.---..-. .-..---. .----..-..-..-..---..-.   .---..---.  .----..---.
  | |  | |=| || |-< | || || .` || || |  | |__ | |-  \ \   | || || |-
  `---'`-' `-'`-'`-'`----'`-'`-'`-'`---'`----'`---'`---'  `----'`-'

                      .---..-. .-..---..----..---.
                      | |  | |=| || | || || | \ \
                      `---'`-' `-'`-^-'`----'`---'

         CHRONICLES OF CHAOS E-Zine, April 18, 1996, Issue #9

Co-Editor: Gino Filicetti <ginof@io.org> <_DeaTH_ on #metal>
Co-Editor: Adrian Bromley <bw823@torfree.net>
Assistant Editor: Alain M. Gaudrault <alain@mks.com>
Web Page Manager: Brian Meloon <bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>
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
<ginof@io.org>.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may subscribe to Chronicles of Chaos at any  time  by  sending  a
message with "SUBSCRIBE coc-ezine <your-name-here>" 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
<coc-ezine@lists.colorado.edu>, 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
<bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Issue #9 Contents, 4/18/96
--------------------------
* Editorial
* Loud Letters
* Ferocious Features
-- Skrewing With Your Soul
-- Struggling to Stop the Stereotypes
-- Chillin' In The Cemetary
* Chaotic Chat Sessions
-- Neurotics Never Know
-- Ophthalamia Opens Up
* Independent Interrogations
-- ... Of Outer Pain and Inner Misery
* Record Revelations
-- Pan-Thy-Monium III - _Khaooohs and Kon-Fus-Ion_
-- Slayer - _Live Intrusion_
-- Various - _In Memory of Celtic Frost_
-- Edge of Sanity - _Crimson_
-- Gorefest - _Soul Survivor_
-- Abigor - _Nachthymnen (From the Twilight Kingdom)_
-- Chum - _Dead To The World_
-- Crimson Relic - _Purgatory's Reign_
-- Divine Sin - _Winterland_
-- Kreator - _Cause for Conflict_
-- Enthroned - _Prophecies of Pagan Fire_
-- Imprecation - _Theurgia Goetia Summa_
-- Neurosis - _Through Silver in Blood_
-- Nifelheim - _Nifelheim_
-- Profane Grace - _The Divination of Souls_
-- Helloween - _The Time of the Oath_
-- Ron Thal - _The Adventures of Bumblefoot_
-- Serpent - _In The Garden of Serpent_
-- Svarog - _Svarog_
-- Warlord U.K. - _Maximum Carnage_
* New Noise
-- Perpetua - _Irrational_
-- Puzzle Head - _Missing Pieces_
-- Forward Now - _Smileremover_
-- Spiral Architect - _demo_
-- Stigmata - _The Gods of Earth and Heaven_
* Chaotic Concerts
-- Morbid Angel/At the Gates/Dissection/Sadistic Intent
* Tours of Torture
-- EYEHATEGOD with Pachinko
-- Skrew with Kreator
-- Satyricon/Dissection/Gorgoroth
-- Sacred Reich
* What We Have Cranked
* The Final Word

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

                          E D I T O R I A L
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          by: Gino Filicetti

     What's up everyone? I hope this past month has gone well for all
our faithful subjects. Here's what's been happening on the Chronicles
of Chaos front.
     The Toronto Deathfest (part I of it anyways) took place on March
31st. Unfortunately, for reasons beyond our control, both Adrian  and
I could not attend. I know I know, you guys must be  thinking,  "What
fucking poseurs!" But seriously, I was more than pissed that I had to
miss such an opportunity, one which doesn't come along often  in  the
Toronto area. However, a good friend of ours, Adam  Wasylyk  and  our
very own Alain M. Gaudrault were in attendance and will have a  joint
concert review for CoC #10.
     I've been busy in my graphic arts class at school,  going  crazy
on our printing presses making millions of copies  of  Chronicles  of
Chaos notepads, flyers, and letterhead. It's funny if  you  think  of
it, keeping with CoC's tradition of high quality  through  low  cost,
I've been able to print hundreds of dollars  worth  of  material  for
absolutely nothing. All in the name of "class projects," hahaha...  I
love scamming.
     I'm proud to announce that Chronicles  of  Chaos  is  now  being
serviced by two more labels: Napalm America and Osmose Productions. A
big  round  of  applause  should  be  given  to  Steve  Hoeltzel  who
single-handedly tackled the job of getting these two labels under our
belts. I'm sure the addition of these heavy duty labels  will  please
you, the reader, as much as it pleases us.
     This issue marks the first exposure of two of our  new  writers,
Steve Hoeltzel and Sally Sanchez. Keep an eye out for  the  excellent
reviews by Steve and the Ophthalamia chat by Sally. Great work guys!
     As of next month, we plan to restructure  Chronicles  of  Chaos'
Record Revelations  column.  Since  our  first  issue  we  have  been
reviewing albums out of a possible 10 points. It now seems that  this
scale is a little too large to accurately rate albums. With that  I'd
like to announce a change to a 5 point rating system  effective  next
month. I hope everyone is as glad about this as we are,  seeing  that
we are now forced to make up our minds about a certain album and  not
have so many ratings in the range of mediocrity.
     Also new this month is a section I have long pondered  including
in Chronicles of Chaos. Tours of Torture  is  a  new  column  in  our
magazine that lists tour dates for  various  currently  active  tours
anywhere in the world. Basically this section is  something  which  I
doubt will appear every month for the simple fact that  there  aren't
enough tours going around. But rest assured that whenever I get  tour
dates, they will be written up for inclusion in our Tours of  Torture
column. As always, any information YOU, the reader can give us  would
be MUCH appreciated. Do not hesitate to mail in any tour  information
you may have.
     Loud Letters response this month was okay, but not great. We got
two excellent letters, but that was it. I hope to see more  for  next
issue, and please remember, Loud Letters aren't just for  praise,  we
just want you to speak your mind,  about  anything!  It  could  be  a
correction of an error we've made in the past, or just  your  opinion
of the scene, it's all  up  to  you.  Make  sure  you  include  'Loud
Letters' in your subject field.
     Well, that's about it for me. This issue pales in comparison  to
last month's monster of an issue, but  the  quality  you've  come  to
expect from us is still present and shining brighter than ever.  Have
a great month, hope it doesn't snow in your part of the world like it
did in ours (5 inches of snow fell in  Toronto  on  April  4th  !!!).
Later everyone, keep it hard.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

                 M""MMMMMMMM                         dP
                 M  MMMMMMMM                         88
                 M  MMMMMMMM .d8888b. dP    dP .d888b88
                 M  MMMMMMMM 88'  `88 88    88 88'  `88
                 M  MMMMMMMM 88.  .88 88.  .88 88.  .88
                 M         M `88888P' `88888P' `88888P8
                 MMMMMMMMMMM

     M""MMMMMMMM            dP     dP
     M  MMMMMMMM            88     88
     M  MMMMMMMM .d8888b. d8888P d8888P .d8888b. 88d888b. .d8888b.
     M  MMMMMMMM 88ooood8   88     88   88ooood8 88'  `88 Y8ooooo.
     M  MMMMMMMM 88.  ...   88     88   88.  ... 88             88
     M         M `88888P'   dP     dP   `88888P' dP       `88888P'
     MMMMMMMMMMM

This is the column where we print those lovely  letters  our  readers
decide so graciously to write us. Whether they be positive, negative,
ignorant or just plain spelled  wrong,  you  can  rest  assured  that
they'll be here in their original form. If you'd like to see your own
letter here, e-mail it to <ginof@io.org> and  enter  'Attention  Loud
Letters' in the subject field. Hopefully all letters received will be
featured in upcoming issues of Chronicles of Chaos.


Date: Fri, March 8, 1996
From: Chris Smart <chris.smart@canrem.com>

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Hey man; anybody complaining about the delay should  be  tortured  to
death very slowly, while listening to Alanis Moresette! Its  a  great
magazine, its free, and  its  my  only  source  for  info  on  what's
actually going on. The mainstream has completely given  up  on  metal
for the time being, except of course for White Zombie (snicker), so I
am always starving for info until your e-zine arrives! Beyond  Eleven
on 97.7 FM is ok in this area; no substitute for college radio though.

Anyway, thanks for the delay notice; it reminded me I meant  to  drop
you a line. I'm in the Metallica club, and  although  they're  pretty
damn commercial after the last album and boxed set,  I  could  always
pass along new developments. If you read the Metallica  newsgroup  on
the net you probably hear everything I do though.

Well, gotta run. gotta go see my  guitar  teacher  in  his  Metallica
tribute band ... unfortunately called Sandman. (puke) Oh well;  it'll
be loud, the place is about as big as my closet.

Great, and by the way, as a blind omputer user, I have to say  thanks
for putting  together  something  that's  just  good  ol'  ASCII;  no
graphics and shit. It makes my life easier.

Keep up the great work!

Chris.

.. Love is the law, love under will.


Date: Sat, March 16, 1996
From: "Cackowski, David" <david.cackowski@tri-c.cc.oh.us>

Gino,
     Excellent issue this time out. The  obvious  enthusiasm  in  the
interviews and some of the album reviews have made me  want  to  seek
out some of this music,especially  My  Dying  Bride.  Also  the  band
Crisis that you profiled is playing tonite here in  Cleveland  and  I
may go see them. I'll write something up  if  I  do  go  to  let  the
readers know what I thought.
     I liked the Maiden review as I just saw them here  in  Cleveland
last month.
     Keep up the good work. It's the only life left for metal  music,
since radio has all but abandoned any metal over the airwaves,(except
college radio in Cleveland), thank god!, and also watching the  Power
30 on Much Music from Canada is about the only way  to  see  visually
what some of these bands are about.
     I urge everyone in every town who reads this  to  support  metal
shows when they come through town, as that is the only way that  this
music will thrive and get the exposure that  other  styles  of  music
currently receive.

                                             Thanx for listening,
                                                 Dave C.
                                                  Cleveland

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
    ___________                        .__
    \_   _____/__________  ____   ____ |__| ____  __ __  ______
     |    __)/ __ \_  __ \/  _ \_/ ___\|  |/  _ \|  |  \/  ___/
     |     \\  ___/|  | \(  <_> )  \___|  (  <_> )  |  /\___ \
     \___  / \___  >__|   \____/ \___  >__|\____/|____//____  >
         \/      \/                  \/                     \/
      ___________            __
      \_   _____/___ _____ _/  |_ __ _________   ____   ______
       |    __)/ __ \\__  \\   __\  |  \_  __ \_/ __ \ /  ___/
       |     \\  ___/ / __ \|  | |  |  /|  | \/\  ___/ \___ \
       \___  / \___  >____  /__| |____/ |__|    \___  >____  >
           \/      \/     \/                        \/     \/

The meat of the matter lies here. Read on for the juiciest morsels on
bands ranging from the reknowned to the obscure. No fat, no  gristle,
just blood-soaked slabs served hot and ready. Dig in, readers.


