable. It's like the kid in high school who was much smaller, nor as strong as the other guys but you would want on your side in a fight anyway, just because he would jump in and mess crap up without any real interest or care for consequences. Poisonous are like the rapidly wing flapping moth flying directly into the spiderweb totally unconcerned. Poisonous may even break through most webs. The title song comes complete with a classic death metal sounding solo if not exactly classic in its composition entirely, some bloody keyboard moments, and a cup of coffee to keep you awake.

Last track and closing bomb run, "The Black Vomit" is a bit thrashier and less mature. Once again there is your classic sounding solo which I at first thought was a carbon copy of the solo in "Poisonous" but I did notice one or two slightly different notes tossed in between the sweeps and runs. In place of the keyboards and the coffee, "...Vomit" digresses into the entire band doing their best attempt at being scary and yelling and screaming obscenities drunk into a toilet positioned directly in the center of a giant gymnasium. The song resolves in, for me, a total "fuck it we're done" moment. Pretty much like Metallica's Battery except without the whole "we can sit back and watch everyone worship us now machismo." Not a bad demo, with Poisonous showing promise. I'll actually probably check out the full length but if the whole thing is the same riff, different pattern for forty-five minutes, I'm giving that disc the same shelf time I've awarded Megadeth's Risk.

#45: Coaster

101 Uses for Metallica's ReLoad: #45: Coaster

Clamfight Braveathon Appearance

This is the March 25th Clamfight performance and Interview from the WPSC / WPBN Braveathon. Two brand new unreleased Clamfight tracks and an interview with Andy and Sean from Clamfight and Jersey John and the Fat Man from WP 88.7 Brave New Radio. Great stuff. Download here:

Clamfight - March 25th Braveathon Performance

Older Radio Archives Here:

Radio Archives

Jag Panzer - The Scourge Of The Light

There will never be another Ample Destruction. If there was any hope for such a return to the classic Jag Panzer style, the output of the band in recent years should have done much to strike down any optimistic dreams of another track sounding like "Harder Than Steel." So with this dream now occupying the same space in my mind as another Crimson Glory album like their debut, or another John Arch fronted Fates Warning album in the vein of Awaken The Guardian, I can approach the band with a new respect. I've relinquished my frustrations and, looking at this years new Jag Panzer release with an open mind, I can honestly say that it's a damn good modern power metal album.

In this sense, "Scourge of the Light," Jag Panzer's 9th album measures up to other modern power metal bands doing a similar style. With Jag Panzer though, you also get their seal of quality. Some things have not changed though. The speed is still there, and is in full force on opening track "Condemned To Fight." The melodies are still strong and up front and the musicianship is excellent as could be expected. John Tetley is still around on bass this time accompanied by Rikard Stjernquist on drums. Together they create the tight rhythmic foundation we've come to love from the band. Mark Briody is accompanied by Christian Lasegue on this record. The pair are obviously a capable duo on the guitar-front. Conklin still has the pipes to overpower God it seems. His performance is what really pulls the record past what would otherwise be considered mediocre by almost any other person's standards. There are some excellent songs on "Scourge Of The Light."

Much like Jag Panzer's last album, Casting The Stones, which I admit, I think is a bit stronger than this newer release, there is a much stronger modern metal element most obvious in the production and tone of the record. I originally though that I liked all the mid-paced tracks more than the faster songs but then I realized that it's a much more simple differentiation than that. The tracks that I like the best on the record are the tracks that aren't trying to be bad-ass. They are the tracks that just are bad-ass. For example, "Let It Out," gives me the feeling of listening to a amped up Soundgarden or Pearl Jam track... somewhat like "Do The Evolution." Also worth knocking is fifth track Cycles which is probably the most uninspired track of Panzer's career. It just reeks laziness. Conklin also sounds a whole crapload like a constipated Chris Cornell on this track.

The good: Opening track "Condemned to Fight" and the intricate "Burn" are both consistently fast, hard hitting and, if not memorable, damned good for the time being. The tracks that stand out the most are the unconventional Jag Panzer tracks such as "Setting of the Sun" which relies on the melodic interweaving of both solemn and hopeful airs, clashing and battling for control of the track's heart. "Bring The End," is a bitter accusation of greed and selfishness, echoed in Conklin's growing vocal intensity. The marching vibe of the chorus sections paired with a blistering solo contrasting a subdued midsection combine for my favorite moments on the album. Both songs utilize atypical melodies here too, like a modern power metal version of Sahg II instead of the same Iron Maiden progression in every song.

