e88'Y88 888 ,e, 888 d888 'Y 888 ee 888,8, e88 88e 888 8e " e88'888 888 ,e e, dP"Y C8888 888 88b 888 " d888 888b 888 88b 888 d888 '8 888 d88 88b C88b Y888 ,d 888 888 888 Y888 888P 888 888 888 Y888 , 888 888 , Y88D "88,d88 888 888 888 "88 88" 888 888 888 "88,e8' 888 "YeeP" d,dP dP,e, e88'Y88 888 e88 88e 8b " d888 'Y 888 ee ,"Y88b e88 88e dP"Y d888 888b 888888 C8888 888 88b "8" 888 d888 888b C88b Y888 888P 888 Y888 ,d 888 888 ,ee 888 Y888 888P Y88D "88 88" 888 "88,d88 888 888 "88 888 "88 88" d,dP CHRONICLES OF CHAOS E-Zine, December 13, 1995, Issue #5 Co-Editor: Gino Filicetti <_DeaTH_ on #metal> Co-Editor: Adrian Bromley Assistant Editor: Alain M. Gaudrault Web Page Manager: Brian Meloon Mailing List provided by: The University of Colorado at Boulder --> Interested in being reviewed? Send us your demo and a bio to: -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CHRONICLES OF CHAOS 57 Lexfield Ave Downsview Ont. M3M-1M6, Canada Fax: (416) 693-5240 Voice: (416) 693-9517 e-mail: ginof@io.org -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DESCRIPTION ~~~~~~~~~~~ Chronicles of Chaos is a monthly magazine electronically distributed worldwide via the Internet. Chronicles of Chaos focuses on all forms of brutal music; from thrash to death to black metal, we have it all. Each issue will feature interviews with your favorite bands, written from the perspective of a true fan. Each issue will also include record reviews and previews, concert reviews and tour dates, as well as various happenings in the metal scene worldwide. We here at Chronicles of Chaos also believe in reader participation, so we encourage you to submit any material you may have to Gino Filicetti . HOW TO SUBSCRIBE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You may subscribe to Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending a message with "SUBSCRIBE coc-ezine " in the BODY of your message to the list handler at listproc@lists.colorado.edu. Please note that this command must NOT be sent to the list address , but to the mail server which handles this mailing list. WORLD WIDE WEB SITE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We are currently in the process of constructing a website for Chronicles of Chaos. You can check it out by pointing your web browser to http://www.io.org/~ginof/coc.html. If you have any comments or suggestions, please e-mail Brian Meloon . >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Issue #5 Contents, 12/13/95 --------------------------- * Editorial * Feature Stories -- Dissecting and Devouring the Details with Dissection -- Six Feet Above the Rest -- Guns, Bombs, and La Policia -- Vast and Vivid Visions with Voivod -- Dutch Doom Domination -- A Day In the Life of Agony * Chaotic Chat Sessions -- Painful Pleas from the Pros * Record Revelations -- Sentenced - _Love and Death_ -- Moonspell - _Wolfheart_ -- Napalm Death - _Greed Killing_ -- Hansel Und Gretyl - _Ausgeflippt_ -- Nailbomb - _Proud To Commit Commercial Suicide_ -- Orphanage - _Oblivion_ -- My Own Victim - _Burning Inside_ -- Testify - _Ballroom Killer/The Blitzkrieg Remixes_ -- Hostility - _Brick_ -- Paradise Lost - _Draconian Times_ -- GWAR - _Ragnarok_ -- Trouble - _Plastic Green Head_ -- Merauder - _Master Killer_ -- Sielwolf - _Metastasen_ * New Noise -- Lords of the Stone - _In An Eyelid's Fall_ -- Deeds of Flesh - _Gradually Melted_ * Chaotic Concerts -- Caught in a Mosh with 'thrax * What We Have Cranked * The Final Word =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= E D I T O R I A L ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by: Gino Filicetti Well, here we are, after long, long last: Chronicles of Chaos #5! Let me start off this editorial with an apology for the lateness of this issue. I know if there is one thing in this world that royally pisses me off, it is being late. I mean, I can't stand it when something that I'm just dying for at a certain time arrives late. Now I know that many of you out there understand our situation, and I'm glad that you are so sympathetic, but the fact of the matter is, we should be able to get you this mag on time, on the first of every month. The problem this time around was that I was really involved with various other priorities (ie scholarship applications etc.), but the good thing is that they are over and done with now, so I am convinced that it IS possible to release this mag on time all the time, it's just a matter of will. Anyway, enough of the unpleasant talk, now to the good news. Our subscriber mailing list is currently at 481 at the time of release. That's just 19 shy of our goal of 100 new subscribers per issue, but hey! That ain't bad! It still amazes me how our subscriber list can grow