            S K R E W I N G   W I T H   Y O U R   S O U L
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     "I  am  an  extremely  open-minded   person,"   explains   Skrew
guitarist/singer Adam Grossman from his home in Texas, about the role
of technology - something his band has accepted with open arms  -  in
music. "I really feel like whatever new things there  are  to  do  or
help my music it helps make me do my job easier which is to take  how
I feel and convert that to tape. The cool thing about the  way  Skrew
is going about that is that we can combine the newest technology  and
combine it with old retro aspects - stuff that I will listen to. I am
into old 1930's and 1940's music. I just enjoy listening to  it  over
newer stuff. It is weird because we have written  stuff  on  the  new
record influenced by that. An example of that would be 'Crawl'. While
it doesn't have that blues element, there is something about the mood
or the lyrics that helped  influence  it.  It  is  cool  to  add  new
industrial technology and old music values and mix them in a pot  and
throwing it all over the floor and seeing what you got."
     Skrew's latest effort is titled _Shadow of Doubt_, a harsh brush
with reality and feelings, coated with loud guitars, samples,  and  a
very abrasive edge. The abrasiveness  of  the  band's  latest  effort
truly puts them leagues beyond the  somewhat  monotonous  or  typical
approach/sound they lent to their two previous offerings _Burning  In
Water, Drowning In Flames_  (1991)  and  their  critically  acclaimed
sophomore sound-montage of _Dusted_.
     "That is how I feel as well," admits Grossman, "the first  album
was okay and it was really all-over the  place  kind  of  album.  The
production wasn't that good and there are a few songs that  are  good
but it was more of an experimental album for us. The second album was
hell to make. For that it was just basically me and the two producers
of the album in the studio doing the stuff. I was also  working  with
the band members at the time who were hard as shit to work  with.  It
was a really negative experience but the album came out pretty  good.
"Most of that album was written in the studio. It  really  didn't  do
for me what I wanted it to do though. A lot of people liked it but  I
need to be satisfied before anyone else," says Grossman. "This record
I feel like it has more direction and focus. I think that may be  due
to my work with Jim (Vollentine - keyboards), whom I have worked with
for over three years. We got really  good  at  working  together  and
focus on what we want to write."
     Says Grossman, "I would have to say  it  is  a  very  dark,  in-
your-face effort. Funny thing is when I listen to the record  now  it
is loud. I must have been touching in on a lot of inner shit  when  I
was writing this, both lyrically and musically. I  think  it  is  the
best balance overall of technology with guitar  aspects.  Nothing  of
either style really sticks out. For example if you order  stew  at  a
restaurant, which has meat, potatoes, carrots, etc... When you eat it
you want to taste a little bit of each and not just  carrots.  And  I
think this is probably the best mix of everything that we  have  ever
done."
     Skrew is made up of guitarist Rob Lampman,  drummer  Steve  May,
bassist Chadwick Davis, and newly acquired guitarist Bobby  Gustafson
(ex-Overkill). About the acquisition of  guitar  shredder  Gustafson,
Grossman tells this story: "We were at first dealing with this really
cool guitar player from Vancouver and we had so much  in  common.  We
had pretty much picked him to be in the band but the whole  thing  of
him being a Canadian  citizen  and  the  government  made  it  really
difficult to work here." He adds, "Not the  Canadian  government  but
the American one."
     So the search continued. "That whole thing didn't work  out  for
us over  a  while  because  we  hadn't  found  anyone  else  who  had
professional attitude in a guitar player." Until finally  the  pieces
came together with Gustafson joining the sextet. "We had met Bobby  a
few times and he had just moved back to New York from  San  Francisco
where he had a band and I called  him  up  thinking  he  wouldn't  be
interested in it. But he was so when he came to the studio  to  join,
the band had already recorded almost the whole album. Then he came in
for a couple of days and recorded all his parts. It was cool the  way
it worked out for both parties."
     Going into some  detail  about  the  recording  of  _SoD_  (with
Queensryche/Flotsam  And  Jetsam  producer  Neil   Kernon)   Grossman
reveals, "This record was all  written  outside  of  the  studio  and
recorded in three months." He notes, "There is a  weird  story  about
the song _Black Eye_. That  was  the  first  song  Jim  and  I  wrote
together. We wrote that as soon as we got  out  of  the  studio  with
_Dusted_. He had just joined the band. All  the  other  material  has
been written since last March when we went to record  the  album.  We
had songs that we had written but didn't like the direction they were
taking."
     The struggles to complete the album continued. "Then I had  this
fuckin' head-on car wreck on the freeway," says  a  somewhat  annoyed
Grossman. "Some guy passed out or fell asleep in his car and  crossed
the median into my car. It was a weird situation, and to make a  long
story short, it took weeks to get back into the studio and pick up  a
guitar. I had nerve damage in my left arm. It was a  weird  time  for
me, but this album came together really well for us."
     Onto the third album in five years, asking  Grossman  about  the
reason behind his band's longevity he answers, "The first reason, and
an important one, is that we make money for our label. Unfortunately,
that is the bottom line. I  don't  think  you  have  to  be  'million
sellers' to have longevity. We are on a label with people  that  like
what we do and also there must be fans out there that enjoy  what  we
do too because they buy the records. It is kind  of  a  happy  median
where we are at. I mean we all don't just live off making  music,  we
have jobs, but it is definitely getting better. With every  album  we
make more money. Like I said, we are striking a chord in someone."
     In regards to album sales and success, has  Grossman  ever  felt
that the band has had to compete with their industrial/metallic style
to a certain level to be successful in the  music  industry?  "To  be
real honest, I don't listen to current stuff. I am not a big  fan  of
the industrial music scene. We use those aspects and electronics just
because it gives us  more  to  work  with  but  there  really  is  no
competition. Rather more for  myself  and  Jim  it  was  to  get  our
feelings on the tape. That is why I think this is the  best  album  I
have ever made even though I don't like it  100%  and  everything  is
perfect but it is the closest I have gotten  down  on  tape  what  my
intention was."

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

 S T R U G G L I N G   T O   S T O P   T H E   S T E R E O T Y P E S
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                     An Interview with EYEHATEGOD
                          by: Gino Filicetti

"They [the label] don't really know what  we  do.  They  just  assume
that, 'This is what EYEHATEGOD's about - they're fucking crazy  -  so
let's try and market them like that.'" -- Joey LaCaze (drummer)


     Upon first glance of the name EYEHATEGOD, what  images  come  to
mind? A horde of Satanic black metallers donning their corpse  paint?
Or, as is the case, a group of southern rockers just doing their  own
thing by mixing southern influenced music with  their  own  brand  of
craziness? If you guessed the former, don't worry, you  aren't  alone
in your misconceptions. EYEHATEGOD has been  perceived  as  something
they really aren't since their inception, and nowadays have  come  to
live with that fact, and accept it as an integral part  of  who  they
are.
     The whole thing started as a loosely knit group of musicians and
friends who got together out of the simple desire  to  jam  and  have
some fun.  Although  it  all  started  in  1989,  in  the  beginning,
EYEHATEGOD was somewhat like a club,  where  people  came  and  went,
played for a few months and then left, it was  all  a  very  informal
thing. Then came along guitarist Jimmy Bower to  put  the  wheels  in
motion and form the band that today is known as  EYEHATEGOD.  He  got
together Joey LaCaze (drums), Brian Patton (guitars),  Vince  LeBlanc
(bass). and Mike Williams (vocals).
     The musical style of EYEHATEGOD is definitely a unique one,  one
that Joey explains can only come about over  time.  "We  just  pretty
much jammed and we kind of developed our style  just  from  everybody
not knowing how to play. We got together and learned  and  eventually
over the years the chemistry came together between all of us and just
evolved into the style that we play now."
     Being signed was something that was  never  anticipated  by  the
band. They were happy doing their  own  thing,  and  the  thought  of
anyone even wanting to sign them was absurd in their  eyes.  However,
the time came when they were approached. "We did the first record  on
this label, Intellectual Convulsion, which was this guy from  France.
Before that, we had been jamming just to do  it,  you  know?  And  he
approached us and said, 'Hey I want to put your stuff out.'  We  were
just like, 'Cool!' We never anticipated anything happening  and  then
next thing you know, we got to do the record. We mostly  just  wanted
to do a good recording of the stuff." He continues, "so  we  did  the
record and it kind of got around, and people knew about  it,  and  we
ended up hooking up with Century Media like a year or two after  that
and that's when we put out _Take As Needed For Pain_ and  we've  just
been touring ever since then."
     The music of EYEHATEGOD is something  that  has  evolved  slowly
over the span of their existence. Joey explains what goes into  their
music. "We never put too much writing into the  music.  We've  always
wanted to keep the style just like how it comes about.  We  all  play
from just feeling. When we go into our room, we might come up with  a
riff that we really like, just from jamming for  awhile;  or  someone
might have something that they've written  or  something.  We  pretty
much just feel stuff out. We  play  and  usually  something  ends  up
coming out of it." He continues explaining how their structure  comes
about. "Then we'll just put the stuff together the way we think  best
suits it you know? We never try and write the music, like,  'Oh  man,
we're gonna write a piece like this.' We don't arrange the songs like
that. The best parts usually end up staying with us,  they  are  what
usually make it to the record."
     As far as the band's lyrics  and  themes,  they  are  completely
conceived by vocalist Mike Williams. The rest of the band sends their
completed demos to his home in New York, and Mike just takes it  from
there. "What he does is he writes a lot so he's got  a  lot  of  shit
that he's written before. When we send him songs he  just  feels  his
way through things and decides for himself what he wants to go where.
But the lyrics never try to portray anything,  they've  never  got  a
story to them or anything like that. A lot of times what we'll do  is
just create the atmosphere with the music, and  he'll  take  it  from
there. There are definitely parts that he does  that  stick  out  and
then there are other parts that he'll just do like adlib  or  on  the
spur of the moment, especially live."
     The image of EYEHATEGOD is something that has  become  distorted
and misinterpreted twenty times over. Read any  other  article  about
EYEHATEGOD and you'll see the image and hype that the media likes  to
portray about the band. What does Joey think? "I think mostly  nobody
knows and nobody could ever understand what we really  do  you  know?
<laughs> I think a  lot  of  people  just  come  up  with  their  own
interpretations of what they  think  it  is.  We  pretty  much  leave
everything open ended. It might just be something  that  we  come  up
with, that we like the way it sounds or it's something that  in  some
kind of way reflects what we like. Or Mike might  have  something  in
his own mind that he feels some kind of vibe off  of."  He  continues
about their artwork, "We've always taken  pictures  and  other  stuff
from outside sources. We'd take pictures that we think has some  kind
of symbolic meaning to us, and we'd arrange it the way we think could
create a sort of atmosphere or emotion. When you look at the picture,
I mean, there is never any original meaning  behind  us  putting  the
cover together but when you look at it you get a sort of feeling.  We
pretty much always keep everything like that.
     Being from New Orleans, the band has grown up being  exposed  to
the excesses of life 24  hours  a  day.  Joey  explains,  "Down  here
everything is just tongue and  cheek,  or  understood.  Everybody  is
familiar with that type of  stuff.  Everybody  from  here  definitely
knows what we're about, but in other places nobody  really  gets  it.
For them it just kind of takes on its own meaning, which is cool in a
way for me, like I hear shit from people that I could  never  believe
<laughs>. But then again, I think it's pretty  much  where  we  live,
everything is like that. It's weird, it's just been like that all the
time, that's what we've been exposed to our entire  life.  We'll  put
stuff like that on there just to, like, fuck  with  people  <laughs>.
Sometimes we like to create a little misunderstanding just so  nobody
knows what the fuck we are doing.
     Success is a key word in any band's  vocabulary.  It  makes  the
difference between being dropped and making  another  album.  So  how
does Joey think they'll do with this album? "I hope it goes well, but
it all depends on how it's promoted. Being on Century Media is  cool,
they've always come through as far as getting us tour support. I know
they do a good job and they bust ass to do stuff, but the whole label
thing is a little too 'business' for EYEHATEGOD I think. Just the way
that they promote stuff and the way THEY interpret it to come across.
I don't think they really understand it and  I  don't  think  they'll
ever understand it because they don't really know what  we're  about.
We always get grouped together with a bunch of other bands  and  it's
just like another band on the label type of thing." He continues,  "I
think it's really a catch 22. We  could  survive  without  them  now,
because we have enough following and we deal with a lot  of  shit  on
our own. But they've helped us get  here,  they've  always  given  us
support to get a van and go out and do a tour and we  would've  never
had the money to do that in the past. So in a way they've  helped  us
big time just by the exposure, but it's just kind of weird. The  band
has never anticipated shit like this happening. Like actually  having
promotional things and that kind of shit. Sometimes it's just kind of
weird because they'll go out on a tangent to use  something  when  it
really has so little to do with our band that it ends up coming up in
interviews and in the media. There's a lot of stuff that we can  tell
is rumors that they've started, you know what I mean? <laughs>"
     Finally, Joey is asked to tackle one of  the  biggest  questions
that can be asked of him: Why are you playing this kind of music?  "I
don't know <laughs>. I guess it just kind of happened like  that  you
know? I've just been playing this for so long. As for this  style,  I
consider EYEHATEGOD one of the funnest bands that  I've  ever  played
in. As far as people-wise  and  how  well  it  runs,  that's  because
everybody's only in it to play. Everybody just  kind  of  knows  each
other down here so that's kind of how it got together.  We  met  each
other one way or another. There have  been  times  when  things  have
changed, like Jimmy moved out of town, and Mike lives in New York but
it all works out. And we've never really tried to, like, push it, you
know? We never anticipated anything, it was never like,  'Man,  let's
write some music so we can get signed.' So much stuff has happened to
us just from us doing what we do, that we don't want to change it. We
feel that if we take it too seriously like all these other bands,  it
might become something we never wanted it to be."

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           C H I L L I N '   I N   T H E   C E M E T A R Y
           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        Story by: Adrian Bromley, Interview by: Gino Filicetti