"Call To Arms" is a typical metal anthem without the Manowaresque posturing or about being specific about 'metal brotherhood' which I think works in Jag Panzer's favor, because paired with eighth track "Union," it's clear a patriotic theme courses through the Jag Panzer ranks. Considering similar sentiments on the recent Accept album, it's an interesting pattern in older power metal bands.

Overall, the album is a bit inconsistent, I skip past several tracks and listen to others in a row. A strong start and end to the record split in two by three boring tracks offers a bit of awkward pacing. So, to be fair, much like most records this one has some cool tunes, some bad tunes and is about 60% worth replaying and enjoyable. Jag Panzer remain a band to keep an eye on, even if they aren't as Generally Hostile or producing the same Symphony Of Terror that they were in the mid 1980's. Luckily, The Tyrant is still worth investing time in and I'm sure that whatever the band does to follow this will be of similarly strong quality.

Solstice - Poems Of Petulancy

This 1992 demo from Dutch Doom/Death band Solstice is another example of where death metal would naturally head in the early 90's as bands tried their hands at extremity by slowing down and creating more ominous and dirge-like tales of sadness, despair and suffering. While some bands such as Morgion and Paradise Lost perfected the polar opposite of what death metal traditionally aimed for in speed, violence and gore, others keen to show their cards before looking at their hand released demos in a manner akin to fifty-two card pickup with virtually no real reason for doing so or the talent to warrant any release at all. In most cases, almost all these bands should have simply folded and waited to be dealt a new hand. Solstice is a tough call though; an example of a band that may have had a chance at being something excellent if they didn't fall apart before 1995.

Poems of Petulancy marks their first demo and, with moments befitting of the excellent artwork and obscure nature of the demo, offers an adept listener with some worthy plodding, grave digging, tomb entering doom death. After an impressive intro complete with obligatory synthesizers and 70's hammer horror move accents, Solstice fall headlong into "Purify My Soul," a pretty typical precursor to the rest of the demo. Some strong walloping, chugging riffs and some speedy parts more in common with Scream Bloody Gore era Death than faster moments of more closely associated acts. The opening track has its moments such as an interesting spoken section after three minutes of economy doom death. It's all just a bit too generic. Overall the opening track is like the first few stone steps on a massive stone staircase spiraling downwards - at first imposing and slightly awe inspiring but after a few feet, you realize it may be a really long tedious trek.

Side A of the tape finishes with the two minute "The Sun Profaned," a forgettable three riff novel worth about one minute of attention and the longer culmination to side heavy, "Perpetual Dreams." By no means is Solstice breaking boundaries with this track either... alternating between fast and slow parts, undulating across the magnetic ribbon like a trickle of water across some bare stone. Sure, the foundation here is strong and solid but, with little in the way of subtlety or detail to etch something interesting across the surface, we're left with but another rock in the sea of stones, another grain of sand on one really long boring beach. The track, with some slight tweaking - a lead here or an overlayed melody over there - could have made this a highlight track, something worth coming back to. There is a solo but, strangely like the other leads on the reel, sounds somehow out of key and awkward though oddly emotive and vibrant in the same sense.

With the end of side heavy we get to flip the tape to side metal. While "Prelude to Winter" is adequate in terms of the rest of the material on the tape, final track "My Mortal Grief" makes the tape worth the listen. With Solstice emphasizing the strong parts of their craft, we get a strong track in the same vein as the rest of the demo but with just the right amount of creepiness, solemnity and disregard for predictability. Solstice find that oft-sought after perfect dramatic contrast here with the descending chord progressions and the feeling of falling into a deeper and deeper depression. Lyrically, while the rest of the tracks are a bit lame in their high-school sentiment of loneliness and sorrow, "My Mortal Grief" falls into the same gimmick here but with just the right amount of self-loathing to tint the song towards a darker hue as opposed towards a self parody of stereotypical social awkwardness.