everyday, it just blows the mind how many people know about CoC now. We are getting the support of just about EVERY record label we've approached, and everybody who's heard of the 'zine, whether into the music or not, thinks it is utterly cool. All I can say is that I'm more than overjoyed with the way things have been going for us. Sure I don't get as much sleep as I used to (it's now 1:30am on a school night), and maybe I don't get as much free time to myself, but hey, who am I when compared with 481 rabid metal monsters frothing at the mouth for more, more and more brutal musick? :) One thing I'd like to mention before I go is an idea brought to my attention by Bruce Moyle . Bruce thinks that the only thing lacking from Chronicles of Chaos is a "Letters To The Editor" column. And you know what? He's right. But the thing is this: I can not write this column for you people to enjoy, YOU must write this column so that everyone can see, hear and experience what you have to say. All you need is a minute and a thought, just send us any old email ranting and raving about how shitty CoC is, or how stupid our writers are, or any other such informative insights. One thing I ask of you however is this, please include in the first line of your body something to the effect of: 'Attention Letters to the Editor' or even, 'Attn: Letters....' This is just something to make it easier on me when I have to sort through tons of email, so I'd appreciate it if you could do me that favour. Remember, your letter can be about ANYTHING YOU WANT. I don't give a shit, the more creative, the better. All Letters will be printed with any and all spelling and/or grammatical errors intact so as to perserve the raw, down to earth feeling most letters convey. Please mail all letters to . If we get enough letters, the column will appear in CoC #6, if we get too many, only the best will survive. That's it from me, take care and stay brutal everyone, and don't let poseur's and wannabe's get the best of you. Later! Here's a message I got from Alain that I thought might interest a few of you... >I got word from a guy called Kirk Dolbear that he runs a music distro >company called Cyclonic Distribution out of London, Ontario. Anyway, >he's looking for black metal bands to put on a compilation album he's >putting together. His address is: > >Cyclonic Distribution >P.O. Box 28083 >London, Ontario >N6H 5E1 >kirk.dolbear@onlinesys.com > >Oh yeah, if you're interested in checking out the titles he has for >sale, just mail him and he'll forward the list to you. He sells >mostly black metal CDs for $21 Canadian, shipping *included*. And here is a message from >CHAOTIK webzine, the first french hard music web fanzine is out! It's >written in english and in french. > > C H A O T I K W E B Z I N E > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > punk, hardcore, metal, industrial > http://www.cs.univ-paris8.fr/~nahitfol/CH/ch.html > e-mail: nahitfol@warka.univ-paris8.fr > Bands, labels, zines send your stuff to: > Panos AGOROS, 8-10 rue F.Arago, 93500 Pantin, FRANCE =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DISSECTING AND DEVOURING THE DETAILS WITH DISSECTION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by: Adrian Bromley Progression within their music has always been an important factor for Sweden's Dissection - an attribute they have clearly focused on since the release of their first demo _The Grief Prophecy_ in 1990. Five years and one debut album later, we find a much more strengthened quartet, fully armed with stories of death and power with an attitude that shapes itself in the form of their sophomore opus, _Storm Of The Light's Bane_. "Over the years I think we have developed the sound of the band," begins singer/guitarist Jon Nodveidt from his home in Gothenburg, "but we feel that we went further on with the sound/direction on this release with both the songwriting and music. It is still the same band, but with each record we want to go somewhere with our music where we haven't been and not try to do the same thing. We don't want to repeat ourselves too much, and that is why we will always try to progress with each album or new material." Along with fellow gothic/epic black metallers Johan Norman (guitar), bassist Peter Palmdahl (who along with Nodveidt started the band in 1989), and drummer Ole Ohman, the band has been able to carry themselves further with _SotLB_ than they did with their debut, _The Somberlain_, in 1993. Much darker and tighter, _SotLB_ (which sounds great due in part to awesome producer Dan Swano, Edge of Sanity/production mastermind) is no doubt a big stepping stone for the band in finding their sound and specific style. Says Nodveidt, "We never limit