     For the past four years, Sweden's Cemetary have grown as a band.
Since their debut album _An Evil Shade Of Grey_ (on Black Mark)  back
in 1992, and onto their fourth and latest LP _Sundown_, the band  has
managed to explore their musical diversity with an attempt to capture
not only the truest death metal qualities within their music but also
maintain a slow but apparent  injection  of  ample  amounts  of  rock
characteristics into their music as well. The move to do so has  been
gradual, but on _Sundown_ it is more apparent than ever  before.  "We
were scared when this album came out because it is a big step for  us
from the last one," begins singer/guitarist/lyricist/producer Mathias
Lodmalm. "We were wondering what people were going to think.  It  has
been a good response so far," he states.
     "Right now it is going good for us. We are selling  more  albums
and it has been really weird with this album in Europe, especially in
Sweden, where it is selling really good which hasn't happened  to  us
much in the past. We are getting written up in  national  newspapers,
getting four out of five in reviews. We  even  got  into  some  other
charts with  Nick  Cave  and  other  alternative/rock  acts.  It  has
surprised us."
     Lodmalm, along with the  rest  of  Cemetary  -  guitarist  Ander
Iwers,  drummer  Markus  Nordberg  and  bassist  Thomas  Josefsson  -
continue where they left off with their well-received third  offering
_Black Vanity_ (1994). Simply put, production of _Sundown_ began with
the finishing of _Black Vanity_.  Lodmalm  entails,  "One  song,  the
title track, we demoed for the _Black Vanity_ but we felt  it  didn't
fit in with the other material. After _BV_, we  pretty  much  started
working on the next release and putting  together  material.  We  put
together all the bits that we had done about  two  months  before  we
started to make this record."
     Lodmalm is the main contributor to all  the  works  of  Cemetary
over the last few  years.  Though  he  co-produced  the  record  with
producer Bernie Randulw,  this  time  around  Lodmalm  found  himself
working a bit more with the band on ideas, as well as  with  Randulw.
"I do all the writing, the music and the lyrics but we all decide  if
we like it or not. I produced the album as well so I kind  of  got  a
visual of how it should be too."
     About the working of the record at the famous Bauhaus Studios in
Goteburg, Sweden, he begins, "We recorded a cover ["South Of Heaven"]
for the Slayer tribute album there - it is a massive studio. For  the
first two records (1992's _AESoG_ and _Godless Beauty_  in  1993)  we
used Sunlight Studios (Entombed, Dissection,  Dismember,  Grave)  and
then _BV_ was done at Montezuma Studios. The problems  were  that  we
didn't have enough money to do what we wanted to,  and  now  that  we
have the money we did it. We spent a lot of money and it  turned  out
good. Producer Bernie Randulw helped  out  and  it  worked  out  good
because he knew what I wanted with this record. He  was  really  into
it. He was enthusiastic but still he made me call a lot of shots  and
pushed me as well to do stuff. He'll be doing the next record."
     Does Lodmalm have any regrets about the previous  works  of  the
band and what they could have done with them? "We probably could have
done them better now but back then that was what we were  capable  of
doing. It is like looking back on  your  school  grades.  You  think,
'Maybe I should have done that or taken that class' but you didn't."
     So  what  is  the  difference  between  _Sundown_  and  previous
Cemetary releases? "Probably a lot of tracing of the rock groups  and
sound. We are bringing that forward like Samhain,  Joy  Division  and
The Damned, and early new wave punk like New Model Army  coming  more
into the music than it used to be. There is obviously a big change to
the vocals." About the changes, he responds, "It is probably  that  I
couldn't really express myself fully before. I  couldn't  get  across
what I wanted to do with muddy vocals. It was kind of hard to do this
record without proper vocals so this change was  needed.  I  mean  it
wasn't like we sat down  and  wrote  what  was  to  happen,  it  just
happened. The emotions that I had and the feelings I wanted  to  come
across were there. It just came naturally and we  had  to  do  things
this way."
     As many know, when a band breaks away from the specific  musical
mold they are  known  for,  the  band  is  faced  with  fans  loosing
interest, but in the process, this jump to a more "mainstream"  sound
could increase their fanbase an even greater amount. Are they  afraid
of being left out in the cold by their  older  fans  with  _Sundown_?
"No," he responds, "I think the more you break into different markets
the better it is. The more exposure you get  with  your  music  can't
hurt. You can only gain more fans of your music. I hate  people  that
say, 'We want to only appeal to this market' or 'I want us to be true
black metal.' It is just a bunch of bull. I think if you make  music,
you want as many people as possible to listen to it. Not  wanting  it
to hit other markets is like being musical fascists. That is not what
we are about."
     For those unfamiliar with Lodmalm's work in the metal  community
other than with Cemetary, in 1994  he  produced  the  stunning  debut
album of labelmates Lake Of Tears. But as time went on he  has  found
that he is branching off to different things, some within  the  music
world and some outside of it. About future production work  he  says,
"I have a really tight schedule. I am writing a book [a crime  novel]
and whatever else. If there is something that I want to  do  I  will,
but  right  now  it  is  trying  out  new  things  and  getting   new
experiences."
     Cemetary plans to set aside some time this year for a tour which
includes  a  twelve-date  tour  of  the  Eastern   Bloc   of   Europe
(Czechoslovakia, Russia) with German metallers Pyogenesis and then  a
co-headlining tour with the same band for the  rest  of  Europe  some
time in May. Lodmalm even hints of a possible tour in  North  America
this summer. "We may do something in America and maybe Japan. Touring
America needs to be done, but we have to do the tour properly."
     In closing the question is asked: What do you  want  to  achieve
with this record? He answers, "I  couldn't  tell  you.  I  just  want
people to listen to it with an open mind. I want people to  enjoy  it
and find that it has something in it for them. I also want to sell  a
shit load of albums as well and get a lot of money ... obviously."

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        / ___/ /  ___ ____  / /_(_)___  / ___/ /  ___ _/ /_
       / /__/ _ \/ _ `/ _ \/ __/ / __/ / /__/ _ \/ _ `/ __/
       \___/_//_/\_,_/\___/\__/_/\__/  \___/_//_/\_,_/\__/
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                  / __/__ ___ ___ (_)__  ___  ___
                 _\ \/ -_|_-<(_-</ / _ \/ _ \(_-<
                /___/\__/___/___/_/\___/_//_/___/


This is the column where CoC sits down to have a  face  to  face,  no
holds barred conversation with  your  favorite  bands,  and  get  the
inside scoop into what's happening in their lives.


               N E U R O T I C S   N E V E R   K N O W
               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                 A Chat with Neurosis' Dave Edwardson
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Being a musician is not an easy task;  working  hard  trying  to
channel your thoughts and feelings onto  an  album.  Living  in  this
world is hard enough and some have to make sacrifices  and  decisions
to stay true to their beliefs. In return it'll tend  to  make  you  a
stronger person and/or leave  some  serious  dents  in  your  psyche.
Welcome to the scarred world of Neurosis.
     For ten years, Oakland's Neurosis have managed  to  survive  the
growth period of the band, since 1987's _Pain Of Mind_,  and  deliver
some real obscure, versatile stylings that have  gone  from  punk  to
metallic anarchy. The band has shaped its sound through  the  release
of several offerings such as _The Word  As  Law_  (1990),  _Souls  At
Zero_ (1992), and _Enemy Of The Sun_ (1993). After _EotS_,  the  band
took time out to record an album entitled _Silver Blood Transmission_
with their side project Tribes Of Neurot, an ambient noise  offering,
which  saw  their  album   released   via   Relapse   Records/Release
Entertainment.
     The band - made up of bassist Dave  Edwardson,  guitarist  Scott
Kelly, drummer Jason Roeder, vocalist/guitarist Steve Von  Till,  and
keyboardist/sampler Noah Landis - eventually signed  to  Relapse  and
have just released their latest album,  _Through  Silver  In  Blood_.
While following along the same direction as the band's previous works
with an aggressive outbreak of  emotions,  this  time  the  band  has
become a bit more spiritual and  reflective  with  regards  to  their
songwriting and music. The music found on _TSiB_ shows how  the  band
has edged towards trying to get some kind of inner respect for  their
music as well as blowing the speakers apart.
     Neurosis bassist Dave Edwardson spoke recently  with  CoC  about
their debut  album  on  Relapse,  the  fans  of  the  band,  and  the
importance of technology within music. Here is what he had to say:

CoC: Neurosis has been around for some time now. What is  behind  the
     band's longevity?  What  fuels  the  fire  and  keeps  you  guys
     interested in the music you create?

Dave Edwardson: Well ... the brotherhood between us is  pretty  equal
                and intense, and the fact that our perspective as far
                as a project like Neurosis goes always  gets  better,
                because we grow older and wiser and have more  input.
                We get a clearer idea of what we do each time  we  do
                it, to the point where it is so  natural  and  it  is
                never  forced.  It  just  flows  out  of  us  working
                together and it is quite magical at  this  point.  We
                are finding it easier and to us we are getting better
                and the ability to communicate is growing each  time.
                Until it doesn't get any better, we'll keep doing 
                this.

CoC: What ideas and strategies went into the process of setting apart
     _Through Silver In Blood_ from your other works?

DE: The process was a lot more natural and that was something that we
    had started to experience on the last record. We didn't  have  to
    be more cerebral, we could actually be more gut with the  way  it
    came out and trusting the engineer we were working with.

(The band recorded the album with producer Billy Anderson (Sick Of It
All, The Melvins,  EYEHATEGOD)  at  Brilliant  and  A  Different  Fur
Studios in San Francisco)

DE: We basically knew what we were going for. I'd say this record  is
    more of an epic undertaking than the last one. We know how to get
    a lot more out of one note these days  and  we  are  a  lot  more
    trance-oriented  in  our  music  as  far  as  wanting  it  to  be
    overwhelming and aggressive but  at  a  constant  flow.  We  were
    trying to develop a record that was like one song  that  actually
    means  more  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  than   it   does
    individually.

CoC: How did you hook up with Relapse?

DE: We originally encountered them when we were looking for  a  label
    for our Tribes of Neurot side-project and they were first  to  be
    interested, so we went with them.  We  were  impressed  with  the
    enthusiasm they had for the Neurot stuff, and for  them  it  must
    have been like a small release, but they did more advertising for
    us than our previous label (Alternative Tentacles) had done  with
    a Neurosis record and we needed to grow as a band. AT is a  great
    label and they work hard, but they don't necessarily want to be a
    competitive label and they don't have to. That is where they  are
    at. They helped us out, and we are pleased at that, but  we  need
    to grow to survive and it seemed kind of a nice way to grow while
    staying independent. When Relapse got Neurosis, their  enthusiasm
    shot through the roof and all of a sudden we are top priority and
    that means a lot to us.

CoC: And I guess that push is exactly what you are looking for  as  a
     band, right?

DE: Exactly. This band is our whole life. Our souls go into this band
    and we needed this kind of enthusiasm to let us know that  people
    still feel we are a priority.

CoC: Has the band's songwriting  had  to  adjust  to  the  change  in
     decades and musical trends? Have you been influenced  by  things
     that happen around you?

DE: Not in music. Our perspective adjusts to what is going around  in
    the world and we keep developing a  bit  and  being  a  bit  more
    farther away from a political stance  to  a  more  spiritual  one
    which also has to  do  with  our  personal  lives  and  with  the
    personal self-growth we have taken upon ourselves. I  don't  know
    if that affects the songwriting much, but  having  Noah  join  (a
    longtime friend from Christ On Parade) with the same mindset made
    all the songwriting more natural. We all have input and all write
    together. About our music and feelings, we  understand  less  and
    less why it comes about.

CoC: Have you ever intentionally played music a certain way or  wrote
     songs to please the public? Has it always been personal?

DE: It has always been personal. Strictly personal. We could  give  a
    fuck what anyone else thinks. It sounds like a  cliche  statement
    but when you put your full emotion  into  anything  you  couldn't
    care less what anyone else thinks. We really want to be raw  when
    we do stuff. We are used to  turning  our  fans  off.  Our  first
    record was a punk rock record so  when  we  added  metal  on  the
    second one we lost some of our hardcore/punk fans. We shocked the
    shit out of them with the next record when we added keyboards and
    samples. When people thought we were gonna go prog-rock, we  came
    out with _Enemy Of The Sun_ which was a  sludge/tribal-fest,  and
    the new one is an amalgamation of all of the above, and where  we
    are at right now. We always lose somebody but  that  is  probably
    because they are close-minded or it might not be their taste.  If
    someone is adamantly against it, then the poor bastard must  have
    some confines on their beliefs.

CoC: You find a lot of that with people and music, right?

DE: For sure. People are afraid to be open and they like to stick  to
    a certain clique or in a box of musical styles and what they  are
    supposed to like instead of taking each thing in.

CoC: With the direction of the band heading a certain  way  and  fans
     growing with you over the years, do you feel the  fans  can  now
     relate to what you are feeling or at least understand  what  you
     are trying to tell them with your music?

DE: I think  so.  I  think  if  they  have  stuck  around  they  have
    experienced some stuff that we feel, but I don't know if we  want
    them to feel a specific thing because it is a personal thing  and
    it is for us. I think we throw enough vague concepts out there so
    that people can get out of it what they need to get out of it. We
    know specifically what we are talking about  but  we  will  never
    say. It is intense music so if someone needs to  feel  that  way,
    they can listen to our music. Or if they need to deal with anger,
    depression or need to be inspired with something, they can get an
    effort out of our music.

CoC: What is the most important thing that you want a Neurosis fan to
     get out of this record?

DE: For people to be inspired by  it.  Maybe  with  the  emotions  we
    reveal people can relate to it and get through that shit. To have
    a part of it speak to their deeper self or  soul.  That  is  what
    we'd like to see come out of it.

CoC: And the meaning of the album title?

DE: Again, that is one of the vague ideas that mean something  to  us
    and not the listener. I don't know if I can really go into it but
    basically, it is a very spiritual statement to  us  dealing  with
    humanity's place in the cosmos and dealing directly with  alchemy
    and psychedelics.

CoC: So I guess the average metaller wouldn't understand it?

DE: Yeah ... they might think it means stab  someone  with  a  silver
    knife. <laughs>

CoC: What is your views of the use of technology  with  Neurosis  and
     the band's future work?

DE: I believe it is a tool, and  a  tool  for  us  to  use.  Electric
    guitars are still technology. If  we  wanted  an  anti-technology
    stance, we would go back to just drums and  flutes,  which  isn't
    totally out of the question, but I can't see us doing it  anytime
    soon. Samplers are blowing the boundaries out of what you can  do
    with music. You can make anything into a music instrument with  a
    sampler. I mean you can create rhythmic samples out  of  abstract
    noises, and Noah is great at doing that  and  aiding  the  band's
    sound. I am not a big fan of it, but if  [technology]  is  there,
    why not use it? Computers scare the fuckin' shit out of me, and I
    wish it would all end, but as an artist I feel I have to use it.

CoC: How does the live show mix with the music?

DE: It is kind of a contrast because you can't ignore the  music;  it
    is so loud and intense. We can't be ignored  because  we  go  out
    with 100% each night even if no one is there because that is  how
    we feel the music needs to be expressed. We have to achieve  that
    state to make it feel good. Music has to take over our  body  and
    control us. If you augment that with strobing lights and hypnotic
    visuals it helps. I mean you can close your eyes and listen, look
    at the stage or look above us. No matter  which  perspective  you
    take it'll be overwhelming. Even if you don't like  [the  music],
    it'll at least annoy the shit out of you. We try to make  a  vibe
    out of it ... all the time.