Fabricant - Fabricant

Fabricant are erecting an industrial complex, with the presses and turbines powered by the steam of boiling blood and each gear and cog lubricated with the rendered flesh of the intellectually devoid. Fabricant aren't just playing technical death metal with their demo / EP / fuel-march self titled release. How does an existentially motivated duo more concerned with the questions of human being instead of human being-chopped-up-by-axes take death metal to the next level. How does Fabricant bubble with the kind of originality we see only occasionally from death metal. There is a dichotomy here that I never found in other bands tackling this lyrical subject such as Winds. Sure, lyrically they were on point but musically, it just never really raised questions. Fabricant do this without even realizing they are creating a conveyor-belt of juxtaposition and contrast.

Opening track "Prelude to Aberration" is a minute long intro but more than a tangle of voices with ambiance, the placement of audible words, though maybe unintentional, is hard to ignore. "A human being is....consciousness." The three tracks that follow grind onwards like a tank crushing skulls and then harvesting them, mixing their dust with alloys and then fusing them together; the sound or tone of the tracks contradict this opening statement that a human being is consciousness.

Simply put, the lyrical foreword to the album seems to cite consciousness as the deciding factor of being human and then Fabricant respond with the machinations of reducing ore into programmable extinction devices to remove consciousness from the world. It's a strange contrast. At first. Reading deeper into the lyrics I don't really think Fabricant care much about this whole idea of existence anyway. The indistinguishable lyrics to "Prelude to Aberration" seem to amount to the belief that Humans are weak because of their consciousness. This makes much more sense. We are much better off being programmed... nothing but a series of patterns. Of "zeros and ones." Maybe though, this is the whole point. Maybe consciousness, even at its most human is still programmed patterns. Isn't a habit a pattern? Aren't our lives rules by nothing more than habits? Maybe we are all the gears in one giant machine, that cranks on and on, each human life a gear to turn other gears. This is the question I arrived at thanks to Fabricant. Some metal is simple. Fabricant are not.

Philosophy aside, Fabricant are impressive - all the instruments are well played. Jake Dawson handles drums, vocals and guitars while Troy Roberts handles bass, guitars and also does vocals. Troy and Jake split the vocals with one doing lower pitch vocals, not too far removed from a record such as Morbid Angel's Gateways to Annihilation, and the other doing the higher pitched vocals, a screechy tortured vocal style. The contrast is perfect. I've never heard dual vocals in a death metal band work so flawlessly. Jake's drumming is impressive - tight, complex and creative often using multiple beats over a repeated riff to move songs like components being added onto a product on an assembly line; Henry Ford would be proud.

For me, the best track on the release, is the final opus, "Staring at the Imprisoned." The guitar, though similar in other tracks, is just more twisted, more mechanical, more precise. Troy seems to enjoy playing against the guitar lines with the bass and it lends an awkward and overwhelming sense of movement - a million parts and pistons moving in unison to move one large machine. What really sets this track apart is it's sweeping change from fast to slow rhythms. The track reduces into a slower, more drawn out series of progressions about half-way through with Jake experimenting with cymbals like a chemist combining elements.

I've got lots of great things to say about the band but I do think that a record more than five tracks of this style would get a bit tedious to listen to. Fabricant have created something pretty intense here and with all the comparisons to machinery if you are worried about this sounding too clinical and mechanic, fear not. This machinery is more like a Giger painting than an Escher sketch. Fabricant's main issue for me going forth is twofold. How do you take something so unique and expand on it and, as mentioned earlier, how do you release a long-player that retains my interest for forty minutes. I expect they'll find the parts to fabricate such a release... pun intended but you probably already knew that.


* Through this whole review I kept typing "Fabrican't" out of habit but Fabrican't definitely Fabrican.