ourselves even if we feel we play dark, death metal. We don't write our music to fit into a certain pattern." Adding, he explains, "We will not change musically or lyrically in any drastic way. We will do what we have to as long as it makes us feel that we have improved." On the topic of the album in question, _Storm Of The Light's Bane_, I asked about a possible concept theme for this album. "Everything we do is connected through death in one way or another. This is not an album where all the songs follow a story. On this record, all the songs and music are different but still have that death theme within them to tie them in some form or another." As mentioned, there is a dark, evil feeling enveloping the album's tracks, but still the album finds time to show off a tranquil state at certain points. "We want to release different emotions with our music, to express them with our sound and music. We want it to be heavy and angry but also putting melancholic styles input into our music." Also seeping into this death-ish metallic offering is obvious old school metal influences, something Nodveidt and the rest of his band are not ashamed to be influenced by or include in some way into their music. "Old school metal (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Venom) have meant a lot to us personally as they are found in our musical roots. We think of ourselves as death metal, but we like to try to spread ourselves around musically where we can have our own sound." He adds, "Of course we have hundreds of influences but we don't use them to copy them. They are used to become more creative. That would be stupid to just copy them now wouldn't it?" As for the metal music scene there and abroad, how is it? How important are those music scenes for him and his band to follow? "The scene is pretty healthy but the older bands mean more to me than the younger, newer ones that are surfacing here or in North America. The ones that got me into this music are what are close to my heart." Old school metal with a Dissection-ess twist? The truth of the matter is _Storm Of The Light's Bane_ is an added ingredient to the world of metal as it pays homage to old school metal, but at the same time allows us to witness a style and sound uniquely Dissection's own. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= S I X F E E T A B O V E T H E R E S T ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by: Gino Filicetti "This is not a fucking funeral, I'm still alive and well and kicking around, and I will be for a long time to come." -- Chris Barnes (vocalist) Hailing from what was once the mecca of American Death Metal comes Chris Barnes and Allen West, most likely two names you recognize if you've been into this genre for any period of time. Straight out of Cannibal Corpse and Obituary respectively, these dudes know where they want to go. Speaking on the phone with Barnes from somewhere in the ethereal plane of our long distance networks, Barnes had more than his share of opinions to share with us. Formed in 1993, Six Feet Under started as a glimmer in the eye of guitarist Allen West who approached Barnes with a raw tape he demoed at home. "He sent the tape along to me when we [Cannibal Corpse] were recording _The Bleeding_ and I just thought it was killer and all, so we got together and laid down some drum tracks with a machine and put in some bass lines and whatnot, and after we found our current bass player (Terry Butler, ex-Death, ex-Massacre) and drummer (newcomer Greg Gall), and that was it. It was really Allen's idea from the beginning." Seeing as most artists seem to incorporate a good deal of stylistic techniques from their "9 to 5 band. in their own side-projects, how does Barnes think Six Feet Under compares to Obituary or Cannibal Corpse? "Well I think it's just a different style of music, you know. It's different people making the sounds and we just tried to do our own thing the way we wanted, and put out an album. And the lyrics I wrote are also different in a way." Having read the lyrics over it was evident that Barnes has altered his lyrical approach slightly. "The lyrics are coming to me a lot quicker because I don't have to approach things or be seen a certain way anymore. There is no need to write lyrics that are over the top or try to be very blatant or crazy. The lyrics just form into what they are with no real need to explain why I am writing a certain way." The short life-span of most side projects is a well known fact. Take for example Nailbomb (see article in this issue). Having released their debut in 1993, they have already called it quits. Six Feet Under, on the other hand, is not in this biz as a hobby, attests Barnes. "From the beginning, we