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               O P H T H A L A M I A   O P E N S   U P
               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                            A Chat with IT
                          by: Sally Sanchez


OPHTHALAMIA is a fantasy world created by IT. The "Goddess"  of  this
world is a woman named Elishia. IT also created the  surroundings  of
Ophthalamia, the creatures, and the language of Ophthalamians.  Every
one of OPHTHALAMIA's songs are stories about this fantasy world.

OPHTHALAMIA started in 1989. The first lead vocalist was All, but  he
moved on and was replaced by Shadow for _A Journey In Darkness_. Then
Shadow was replaced by Legion on _Via Dolorosa_ when it was recorded.
Legion has now left and All is now back in the band.

The Official Line-up:

IT -- Guitars, Screams, Whispers, Additional Vocals, Talk
All -- Lead Vocals, Screams
Night -- Bass, Acoustic, Guitars, Screams
Bone -- Drums, Percussion

CoC: Tell us how the new album is going. What changes were made  this
     time around.

IT: Elishia is the Ophthalamian "Satan," the huntress of  the  night.
    She or he is the daughter (or son) of the three  moons  that  one
    can see  on  the  great  Ophthalamian  sky.  Everything  evil  on
    Ophthalamia is her works. In other  words,  Elishia  is  just  an
    Ophthalamian version of our Satan. I might as well say Satan  and
    sometimes I do. Our new album will be based on the great work  of
    Macbeth,  written  by  William  Shakespeare.  It   will   be   an
    Ophthalamian version. Of course,  the  evil  characters  will  be
    triumphant in the end. Changes are: All has  replaced  Legion  on
    vocals. Ole Vhman from Dissection has replaced Winter  on  drums.
    Bone (Ole) has left Dissection and All who appeared  on  the  two
    first Abruptum demos has come back for revenge. We  also  have  a
    second (still secret) guitarist in the  band.  The  last  line-up
    changes have strengthened the band since the new members are much
    better than the earlier people.

CoC: How are label deals coming along? What are you looking for in  a
     label?

IT: The label should give us fame and fortune as far as they can.  We
    are now negotiating with a few labels.

CoC: I hear there might be a possible tour. If so,  where  would  you
     like to play and with whom?

IT: There are some plans to go on tour, probably with Marduk. I would
    really like to go on tour with some of the great old Heavy  Metal
    bands of the 80s like Motley Crue or Iron Maiden.

CoC:  Ophthalamia  is  a  fantasy  world  created  by  yourself.   Is
     Ophthalamia a place that you escape to?

IT: Ophthalamia is a very hard world, where one  must  be  strong  to
    survive. There is no escaping the hardship of life. If you really
    like to escape then blow your brains out. I've had  23  years  of
    hardship and still i go on to do the deeds of my master.

CoC: I had a friend that wanted to escape  into  a  world  much  like
     Ophthalamia, but he was weak and let  foolish  things  take  him
     away, how do you escape to Ophthalamia? Through your dreams,  or
     through other ways?

IT: Ophthalamia exists,  you  just  don't  see  it  because  of  your
    ignorance. Think about it for  a  while.  What  does  Ophthalamia
    symbolize?

CoC: How do you find time to deal with your other bands?

IT: Not all of us have other bands, Ole  only  plays  in  Ophthalamia
    now. Our second guitarist only plays in Ophthalamia too.  As  for
    me, I play in Abruptum also, but I do not have  to  work  for  it
    that hard. Night has a project called Swordmaster and me and  All
    also have a side project going on called Vondur. Debut album  out
    soon on Necropolis Records.

[Look for a review of Vondur's debut album in CoC #10 -- Gino]

CoC: Well that is all for this short interview. Would you like to say
     anything else to the readers and your fans out there?

IT: Do the Work of Satan!!! Darkness it'll be.

[I would like to thank Markey  for  his  help  and  for  getting  the
Ophthalamia bio from his site. E-mail him at  MARKEYd8@Cti.ecp.fr  --
Sally]

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         ::|  :::\ :':| :~~/ :::\ :~~/ :::\ :':| .::\ :::\ :::|
       ::::::|:|:| :::| :::, :::/ :::, :|:| :::| `::| :|:|  :|
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   ::|  :::\ :::| :~~/ :::| :::| ,::\ .::\ /::| :::| :| ,::\ :::\ <::<
 ::::::|:|:|  :|  :::, :|   :|   `::/ `::| \::|  :|  :| `::/ :|:| >::>
                                     ,.:/

Here is where CoC gets the inside story on up-and-coming bands. Check
out this column for a variety of fresh, brutal groups.  Should you be
an aspiring band on your way to super-stardom,  send us your demo and
bio; our address is included in the zine's header.


 . . .   O F   O U T E R   P A I N   A N D   I N N E R   M I S E R Y
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                    An interview with Inner Misery
                        by: Alain M. Gaudrault

Southern Ontario is home to a hard working group  of  guys  known  as
Inner Misery. Playing a mixture of speed, power, and death metal. The
band, comprised  of  Don  Clark  (vocals,  guitar),  Todd  Hutchinson
(guitar), Brett Savory (drums), and Sheldon Benson (bass),  is  doing
their best to make a name for themselves and establish  a  career  in
the music business. One of their claims to fame  is  a  slot  at  the
Milwaukee Metalfest IX. We spoke to Don and  Brett  recently  to  see
what makes them tick.

CoC: Let's start with  the  basics.  How  long  have  you  guys  been
     together?

DC: We started in June of 1994. That's when me and  Brett  met,
    and then we had a completed lineup in August,  and  were  playing
    shows in September.

CoC: Has everything been going somewhat  well  since  then,  or  have
     there been a lot of pitfalls along the way?

DC: A number of pitfalls.

BS: Also a lot of cool stuff, too.

CoC: Speaking of cool stuff, how was your experience at  last  year's
     Milwaukee Metalfest?

DC: Amazing. It was a total party, for myself. We got drunk. And when
    we played, there was only one stage happening at  that  time.  It
    was great, and a lot more than what I expected, that's for  sure.
    Probably 800 to 1000 people there when we played, right Brett?

CoC: Do you feel  your  appearance  at  Metalfest  has  significantly
     increased your overall exposure, has it opened any doors?

DC: We got a lot of mail from the Minnesota,  Chicago  area.  We  got
    some really cool stuff from that area.  We're  on  the  Milwaukee
    Metalfest CD, too, so there's a lot of  people  that  have  heard
    that and just went "Oh wow, that's really cool."  It's  obviously
    helped us out, so that when we call up somewhere, and we can  say
    we were at the  Milwaukee  Metalfest,  'cause  people  go  "Inner
    Misery, why do I know that name?", and we can tell them we're  on
    the [Milwaukee Metalfest] CD.

CoC: Stepping back a bit further, Don, what caused the split  between
     you and former bandmates SFH  (a  southern-Ontario  metal  band,
     fronted by ex-Razor vocalist, Bob Reid)?

DC: Well, let's see. It's just that I wanted to go heavier, and  they
    wanted to do what they do. I'm not saying there's anything  wrong
    with what they do, but I wanted to be - now this  is  going  back
    about 5 years - I wanted to be more of a Slayer-type thrash band,
    and  the  direction  they  were  going   in   was   more   of   a
    Motorhead-like, heavy band. I  was  disillusioned  music-wise.  I
    wanted to be heavier.

CoC: So no hard feelings between you and they?

DC: Oh, no, I still talk to them all the time, actually. We've opened
    up for them a few times in Sarnia  at  different  places.  I  get
    along really good with those guys still. If we can  play  a  show
    with them, we know it's gonna be fun, because they  all  like  to
    have fun, too, have a good time, so  it's  not  like  everybody's
    walking around with big egos and stuff, it's just a  really  good
    time.
     
CoC: When did you find out that a name change for  the  band  was  in
     order?

DC: We found out in December [1995] that there's  a  band  in  Canada
    that's a Metallica tribute band, and we were kinda  saying  "Hey,
    we've been here longer", but then we found out  about  the  bands
    (also named Misery, IM's former name) from Australia, I think  it
    is, or Austria, and Belgium, and  there  was  just  no  sense  in
    competing with a band that has CDs out. A tribute band, well that
    didn't matter to us, but with two other bands named  Misery  with
    CDs out, we just wouldn't get known in a large enough area.

CoC: You want to get known for your music, not for your court battles
     over a band name!

BS: And yet, we wanted to keep our original  name  in  there,  so  we
    added a word at the beginning instead of a complete change.

DC: We just sat around one night and we said to  each  other,  "Well,
    what are we gonna do?" We threw around a  couple  of  names,  and
    then Inner Misery came out, and everybody looked  at  each  other
    and said "Yeah, that's cool." So we've been  Inner  Misery  since
    January [1996].

CoC: Why did Cory Evans (former lead vocals/guitar) decide to call it
     quits?

BS: We just couldn't really see eye to eye on stuff. That's basically
    why everybody who has been in [the band] has left. We can't agree
    on every aspect, so it just doesn't work out. You just argue  and
    argue, and you just go "Well, screw it then, you know?"

DC: Plus, like, me and Brett have a pretty specific idea of where  we
    want to go, and you know, it takes a lot  of  dedication  and,  I
    hate to say it, but it takes money too! You know, when you get  a
    phone bill! We do a lot of phoning and mailing, 'cause we're  not
    that well known, you know? And if somebody's not going to put  in
    - it doesn't even have to be their full time, but at least a good
    effort towards stuff - then it keeps the whole band back.

CoC: Not just time, but money as well, eh?

DC: Yeah, money is a pretty major thing. Myself and Brett,  we  can't
    afford cover for everybody, and that's just the way it goes.  The
    one guy, our bass player, he owns two  businesses,  so  that  was
    cutting in on the  time.  Now  we've  got  Cory  (former  member,
    filling in temporarily) playing bass for us and  we're  presently
    looking  for  another  guitar  player.  We're  looking  for   two
    permanent  members,  somebody  dedicated,  willing  to  move  [to
    Sarnia, Ontario]. We had a recent  problem  with  another  guitar
    player. Three months had went by and things  weren't  progressing
    because he hadn't moved down and so we had to do something.  We'd
    rather have dedicated members, people who go "yeah, this  is  our
    goal, I want to be here." That's what we're trying to achieve  in
    finding the two other guys. A want a band with total  commitment,
    but with Cory playing bass, we're able to  play  shows  now,  and
    that's just as important, 'cause we can't  be  cancelling  shows,
    and Cory knows everything already!

CoC: So Cory's not doing vocals anymore?

DC: No, he's gonna be doing the  background  vocals,  and  there's  a
    possibility that he'll be singing one of the songs. It gives me a
    break, and it's just fun too.

CoC: Was he the vocalist on the _Perpetual Sadness_ demo?

DC:  Yes,  that's  Cory  on  vocals.  On  the  _Sonic   Obliteration_
    [compilation] CD from Utopian Vision music, it's  me  singing  on
    that, and the Milwaukee Metalfest CD, that's me ... making noise,
    anyway! We're going into the studio on the 27th and 28th of March.

CoC: After Cory left, you had Andy Phillips on guitar, and you,  Don,
     had taken over the vocals. What led to Andy's departure?

DC: Andy, well, Andy was just  a  temporary  replacement.  He  was  a
    friend of ours, and we needed someone  to  go  do  the  Tennessee
    show, 'cause a lot of our stuff is written for two  guitars,  and
    Andy just said "Hey, I've been listening to you  guys  since  you
    began, and I really like your stuff. I'll fill  in  for  you  for
    these couple of shows." So he  just  came  in  to  help  us  out,
    basically.

CoC: I gather any interested parties thinking of filling one  of  the
     two Inner Misery slots are encouraged to get in touch with you?

DC & BS: Definitely, yeah.

[see band info at end of article - Alain]

CoC: Tell me how well the _Perpetual Sadness_ demo has fared so far?

DC: It did really good, actually, in the first few months,  basically
    because we were pumping it. And then come the wintertime, I don't
    work, so we slow down on our mailing. Then come  the  summertime,
    we weren't interested in selling it as  heavily  anymore  because
    Cory wasn't in the band anymore. The music's still the exact same
    songs, except I sing them, but basically the same way Cory did.

CoC: With all the lineup changes, has the band's sound changed much?

DC: The music hasn't changed, really, 'cause the band is  mainly  the
    two of us. We did basically all the writing. Cory has contributed
    a couple of riffs, and they are cool  riffs,  but  for  the  most
    part, me and Brett will just sit there and  work  everything  out
    and we'll spend a lot of time, like we won't  just  throw  out  a
    riff and say "Hey let's try and cram fifty riffs into this song."
    If the riff sucks, it's gone. We don't sit there and try to  work
    a riff to death. If it's not making me feel anything, if we can't
    feel the energy when we're writing it, then we just drop  it.  We
    figure, if you're on stage, and you're playing the music and look
    like you're bored playing it, how can you expect the  people  out
    there to be enjoying it? We've always had the philosophy that  if
    we're up there getting into it, then even  if  the  people  don't
    like it, they're gonna at least pay a little bit  more  attention
    to it until they decide if they do like it, you  know?  It's  not
    like "These guys look bored, and this music  isn't  that  great."
    Everybody we've had [in the band], we always stress "You have  to
    able to move when you play." We don't  want  nobody  that's  just
    going to stand there, because we're not that type of a band. Cory
    and Sheldon were both always moving around, and of course  I  was
    also as much as I could. Giving the people something to watch  as
    well as something to listen to. Like I say,  if  you  look  bored
    playing it ...