WinterRealm - Ouroboros / Twilight

After what feels like a decade of total procrastination / lack of inspiration on my part, I finally found a moment to actually sit down and sort out my personal feelings on WinterRealm's two releases, Twilight and Ouroboros. So where do my feelings lie? Well, it's a strange thing really because I still find myself lost for words at times - mainly because I know how much effort Aetas has put into his project, and how much the music means to him. How does this make me feel off put? Well, I can genuinely be drawn into the tracks and feel really involved in the disambiguation of the music, in pulling out the subtle details which Aetas has so masterfully worked into the core sound of WinterRealm, especially on Ouroboros, which seems a little more mature and focused than Twilight, and yet, there are times when I find myself completely separated almost immediately from the listening experience, like having my head severed from my body with a quick swipe of an axe. This is much rarer on Ouroboros displaying Aetas' growth as a writer.

Luckily, more often than not, I'm wandering the same solitary paths that Aetas is wandering. In regards to Ouroboros, it's one path, with my surroundings engaged in the cycle of birth, growth, decay and finally death that permeates the release. And while I felt that the portrayed their respective seasonal moods in both, "Summer (Conjuration)" and "Autumn (Manifestation)" both "Spring (Consecration)" and "Winter (Banishing)" were, to put it plainly, excellent in all aspects. "Winter" in particular had an icy feel, this sparkling chill as if everything was coated in a sheet of ice, a cocoon of lingering time. The inclusion of female vocals in this song worked excellent though their place elsewhere on the record I felt was out of place. Aetas' vocals on this track are also a highlight, as his rasps are emotional, intense and performed with a sincerity that you rarely hear from younger bands trying to find their way.

Compositionally speaking, Aetas is in fine form on Ouroboros. Every track is unique, interesting and more often than not, a journey in both lyrics and in music. Spring opens up the release nicely with a piano intro and some bird chirps which, I feel, could have been buried lower in the mix as being so upfront is a bit gimmicky but the song really moves once the guitars and vocals comes in with a great progression from the intro through the verses. There is a great melodic theme underlying the whole track. Aetas produces some fascinating clean vocals as well about half way through the song. Ultimately, this track really plucks the listener from whatever they were doing and plants them firmly into a world of bright sun, endless hills and constant time lapse imagery, with the entire life cycle of everything in motion. Summer is a good track but relies too much on Drudkh-eqsue mozying about and while this is appropriate for the track in that it does help invoke a sense of hot summer nights, it doesn't do quite as much to separate WinterRealm from the hordes of other bands trying their hand at the atmospheric black metal style. Aetas is above this I feel.

This is evident in Autumn's experimentation away from what other bands have tried before. Particularly the call and response vocal section between Aetas and the female voice on the album near the beginning and end of the track. Never have I heard another band attempt a call and response style section in this genre. What is more interesting is how well the idea works! It really creates a new dynamic to consider. Though I felt Autumn has the weakest melodic structure on the record, it has enough enticing moments to enjoy that it doesn't become a wasted track. Autumn only suffers in that it is followed by the much stronger track Winter which displays one of the best melodic structures I've heard in a long time, a great usage of subtle feedback, tempo, really all around a great song and one I listen to frequently. There is something on Ourobors which separates the tracks from what Aetas had already accomplished on Twilight but I don't know if I will ever be able to put my finger on it.

Twilight is a different beast, of course an earlier release, a more amateurish release for sure, but still, while there are flaws Aetas still released a strong album here too. For some reason I feel at times like I am listening to Auspicium when I listen to Twilight. Anyway, one major difference is that the production is much rawer and less polished than on Ouroboros which, is by no means a shining gem in terms of sound. The tracks on Twilight just don't seem to interest me quite as much. "Forever Longing" is kind of a sleepy track with some small ambiance though in after listening to it while considering the songs on Ouroboros, you can see how Aetas' style of writing hasn't changed. Other tracks on Twilight are similar, "Perdition (White Light)" presents us with Aetas struggling a little on this early release vocally, something he fixed greatly on Ouroboros. "Winter And The Spring" and "The Autumn Gate" are decent tracks but fairly forgettable. Whereas the tracks on Ouroboros all were unique and easily memorable, Twilight runs together a bit in this respect as evidenced by these two tracks.

The two tracks I did really like on Twilight are the two that are totally separate. The completely ambient "Fractal" and the outro/instrumental "Memories In Crimson Haze." Fractal is a really cunning listen with an excellent heartbeat and a slow moody vibe but "Memories" is my favorite on this release. It is a beautiful song. Whatever Aetas does next, I expect it will be a great continuation on the style he has developed. Also interesting to note is the packaging of Ouroboros which was really neat with some ashes and a bone included with the cassette along with a scroll with the lyrics and such. While some might think it is a little silly, I thought it fit nicely with the aesthetic Aetas is quite obviously trying to create for WinterRealm. My one complaint was that I had to find a properly sized vessel to hold the tape and it's package so it would sit nicely on my shelf.

Radio Archives

The following radio shows and interviews are available to download.

11/06/2009 THE BINARY CODE (Interview only at Dingo's Den)
09/08/2010 HATRED EMBRACED (Edited: Interview and band's tracks only)
01/19/2011 CLAMFIGHT (Edited: Interview and band's tracks only)
02/16/2011 GOREMATORY (Edited: Interview and band's tracks only)
03/25/2011 CLAMFIGHT (Live Performance at 2011 Braveathon + Interview)
05/11/2011 ENTRENCHED (Edited: Interview and band's tracks only)
05/17/2011 VELNIAS (Interview only at The Meatlocker, Monclair NJ)
05/18/2011 HELLWITCH (Edited: Interview and band's tracks only)
07/06/2011 BOBBY LUCAS (Edited: Interview and artists' tracks only)
08/24/2011 ABAZAGORATH (Edited: Interview and artists' tracks only)
09/09/2011 SUBMIT TO SUFFERING (Live Track + Interview at the Meatlocker)
09/09/2011 BASTARD THIEVES (Live Set at the Meatlocker, Montclair NJ)
11/17/2011 FIAKRA (Live Set at Champs, Trenton NJ)
11/17/2011 MIDNITE HELLION (Live Set at Champs, Trenton NJ)
01/05/2012 CLAMFIGHT (Live Set at Champs, Trenton NJ)

Playlist 12/16/2010

‎1. Don Felder - Heavy Metal Motion Picture Soundtrack - Takin' A Ride
2. Savatage - The Dungeons Are Calling - The Dungeons Are Calling
3. Darkthrone - Circle The Wagons - Circle The Wagons
4. Accept - Blood Of The Nations - Locked And Loaded...
5. Briton Rites - All Hallowed Vengeance
6. Unleashed - Hammer Battalion - Hammer Battalion
7. Morgoth - The Eternal Fall - Pits Of Utumno
8. Steel - Heavy Metal Machine - Heavy Metal Machine
9. Opeth - My Arms Your Hearse - When
10. Iron Hearse - Iron Hearse - Rocktopus
11. Midnight Priest - Rainha Da Magia Negra - Juzio Final
12. Anticosm - Alcoholic Darkness - The Reaper Comes
13. Clamfight - Free Shit - Viking Funeral
14. Chastain - Ruler Of The Wasteland - Fighting To Stay Alive
15. Chastain - Ruler Of The Wasteland - Angel Of Mercy
16. Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness - Lord Of All Fevers and Plague
17. Napalm Death - Harmony Corruption - Siege Of Power
18. Mortal Decay - Forensics - Razor Slice Decor
19. Mandatory - ...Where They Bleed - ...Where They Bleed
20. Mystifier - Goetia - Aliester Crowley and Ordo Templi Orientis
21. Masacre - Ola De Violencia - Sangrienta Muerte
22. Living Death - Protected From Reality - Vengeance (Horrible Infanticide Part II)
23. Lordamor - Lordamor - Region Of Death
24. Maegashira - The Stark Arctic - Caribou Crossing
25. Immortal - Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism - Call Of The Wintermoon
26. Apolion - Hungry Of Souls - Sacred Mass Of Bodies
27. Auspicium - Dawnland - Cold River
28. Immolith - Hymns To The Countess - Slaughter The Legions
29. Mercyful Fate - Dont Break The Oath - A Dangerous Meeting

News

Been slow here because I have been busy with work and such. I am still active just haven't had time to devote to new reviews and such. I have some I have to finish up still though (I'm terribly sorry Winterrealm, you've been waiting like... 5 months now) but they will be done. Also, I've started to work a little more on the next zine issue. Just finished up an interview with Neftaraka. So, there will be another issue in the future, though when is a mystery to all including me at this moment.