didn't go in there with the side project mentality you know. I mean we wanted to record shit, and tour and everything like a real band. I mean, we wanted a future for Six Feet Under." Working with a completely different band must also have been strange for you. "Fuck no man, it was fucking refreshing. I mean we are all good friends and stuff and we all have the same ideas on what the music should sound like. We all just got along really well. It was great to finally work with people and not have the personality clash. I liked it a lot." This brought us to the latest piece of gossip on the street, Barnes' supposed canning from Cannibal Corpse by his fellow bandmates, a band whom he helped create and popularize through his hard work over the past several years. "The only thing I know is that I'm not in Cannibal Corpse anymore. That's right, I was on tour with Six Feet Under and I got a call from their agents and stuff to inform me that they were letting me go and stuff." And his reaction? Continues Barnes, "It surprised me you know, I didn't see it coming at all. I still don't know why they had to go and do that. I mean, maybe they thought I wasn't going to be committed anymore to them and stuff, but Hell, shit happens." Another big issue with Barnes is the press, an entity that he is not very pleased with to say the least. After being shit on by many a magazine, especially in the U.S., what does Barnes have to say about it all? "Fuck man, I mean there is just this list of people I have that I just want to fucking kill if I run into them. I mean these are people that have nothing better to do than to rip apart someone's livelihood and personally insult them with their fucking opinions, I mean, sure you can have your own opinions and stuff, but you don't have to go around completely killing shit that you don't like. Fucking journalism sucks man, no offence to you (none taken!) but it does, some of these mags man I don't know, just can't fucking tell them apart from tabloids." He continues, "Our album is selling great all over, so I don't know where these people get off telling us we suck, you know? It's up to like 50,000 worldwide which is absolutely great for a death metal band just starting out." But does Barnes think that this can be attributed to the two "stars" that make up one half of Six Feet Under's lineup? "Well, you got a good point there, and I mean, I guess that comes into play a lot, but still you know, music is music, and I think that whatever someone likes or dislikes is ok if it's for the right reasons, you know what I'm saying?" After about 20 minutes of a great interview, other than the fact that Chris Barnes - while having a great vocal presence on stage - talks like a mouse, my favorite question of all time came out. 'What do you think of the scene today?' "Well fuck man, I don't know what everyone is raggin' on, 'cause I think the scene is great right now you know. We've been able to sell all kinds of fucking albums, and go and tour wherever the fuck we wanted. I thought it was great." And what is Barnes' take on the 'Black Metal Scene' in Europe today? "Well, I'm not really into it, so I don't have an opinion. But I guess it can't be all that bad, I mean, as long as they are playing music for the right fucking reasons, it's great. You know, people who play out of a passion for the music, not just to get huge and make money. Which, by the way, they are in the wrong field for anyways." With that, it was time to close off our nice little chat, so I thought I'd let Chris include a message for all of you, the fans and the critics, that make and break his career. "I want to say this, to everyone out there who's listening, this is not a fucking funeral. I'm still alive and well and kicking around, and I will be for a long time to come." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= G U N S , B O M B S , A N D L A P O L I C I A ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An Interview with Nailbomb by: Adrian Bromley Finished. Kaput. Call it a day. The End. Of course there are many other ways to describe the rather abrupt, but well thought out decision of the two founding members of Nailbomb (Max Cavalera of Sepultura and Alex Newport of Fudge Tunnel) to stop the legacy of the band after only one album - 1993's superb _Point Blank_. The band's latest LP, _Proud To Commit Commercial Suicide_, is the final chapter of the band, and a live recording of the band's only live performance, at this year's Dynamo Festival. "When we played the Dynamo Festival, we never said we were going to do a live album when we did that show," explains Newport about the decision to just see how the album would sound on the festival's 24-track recording system. "We said we'll see how the show goes and how the tape sounds and if it sounds like the spirit of the show then we would release it - which it does sound like. It sounds pretty intense. We wanted people to feel as if they were there as much as possible." He adds about the response to the live album, "I don't care if people like or hate the album as long as there is some form of a reaction from it." Calling it quits on such a high note, flogged with critical acclaim and fan excitement, was the band happy to end it the way they did? "That was the idea," he says explaining, "we had already decided to break up and not do another album. We wanted to leave things as they were. People wanted to see Nailbomb live and we played the gig, but it takes a lot of work to pull it off and I don't think it would be right for Nailbomb to do a full tour. The live album seemed fitting to end on." Playing live had its problems, as Newport explains bringing the live sound on CD format was not an easy task to undertake. "It is a pretty stressful deal. The main thing was not for us to get into overdubs too much on the live album production. It was pretty hard for me not to want to redo the guitar parts because they sounded a certain way, because of the live recording that is the way they sounded - not the best - but they sounded okay and so I left them." About the non-polished edge of the live album he says, "I'd rather have mistakes than overdub the guitars and make it sound perfect." Also included on the live album are two new tracks: 'Zero Tolerance' and 'While You Sleep I Destroy Your World'. Why the additional two new tracks if the band was trying to bring everything to an end? Newport responds, "We wanted to make it a bit more interesting seeing that CDs are $16 each and I can't see anyone buying a $16 CD with the same songs that were on _Point Blank_, even though a lot of the songs sound different; and also, including those two songs was like an extra bonus, to make it a more interesting buy." When the initial stages of Nailbomb was put together by both Newport and Cavalera (back in early 1993), he explains that the band was only assembled with a certain amount of seriousness. But as Newport explains, many fans of the metal genre saw hope and excitement within the release of _Point Blank_. "The responses that we had gotten from the whole Nailbomb thing was usually very positive, something hard to believe seeing that the project was only semi-serious. It wasn't really serious in the sense of being a band, but the songs and what we said was serious. Most of all we wanted to have fun and play our guitars a certain way and bounce off each other with ideas and all and record them." He goes on to talk about the recording of their debut: "Originally we didn't even have the intention of making _Point Blank_ a CD. It was supposed to just be 4-track recordings, but we got such a good response so we decided to record a CD." Seeing the reaction that the first album garnered the band, would they ever get back into Nailbomb mode if the fans wanted it? A strong-willed Newport responds, "No. Too many bands carry on too long and destroy all the great things about them. Look at Black Sabbath. They were at one point the greatest band of all and now they are a laughing stock and I think that is so sad." About Alex's work with his old band (Fudge Tunnel has broken up as of early this year) he points out, "With Fudge Tunnel, the last album we did we thought was our best album. What we had tried to achieve in seven years we had done with it. And after we made that album we felt we had achieved what we wanted to do so we stopped right there. With us it was like with every album, we wanted to go one better and with the last album we were left saying, 'Where can we go from here?'" Getting back to the answer he responds, "There is no doubt in my mind that me and Max will work together again, it just won't be called Nailbomb. I think it is better to end on a good note rather than have Nailbomb continue and become something it was never meant to be. I'd rather leave it as special as it is right now." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= V A S T A N D V I V I D V I S I O N S W I T H V O I V O D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by: Adrian Bromley "We wanted to be heavier and go back to our roots," starts Voivod founding member/drummer Michel "Away" Langevin over the phone from Montreal about the band's latest LP, _Negatron_. "We went very experimental with the last few albums (1991's _Angel Rat_ and 1993's _The Outer Limits_) and we felt that we went as far as we could with that direction. We felt that there was no other form of musical style we could go to." So along with other founding member, guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour, Langevin tried to salvage the pieces of the Voivod wreckage that had almost come to an end after nearly 13 years. Founding frontman Denis "Snake" Belanger left the band, and the future looked grim for Montreal's metallic export. He explains the problems that came with the struggle of keeping the band around. "The last few albums were difficult. That is where we got into a lot of difficulties with Snake. He didn't want to yell any more and we felt we needed to do that. We missed the kind of music we played from the old albums but we also wanted to write heavier stuff." In comes singer/bassist Eric Forrest; "When we got Eric, he was heavier than we had expected to go with the band and we liked that." For those unfamiliar with Forrest, he has been the frontman of several local Toronto hard rock acts. Molding him into Voivod material was easier than had been expected according to Langevin. "It was different having him in the band at first but Eric was the first guy that we tried out for singer and he was the perfect match. He was exactly what we wanted - a raunchy version of early "Snake" with a 90's feel to it. It was obvious when we tried out Eric he was up to fill Snake's position. We jammed for 20 minutes and knew he was in. It was just that easy." "I don't think we have ever sounded so powerful," says Langevin about the addition of Forrest to the band and the new material. "This power-trio is the best way to approach the music." More powerful than previous releases, though somewhat back to the basics of such Voivod classic albums as _War And Pain_ (1984) or 1988's _Dimension Hatross_, _Negatron_ is a collection of power chords, screams, anger, and dexterity. Precision performance is everywhere on _Negatron_. But is Voivod still Voivod heading into a 90's alternative nation or have they needed to become something more commercially appealing? Langevin begins, "We have been told many times that stuff that we write goes over the heads of the average listener, that our topics are too complex for metal fans. But we always wanted to write abstract lyrics and surreal stuff that went with the music and that is the way we choose to be. Obviously Voivod is about music and that is the way we like to express ourselves and we will stay this way," finishes Langevin. When questioned about the band's decision to work with an independent label, TO-based Hypnotic Records, Langevin said, "We chose the indie approach this time so we can put out album after album and tour after tour. And the only way to do that is be on an independent label. If you are on a major label, you have to sell a million copies to make them happy and in order to do that you have to compromise. That is why we have chosen to go this direction." He adds, "The label was the only one who understood our plan of attack (he quickly mentions Hypnotic president Tom Treumuth as the key to the band's signing to Hypnotic). Plus I really liked the studio. I was really impressed. It [the studio] was the perfect format for us to do the album: the size, feel, and spacing of the studio. The cool thing was also that the Hypnotic office and studio were on the same floor." Future plans for Voivod include a month-long tour throughout Europe headlining with Germany's Power Of Expression. Langevin and the rest of the power/metal trio are looking forward to Europe - big time! "The album has been out in Europe for about a month and a half and the response has been great. For the first time in four and a half years, I don't have to defend myself or the album. We were asked many times if we were going to go back to the roots of our music over the last four or five years. Finally we have done that and people are happy," ends Langevin with some pleasure. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= D U T C H D O O M D O M I N A T I O N ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An Interview with Orphanage by: Gino Filicetti Hailing from The Netherlands comes doom metal's newest contender: Orphanage. Formed in 1993 by guitarist/vocalist/frontman Lex Vogelaar, Orphanage has managed to pique many people's interests both in Europe and abroad, and has shown the world that doom metal is certainly not doomed. Speaking with Lex on the telephone, the first thing that obviously came up was the concept behind their latest/debut album, _Oblivion_. "The last album was recorded in January and we are very pleased with it because of the difficulty in reproducing our sound on CD, the reason being that we use the heavy metal musical approach and on the other hand we use very subtle things with the vocals and it's very hard to pick them out unintentionally. So there was a lot of experimentation to find the right balance and the right sound. But it turned out well I think." The rest of the band is rounded out by old friend and keyboardist Guus Eikens, bass player Eric Hoogendoorn, grunter and screamer George Oosthoek, and newest members Erwin Polderman (drums) and Rosan van der Aa (femme vox). How did this eclectic bunch of musicians manage to hook up? "It started as a project. Me and Guus have known each other for a long time. So we recorded one demo and we got very majestic reviews. Then we tried to get a whole bunch of people together in order to stay as permanent members. And it's only been since April of this year that our lineup's been stable. Our old guitarist/female vocalist (Martine van Loon) that did the CD left, and we now have a new female singer. While distributed by Nuclear Blast in Germany, Orphanage's mother label is DSFA records run by Anthony van den Berg (formerly of Displeased Records) out of Holland. While being DSFA's first signed band, Orphanage knew that van den Berg was the best choice for them. How do they feel being signed to such a small label? "Well firstly I really like it, because music is my hobby and I'm not trying to make a living being a musician. The contracts we were offered from other companies we would never sign because they were very good contracts for the labels, but not good for us, and we decided that we wanted to make music first, and always keep it that way and whatever happens, happens. We just want to play live and we just want to make good CDs which we can be happy with, and we don't want any bullshit about not selling enough units and just having no rights at all. Plus I knew Anthony van den Berg personally and he's a very enthusiastic person and he really goes for it on his terms. So that's what I really like because it motivates the whole band and it's something that really works." While the music is definitely first, the band itself isn't huge and does not sell a million records with each release. For Lex and Orphanage, this is merely a very serious hobby. Lex is currently in school at 27 years of age, and was formerly a studio engineer and computer programmer. This project is something that completely devours all of Lex's free time, but he has no complaints. Orphanage isn't out to conquer the world, preferring instead to make meaningful, honest music rather than raking in the cash. "Well it would be nice, but it's not like we do everything in order to get as much money out of it as possible or to make a living on the music. I have tried it personally in the past, but I think that chances are very, very, very slim and I just made a decision that I wanted music to be a hobby for me, and that's what I'm doing right now." He adds, "You see, in Holland the chances of making it are very, very slim. I think in a bigger country like Germany or America, I think the opportunities are greater." And the scene in Holland? Is it thriving or fading out like too many hard music scenes today? "Well the scene here is very small. It's a nice scene, the gigs here do very well. We usually get between a hundred, and a hundred and seventy people per show." Does the band plan on expanding their horizons and touring Europe in the near future? "We are trying very hard to get one. All kinds of people are looking for us and promising us they'll see what they can do . We hope to be able to do a tour next year in February or March. That's because the entire band will be free then. So we can do it if one comes around." At present, the future of death metal and extreme music in general is in question. No one is certain what path will be followed, however Lex believes, "there will always be a place for extreme types of music. The death and aggression side of this music is emotional for me personally and it just comes in the form of doom metal. It's very easy to get emotions across this sort of music. There will always be new people that are into things like that. So yeah, death metal may be dying but it will just flow into something else in the future. Even though at this moment death metal may seem to be dying, there are still new bands that are very popular and are influenced by death metal." What is the band up to now? "We are writing the new material. It's been like 6 months since we actually recorded the first one, so we are happy to put all that behind us. Our aim is to record the second album and all be absolutely satisfied with it and we hope it will knock everybody over ." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A D A Y I N T H E L I F E O F A G O N Y ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by: Adrian Bromley Brooklyn's Life of Agony are the real thing. With their lives and their surroundings fuelling the engine that brings out the groove and lyrical content of their songs, Life Of Agony need not look any further than what they are part of to create music. Since the release of their gripping debut album, _River Runs Red_, the band - comprised of singer Keith Caputo, drummer Sal Abruscato, guitarist Joey Z. and bassist Alan Robert - has been on a crusade to be seen and heard, and in the process have become the best damn band they can be. Through thick and thin, pain and suffering, and extensive touring, the band finds themselves in 1995 with a lot to say and show, and it comes with the offering of their latest stunning effort _Ugly_. "This album was a natural progression, the next step for us", begins Robert. "We were really focused on having a heavy, groovy, melodic record." Drummer Abruscato adds, "We wanted to have real songs that would have real classic qualities to them which would give them longevity and stick in every average human being's mind. We didn't want to cater to a specific audience anymore. The first record was really heavy and that was an amazing debut album for us, but we didn't want to repeat where most bands' second album is weaker and we didn't want that. We didn't want that to happen to us at all." So true does Abruscato speak, as _Ugly_ is a much more solidified, yet experimental album than their last. Songs like 'Lost At 22', 'Unstable' or even 'Let's Pretend' take the band to another groovier level of heaviness, but the most unexpected track on the album is the cover of the 1983 Simple Mind's classic pop song 'Don't You (Forget About Me)'. Explaining the reasoning behind such an odd cover, Abruscato says, "A lot of bands in our vein are doing Sabbath and Zeppelin and Kiss covers. That would seem like the logical type of song to cover for a band like us. We didn't want to do a cover song where we got lumped in. Why do something so predictable when we can come out with a cover song that no one would ever expect? You know? Straight out of left field. Now we have people coming up to us and saying, 'Simple Minds, I would have never expected it.' Exactly!!," says Abrsucato, "that is the point we are trying to make, that the band is not your average hardcore/metal band with no musical intelligence. There is musical intelligence, and the music is still growing and learning." And his thoughts on the album in general? "We are going to do whatever it takes to get this record in everyone's faces," says a determined Abruscato. "This album reminds me a lot of Soundgarden's _Superunknown_. _Badmotorfinger_ was really heavy and all of a sudden _Superunknown_ comes out and you have songs that are so dramatically different. Different mixes, different vibes happening and it appealed to so many people. "You always want to give something to the public where they can see that the band can make music and something that they can relate to. You'll hear on this record a lot of grooves and power driven material. Stuff that anyone can bop to." Robert describes the record as: "Something people wouldn't expect, and something that the industry needs to bring back originality to what is going on now." "Hopefully with this record, it will allow us to be able to get on a good tour to go into the New Year and do some damage," says Abrusacto. He continues, "I think people want to hear real music, organic music. Music that comes from the soul and has a groove. Soul is important. A lot of bands forget about the soul, they forget about the feeling that simplicity is better than overdoing it to be a ham or showoff." Cutting in Robert adds, "That is why a lot of bands have a hit single and then they are gone tomorrow. That is something that this band doesn't want to do or that will ever happen to because we have a real fanbase and we continue to develop it with the live show and the integrity." About this fanbase, Abruscato details the core of its foundation. "Our following is so loyal that we haven't put out a record for two years and we can go back to anywhere in New York, any day of the week and play. People are seeing that we can still draw. Fans, they still fuckin' show up. And that is what we want, almost like a cult following for us. Pleased at the magnitude and loyalty of the band's fanbase Abruscato says, "They'll do anything to come and see us when we play. They'll fuckin' kill each other to see us." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _______ __ _ _______ __ / ___/ / ___ ____ / /_(_)___ / ___/ / ___ _/ /_ / /__/ _ \/ _ `/ _ \/ __/ / __/ / /__/ _ \/ _ `/ __/ \___/_//_/\_,_/\___/\__/_/\__/ \___/_//_/\_,_/\__/ ____ _ / __/__ ___ ___ (_)__ ___ ___ _\ \/ -_|_-<(_-