BS: Oh yeah, that really matters. If you have a bunch of guys who are
    just kinda playing, not moving, not  even  looking  like  they're
    into it, they're just going through the motions, as it were,  and
    they just get everybody out in the crowd just looking at you  and
    thinking "Why are you doing this if you don't like it," you know?
    The crowd plays as much off of you than you play off  the  crowd.
    If you're not into it, then the crowd  won't  be.  If  the  crowd
    isn't, you won't be.

CoC: Have you been in the studio  since  the  release  of  _Perpetual
     Sadness_?

DC: Yeah, we went in last year just to  redo  the  vocals  on  "Inner
    Peace" for the [_Sonic Obliteration_] CD. In December we did  one
    complete song called "Dreaming of the End" which is gonna  be  on
    Dark Serene Records' compilation. In a week  and  a  half,  we're
    going in to lay down the guitars and vocals  to  two  more  songs
    that already have drums and bass done for them.

CoC: Where will those two songs be released?

DC: Yeah, we're gonna be putting it out onto  CD  once  I'm  back  to
    work, and getting some money happening, hopefully within the next
    two weeks, 'cause my business is seasonal, so it sucks that  way.
    It's only gonna be a three-songer. It's more of a viable  product
    nowadays because you send it out to a rep or a radio station  and
    they're gonna spin a CD more often than a cassette. So we figured
    it'll cost us a few more bucks, but we get  more  back  from  it.
    It's well worth it. We're hoping people like it. We're getting  a
    lot of compliments for "Dreaming of the End", the song we did  at
    Signal To Noise in Toronto with Rob Sanzo who  has  done  Mundane
    and some other bands.  People  are  going  "you  guys  sound  way
    heavier," and it's not so much that we're ...

CoC: What are your plans for the next year or so?

DC: Well, we're gonna have this CD out hopefully by the end of April.
    We're gonna put out some advance cassettes  in  the  meantime  so
    that people can hear this stuff. We will be selling cassettes  of
    it also because not everybody has a CD  player.  In  June,  we're
    playing the Michigan  Deathfest  with  Hypocrisy,  Brutal  Truth,
    Kataklysm, Vital Remains, Lucifer's Hammer, and I can't  remember
    who the hell all else. There's I think 13  bands.  It's  on  June
    29th. Hypocrisy will be headlining. The Tennessee one was  really
    cool, too. There  was  Gorguts,  Immolation,  Internal  Bleeding,
    Cryptopsy, Ancient from Norway ... I can't even remember all  the
    bands for that one either.

CoC: So your next show will likely be the Toronto Deathfest on  March
     31st?

DC: Yeah, we're in debate on what to do  about  that  right  now,  if
    we're gonna go down and do it as a three-piece [with  Cory  Evans
    still filling in], or if we can get this other guy that  we  know
    to fill in on bass, and  put  Cory  on  guitar,  doing  it  as  a
    four-piece. But we don't really want to  miss  it  because  we're
    going to be in the studio [in Toronto] that weekend, and we  want
    to start getting tapes out to people. Also, in June, we're trying
    to get a few shows set up with Necrosis from Rhode  Island.  They
    just moved to Florida a couple of months back, but  we're  trying
    to get a few shows set  up  with  them  up  here  in  Canada  and
    hopefully get a couple in the States. Anybody that reads this and
    want to book us, try and get a hold of us! <laughs>

Contact: Inner Misery c/o Don Clark, 381 1/2 George Street
         Sarnia, Ont, Canada, N7T 4P6
         Voice: (519) 336-8466

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

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                |      <|  -__|  __|  _  |   _|  _  |
                |___|__||_____|____|_____|__| |_____|
   ______                     __         __   __
  |   __ \.-----.--.--.-----.|  |.---.-.|  |_|__|.-----.-----.-----.
  |      <|  -__|  |  |  -__||  ||  _  ||   _|  ||  _  |     |__ --|
  |___|__||_____|\___/|_____||__||___._||____|__||_____|__|__|_____|

This is where we rant, rave, and rip apart albums. Check this  column
every month for the scoop on the latest in heavy hand-outs.

Scoring:  10 out of 10 -- If there was ever a perfect CD, this is it!
           8 out of 10 -- A great piece of metallic mayhem
           6 out of 10 -- Not too bad of an album
           4 out of 10 -- You are treading in dangerous waters
           2 out of 10 -- If you like this, you are fucked!
           0 out of 10 -- My shit can put out better music than this!


Pan-Thy-Monium III - _Khaooohs and Kon-Fus-Ion_ (Relapse, March 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (8 out of 10)

Swallow real good before you listen to this one for it will certainly
make your jaw go slack. Yep, get ready  to  be  dumbfounded  as  your
speakers gush riffs that crush,  manic  time-changes  that  slap  you
silly, and leads that drip like honey into your ears.  Cool  keys  as
well - and lots of other surprises that I'm not going to  give  away,
all courtesy of Day Disyraah (who sometimes also goes by "Dan Swano")
and his fellow disciples of Raagoonshinnaahh. This is  just  severely
crazy stuff! The first two songs clock in at over twelve minutes each
(!) and sprint through the course from death  to  doom  to  grind  to
jazz-core to I-don't-know-what again and again and  again.  But  they
never cease to hold your attention, because  the  heaviness  and  the
creativity  never  let  up.  I  guess  the   techno-alien-death-grind
stylings  of  Demilich  are  a  reasonable   comparison   here,   but
Pan-Thy-Monium has a much more diversified and refreshing sound. Very
weird, yeah, but it'll hammer you pretty damn hard and then mesmerize
you completely. Track three,  "Behrial,"  is  a  drop-dead  beautiful
soundscape, the golden haze of a perfect summer day painted in sound.
It's a brilliant set-up  for  the  closer,  "In  Remembrance",  which
commemorates the totally unique entity that was Pan-Thy-Monium.  Yep,
"was" is right: this is the  third  release  from  these  underground
heroes; it's the first to see distribution in North America; and it's
the last we'll ever hear from this truly outstanding band. If  you're
looking for something really powerful, yet completely different, then
this one is not to be missed.

[I've never done this before, but I just HAVE to put my own two cents
(plink, plink) in for this album. Fuck if this isn't the  best  thing
I've heard in over a year, I don't know what is. It would  get  a  10
out of 10 from me because of its sheer brilliance.  I  am  completely
mesmerized by its greatness. I'm telling each and  everyone  of  you,
get this album or YOU WILL ROT AND DIE. It takes a few listens before
the realization of its magnificence hits you,  but  when  it  does  -
watch out - there is no escape. A great album which  I  will  have  a
hard time removing from my CD player. -- Gino Filicetti]


Slayer - _Live Intrusion_  (American Visuals, December 1995)
by: Gino Filicetti  (10 out of 10)

Holy fuck! That's all I could say after the  70-minute  onslaught  of
pure Slaytanic mayhem that this home video  delivers.  Incredible  to
say the least, Slayer have managed to capture the  essence  of  their
insanity on this home video. This video was shot  at  Slayer's  final
concert on the _Divine Intervention_ tour at the Mesa Amphitheatre in
Mesa, Arizona. The film is directed by  NFL  films'  mastermind  Phil
Tuckett, a perfect choice to capture the brutality  which  ensues  at
every Slayer concert. I can safely say that I've never  seen  a  home
video filmed from so many camera angles including a first time  'Mosh
Cam.' There is never a dull moment in this film, and I  have  YET  to
speak about the music. Contained herein are 9 classic Slayer cuts,  5
tracks from _Divine Intervention_ and 1 cover  of  Venom's  "Witching
Hour" performed with the aid of Machine Head's drummer  Chris  Kontos
and singer/guitarist Rob Flynn. As with all home videos, offstage and
backstage footage is included to give the viewer an  inside  look  at
the band. Unfortunately, with the footage they included, Slayer  seem
to be a bunch of immature dumbasses, which of course,  THEY  ARE!  :)
Nevertheless, this video is AN ABSOLUTE MUST for Slayer fans  of  all
ages and for anyone who  has  yet  to  experience  the  mayhem  of  a
Slayer-pit. Also included at the beginning of this tape is  exclusive
footage of the 'arm-carving session'  performed  on  the  crazy,  but
willing fan who appears on the  _Divine  Intervention_  CD  cover,  a
gruesome ordeal to say the least.


Various - _In Memory of Celtic Frost_  (Dwell Records, March 1996)
by: Nick Bassett  (7 out of 10)

This album is a compilation of 14 bands  performing  songs  from  the
legendary Celtic Frost and Hellhammer.  The  promo  tape  I  received
contains the following tracks: Morgion - "Innocence and Wrath  /  The
Usurper",  Enslaved  -  "Procreation  of  the  Wicked",  Slaughter  -
"Dethroned Emperor" (this is not the Slaughter who play  glam  metal,
this is the true Canadian  cult-band  Slaughter),  Mayhem  -  "Visual
Aggression", Inner  Thought  -  "Morbid  Tales",  Sadistic  Intent  -
"Return to the Eve", Cianide  -  "Dawn  of  Megiddo",  Divine  Eve  -
"Visions of  Mortality",  Grave  -  "Mesmerized",  Apollyon's  Sun  -
"Babylon Fell", Opeth - "Circle of the Tyrants", Closedown  -  "Danse
Macabre", Emperor -  "Massacra",  13  -  "Triumph  of  Death".  Total
running time is about 70 minutes. Features a lengthy biography of the
Celtic Frost story, which I thought was surprisingly good. Some  more
observations:

o The Enslaved track features Ivar on guitar, bass and drums;  Grutle
  does an amazing Tom G. Warrior vocal impression!
o Yes, "Visual Aggression" is done by the *new* Mayhem.
o The Emperor track features Dirge Rep (Gehenna) on drums.
o  Short  (1-2  paragraph)  biographies  are   included   for   every
  contributing band except Emperor.
o Apollyon's Sun features Stephen Priestly and,  of  course,  Tom  G.
  Warrior himself. It also  features  some  interesting  high-pitched
  vocals, done either by a female, or by a man whose  testicles  have
  been eaten off.

There are some surprises to be found here, but overall  I'd  have  to
say that most of the tracks have not been  changed  too  drastically.
The only one that is completely different would be  "Danse  Macabre".
There is actually a lot of quality stuff on here. Recommended for any
fan of Celtic Frost and Hellhammer who want to hear the old favorites
with a new sound.


Edge of Sanity - _Crimson_  (Black Mark, April 1996)
by: Gino Filicetti  (9 out of 10)

Wow! If you've never thought a  40-minute  song  was  ever  possible,
think again! Dan Swano and his cohorts have lived up to their promise
and delivered _Crimson_, a song that not only enthralls the listener,
but makes time absolutely fly by while listening  to  it.  If  you've
read the interview with Swano in CoC #4, you already knew  what  this
mastermind was up to. For about 2 weeks at the end  of  '95  and  the
beginning of '96, Edge  of  Sanity  locked  themselves  up  in  Dan's
Unisound Studios and started the  creation  of  _Crimson_  completely
from scratch. In about 24 hours, the basic ideas for the  music  were
laid out, and the lyrics were written in another 24 hours. The  music
on this album combines all the elements that have made up the Edge of
Sanity sound since their first album, _Nothing  But  Death  Remains_.
_Crimson_ goes from the most brutal end of the  musical  spectrum  to
the most melodious and back again. The lyrics are conceptual and tell
the tale of a world in the distant future  where  good  battles  evil
only to turn into evil itself and be beaten  by  the  new  forces  of
good. Confusing? Yes. Interesting? Most definitely. It's safe to  say
that Edge of Sanity have created an epic that will forever  have  its
place in history, not only because of its extreme length, but because
of its musical mastery.


Gorefest - _Soul Survivor_  (Nuclear Blast, April 1996)
by: Gino Filicetti  (7 out of 10)

Acclaimed as the most successful Dutch band of all time (as per their
bio), Gorefest are back with their fourth effort in their seven  year
career. When I first put on this album, I couldn't believe that I was
listening to Gorefest. It was the same feeling I had when I popped in
the latest Napalm Death for the first time. This album starts off  in
a very ... well, the only way to describe it is, in a very  non-heavy
way! The music just doesn't seem powerful at all. However,  the  band
redeems itself as soon as the vocals come into play.  At  this  point
the music starts pounding away and the vocals of Jan-Chris de Koeijer
are as heavy and forceful as ever. This album definitely shows a  lot
of progression on the part of  the  band,  but  is  it  the  kind  of
progression we wanted to see? That I do not know. But what I do  know
is that the vocals carry the entire album, and that I  wouldn't  have
even thought of giving a rating of  7  without  them.  Also  included
after some silence at the end of the last  track  is  a  little  'jam
session' hidden track. Now THAT'S the kind of music I'd like to  hear
on the entire album, but I guess when you get a taste  of  the  money
that goes along with mainstream life, there is no heading back.


Abigor - _Nachthymnen (From the Twilight Kingdom)_
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (6 out of 10)  (Napalm Records, November 1995)

Still available (in North America) only as an  import,  this  is  the
much-awaited follow-up to the 1995 MCD _Orkblut: The Retaliation_, on
which Abigor advanced from the rawer sound of their full-length debut
into realms at once speedier and more melodic.  _Nachthymnen_  builds
confidently upon that progression,  weaving  together  an  even  more
complex pattern of time changes, different  voices,  speedy  guitars,
creepy interludes, and synthesizers galore.  Especially  notable  are
the occasional contributions of  vocalist  Elisabeth  Torisen,  whose
crystalline tones can make the hair stand up  on  the  back  of  your
neck. The overall sound is quite similar to that of Emperor's _In the
Nightside Eclipse_, but with a  -much-  clearer  production.  For  my
money, though, the songs on this release often  disappoint.  My  main
gripe, I guess, is that there just aren't that many hooks - there are
probably a hundred  different  riffs,  but  only  a  few  are  really
engaging. Abigor definitely create a rich and varied  sound  on  this
CD, but the spine of the whole structure is often a riff that doesn't
grab your attention. Still, I definitely do like "Revealed Secrets of
the Whispering Moon" and "A Frozen Soul in a Wintershadow". If you're
into the more musical black metal bands like  Emperor  and  Enslaved,
then this outfit is definitely worth checking out. But if I were you,
I'd try out _Orkblut_ first. (I rate that one an 8.)


Chum - _Dead To The World_  (Century Media, March 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (9 out of 10)

Like an archer hitting a bull's-eye dead-on, this debut album by  the
Huntington, West Virginia quartet is pure marksmanship ... or in  the
band's case shall I say musicianship? The  amalgamation  of  harmonic
bliss and chaotic guitar riffs sets this band ahead of the pack  with
a triumphant bit of genuinely  open  and  sure-fire  songwriting.  No
sooner than the first track "Stepping On Cracks" begins  do  we  feel
the intensity that Chum are willing to reveal  to  us  through  their
music - and it only gets heavier. Much like the style  of  labelmates
Only Living Witness (though more hard-edged to some  degree)  or  New
York's Helmet and Quicksand, Chum are so far between styles with each
song, it is too hard to pinpoint exactly where  they  belong  in  any
critical classification  spectrum.  Chum's  album  spews  forth  such
dynamically  strong  numbers  as  "Greetings",   "Untouchable",   and
"Halfway Home" (_DTtW_ even has a cover of [the artist formerly known
as -- Alain] Prince's "Darling Nikki"),  and  can  only  be  seen  as
something  of  pure  aggression.  Not  'Rip-Your-Fucking-Heart-Out!!'
aggression, but packed with enough energy that it'll  knock  you  off
your feet several times before you can  hit  the  stop  button.  Chum
wants your attention. Now!


Crimson Relic - _Purgatory's Reign_  (Nuclear Blast, March 1996)
by: Gino Filicetti  (4 out of 10)

Hailing from California, Crimson Relic was born out of the  ashes  of
the late Divine Eve. Xan Hammack is the only  member  left  from  the
previous band, and he has joined forces with  Morgion's  Rhett  Davis
(drums and timpanis) to form this  old  school  black  metal  wannabe
outfit. One word can describe this album - repetitive. Perhaps it  is
because Xan saw it necessary to take on all the  responsibilities  of
vocals, guitars, and bass himself. The guitars here are simplistic at
best,  the  bass  non-existent,  the  vocals  are  as  weak   as   my
grandmother's and the drummer is half decent, if even that.  I  guess
the problem with this album is that they  are  about  ten  years  too
late, and therefore it's hard to take  these  guys  seriously.  Don't
waste your cash with this one, just crack out the  old  Celtic  Frost
albums instead, this one's a bust.


Divine Sin - _Winterland_  (Black Mark, February 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (6 out of 10)

While struggling for almost seven years to make a name for themselves
with playing out and multiple demos and line-up  changes  we  finally
have the debut album by Swedish  death/progressive  metallers  Divine
Sin.  While  primarily  drenched  in  a   total   progressive   metal
atmosphere, _Winterland_ manages to allow the harshness and brutality
of some death metal riffs and vocal styles to  be  placed  throughout
the  record.  I  found  numbers  like  "All  Alone",   "Children   Of
Conformity", and "Years Of Sorrow" to act as  the  spokesman/standard
of what this band is providing us. The emotions are there, thanks  in
part to the musical stylings and sounds of the  progressive  metallic
output as is the intense edge  that  this  band  adds  to  that  with
growls, heavier riffs, etc. While it has taken the band this long  to
release a debut, what they have learned with  this  outing  and  what
they continue to create can only be seen in due time. But from what I
can see, the future looks pretty good if they stick  with  what  they
have. An adequate listen for progressive metal  fans  who  need  this
type of music a bit harsher.


Kreator - _Cause for Conflict_  (Noise, 1995)
by: Alain M. Gaudrault  (7 out of 10)

Mille Petrozza has redefined Kreator once  more.  Personally,  I  was
hoping for an expansion on the direction taken  with  their  previous
release, _Renewal_, which  featured  a  highly  mechanical,  yet  not
entirely  industrial,  musical  approach  with  enough   melody   and
interesting hooks to keep me interested. Perhaps  the  backlash  from
longtime fans and declining sales have prompted a return to a heavier
sound. Unfortunately, Mille has chosen  a  sound  which  incorporates
some of the more annoying trends in metal these days brought upon  by
bands such as Biohazard, Machine Head, and even Sepultura. The vocals
are  most  noticeably  different,  oftentimes  mildly  emulating  the
vocalists of the above mentioned groups. The  hardcore  influence  is
apparent, particularly in their choice of cover songs, a  track  from
Italian hardcore metallers Raw Power. Despite its  shortcomings,  the
album does have some redeeming qualities. After  all,  we're  talking
about a Kreator record. There are some cool  riffs  throughout,  some
nifty vocal effects here and there, and the occasional  throwback  to
an older Kreator sound. While it took me a number of listens,  I  did
come to appreciate this album, although I can't say that it has a lot
of staying power.


Enthroned - _Prophecies of Pagan Fire_  (Evil Omen, December 1995)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10)

Here we have yet -another- new black metal band who  seemingly  comes
out of nowhere (actually, Belgium) to  deliver  an  excellent  debut.
Enthroned aren't scoring any points for  originality  -  but  then  I
don't suppose they're really trying to, do you? Nope, they're scoring
points for their  totally  ripping  delivery  of  fast  black  metal,
interspersed with some very good leads and even some crunchy riffing.
Vocals are the standard high-pitched harshness, and keyboards add  an
extra dimension to the sound without becoming overbearing.  How  does
this trio stack up against the competition? Well, they're posing here
with a big sword, an ax, and a pretty mean looking  flail.  So  let's
see: that means they could probably hold their own against Abigor  in
a fight, but might have a tough time with Marduk - who, besides being
a  quartet,  have  two  -very-  large  and  sharp-looking  axes.  But
seriously, when it comes  to  the  music,  Marduk's  excellent  _Opus
Nocturne_ is a good point of comparison, although Enthroned generally
go in for a bit less breakneck speed and a bit more  metallic  punch.
They also change tempos with more frequency than a lot of other black
metal bands do, which makes their ferocious delivery that  much  more
impressive. Check out "As the Wolves Howl  Again"  for  proof.  As  I
said, musically there's really nothing new going on here, but there's
still a great deal of skill and conviction on display. I give it high
marks for achieving just what it sets out to achieve: blasting out of
your speakers like the shockwave from a hydrogen bomb.


Imprecation - _Theurgia Goetia Summa_ (Repulse/Sepulture Prod., 1995)
by: Gino Filicetti  (4 out of 10)

Signed to Spanish label Repulse Records but  hailing  from  good  ol'
Texas is Imprecation. One look at the packaging of this CD and  you'd
think that this band was another  one  of  Repulse's  European  Black
Metal bandwagon bands. The cover art depicts a  Satanic  last  supper
with Satan rising in the background in all his majesty  ...  complete
with a hard on! Haha, I couldn't help but laugh when I laid  my  eyes
on that one. The band is a  three-piece  with  vocalist/bassist  Mark
Beecher in true pseudo-Emperor fashion,  donning  his  own  blend  of
corpse-paint. The music on this  release  consists  of  two  separate
entities it would seem, one being the heavy guitar, blast beat  death
metal style with the guttural monotone  vocals  that  can  barely  be
heard; and the other is the black metal super fast guitar riffs  with
the high screeching vocals.  MAKE  UP  YOUR  MIND,  says  I,  as  the
transition from one style to the other isn't  very  clean.  One  good
thing I neglected to mention  about  this  CD  is  the  inclusion  of
lyrics. For once a band  is  smart  enough  to  actually  write  down
whatever the hell it is they are talking  about,  even  if  -  as  in
Imprecation's case - the lyrics are shitty anyway. Despite  all  this
negativity, I do have a favorite track on this album,  "Vomit  Floods
of Christian Remains" (kewl title, eh?). The riffs in this song  have
a good grind to them, and the vocals are  at  least  tolerable  here.
Overall, I don't think this album breaks ANY new ground, so I'd steer
clear of it.


Neurosis - _Through Silver in Blood_  (Relapse/Release, March 1996)
by: Gino Filicetti  (6 out of 10)

This album marks Neurosis' fourth venture into the world of  recorded
sound. This ten year old Oakland band has  seen  many  changes  since
their first album _Pain of Mind_ which was for  the  most  part  just
another furious hardcore album. Nowadays the band has evolved into  a
form which is beyond the scope of any single genre.  This  album  has
been touted as the ultimate musical experience of our age. Umm ...  I
don't think so. Although not a TERRIBLE album, I didn't  find  enough
hooks or interesting parts on this  disc  to  keep  me  from  falling
asleep. The vocals here are still  very  much  the  typical  hardcore
yellings, but with an  industrial-edged  distortion  added  to  them,
perhaps in an effort to hide what  they  really  are.  Two  songs  in
particular that I thought  dragged  on  forever  were,  "Purify"  and
"Strength of Fates" as well as the 11+ minute opener, "Through Silver
in Blood". Try them out if industrial/hardcore is your thing. If not,
don't blink twice at this CD.


Nifelheim - _Nifelheim_  (Necropolis Records, 1995)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (7 out of 10)

Well, it has finally happened: the first totally  retro  black  metal
band. Way back in  the  days  before  death  metal  exploded,  before
everybody   started   down-tuning   and   gurgling   about   fetuses,
'necrotomies' and what not, there were bands like Sodom, Destruction,
and Kreator. On seminal early releases like  Kreator's  _Pleasure  to
Kill_ and Sodom's _In the Sign of Evil_, these outfits cranked up the
speed and the viciousness to heights  just  barely  glimpsed  by  the
likes of Venom and Slayer. Hearing Nifelheim rip through eight tracks
in 29 minutes, you get the impression that  these  guys  have  hardly
ever listened to anything else save the first two Bathory albums  and
the debut record by Possessed. So  if  you're  a  fan  of  the  crazy
mid-80's sound that pre-dates  the  emergence  of  black,  death  and
thrash  as  largely  distinct  metallic  styles,  you'll   definitely
appreciate Nifelheim. If you're not  familiar  with  all  this  older
stuff, you could do worse  than  to  check  this  out  and  hear  the
maniacal style that inspired so  many  different  facets  of  today's
underground scene. "Unholy Death", "Possessed by Evil", and "Storm of
Satan's Fire" are especially noteworthy tracks, but the  entire  disc
rips it up pretty good.  Definitely  a  welcome  departure  from  the
current metallic norm.


Profane Grace - _The Divination of Souls_  (Gothic/Sepulture Prod.)
by: Gino Filicetti  (7 out of 10)

This disc is perhaps one of the most mysterious,  weird  and  utterly
cool CDs I've laid my ears upon.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  I  know
absolutely nothing about  this  band  except  their  names;  Xastiel,
Vrathurn and Zorsith. I don't even know when this album was released,
but one listen to the  contents  of  this  CD  and  all  the  mystery
surrounding it seems somehow fitting. The music here, if you can call
it that, is pure ambience with a VERY light touch of synth work  here
and there. There is, however, a focus on vocals which are very echoed
and evil sounding growls, gurgles, grunts, and groans from  all  over
the vocal spectrum. This album contains seven tracks  and  totals  51
minutes in length. One particularly interesting part is on the second
track, about 7:40 into the song. Adrian and I were at  my  house  one
day doing some work whilst listening to this record  when  this  part
came on, which  is  basically  the  vocals  screaming  out  from  the
speakers ... "Adrian!" It totally tripped out both of  us  and  shows
how freaky this album is. This record is definitely one that'll scare
your girlfriend shitless, and send your mother to the priests  asking
for an exorcism.


Helloween - _The Time of the Oath_  (Castle Records, March 1996)
by: Alain M. Gaudrault  (6 out of 10)

I've been a Helloween fan since the release of their debut  eponymous
EP ... in varying degrees. This classic German power metal outfit has
seen many lineup changes, and a significant change in focus regarding
musical direction. Their two previous outings, _Master of the  Rings_
and _Chameleon_, left me rather unimpressed. _The Time of the  Oath_,
the second album with the current lineup featuring the  band's  third
lead vocalist Andi Deris, is a pleasant surprise. While not quite  as
serious as I would prefer,  this  album  nonetheless  showcases  some
excellent guitar work. In fact, it is the guitar work which makes the
album enjoyable and worthy of several listens. Admittedly,  Helloween
is still  writing  1980s-influenced  metal  with  a  significant  pop
orientation, but for what it is, it's excellently crafted. My biggest
beefs are the overly cheesy bits interspersed such as the song  title
"Anything My Mama Don't Like", and the sappy  first  few  minutes  of
"Forever & One (Neverland)". I'm also not too  fond  of  Andi  Deris'
vocals, which remind me too much  of  a  cross  between  Claus  Meine
(Scorpions) and Ugly Kid  Joe's  vocalist,  who's  name  I  can't  be
bothered to look up [Whitfield Crane, yes, I AM embarrassed  to  know
it  :)  --  Gino].  While  Andi  can  carry  a  tune  just  fine,  he
unfortunately adds an additional air of  pop  commerciality  which  I
often find inappropriate for the underlying music. A worthy  purchase
if you're into melodic power metal.

Helloween can now be reached by e-mail at helloween@castleus.com,  or
on the Castle Communications WWW page at http://www.castleus.com/


Ron Thal - _The Adventures of Bumblefoot_  (Shrapnel, 1995)
by: Brian Meloon  (4 out of 10)

When I first heard Ron's "Chopin Fantasie" on Shrapnel's  1992  comp,
_Ominous Guitarists from the Unknown_, I was blown away. Upon hearing
that he was releasing his first solo album, I had high hopes for  it.
Unfortunately, neither that track nor anything else that good  is  on
this album. Instead  what  we  get  is  an  unfocused  collection  of
primarily rock instrumentals. Ron is definitely  a  great  guitarist,
with a distinctive style - when he chooses to play  it.  He  plays  a
fluid sort of jazzy-metal, sounding almost like he's  playing  random
notes, or what I'd call  "computer  music."  It's  definately  not  a
linear sound, and I really like it. Unfortunately, Ron  doesn't  take
the music seriously enough on this effort, instead going for a  goofy
style, trying to be humorous. Sometimes it sort of works, but most of
the time it doesn't. The other big complaint I have is that Ron tries
to cover too many styles, including an almost flamenco-style acoustic
piece, and the obligatory banal bluesy stuff. The production is up to
the  usually  excellent  Shrapnel  standards,  and  the  playing   is
wonderful, but this needs focus and some inspiration. As  it  is,  it
sounds like a good, versatile guitarist trying to prove he's a  good,
versatile  guitarist.  Ron  has  much  more  potential  than  he   is
exploiting.


Serpent - _In The Garden of Serpent_ (Nuclear Blast, March 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (6 out of 10)

The bio of the band refers to them as  something  like  "the  bastard
child of Motorhead and The Obsessed" -  I  really  don't  know  about
that?! The music  of  Serpent  (which  consists  of  ex-members  from
Entombed and Therion) is quite heavy  but  more  in  a  rock  fashion
rather  than  the  brutal  and  harsh  speed-like  offerings  of  the
aforementioned bands. There are  also  many  Sabbath-esque  qualities
that are quite evident in numerous numbers  with  the  way  they  are
assembled and delivered. Also  evident  is  the  dirge-like  metallic
characteristics of such bands as Kyuss, Monster Magnet, and  Trouble.
This album works more off groove and feedback than  heavy  riffs  and
speed. While the groove may be the most appealing factor to Serpent's
debut, the sincere attitude of the band proves to be a worthwhile gem
as well. It just seems that the band is not out to play the  heaviest
riff or be the loudest  band,  rather  they  focus  more  on  writing
strong, memorable numbers like "Stoned The Dawn", "Lost Dreams",  and
"Magic".


Svarog - _Svarog_  (Elegy, January 1996)
by: Steve Hoeltzel  (4 out of 10) ... (Bio: 10 out of 10)

This cassette-only release from Elegy is notable less for  the  music
contained upon it,  which  basically  sucks,  than  for  the  totally
over-the-top black metal boasting that dominates  the  packaging  and
the accompanying bio. You see, Svarog  claim  to  be  members  of  an
ancient Central European barbarian tribe which inhabits, to this day,
"a harsh region that has survived untouched by foreigners with  their
silly ideas." "Centuries  ago,"  we  are  told,  "they  beheaded  all
intruders - an act still symbolized in  the  ritual  decapitation  of
their monstrous cattle." Ahem. Also, Svarog claim  to  have  recently
chopped off the head of a very unlucky  (and  very  anonymous)  black
metal musician from Norway. Okay ... But the  offending  head-remover
"was sentenced to work in the uranium mines for  life,"  which  means
that Svarog now only has one member. That would  be  Strashidlo,  who
has apparently declared war on  the  remaining  members  of  Norway's
"Inner Circle." Well, Strashidlo, I hate to say it, but musically the
Norwegians  (and  pretty  much  everybody  else)  totally  kick  your
boasting barbarian butt. Okay, so the agility of your  playing  hands
is limited by  those  boulder-punching  warrior  rites  designed  for
"fusing the first two knuckles into one impaling knob." And yeah, you
have created a very chaotic sound, one that reminds me a lot  of  old
Beherit material, but that's about all  I  can  say.  You  definitely
haven't come up with anything I'd really recommend to anybody else.


Warlord U.K. - _Maximum Carnage_ (Nuclear Blast, March 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley  (4 out of 10)

The thing that bugs me about this band is the fact that the  blending
of old school thrash and death-ish vocals and music  styles  seem  to
clash, making the music on _Maximum Carnage_ seem a little too  loose
and scattered rather than a solid sludge of noise. There is  no  real
emotion, no direction and most of all, hardly any intensity found  on
_Maximum Carnage_. Don't get me wrong, the  band  (comprised  of  two
Benediction members: Dave Ingram and Neil Hutton) can and does  shred
some heavy shit like the title track and "Race War", and they  do  an
outstanding cover of Slayer's "Raining Blood". But somewhere  between
growls and the 'dat-a-dat' of the drums and the guitar riffs we  lose
interest real fast - at least I did. Warlord U.K. deliver a  mediocre
blend of music and that's about it.

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Your best source of information on the newest of the  new,   and  the
lowest of the underground, New Noise is  the place to  read about all
the coolest  shit you never  thought existed! And if you have a band,
don't  forget to  send us your  demo  with a  bio if you  want  to be
reviewed; our address is included in the zine's header.


Perpetua - _Irrational_  (12 track demo)
by: Gino Filicetti

I'm confused. This tape has all the appearances of being a  demo,  no
sign of any record label affiliation anywhere, so  I'm  reviewing  it
here. However, the bio states that Perpetua has  been  picked  up  by
Pavement and that their previous efforts  have  been  distributed  by
Relapse (US) and Napalm (Europe). WTF? Anyways, regardless of whether
this tape is an indie or not, it rocks! The production of  this  demo
is superb considering it was recorded, mixed and mastered in a  scant
90 hours at Digiart Studios. The band themselves hail from Argentina,
and show some of their South American background by including certain
tribalistic sounds  on  their  tape,  much  like  the  new  Sepultura
(however, let it be known that this demo was around first). The music
has a very strong presence and power, and sounds a  little  too  much
like Fear Factory's  _Demanufacture_.  The  vocals  especially  sound
identical  to   Burton's   "new   found"   vocal   style,   and   the
instrumentation has that slight industrial feel as well. Whether this
fact makes you hate this tape or want to get it is up to you,  but  I
would definitely recommend this to anyone interested.

Contact: PERPETUA, C.C. 4612, 1000 Correo Central
         Buenos Aires, Argentina, Voice/Fax: (514) 799-4232
         e-mail: perpetua@grunbaum.biocom.com


Puzzle Head - _Missing Pieces_  (5 track demo)
by: Gino Filicetti

This East Coast band is  the  brainchild  of  Mike  Potter  and  Mike
"Serial" Greenhall, the sole members  of  Puzzle  Head  (formerly  in
Stentor). This "EP" is a nicely packaged  CD  including  full  colour
liner notes and top notch production. The music on this  CD  is  most
definitely death metal, but not the every day generic death you might
be thinking of. The two Mikes  incorporate  many  different  elements
into their music making for quite a varied effort on their part.  The
first track, "Filth Inside", starts off as a blast beat  ridden  slab
of music. The vocals on this song, and throughout the rest of the CD,
are the very deep guttural type of growls. The drumming on this CD is
of the utterly annoying "tin can" type, which makes me want to cringe
at times. The second song, "Hate Me", has  a  few  hardcore  elements
worked into it such as off beat drumming, but the  vocals  are  still
very much death metal. The track, "In Memory Remains" is dedicated to
a long-time friend and fan of the band, Allen Ray White  (1975-1995).
Mike Greenhall, aka Serial, is also a poet who utilized the  best  of
his poetry for the lyrics on this demo/EP. I couldn't be bothered  to
decipher the lyrics from the liner notes because the band decided  to
be different and print the lyrics  in  a  ransom  letter  style  font
that's impossible to read. All in all, this demo is interesting,  but
nothing to kill your mother over.

Contact: PUZZLE HEAD, c/o Vampyrum Publicity, 2441 Temple Ct.
         Alexandria, VA, 22307, USA
         Voice: (703) 765-7755  Fax: (705) 765-8280
         or 1-800-571-MOSH


Forward Now - _Smileremover_  (6 track demo)
by: Brian Meloon

Forward Now is a two-man industrial/metal project from Rochester, NY.
I'm not a big fan of industrial, but there seems to be a good  amount
of it going around these days, so I've heard my share. The production
here is a little lacking, but not too bad considering that this is  a
demo. All of the standard industrial  elements  are  here:  distorted
shouted vocals, techno-like beats, and of course  samples  (including
the obligatory porno-movie sample). They also add a good  variety  of
metallic influences, from doom to grind to a black  metallish  sound,
and a variety of vocal stylings, the most effective being the melodic
clean vocals. Most of the music is heavy, bringing to mind  Strapping
Young Lad, but there are enough "light" (not atmospheric) sections to
keep it from overkill. The music is for the most part  pretty  dense,
and less repetitive than most industrial efforts. Some  sections  are
very  complex,  but  some  really  drag  (such  as  the  long  sample
sections), and they have a tendency to include annoying noises  every
once in awhile. Overall, this is a pretty diverse affair, so  if  you
like industrial metal, there's probably something here for you.

Contact: Forward Now, 281A Le Chase Manor Drive
         Rochester, NY, 14606, USA


Spiral Architect - _demo_  (2 track demo)
by: Brian Meloon

Did you think that Scandinavian metal bands all played death or black
metal? Well, think again. Spiral Architect is a Norwegian  band  that
plays a heavy, dark style of progressive metal, and do it better than
anyone else. I'd liken them to a heavier version  of  Dream  Theater,
minus all of  the  cheesy  parts.  Imagine  taking  the  best  (read:
heaviest) parts of _Images and Words_, removing  the  keyboards,  and
then mixing with Helstar or Psychotic Waltz's _A Social  Grace_,  and
throwing in the occasional influence from Fates  Warning  and  Cynic,
and that's what this sounds  like.  Technically,  they're  excellent:
each member really shines on the two songs of this demo.  The  guitar
solos are tasteful and appropriate, the drumming is  dense,  and  the
bassist even gets a cool solo. The (session) vocalist is average, but
doesn't really bring this down, nor does he shine. Although the songs
change rapidly,  they  aren't  vehicles  for  over-indulgent  musical
masturbation. The songs flow very well for the most part (with a  few
exceptions), so well in fact that you hardly notice that one  or  two
minutes have gone by and myriad changes  have  taken  place  in  that
time. Both songs are roughly  through-composed  (with  some  repeated
sections), and hence don't get boring, even after  repeated  listens.
The production is top-notch too. The only flaws I can find are a  few
sections which sound a little too prog-rockish (commercial), and  the
aforementioned seams in the music. Still, this is excellent, so  pick
it up, and watch for their upcoming album ... they'll be signed  very
soon.

Contact: Spiral Architect, c/o Asgeir Mickelson
         Chr. Krohgsgt. 30, N-0186 Oslo, NORWAY
         e-mail: asgeir@gi.no, WWW: http://www.gi.no/Spiral/


Stigmata - _The Gods of Earth and Heaven_  (6 track demo)
by: Alain M. Gaudrault

One look at their WWW homepage and you know who inspired this trio to
pick up  instruments.  While  they  openly  admit  to  being  heavily
influenced by Black Sabbath, I personally found a greater resemblance
to Alice In Chains, particularly in Josh Brock's vocals. In  fact,  I
consider this one of the album's weak points,  not  because  I  don't
enjoy Layne Staley's singing, but because I'm constantly reminded  of
it throughout all 6 tracks. Few people want to hear a band trying  so
hard to sound like someone else, and  I'm  no  exception.  The  music
itself, performed  by  Kyle  Toucher  (guitar,  vocals),  Steve  Vega
(drums, vocals), and Josh Brock (bass, lead vocals), is grinding  and
groovy, much  like  the  two  aforementioned  bands,  but  too  often
unmemorable. This is a fine demo, expertly  packaged  and  very  well
produced,  featuring  some  decent  bottom-heavy  riffs,  but  in  my
opinion, Stigmata needs an infusion of originality. AiC borrowed from
pioneers and created their own style; Stigmata need to do the same.

Send $8US or $10US (overseas), shipping included. Money orders should
be made out to Kyle Toucher.

Contact: STIGMATA c/o Kyle Toucher, 1247 S. Petit Ave. Suite 429
         Ventura, CA, 93004, USA, email: machine@rain.org
         WWW: http://www.rain.org/~machine/StigmataHomepage.html

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      \ \ \L\ \/\ \L\ \/\ \/\ \/\ \__//\  __/\ \ \/ \ \ \_/\__, `\
       \ \____/\ \____/\ \_\ \_\ \____\ \____\\ \_\  \ \__\/\____/
        \/___/  \/___/  \/_/\/_/\/____/\/____/ \/_/   \/__/\/___/


Here is where Chronicles of Chaos gives you the lowdown on the latest
shows coming your way. Check out Chaotic Concerts every month for the
scoop on the bands brutalizing the masses  with  their  own  form  of
terror.


      MORBID ANGEL / AT THE GATES / DISSECTION / SADISTIC INTENT
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                      Live at the Latin Village
               Pico Rivera, California, March 21, 1996
                         by: Nick Bassett

     A chill rose in the air as the satanic hordes of death metal met
on that dark and  stormy  night  in  Pico  Rivera  ...  the  time  of
purification was at hand, and what a brutal purification it was...
     Agonized screams filled the air as  SADISTIC  INTENT,  the  west
coast guardians of old school death metal, took  to  the  stage  with
"Asphyxiation", "Conflict  Within",  "Dark  Predictions",  and  other
morbid  hymns  from  their  1995  _Resurrection_  MCD.  An  excellent
performance, which also included their version of the classic "Return
to the  Eve"  (also  appears  on  the  newly-released  Dwell  Records
compilation, _In Memory of Celtic Frost ..._ - see review section for
details).
     The intermission that followed was filled with the sounds of rap
music, which after about half an hour faded out and were replaced  by
the sounds of "At the Fathomless Depths", the intro  to  DISSECTION's
_Storm of the Light's Bane_ CD. The  bullet-belted  warriors  emerged
one by one onto the stage, and  broke  into  "Night's  Blood"  not  a
moment after the intro  had  drawn  to  a  close.  The  response  was
overwhelming,  though  some  stared  in  disbelief,   perhaps   still
skeptical that such a fine brand of black/death metal (as they prefer
to be called) would ever grace these North American shores.  Up  next
was "Heaven's Damnation" from _The Somberlain_, their 1993 debut  CD.
This  was  received  with  marked  voraciousness,  perhaps  a  little
surprising to some, since  the  album  in  question  had  never  been
released domestically. At about this time in the  concert,  something
went wrong with the electrical system, and everything went  to  hell.
The  florescent  ceiling  lights  came  on,  and  the  music  stopped
abruptly. Vocalist Jon Nodtveit ordered that  the  lights  be  turned
off, though this had no apparent result.  After  yelling  at  various
people on the side of the stage, he simply sat down in the middle and
dragged on a cigarette until the sound people could  get  their  shit
together ... which they eventually did, and the band rounded out  the
show with numbers such as "Retribution - Storm of the Light's  Bane",
"Where  Dead  Angels  Lie",  and  "The  Somberlain"  (finale).  Tight
performance, great show, despite the technical difficulties.
     I'd really like to say that AT THE GATES also  put  on  a  great
show that night, but the fact is they were on the stage and off again
within 10 minutes! Their brief show  began  with  "Blinded  by  Fear"
(opening track on their latest album, _Slaughter of the  Soul_),  and
ended with "Forever Blind", I think it was. Rumor was that  the  show
was "running late," and they had to leave time for Morbid  Angel  (an
excuse I wasn't too satisfied with, since  Morbid  Angel  is  one  of
those bands I see on an annual basis!). I don't know if  that's  what
really happened, but I'd hate to think Morbid Angel insisted on those
kind of terms just so they could play for 1:45 instead  of  1:30.  In
any case, they put on a tight show (if it can even be  called  that),
and I'd really like to see them on another  American  tour  soon  ...
which I've heard rumors of already.
     Ok, soon it was time for the headliners ... MORBID  ANGEL!!  The
lights  finally  went  out  as  the  organ  melodies   of   "Doomsday
Celebration" began to grind (I remember  when  they  used  to  use  a
special, non-album intro tape, but apparently  those  days  are  over
with). The band dominated the stage with "Dawn  of  the  Angry"  from
their latest album, last year's _Domination_. They continued to  belt
out classics old and new, along the lines of: "Where the Slime Live",
"Blood on my Hands", "Dominate", "Melting", "Nothing But Fear", "Eyes
to See, Ears to Hear", "Blasphemy",  "Chapel  of  Ghouls",  "Doomsday
Celebration", "Fall from Grace", "Blessed  are  the  Sick",  "Day  of
Suffering", "Lord of All Fevers and Plagues", "Rapture",  and  "Sworn
to the Black". (Hint: it helps to have a set list in front of you  at
times like this!) Encore was "God of Emptiness". That was  my  fourth
time seeing them, and what can I  say,  it  was  pure  Morbid  Angel:
strong stage presence, tight  performance  (once  again),  and  don't
forget  David  Vincent's  (now  VERY  familiar!)  anti-MTV   speeches
(*yawn*)!! My own personal favorite elements of a MORBID  ANGEL  show
are watching Pete Sandoval play 90 intense, flawless  minutes  dotted
with blast beats; and cheering on Trey "George" Azagthoth during that
frenzied guitar solo in the middle of "Chapel of  Ghouls".  The  only
thing that could have made the show even slightly better for me would
have been if they played more of the  really  OLD  stuff,  especially
"Immortal Rites" (which I'm quite certain they played last time,  and
even on their 30-minute  opening  slot  for  Black  Sabbath  back  in
'93!!). But the set was really quite balanced overall, and so there's
really nothing to complain about.
     Though the phrase "once in a lifetime" seems a bit too dramatic,
this was unarguably the concert of the year for  those  of  us  lucky
enough to witness two of Sweden's greatest bands  sandwiched  between
two  of  America's   best   (and   longest-surviving)   examples   of
consistently brutal, unholy death  metal!!  Judging  from  what  I've
heard, the tour was a successful one for  all  involved  parties,  so
perhaps this will open doors for other such tours. May further hordes
of extreme metal find their way to these shores soon.

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        ________                                    ________
        ___  __/_________  ________________   _________  __/
        __  /  _  __ \  / / /_  ___/_  ___/   _  __ \_  /_
        _  /   / /_/ / /_/ /_  /   _(__  )    / /_/ /  __/
        /_/    \____/\__,_/ /_/    /____/     \____//_/

           ________            _____
           ___  __/______________  /____  _____________
           __  /  _  __ \_  ___/  __/  / / /_  ___/  _ \
           _  /   / /_/ /  /   / /_ / /_/ /_  /   /  __/
           /_/    \____//_/    \__/ \__,_/ /_/    \___/


Welcome to Chronicles of Chaos' tour listing column. Check out  Tours
of Torture every month for the scoop on  who's  coming  to  town  and
where to catch your favorite bands. If you have any information about
upcoming tours, we'd be more than happy to hear about it. Contact  us
at <ginof@io.org>.


EYEHATEGOD with Pachinko
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Apr 18 - Orbit Room, Dallas TX (with Zeni Geva & Today Is The Day)
Apr 19 - Barrister's, Memphis TN
Apr 20 - Cherokee, Louisville KY
Apr 21 - Area 81, Lexington KY
Apr 22 - Grog Shop, Cleveland OH
Apr 23 - Asbury Alley, Buffalo NY
Apr 24 - CBGB, New York NY
Apr 25 - Memory Lane, Baltimore MD
Apr 26 - Twister's, Richmond VA (with Zeni Geva & Today Is The Day)
Apr 27 - Nyabinghi, Morg'town WV (with Chum)
Apr 28 - Woogie's, Columbus OH
Apr 30 - Old Miami, Detroit MI
May 1  - Club Soda, Kalamazoo MI
May 2  - Fireside Bowl, Chicago IL
May 3  - The Chamber, Madison WI
May 4  - Unicorn, Milwaukee WI
May 5  - (to be announced), Iowa City IA
May 6  - Grand Emporium, Lawrence KS (with Hostility)
May 7  - Rock Island, Wichita KA (with Hostility)
May 9  - (to be announced), El Paso TX
May 10 - Emo, Austin TX
May 11 - Deep Phat, Houston TX
May 12 - (to be announced), New Orleans, LA

Skrew with Kreator
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Apr 1  - The China Club, Seattle WA
Apr 2  - The Starfish Room, Vancouver BC
Apr 3  - Moody's, Portland OR
Apr 4  - Berkeley Square, Berkeley CA
Apr 5  - Showcase Theatre, Corona CA
Apr 6  - The Cage, Tucson AZ
Apr 7  - The Mason Jar, Phoenix AZ
Apr 8  - The Attic, El Paso TX
Apr 9  - Showcase, San Antonio TX
Apr 10 - Emo, Austin TX
Apr 12 - The Abyss, Houston TX
Apr 14 - Club Impact, Pompano Beach FL
Apr 15 - Fairbanks Inn, Orlando FL
Apr 16 - The Flamingo, Jasper SC
Apr 17 - The Wreck Room, Atlanta GA
Apr 18 - Jeremiah's, Charlotte NC

Satyricon/Dissection/Gorgoroth
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Apr 11 - Gibus, Paris FRANCE
Apr 12 - Baroeg, Rotterdam NETHERLANDS
Apr 13 - Biebob, Vosselaar BELGIUM
Apr 14 - Tagrijn, Hilversum NETHERLANDS
Apr 15 - Rohre, Stuttgart GERMANY
Apr 16 - Knaack, Berlin GERMANY
Apr 17 - Exil, Trier GERMANY
Apr 18 - Markthalle, Hamburg GERMANY
Apr 19 - Werra-Rhon-Halle, Merkers GERMANY
Apr 20 - Ratskeller, Fraureuth GERMANY
Apr 21 - Jugendhaus, Saalfeld GERMANY
Apr 22 - Zeche Karl, Essen GERMANY
Apr 24 - Chelsea, Vienna AUSTRIA
Apr 25 - Frontiera, Rome ITALY
Apr 26 - Poison Apple, Torino ITALY
Apr 27 - Maribeau, Marseille FRANCE
Apr 28 - Garatge Club, Barcelona SPAIN
Apr 29 - Palha D'Ago, Porto PORTUGAL
Apr 30 - Revolver, Madrid SPAIN

Sacred Reich
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Apr 1  - Golden West Salloon, Albuquerque NM
Apr 2  - Skate N' Play, Clovis NM
Apr 3  - The Attic, El Paso TX
Apr 4  - The Depot, Lubbock TX
Apr 5  - Galaxy Club, Dallas TX
Apr 6  - The Abyss, Houston TX
Apr 8  - Club Impact, Pompano Beach FL
Apr 9  - Fairbanks Inn, Orlando FL
Apr 10 - The Wreck Room, Atlanta GA
Apr 11 - Flamingo, Savannah GA
Apr 12 - Twister's, Richmond VA
Apr 13 - El N Gee, New London CT
Apr 15 - The Rat, Boston MA
Apr 16 - Saratoga Winners, Cohoes NY
Apr 17 - Club A GoGo, New York NY
Apr 18 - Al Rosa, Columbus OH
Apr 19 - Agora, Cleveland OH
Apr 20 - Harpo's, Detroit MI
Apr 21 - The Thirsty Whale, Chicago IL
Apr 22 - The Mirage, Minneapolis MN
Apr 23 - Big Dogs, Cedar Rapids IA
Apr 24 - Rock Island, Wichita KA
Apr 25 - Mercury Cafe, Denver CO
Apr 26 - The Bar & Grill, Salt Lake City UT
Apr 27 - Crazy Horse, Boise ID
Apr 28 - The China Club, Seattle WA
Apr 29 - Town Pump, Vancouver, BC
May 1  - The Boardwalk, Sacramento CA
May 2  - Berkeley Square, Berkeley CA

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

            W H A T   W E   H A V E   C R A N K E D ! ! !
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gino's Top 5

1. Pan-Thy-Monium III - _Khaooohs & Kon-Fus-Ion_
2. God Lives Under Water - _Empty_
3. Slayer - _Live Intrusion_ (home video)
4. Edge of Sanity - _Crimson_
5. Profane Grace - _The Divination of Souls_

Adrian's Top 5

1. My Dying Bride - _The Angel And The Dark River_
2. Only Living Witness - _Innocents_
3. Chum - _Dead To The World_
4. Sepultura - _Roots_
5. No Doubt - _Tragic Kingdom_

Brian's Top 5

1. In Flames - _Subterranean_
2. Various Artists - _A Gathering..._
3. Spastic Ink - _Ink Complete_  (advance)
4. Dark Tranquility - _The Gallery_
5. Twisted Helices - _Traversing a Twisted Path_

Alain's Top 5

1. At the Gates - _Slaughter of the Soul_
2. Obliveon - _Cybervoid_ (advance cassette)
3. Quo Vadis - _Quo Vadis_ (demo)
4. Hidden Pride - _The Encounter of the First Kind_ (demo)
5. Summertime Daisies - _Gathering of Vermin_ (demo)

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

                     T H E   F I N A L   W O R D
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fuck, I can't believe issue #9 is done and gone. Next  month  is  CoC
**** NUMBER TEN **** !! Can you people believe it? I wonder how  many
of the original 80 people who saw the release of  CoC  #1  are  still
around today? Shit, what can I say except a HUGE thank you to Adrian,
Alain, and Brian for all the work they've done and are continuing  to
do for Chronicles of Chaos, and also to  Steve,  who's  been  utterly
helpful and completely cool for the short time  he's  been  with  us.
Last, but not least, I HAVE to thank all 600  of  you,  the  readers,
without whom we'd be writing this magazine for nobody. You guys rule!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #9