) ___ (__/_____) /) , /) /) / (/ __ _____ _ // _ _ ___// / / )_/ (_(_) / (__(_(__(/__(/_/_)_ (_)/(_ (______) /) (/ ) ___ (__/_____) /) / (/ _ ___ _ / / )_(_(_(_) /_)_ (______) CHRONICLES OF CHAOS E-Zine, July 14, 1997, Issue #22 Editor-in-Chief: Gino Filicetti Coordinator: Adrian Bromley Assistant Editor: Alain M. Gaudrault Contributor: Brian Meloon Contributor: Steve Hoeltzel Contributor: Adam Wasylyk Contributor: Drew Schinzel Contributor: Andrew Lewandowski Contributor: Pedro Azevedo Mailing List provided by: The University of Colorado at Boulder --> Interested in being reviewed? Send us your demo and bio to: -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CHRONICLES OF CHAOS 57 Lexfield Ave Downsview Ont. M3M-1M6, Canada Fax: (416) 693-5240 Voice: (416) 693-9517 e-mail: ginof@interlog.com -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DESCRIPTION ~~~~~~~~~~~ Chronicles of Chaos is a monthly magazine electronically distributed worldwide via the Internet. Chronicles of Chaos focuses on all forms of brutal music; from thrash to death to black metal, we have it all. Each issue will feature interviews with your favorite bands, written from the perspective of a true fan. Each issue will also include record reviews and previews, concert reviews and tour dates, as well as various happenings in the metal scene worldwide. If you'd be interested in writing for CoC, drop us a line at mailto:ginof@interlog.com. Concert reviews are especially welcome, but please bear in mind that we cannot accept every submission we receive." HOW TO SUBSCRIBE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You may subscribe to Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending a message with "coc subscribe " in the SUBJECT of your message to . Please note that this command must NOT be sent to the list address . WORLD WIDE WEB SITE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We are currently in the process of constructing a website for Chronicles of Chaos. You can check it out by pointing your web browser to http://www.interlog.com/~ginof/coc.html. If you have any comments or suggestions, please e-mail Brian Meloon . FTP ARCHIVE ~~~~~~~~~~~ All of our back issues and various other Chronicles of Chaos related files are stored in the e-zine archive at ftp.etext.org. Connect to this site using your favorite FTP program and chdir to /pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos. For a description of each file in the archive, check out the README file. You can also reach this site through a web browser by pointing it at: ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos. AUTOMATIC FILESERVER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All back issues and various other CoC related files are available for automatic retrieval through our e-mail fileserver. All you have to do is send a message to us at . The 'Subject:' field of your message must read: "send file X" where 'X' is the name of the requested file. Back issues are named 'coc-n', where 'n' is the issue number. For a description of all files available through this fileserver, request 'list'. Remember to use lowercase letters for all file names. If you experience any problems or are having difficulty, feel free to e-mail us the usual way at . >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Issue #22 Contents, 7/14/97 --------------------------- * Editorial * Loud Letters * Ferocious Features -- Geezer Butler: The Science of Heaviness -- Hanzel und Gretyl: Children for Breakfast * Chaotic Chat Sessions -- Thy Serpent: Ophidian Oration -- Theatre of Tragedy: "If Light Be The Brightest Light..." -- Dominion: Interfacing * Record Revelations -- Abhorrent - _Rage_ -- Acrimony - _Tumuli Shroomaroom_ -- Amber Asylum - _The Natural Philosophy of Love_ -- Arcana - _Cantar De Procella_ / _Lizabeth_ EP -- Various - _Awakenings: Females in Extreme Music_ -- Big Top Karma - _Contagious Bacteria_ -- Various - _A Black Mark Tribute_ -- Crown of Thorns - _Eternal Death_ -- Damnation - _Rebel Souls_ -- Dark Tranquillity - _The Mind's I_ -- Deafness - _Oppressing the Silence_ -- Dimmu Borgir - _Enthrone Darkness Triumphant_ -- Dissecting Table - _Dead Body and Me_ -- Emperor - _Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk_ -- GWAR - _Carnival of Chaos_ -- Hell-Born - _Hell-Born_ -- Hocico - _Odio Bajo del Alma_ -- Ildrost - _High_ -- Incantation - _The Forsaken Mourning of Angelic Anguish_ -- Intestine Baalism - _An Anatomy of the Beast_ -- Lake of Tears - _A Crimson Cosmos_ -- Makina - _Chorizo_ -- Megadeth - _Cryptic Writings_ -- Melechesh - _As Jerusalem Burns... Al'Intisar_ -- Mortal Remains - _No Cash Flow_ -- Satanic Slaughter - _Land of the Unholy Souls_ -- Siebenburgen - _Loreia_ -- ...The Soil Bleeds Black - _The Kingdom and Its Fey_ -- Soma - _Stygian Vistas_ -- Summoning - _Nightshade Forests_ -- Testament - _Demonic_ -- Thy Serpent - _Lords of Twilight_ -- Various - _The Kanada Compilation_ * New Noise -- 34-D - _34-D_ -- Ambivalent Fluxation/Amish Mafia -- Cromm Cruiach - _Cromm Cruiach_ -- Drag Pack - _Drag Pack_ -- Ember - _Chapter II: The Gate..._ -- Hologram - _Into the Hologram_ -- Lucifer - _Lucifer_ -- Manic - _Recollection of What Never Was..._ -- Meth - _Legacy of Vikings_ * Chaotic Concerts -- An Endless Night of Wicked Misery: Infernal Majesty with Endless -- Be Afraid, Be Very Very Afraid: Type O Negative with Fear Factory -- Double-Oh-Orange: Agent Orange with Mess and Swindle * What We Have Cranked * The Final Word =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= E D I T O R I A L ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by: Gino Filicetti Well people, we're back, and only one month to go before we can officially celebrate our second anniversary. From our measly beginnings of 80 subscribers, and a first issue with 2 stories, 8 reviews, 2 demos, and 1 concert review, to what you see before you right now, and a subscriber list that is 1100 e-mail addresses strong, I just want to thank everyone in advance. you'll hear more next month. As with our last anniversary issue, we hope to kill your mailboxes with a huge mega-issue, jammed with some extra columns, and more than our usual amount of stories and reviews. Be afraid, be very, very afraid... Well, it's July, people, and you know what that means? Finally, the Milwaukee Metalfest is almost here! We hope to meet each and everyone of our readers who will be in attendance. So go to our web page, study our pictures, keep an eye out for the CoC baseball cap, and for the bunch of fucking goofs with the CoC flyers and shit. We will be there in full force with five or six of our nine staff members in attendance. Let's all hope this year isn't gonna be another disasterously lame show with ten-minute sets and whatnot. Only time will tell, but as long as the current line-up stays pretty much static, it's looking to be the show of a lifetime. See you all there. That's about it for this month, people. Next month, we hope to surprise you with our anniversary issue as well as something else which I'll leave to your imagination at this time... hehehe, I know, I'm a bastard. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- CORRECTION ~~~~~~~~~~ We have a little correction from last month. For the Enthroned demo review, we apparently printed an old contact address. The NEW address where the band can be reached is: Enthroned, c/o John Oster 2224 Halsey Cr., Davis, CA, 95616, USA mailto:tenebre1@juno.com -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 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, 6 Jun 1997 21:35:45 +0200 From: John Ryden Subject: Hammerfall and EOS Hi, I write to you cause I don't know where to ask... I tried to find an email address for questions in the CoC letter but didn't find any. I hope you don't get angry... Anyway, I have 2 questions -Is it true that Edge of sanity is desolved? And, if so, what other bands do Swano play/write in? -Do you know if there is a way to get the Hammerfall CD here in Sweden? I have been to record stores, but they say that it is a "house of kick" band, and they don't sell in sweden. Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997 From: NKBA TOBME AZTAC KROMOS Subject: "Attention Loud Letters" If your fucking magazine was printed, I would wipe my ass with it. In your last issue, you gave Brutality's "In Mourning" a 6 out of 10! I thought this was one of the strongest releases this year, but you hammered it with remarks such as "feels underdeveloped and sometimes even stale, with riffs that repeat five or six times when the song naturally needs a change." "Intensity of the song is often lost in repetition and bland song structure that creates an anti-climax." "barks out lyrics so cliche, they couldn't even bring a tear to Tammy Faye's eyes.", but these comments describe perfectly all the cheezy black metal krap you fuckers glorify, dedicate 95% of your space to, and try to shove down our throats. What the hell kind of Kommie Konspriracy is this? Or are you just following the latest trend and trying to kiss the asses of the bands that are popular right now, and not necessarily talented? There are a lot of talented death metal bands who konsistantly put out excellent releases, pushing the limits of songwriting skills and technical prowess. But you always diss them and kall them cheezy. Well look at your fucking black metal heros! Their silly image of looking "tough" by wearing face paint and carrying battle axes doesn't impress me, it just makes me want to puke! I think the whole image thing is just something they use to detract attention away from their music so fools like you won't see that there is no thought or skill put into it at all. I ought to hunt you down and slap you, you fucking jerky bastards! Other than that, good job. Hope to see you at the Metalfest! Over & Out. Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997 From: LOIC MAHE <106266.560@compuserve.com> Subject: Can you help me? Thanx for a very helpful magazine. I have so far trusted your reviews and I haven't been disappointed. Unfortunately, I am not too sure about some of your interviews. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean the questions asked are stupid, but are the answers given always worth publishing? I'm refering, for example, to the Within Temptation interview. I love their music, but the interview was downright embarrassing! Right, enough of this. I am in fact writing to obtain some practical information. I am going to New York next month and I was wondering if any of your wonderful staff could give me the address of a good record shop there (I am also interested in second hand CD's) where I can find a better choice of metal music than at Tower Records or Virgin Megastore. Cheers! Loic Mahe Antibes, France Date: Fri, 27 Jun 1997 From: thorn Subject: CoC is GAY When I read a rampantly homosexual publication such as SOD or the Pit I cringe but think to myself, "Well, these people don't know any better, so why even bother critisizing them." But when a piece of filthy, gay, and cumsucking scum that Chronicles of Chaos is spews forth another issue of their magazine claiming to be TRUE(tm) to black metal I get upset. Just yesterday I had the doubtful honor of speaking with the editor of the zine himself, Gino Filicetti. When I voiced my sensible concern with the zine he retorted that his publication has covered black metal thoroughly. He even gave me a list of "black metal bands" which were inteviewed in the zine. Well, besides Summoning (which I like) he mentioned At The Gates (who aren't black metal at all), and Cradle of Faggots. It is a known fact that both Dan Swano and Dani (whom the band members affectionately call Danielle) are gay. Oh, and let's not forget Peter Tantgren, a poser whose attempt of ripping off black metal made him a laughing stock of black metal fans worldwide. Yet, all of the above-mentioned faggots are highly esteemed by the staff of CoC whose sexual preferences are, no doubt, in concord with their gay tastes. If CoC will ever be published it better come printed on a roll of scented pink toilet paper or I'm not buying it. nordlys@cnct.com gorelord on IRC =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ___________ .__ \_ _____/__________ ____ ____ |__| ____ __ __ ______ | __)/ __ \_ __ \/ _ \_/ ___\| |/ _ \| | \/ ___/ | \\ ___/| | \( <_> ) \___| ( <_> ) | /\___ \ \___ / \___ >__| \____/ \___ >__|\____/|____//____ > \/ \/ \/ \/ ___________ __ \_ _____/___ _____ _/ |_ __ _________ ____ ______ | __)/ __ \\__ \\ __\ | \_ __ \_/ __ \ / ___/ | \\ ___/ / __ \| | | | /| | \/\ ___/ \___ \ \___ / \___ >____ /__| |____/ |__| \___ >____ > \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ The meat of the matter lies here. Read on for the juiciest morsels on bands ranging from the reknowned to the obscure. No fat, no gristle, just blood-soaked slabs served hot and ready. Dig in, readers. T H E S C I E N C E O F H E A V I N E S S ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chronicles of Chaos talks to Geezer Butler by: Adrian Bromley Few albums this year will surpass the sophomore Geezer (formerly known as G//Z/R) record called _Black Science_, in my mind. This record has it all: intensity, groove, substance, and above all, creativity. The songs leap out at you with multiple personalities, scratching and carving at your psyche with its pulsating grind and heaviness. This is a truly heavy record. Geezer, the hard driving new band from legendary Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler, had little to show last time out with their TVT debut, _Plastic Planet_, other than a solid, well-crafted record. The record was pure heaviness, an attack which was lead by Butler's sci-fi song writing exploration and Fear Factory singer/screamer Burton C. Bell delivering a blistering vocal assault. Guitarist Pedro Howse and drummer Deen Castronovo rounded out the band. Album number two and things have changed. Out is Bell, who's commitments with Fear Factory had really not allowed G/Z//R to tour much of their debut record and kind of led Butler to search out and find a new frontman for his band. Who would sing for the newly named Geezer? Who would it be? His name is Clark Brown, a relatively unknown singer from Massachusetts. His mission? Keep all things heavy. Mission accomplished. "_Plastic Planet_ was put together so fast," starts Butler on the topic of new record _Black Science_ vs. debut LP _Plastic Planet_. "I just grabbed people and put them in the band to get the record out. I borrowed Burton from Fear Factory. And then I became frustrated because we couldn't really tour with it. I decided that as we were going into making this record, I wanted a permanent lineup, to get a new singer and take him out on tour and to play with us. To be able to play whenever we wanted to. Touring was the main objective for us this record. It looks like we will be able to get out and play this year and that makes me happy." And what does Butler think about his new frontman Clark Brown? "I think he is great. Having Clark Brown in the band has given Geezer an identity now. A lot of people got confused with the record because Fear Factory's LP (_Demanufacture_) was out at the same time, too. People were just getting confused because Burton was singing on both records. While _PP_ was a good album, it never fully had its own identity. This one definitely does. Clark is great and much like Burton, he can sing both aggressively and melodically." He adds, "I like this record because of the variety. I felt that _PP_ had no variety and was pretty much the same record throughout." The thing that helps separate both LPs (in sound and style) was Butler bringing in Brown to add his own personal touch to the music. "When we wrote this record we didn't have Clark in the band yet. He joined after we had written it. He didn't change anything when he came to sing for us. He added to it. His vocals really helped make this record. Doing the next album is going to be great because all four of us will be there from scratch." Butler mentions that the band has already started work on a third Geezer record, something the band is eagerly anticipating, seeing that this will be the second time out with its present day lineup. Butler notes, "I have my own studio at home so we can record and work on stuff when I want to. I do a lot of experimenting in the studio and all that experimentation seems to be carrying over into the new record. Weird vocals and stuff. I'm pretty sure come album number three, you will hear what kind of weird things I am trying to bring into the band." Another thing that helped shape and separate both Geezer records from the pack of other heavy bands is the lyrical content and ideas explored by Butler. His songwriting, as was in his days in Black Sabbath, is still very creative and unique. What does Geezer think is the reason why his sci-fi story-telling goes hand in hand with this heavy music? "I write all the lyrics for my songs. I am just interested in all this stuff. I was into all this stuff back in the Black Sabbath days too. Look at songs like "Iron Man" or "The Wizard". This horror and sci-fi stuff just interests me and what I do is take those ideas and put my own angle on them." He adds, "I have never had to change my style of writing to adapt to a sound or a style we play. I am writing the same way I did when I wrote stuff for Sabbath." "I am creative more than ever when it comes to songwriting now," Butler goes on to explain. "I am constantly writing new stuff now. Whenever I am home I am writing. It's good to see that I still have good ideas floating around in my head." So does Geezer think he still has a lot more to express and do as a musician? "Oh, yeah... I think I still have my 'ultimate' album in me. I'm never 100% satisfied with what I do, anyway. If you are 100% satisfied, then you should just get out of the business and do something else." And seeing that Butler has toured all over the world, recorded numerous records and dealt with the music industry hoopla for years, has he grown tired of it all? He answers, "I'm tired of the 'big' people. All these labels have everything set to a formula. That is why I am glad to be on a label like TVT. They never interfere with the music. The people at Warner, when we were putting together the last few Sabbath records, there would be an A&R guy coming in every day telling us what to change. Bands can't write or create music like that. It's uncomfortable. Bands need to be given space and time to work on their material. I have that now with Geezer." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= C H I L D R E N F O R B R E A K F E S T ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CoC interviews Hanzel Und Gretyl by: Adrian Bromley Few bands over the last little while have been able to create music for the sheer sense of experimentation and creativity. Everyone seems to be following a pattern or trend. Not so for New York-based 'space-rock' weirdos Hanzel Und Gretyl. While not even rock-oriented, as the band's style of music includes techno, industrial, loops, and heavy riffs into their music, the whole sound/idea of the band garners a very futuristic spacey flow to it, capped off by hard-driven musical numbers and odd imagery/lyrics. Over the course of two years, the band has produced some excellent material on their two Energy Record releases, 1995's _Ausgeflippt_ and their latest odd and eccentric conception entitled _Transmissions from Uranus_. Main vocalist and songwriter/space traveler Vas Kallas speaks about the making of _Transmissions from Uranus_ and about life that exists in outer space. "I found time to go to outer space and do research for this record," jests Vas Kallas over the phone. "I'll tell you what, I read a lot of books about the future and that gives me a lot of ideas to write about. This stuff intrigues me and that is why I write about it and this is why we chose to deal with this subject. But this isn't science fiction, this is reality." About some of the books that inspired _Transmissions from Uranus_, she adds, "While we were making the first record, we were totally into watching over and over again _2001: A Space Odyssey_. We got inspired by that film and that may explain why the first album was so mellow. This time around, this album was inspired by books. Books like _The Pleiadian Agenda_ by Barbara Handclow and all these other books. _Earth_ by Barbara Mansiniac and another book called _You Are Becoming a Galactic Human_ which was cool, another book called _Human Evolution_. This is real crazy stuff. This is real stuff and not science fiction. This is like channeled information from past and future lives, mixed with some scientific knowledge. All this stuff makes sense to me. That is me and my world. People think I am absolutely nuts about it, and I can't talk to many people about it, but when I find people that are into it too, we tend to talk for hours about it. Like I said, my music and I are in our own little world." She continues, "The stuff that I write about is real information that scientists say is wrong, but it's more about spiritual, ritualistic, futuristic ideals. That's the subject matter. As for the music, this is where we are at right now. I guess the music is different for us now, as we have gotten our act together and become more solid as songwriters. The first record was just Lupie (programming/guitars) and I, and we did what we felt. But we learned from touring and studio work and those experiences helped make our music better." The band's latest LP is chock full of great numbers (i.e "9d Galactic Center", "Robot Logik", and "Pleiadian Agenda") and totally warped in its own right. The music is a monstrous heapage of samples, riffs, and mayhem all rolled into one solid package. How does Kallas and the rest of HUG assemble the ideas for songs? Is it difficult to bring all those sounds and ideas into one idea? "I dunno... I dunno. It just happens. For example, we are in the studio and find some samples and loops that sound cool and put it together. Both Lupie and I will hear something and go along with it. We add lyrics and music to those sounds and BOOM! you got a song. It just happens. It's magic. You can't really explain how creating music happens. Our music has no formula when we write it." One thing that Kallas and Lupie (the rest of the band is rounded out by bassist Gingerbread and drummer Seven) have going for them is their strong belief in creative control and DIY methods of making music and being in a band. Forget the music industry, i.e. labels, press, etc... - they call the shots. Kallas explains, "I'll tell you right now, the industry does not play any role in my life. I don't have people telling me what songs to write or what to put on my record. I just don't have that and I am happy about that and not being on a major label. Even if people told us what to do, both Lupie and I are the kind of people that would say, 'Fuck off!' I don't care. We like to do what we want to do and if someone starts telling me what to do I will step out of the business. I don't give a shit. We have been lucky so far because we are on an independent label and we have been able to do what we want so far." But is there an agenda for success for HUG? Does HUG think they could be a big thing in this music industry? Kallas starts, "If I answer this question, I will sound like a pompous asshole but... Yeah! I think so. If we had the backing of a U2-type band... forget it. I mean, the ideas we have would be hysterical and a lot more fun than that U2 concert. I mean, duh!? I think we have the capabilities to do so. I would love to be this huge trippy band. If we had the finances we would be like Hawkwind, The Orb, and Pink Floyd, and just go out all the way. Wooh!" Describing the record, Kallas says, "Intellectually, I would tell people that this is a transmission from another planet and from the universe. These are the messages that were brought to me to relay to the public in song form. Sonically, it's like a sci-fi trip. But this is nothing compared to what we are going to do next record. That will be out of control." And what does Kallas do in her spare time? "Spare time? I don't really have any spare time. This is my full-time job. Twenty-four hours a day I dedicate to this and lucky I can do so. I read or screw around with my guitar. I watch a lot of TV and science fiction stuff trying to get ideas. I am really into sci-fi stuff. I'm like one of those Hale-Bopp people." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= _______ __ _ _______ __ / ___/ / ___ ____ / /_(_)___ / ___/ / ___ _/ /_ / /__/ _ \/ _ `/ _ \/ __/ / __/ / /__/ _ \/ _ `/ __/ \___/_//_/\_,_/\___/\__/_/\__/ \___/_//_/\_,_/\__/ ____ _ / __/__ ___ ___ (_)__ ___ ___ _\ \/ -_|_-<(_-) older influences and newer ones. CoC: What inspired you to write the lyrics for "Weaving Fear"? MF: "Weaving Fear" was just a tale of battling with your feelings towards your fears and doubts while trying to get on with shit in life while some people continue to try and keep you down. As for inspiration, I don't know, we just get concepts together and write around them when it comes to lyrics. CoC: When you invited Aaron (My Dying Bride) to do the vocals on "Alive?", did you have the song done, and then thought Aaron would fit nicely, or did you first invite him and wrote the song later? MF: When we wrote "Alive?", we got it done, we put all the phrasing of the lyrics around it, then just decided it would be good to get Aaron to do some singing on it. He lives near us and the studio so we phoned him and asked if he would do it. He did a great job, it sounds cool with it being a slower song, too, which suited it. Also with the fact that he did it, there was a chance other people may pick up our CD just for the fact he's on it... A cunning plan which probably didn't work in our favour. CoC: What's your opinion on the other Peaceville bands? Which one would you recommend to our readers as being the best? MF: I think Peaceville have got some really good bands at the moment and they're all very different in my eyes, rather than just classing Peaceville as a sort of gothic doom label which the press would have us believe. [well, not me personally, but then again, I'm not really "the press" either... -- Pedro] As for the best band, I can't say 'cos they all do different styles of heavy music. You can't compare My Dying Bride to Anathema 'cos it's two totally different styles. MDB do the Dead Can Dance turned into metal stuff and Anathema do the more Pink Floyd atmospheric stuff. Plus recently Hammy has picked up stoner Sabbath-type band Acrimony [see this issue], ex-Carcass band Black Star, and ex-Trouble vocalist Eric Wagners' new band, Lid, so it's a wide variety of metal/rock on the roster now. My personal favourite CD would have to be _Eternity_ by Anathema. I think that it's fucking great and a big step forward for them. CoC: How much help did you get from the more experienced Peaceville bands in this debut of yours? MF: With the album we had no help from any band. We keep in touch with most of the folk in other bands for gigs and stuff, maybe just a bit of advice now again, and keep friendships we've struck up. Everyone gets along with each other fine, from what I gather. Anathema gave us a bit more exposure simply 'cos Michelle, our vocalist, did some vocals on their _Eternity_ CD. CoC: One thing that must be said about _Interface_ is that you manage to have a sound of your very own, namely the vocals. Why did you choose to use such a wide range of vocals? MF: It's basically our preference to use a few different styles of vocals. There are certain parts that complement the old death grunt and ones which require a more melodic approach. Having the best of both worlds is a definite advantage 'cos you're not restricted to one style. I know a lot of people who think female vocals are cliche now, but we use them differently to other bands, I think. Others seem to use more opera-trained singers on doom music, or use women who sound like 10-year old choir girls over a nice little medieval acoustic guitar part, which is -very- cliche to me. Michelle sings as a melodic solid vocalist, it's totally irrelevant to me that she's female, we just wanted a proper vocalist in the band, being male or female never mattered. CoC: Did Michelle have some professional singing experiences before Dominion? MF: This is the first album making band Michelle has been involved with. She's done a lot of singing with pub/club acts in the past, but not done albums. Also it was in a very different style of music than Dominion, too. CoC: How well have you been doing live? MF: We've not done many gigs at all for _Interface_, maybe seven or eight, all in England and Scotland. We had some chances to get to Portugal and Germany but they all fell through. [that really was a shame. -- Pedro] However the gigs we've done in England have been good, the best being support to Cradle of Filth last December. As soon as we get the next album out we should get out into Europe before long, which we really want to do. CoC: Is the band going through line-up changes for the next album? MF: The line-up in the band is exactly the same as before, no changes at all. CoC: Speaking of the next album, is anything scheduled yet? Do you have any ideas of what will change? MF: We're due to start recording again on June 2nd, 1997, again at Academy. We've got nine completed songs ready with a couple more to be written yet. Musically, it's much heavier and rocking than before. A lot darker mood, and no oddball fucking about parts. The new stuff is less technical but much better strong song structures. You'll have to wait and see! CoC: End of interview now... time for a final message... MF: Another thing which will be released soon is the _Peaceville X_ compilation which features all the Peaceville bands doing non-metal cover versions. We have done "Shout" by Tears for Fears and "Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones. Anathema have done two Pink Floyd covers, Paradise Lost doing The Smiths, and The Blood Divine [doing] "Crazy Horses" by The Osmonds... Should be good, that one! I don't know when it'll be released, though. Thanks, Pedro, for the interview. Your support is much appreciated! Keep in touch! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ______ __ | __ \.-----.----.-----.----.--| | | <| -__| __| _ | _| _ | |___|__||_____|____|_____|__| |_____| ______ __ __ __ | __ \.-----.--.--.-----.| |.---.-.| |_|__|.-----.-----.-----. | <| -__| | | -__|| || _ || _| || _ | |__ --| |___|__||_____|\___/|_____||__||___._||____|__||_____|__|__|_____| 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! Abhorrent - _Rage_ (Independent, 1996) by: Pedro Azevedo (6 out of 10) This young Brazilian band released their self-financed debut, _Rage_, in late 1996, showing their thrash/power metal sound to the world. The result? Not bad. In fact, some of the tracks on this 35- minute long album, such as "Eternal Doubt" and "The Witch", are rather good. The main problem about Abhorrent is that they suffer from severe deja-vu. I mean, most of us, if not all of us, have listened to stuff very similar to this several years ago. Still, with a good drum/bass sound and a constantly fast style, the album's not bad at all. Abhorrent are good at what they do, but it's nothing really great, and certainly nothing new either. Acrimony - _Tumuli Shroomaroom_ (Peaceville, 1997) by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10) Peaceville's latest signing, Acrimony, are described as being influenced by the 70s and Black Sabbath, and they sound a bit similar to Kyuss - groove's the main word here. While this is far from being my favourite dish, I was curious to check this album out, as this is not the usual band I'd expect to find playing for Peaceville, who, however, have been updating their roster a lot lately. The result is that I was half-surprised to have enjoyed several parts of it, even though it sometimes gets a tad boring. It's a long album, about 65 minutes, with some very short and some very long tracks, the last few using a more "epic" (i.e. long) approach that doesn't seem to work too well, at least not for me. _Tumuli Shroomaroom_ is the Welshes' second album, a follow up to 1994's _Hymns to the Stone_. The production is very good, as these stoners boost a strong and meaty sound, even though the playing is sometimes a bit "free". All put together, this album is enjoyable if you're feeling good; if you are and happen to be a big fan of groovy stuff, then this is an album surely worth checking out. If you'll only listen to doomy or dark stuff, even when you're feeling good (more like myself), this won't be your favourite album of the year, even though it's most likely still worth a good listen. Amber Asylum - _The Natural Philosophy of Love_ by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) (June Records, June 1997) The majority of the material found here on _TNPoL_ is a very tranquil, atmospheric setting, where leader Kris Force (guitar/violin/voice) helps guide us through the heartfelt halls of our inner self and wallow in her intense emotions. The music is beautiful, sculpted around mesmerizing usage of violins, cellos, and angelic vocals, sounds that beckon at us to come forth and experience sincere and passionate musicianship. While far from any harsh dosage of music, _TNPoL_ caters more to soundscape and soundtrack philosophy than harrowing guitar riffs and screams of anger. This music is meant to help one become at ease with him or herself. This music works for the most part, helping keep us sedated and loving every sound presented to us, but as the album continues it begins to lose a bit of its character. The end result? A record that starts off very promising, mixing beauty and passion, and ending with just drawn out numbers that provide little sparks of interest. An interesting release nonetheless. Arcana - _Cantar De Procella_ / _Lizabeth_ EP by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10) (Cold Meat Industry, June 1997) Just prior to the release of this album, the duo team of Sweden's ambient outfit, Arcana (Peter and Ida), released a limited edition three-song EP called _Lizabeth_. While the EP showcased the band's ever-growing expression of emotions and beauty, the bad thing about the latest 3-song EP was that it was a mere 15 minutes. Surely not enough time to be transfixed with the vibrant and beautiful amalgamations of noise and choir-like harmonies. But as I listen to the full-length LP, _CDP_, one can only be in awe of the triumphant beauty the band has provided us with this time out. Truly breathtaking. Much like the versatile offering of the band's last project, _Dark Age of Reason_, _CDP_ digs deep into the soul and explores all the beautiful and dark angles that life has to offer with masterful precision as seen on the songs "Gathering of the Storm", "The Dreams Made of Sand", and "Cantar De Procella (The Opening of the Wound)". You've got to hear this to believe how powerful the music this band creates is. It's not the heaviness that gets you, it's the passion that'll bowl you over. Various - _Awakenings: Females in Extreme Music_ (Dwell, May 1997) by: Zena Tsarfin (7 out of 10) Despite the overwhelming female presence in the Pagan religions that so many black and death metal bands claim to be influenced by, it seems that the only portrayal of women that spills over into much of their music is of subordinance or sexism. Recognition and respect for a female musician has also been hard to come by, so I was fascinated when I heard of Dwell's plans to put out _Awakenings..._. While the original concept was to compile extreme metal bands that included females in their line-ups, the eleven-track collection is as impressive for the diverse underground groups involved -- the fact that there are women in the bands is just icing on the devil's food cake. Combining favorites such as the gothic Opera IX and Gehenna with legends Demonic Christ and the dirge-like Noothgrush, Awakenings offers a sample of some of the most divergent acts in extreme metal. Also included are songs by Thorr's Hammer, November Grief, Deathwitch, Ebonsight, Witches, Acrostichon, and Damad. If this compilation does not change the attitude of stubborn sexists, at least it will give them a run for their money. Big Top Karma - _Contagious Bacteria_ (Independent, May 1997) by: Adrian Bromley (4 out of 10) One guy, fusing together industrial beats, keyboards, and metal riffs? Sound familiar? Hasn't this been done before? Anyway... BTK is a one-man show led by sole creator Mr. Gib from Vancouver. Heavily doused in industrial/metal cliche sounds and ideas, BTK steamrolls through six angst-ridden numbers about love, truth, and understanding. Again, hasn't this been done before? I hear a lot of Ministry and NIN (go figure!) in this project - too much maybe? I must admit, the numbers are catchy and well-written, but there is just something about rehashed music styles that doesn't turn my crank. Sorry Mr. Gib. Contact: Big Top Kharma, c/o Gibtoons, 709 East 6th Avenue North Vancouver, B.C. Canada V7L 1R5 mailto:gib@mindlink.bc.ca Various - _A Black Mark Tribute_ (Black Mark, June 1997) by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10) From the opening chords of Swedish outfit Soulquake System doing the Prodigy techno-filled number "Firestarter" a la metal, I was hooked. No question about it. While some may wince at the songs covered by the Black Mark band roster - Quorthon doing The Sex Pistols' "God Save the Queen", Edge of Sanity doing a The Police song, "Invisible Sun", or Morgana Lefay doing a somewhat techno-style cover of the classic Kiss number, "Parasite" - this is actually quite a cool listen from start to finish. Granted some covers don't really go anywhere (i.e. Tad Morose doing Savatage's "Power of the Night" or Bathory's lackluster cover of Motorhead powerhouse number "Ace of Spades"), but the remainder of the album is chock-full of unique presentations of the choice songs that each band decided to cover. I think this is a superb way for Black Mark to showcase all their bands, even if the material isn't their own. Great idea and great songs... and by the way, I'm still singing "Firestarter." Crown of Thorns - _Eternal Death_ (Black Sun Records, 1997) by: Drew Schinzel (7 out of 10) As far as Swedish death metal goes, Crown of Thorns is probably the most brutal band out there. With ten songs of energy-packed conviction, _Eternal Death_ contains plenty of your typically sweet melodies, yet also pummels the ears with the kind of blast beats and all-out musical abrasiveness you don't usually find from a Gothenburg-based outfit such as CoT. Genre pigeonholing aside, Crown of Thorns have found a medium between the more brutal European bands such as Altar and Sinister, and more melodic acts like Ablaze My Sorrow, usually leaning towards the former with heavy doses of the latter. "In Bitterness and Sorrow", the third track off the album, is perhaps the best example of this. Commencing with a lone intro guitar riff and quickly moving into a manic blast beat layered over a new, more melodic riff, and accompanied by a rapid vocal delivery, the song develops very nicely into a beautiful example of how good Crown of Thorns -could- be. When it comes down to final judgment, however, CoT haven't really mixed the brutality and melody well enough, and many of the songs come off as feeling unstructured and extremely loose. Add to this a hazy, unsatisfying production which places unnecessary priority on the only average vocals and drums, and you've got an album with much potential, but in the end whose whole is not equal to the sum of its parts. Damnation - _Rebel Souls_ (Last Epitaph Creations, 1996) by: Steve Hoeltzel (10 out of 10) Absolutely killer. Immense, intense, driving death-grind, monumentally powerful and skillfully articulated, its primal energy hammered into an arsenal of distinct and threatening sonic forms, but never dissipated into overdone technicality or squandered in boring descents into sloth. Damnation exudes the monolithic power of titans like Incantation and the weird compositional talent of greats like Morbid Angel - yet their sonic identity is very much their own. Clones they are not. Songs flow like rivers of molten stone, individual sections alternating between crushing slow to mid-paced parts and vertigo-inducing whirlwinds of blasting, sharp percussion backed by jagged, HEAVY riffing. Some riffs are propulsive and guttural; others are patterned around notes that ring out like eerie chimes over stop-start blasting beats. During the faster sections, excellent drum technique pierces the wall of sound, sometimes by rapidly alternating between precision blast beats and neck-snapping, staccato snare drum strikes which keep up the momentum and elevate the rage. Elsewhere, short blast bursts are connected by -ripping-, militant fills. Earthquake, rockfall, cyclone - everything coheres; the songs are not mere piles of parts thrown together, but cohesive totalities packed with moments that send shivers down the spine. I will not even try to capture in words the immensity of the title track... Production is excellent. Great, grim vocals preside over all: no mere gurgling, but a big-chested roar, phrased in a slow and creepy complement to the high-speed instrumental assault. For those who have heard the band's first CD, _Reborn_, this one is a big-time improvement on pretty much every level. _Rebel Souls_. Hell, yeah. Dark Tranquillity - _The Mind's I_ (Osmose, May 1997) by: Pedro Azevedo (10 out of 10) Brilliant from the very start of the first track. And I don't just mean _The Mind's I_: I mean all of Dark Tranquillity's three full- length albums, starting with _Skydancer_ and continuing with _The Gallery_. Brilliant is just the right word for all three of them, and after the first two stayed for a -very- long time in my CD player (I still pick both of them up very frequently, they're two of my favourite albums ever), _The Mind's I_ is by no means a disappointment. In fact, after _The Gallery_, I wasn't really expecting that Dark Tranquillity would manage to keep such a high level; however, much to my surprise, _The Mind's I_ is perhaps even better than _The Gallery_. What happens with _TMI_ is that there's just so much to be found, and it's all packed tight into 45 minutes of pure intensity. It's just that Dark Tranquillity, with their very fast, melodic, and powerful Swedish style, don't need to repeat themselves to keep up the quality: that's why there's so much brilliant stuff on this album, there's really a lot to be listened to here. Most of the songs are shorter than before, less experimental in a way, but the quality's all there; the changes were towards perfecting their very own sound, not necessarily towards clearly changing it just for the sake of change. "Insanity's Crescendo" is a perfect example of DT's mix of aggression, melody, and power, and it's one of the best songs I've listened to in a very long while - in fact, those words apply to the whole album. DT have progressed, yes, have taken the now cliched "step forward", but they didn't need to go softer, or radically change style; yet _TMI_ is no remake of _The Gallery_. Thus, so far, for me this is THE album of 1997. Deafness - _Oppressing the Silence_ (Independent, 1997) by: Adam Wasylyk (7 out of 10) I would sure like to find out what they put in the water over in Quebec because we could sure use some here in Toronto! Yet another cool band from Montreal, Deafness are well taught in the school of brutal death metal. I've always held the opinion that if you play this sort of music, that you do it the right way, a la good production and skilled musicianship. Well, Deafness have those qualities in spades, and most of the seven tracks here are worthy of repeated listens. My only complaint was that sometimes, the speed became monotonous, although admittedly those occurrences were rare. Taking influence from bands like Morbid Angel, Suffocation, and perhaps Incantation (in the vocal department), Deafness could have had a bright future. I say could, because I've recently heard that the band have broken up. Hopefully this'll turn out to be untrue, as I would have liked to hear a future recording. Those who like their death metal brutal should get in contact with the band and get a copy. Contact: Deafness, c/o Martin Lefebvre, 191 de Bourgogne St-Lambert, Quebec, Canada J4S 1E4 Dimmu Borgir - _Enthrone Darkness Triumphant_ by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10) (Nuclear Blast, June 1997) Dimmu Borgir are back, with the successor to the acclaimed _Stormblast_. Now on German label Nuclear Blast, this Norwegian black metal band will surely benefit from a much wider distribution and promotion, as well as possibly better production facilities; for Nuclear Blast, presenting Dimmu Borgir as sort of the new Cradle of Filth might mean a lot of profit. This new album of theirs shows them in top shape, and the major changes concern perfecting and enhancing their old sound. Like guitarist Erkekjetter Silenoz had told us before [CoC #15], "if we had been feeling good and happy about ourselves inside, we wouldn't have been making this kind of music." That's easy to see by checking out any of the band's albums, and _Enthrone Darkness Triumphant_ is no exception; maybe it doesn't have as much doom as _Stormblast_, but it certainly is a very dark and doomy piece of symphonic melodic black metal. Keyboardist Stian Aarstad is back after _The Devil's Path_ MCD, and thus the band's sound resembles _Stormblast_ in a way, but it's faster now, and much more powerful; in my opinion, clearly better. This album was engineered by Peter Tagtgren (Hypocrisy), and the outcome is a very strong and polished sound. Melodies are everywhere on this album, and the shredding black metal parts show up all the time as well - both really high quality, just about as good as it can get. In fact, this 9 I'm giving them is -very- close to an even better rating, as this is now one of my favourite black metal albums ever. I must also mention the very dark and well done digi-pak artwork. One thing that could have been better, however, is that Dimmu Borgir could have attempted to link their epic sound to tracks of a more epic length (the average length is about 5 minutes). Still, _EDT_ is one hell of an album and Dimmu Borgir is a name that you'll most certainly hear very often in the future. Dissecting Table - _Dead Body and Me_ (Daft Records, 1997) by: Andrew Lewandowski (9 out of 10) Never ones to remain content with a singular genre, Dissecting Table have modernized their established incorporation of primordial metallic pounding and guttural screams into hallucinogenic soundscapes (see such classic releases as _Zigoku_ or _Between Life and Death_). Now, DT's main composer, Ichiro Tsuji, mutates the conventional sounds of a post-industrial wasteland into an utterly desolate, stoic void replicating the contemporary psyche. Rarely does Tsuji approach conventional music on this album, and his forays into recognizable music is no less nihilistic than his more deconstructive passages; a sudden blast of distorted, high-pitched noise unsettles the idle listener on the second of the four lengthy tracks, "violence of existence", and "sonic body" delineates the antagonism lurking between the emotive self and the industrial culture which annihilates this emotion. The vicious drumming of earlier albums reappears on this track in a more schizophrenic and metallic form. Once combined with distorted wails of despondent agony, "sonic body" exemplifies just that, a "body" within a "sonic", or hyperreal, culture. In fact, this jaded self has no body; severed from his outside shell and thrust inside his skull, the individual stares blankly at his computer screen at 1:15 am, unable to either sleep or feel his fingers typing any of the incoherent sentences of a Dissecting Table review, and sits crystallized within cerebral agony as the subtle dissonance of the finale, "orgasm", confirms his fears. Emperor - _Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk_ (Candlelight, 1997) by: Steve Hoeltzel (8.5 out of 10) "Emperor performs Sophisticated Black Metal Art exclusively!" says the CD cover. Interestingly, good old Webster's lists the two primary meanings of sophisticated as (1) "not in a natural, pure, or original state" and (2) "deprived of native or original simplicity" - a perfect description of _Anthems..._ compared to the band's earlier work. Songs have grown more complex, and the style has altered to include mainstream-friendly touches like squeaky guitar solos, and frequent "clean" singing. Some listeners will be thrilled by this; others, displeased. In any case, one cannot deny the high quality of composition and performance. Hence the generous rating. Personally, though, I am disappointed by all the glamorous new embellishments to a sound which once was starker, darker, and capable of achieving "epic" impact on decidedly non-mainstream terms. Anyway, a well-constructed introduction opens the album, building to a peak that's musically very well-conceived, but seriously weakened by brassy synthesizer tones, sounding a climactic theme which would roar like thunder if performed with guitar instead. Then again, for optimal impact, the guitars would require a powerful sound, something which they lack on this album. With the exception of the occasional up-front riff, solo, or melodic lead line, the guitars sound awfully thin, and they tend to get lost within a high-pitched wash of vocals, drums, and keyboards which dominates the mix. Thankfully, though, there is -plenty- of blazing speed maintained by Trym's excellent drumming. Except for the opening and closing tracks, all the songs build blasts of fiery energy into structures that house lots of musical variation. "Ensorcelled by Khaos" and "The Acclamation of Bonds" do this especially enjoyably - whereas some of the other songs don't seem quite as well-constructed. In my opinion, the guitar solos which occasionally pop up don't add much to the music except squeaky sounds - and beware the glammy melodic lead line in the middle of "Ye Entrancemperium." As for Ihsahn's bouts of clean singing... well, I think they're conventional-sounding to the point of being quite insipid at times. Still, there -is- some very cool stuff here. Cautiously recommended. GWAR - _Carnival of Chaos_ (Attic/Metal Blade, 1997) by: Pedro Azevedo (3 out of 10) GWAR are back. Who cares? No, really, who the hell cares? I mean, why are you still reading this? Do you expect my review to be funny or something? Yeah, right, tough luck. Well, I did laugh with "Sex Cow", but you'll have to hear it to believe it. Anyway, this doesn't seem to be worse than _Ragnarok_ [CoC #5], actually, it's probably better, but then again, I may not have enjoyed the "artwork" on this one as much as Gino did on their previous. So, this time, instead of the extra 3 points Gino gave them for the "artwork", I'll give them 2 extra points for the (short) last track, which proved to be a surprise, as Slymenstra does some nice(?!) female vocals on this soft song. Er, actually, I can't believe I'm really giving them 2 points for that, but whatever... So, if you enjoy listening to an album while feeling that everyone in that band is mocking you for having bought the CD in first place, then go right ahead and buy it; if you're -seriously- into metal, avoid it. Crap. Hell-Born - _Hell-Born_ (Pagan Records, 1996) by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10) This Les guy means business! He's participated in Behemoth (briefly), the pulverizing Damnation, and now this cool project, which teams him up with ex-Behemoth drummer Ravenlock. Distinct from Damnation's mighty death-grind pummeling, the riff stylings of Hell-Born mix rusty blackened metal with mid-paced, thrashy breaks, and ominous slower sections. No really grinding parts occur, but there are still plenty of charging beats and bass drum pulsations. The material is straightforward, heavy, and memorable, and Les again displays his talent for sculpting some cool riffs out of eerie, ringing tones. (Check out "Merciless Onslaught" especially.) The guitar has a warped death metal tuning, which further adds to the music's weird pull - but what really completes the Hell-Born sound are the wicked, imperious vocal proclamations of "Hell cavalry machine gun skullcrush" performer Ravenlock. I don't tend to get excited over black/death metal lyrics, but I must say, when this guy lays down the law with sonorous, semi-spoken proclamations like: "Rain falls, drops of tears and blood, Red like dust from the Martian ground, Spinning in eternal circles of blasphemy." Great stuff here. It's not as punishing as the best death-grind or as lightning-quick as the most extreme black metal, but it's heavy, energetic, and (best of all) fairly unique. Five tracks, 25 minutes, worth seeking out. Hocico - _Odio Bajo del Alma_ (Opcion Sonica, May 1997) by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10) Hocico (Spanish for "muzzle") may just be *the band* to draw attention to the ever-growing Mexican metal music scene. Other Mexican acts like 34-D and Hologram are reviewed in this CoC issue, too. Mexico City electronic/industrial metal duo Hocico (comprised of Erk Aicrag and Rasco Agroyan) play a very vibrant and truly powerful form of music. Its music relays numerous emotions and the atmospheric offerings within _OBdA_ - Spanish for _Soul Full of Hate_ - not only amazes me, but leaves me feeling dirty and unsure of what I have heard or become a part of. Also, the riffs are deadly and the vocals and keyboards are truly sinister. I'm pretty sure the music here would go well as a soundtrack for a real scary horror flick. The album's eleven tracks provides us with tales of darkness and the exploration of the human mind and rarely does the band's material go stale. The success of Hocico lies within the band's structure of songs, programming of drums/keyboards/samples, as well as the band's dark songwriting. While the band may be circulating within the realms of Canadian greats Skinny Puppy at times with the music on this release, the band truly deserves a listen as they have found their own identity and successfully fused together the might of industrial/metal music and the warped sounds of electronica. Super-cool! Contact: Opcion Sonica - Concepcion Beistegui 622-3 Col. del Valle 03100 Mexico D.F., Mexico mailto:opcion@mail.internet.com.mx Ildrost - _High_ (Cold Meat Industry, June 1997) by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10) What a wacked out release this is. Haunting and truly mystifying is the latest release by ambient/soundscape band Ildfrost, their previous record entitled _Autumn Departure_. This is eerie shit here. From the opening chimes of the church bell and softly played piano, "Natanael" begins its journey of story-telling with melodic interludes, spoken passages, and vibrant exploration of soundscapes. This is, I guarantee, unlike any record you will have heard before. Much like a concept record, this album reads like a book with background music (a soundtrack, if you will), and like any good book with plot changes, twists, turns, and characters, this album dishes up some truer than life realism. It's stunning to hear and try to follow. The lyrics (enclosed within the special gatefold pack) read like a book/play and only help open your mind more to what is actually going on within the music. I'm speechless. This is a great find for anyone into well-crafted music and story-telling. A gem. Incantation - _The Forsaken Mourning of Angelic Anguish_ by: Steve Hoeltzel (9 out of 10) (Repulse Records, May 1997) Another great release from this great band. While still as crushing as ever, the vibe is a bit quicker and more biting this time, thanks to songs which focus on unkind grind and mid-paced malevolence, without any really slow segments. The production is the clearest the band has ever had, which really sharpens the music's edge, especially by giving Kyle's excellent drumming a distinct place in the mix. Craig's vocals sound great, as always, and the guitar sound is punchy and thick. So the overall sound is a bit cleaner, less miasmic, and less doomy than on their previous stuff - but it's still way heavy thanks to the band's monster compositions; plus, the clarity of the mix makes the grinding parts hit harder than before. This is an MCD with 22 minutes of material; there are seven tracks, five of which are proper songs, if you count the 51-second "Twisted Sacrilegious Journey Into Our Darkest Neurotic Delirium". (The two non-songs are a brief, warped interlude, and a well done five-minute outro that's creepy enough to stay interesting all the way through.) I'd rank opener "Shadows from the Ancient Empire" as one of the band's most effective songs ever - right up there with the almighty "Christening the Afterbirth" from their first CD. The title track definitely goes on that list, too. There's also a cover of the old Schuldiner chestnut "Scream Bloody Gore"... pretty cool, but not as good as Incantation's stuff, which once again sounds killer. Intestine Baalism - _An Anatomy of the Beast_ by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10) (Repulse Records, 1997) Some solid death metal from this Japanese outfit. It's not especially brutal by 1997 standards, but it's nicely varied and precisely played, with a sound that is in some ways distinct. Overall, the compositions are highly reminiscent of some of the earliest stuff from Swedes like Entombed and Dismember, but with the frequent addition of mid-paced, semi-melodic riffing and lead work that has an emotive, rather doomy feel. "Cannibal Sodom" makes great use of this technique, which crops up in several other songs as well. Occasional doses of more overt blast-heavy brutality are also offered, but most of the time the band switches off between punchy riffing and down-tuned rudi-melody in the vein of _Left Hand Path_. (But check out "Blasphemy Resurrected" if _Like an Ever Flowing Stream_ is more your style.) For my money, "Energumenus" wins the day, since it's the most slamming track here, but "Cannibal Sodom" and "A Place Their Gods Left Behind" also prove enjoyable thanks to the mix of death metal crunch and moody leads. Great production, too, and the playing is top notch. It's not quite what I personally look for in death metal (warped, hyper structure and slamming percussive weight), but it's undeniably a quality chunk of metal all the same. Lake of Tears - _A Crimson Cosmos_ (Black Mark, 1997) by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10) This album seems to have been written while totally disregarding any boundaries whatsoever; in fact, this album has a clear mainstream feel to it at times, something I really don't like. However, besides that, Lake of Tears have included lots of very nice easy-to-catch melodies, which are what makes this album very much worth a listen for fans of soft melodic/gothic(?) metal; in fact, I even happened to enjoy it myself, which is unusual, considering my statements above. LoT's music spreads to very different areas, yet things never go too much out of proportion. _A Crimson Cosmos_ is varied (even though its total length is under 40 minutes), and therefore has its ups and downs, but if you're not worried about its softness, and happen to enjoy mellow and melodic stuff, this might very well turn out to be a good buy for you, as it's musically pretty good. Makina - _Chorizo_ (Discos Manicomo, May 1997) by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10) From Mexico City (my old stomping grounds) comes Makina, a powerhouse death/thrash metal outfit that plays their music like there is no tomorrow. What is interesting about this CD is that it acts as an intro to the band (a series of questions and answers by band members, in English and Spanish) and a few select choice cuts (five in total) from the band's album, _Red_. It's interesting to hear the band speak about the origin of the band (formed in 1990), themes of songs and their future plans as a metal band. To note: the band has opened numerous shows in Mexico City for big named metal acts in the past few years and it seems as though that experience and band growth has allowed their music to strengthen itself. And how is the music of Makina? Pretty good and most importantly, it shreds when it has to. While the band relies heavily on standard thrash metal riffs, death-like growls, and drum beats, it's the unique pairing of groove and violent spurts of anger/intensity that help make the band's material stand out. I liked the title track, "Red", due to its explosive opening. It is hard to actually judge the band on just a few songs (ahem... a full copy of _Red_ would be nice, guys...) but if I had to pass judgment on this band from what I know of them now, I would have to say that Makina provides us with great music. Heavy and worth a listen. Contact: Makina, P.O. Box 763 Admon 11 Hipodromo, Mexico D.F. 06101 Mexico mailto:maina@servidor.unam.mx http://www.maicomio.com.mx Megadeth - _Cryptic Writings_ (Capitol, June 1997) by: Drew Schinzel (8 out of 10) Surprise! It's actually good! After the very disappointing _Youthanasia_, an album full of weak riffs and poor songwriting, I have to admit that I didn't expect much out of _Cryptic Writings_. We all know that once bands change for the worse, there's usually no chance of salvaging another decent album; everyone hopes "yeah, their last album sucked, but for the next one, they're returning to their old style!" While I can't say that the new Megadeth release is a return to the days of such shredding classics as "Hangar 18" and "Take No Prisoners", I can say that it's a refreshing reminder that, yes, aging metallers who had their heyday in the late 80s/early 90s -can- in fact write decent material without falling back on old ideas. Sure, none of these songs are going to blow any long time 'Deth fans out of the water (except maybe "She-Wolf", killer song that is), but pretty much all of them are structurally tight, albeit maybe a tad too predictable and commercially inclined, efforts which are eons better than the majority of the drivel present on _Youthanasia_. On the whole, _CW_ is a bit heavier than _Youthanasia_, and at the same time more experimental, creating a balance between the Megadeth trademarks such as Mary Friedman's classic solos and newer elements like acoustic interludes and a very minor use of keyboard highlights here and there. We even get a treat in the form of the aforementioned track "She-Wolf", a truly bitchin' song using the speedier riffing style from _RiP_ with the aesthetic of the modern material, coming off overall as a song that should've been on _Countdown to Extinction_. Examining what counts, _Cryptic Writings_ can be summed up like this: As expected, it's not a return to the days of old, but thankfully it's also not a _Youthanasia part 2_. And when you compare it to what the "other" M-band out there is putting out these days... no comment is necessary. Melechesh - _As Jerusalem Burns... Al'Intisar_ by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10) (Breath of Night/Pulverizer, 1996) Further complicating the tumultuous world of black metal geopolitics are Melechesh, who hail from Israel and proclaim themselves "the pioneers of Assyrian Mesopotamian black metal." Ave... Hoo hah.... Anyway, some of the music offered here is quite cool. Much of the time, the band sounds a -lot- like Marduk did on _Opus Nocturne_: crisp, straight-ahead, and fast as hell black metal with sharp and well-phrased vocals, and without keyboard embellishment. Yet unlike Marduk, Melechesh employ a broader range of tempos, along with a generous (but not excessive) incorporation of well-played Middle-Eastern flavored riffs, lead guitar lines, and percussion. This gives them a little bit of early-Satyricon zing, but the Eastern feel is more pronounced in Melechesh's music - while the frosty atmosphere of "Northern"-style black metal is diminished. (You could do some pretty sensuous hip-shakin' to "Dance of the Black Genii" if you felt like it.) But as I say, there's some cool stuff here. "Planetary Rites" is highly great: mid-paced, yet sharp, hard-edged, and full of ache, with a great Mesopotamian interlude (or maybe its Assyrian; I don't know.) "Devil Night" also deserves mention for its well-captured eighties hell-thrash feel. "Sultan of Mischief" blasts along quite powerfully, as does the more monumental "Assyrian Spirit". And the list of interesting and varied moments could continue. This isn't anything earth-shaking, really - but provided that you enjoy energetic black metal, can live without keyboards, and find yourself intrigued by the Middle Eastern flair, you'll probably find it to be worth seeking out. Mortal Remains - _No Cash Flow_ (Tender Stone, May 1997) by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10) Okay... this record starts off as a somewhat hardcore/metal record and as it progresses, it turns into a tight, blazing, metal-riffed thrash metal record. _NCF_ by New York's quartet, Mortal Remains, isn't all that bad, I liked a lot of what I heard, it's just that what it supplies us with is a typical dosage of thrash-styled music. I hear a lot of Slayer, Anthrax, and Metallica influence within their music on _NCF_, as well as hardcore/metal stylings a la Biohazard. I like what the band is doing in regards to going back to an old school style of playing and mixing with a 90s feel of hardcore/metal. I'll be honest, I was pleased when a band like Meliah Rage surfaced last year after a long hiatus with their self-titled album plugging hard and heavy at old school metal and I am glad that Mortal Remains isn't afraid to play music that may seem old or forgotten. It sounds good, they just need a bit more variety and creativity in some parts. Not bad. Satanic Slaughter - _Land of the Unholy Souls_ by: Drew Schinzel (6 out of 10) (Necropolis, June 1997) With this their second album released on Necropolis Records, Satanic Slaughter have brought forth a CD filled with older material from the early stages of the band in the mid- to late-80s, before the criminal acts of a member or two halted development. I haven't heard their self-titled debut, so I can't say exactly how dated this album sounds, however, judging it solely on its own qualities, I can't see how a release such as this can hold its own today in the late 90s. Pretty old-school (obviously), with a very one-dimensional take on 80s black metal, with much thrash influence (similar in some respects to Sodom and others, but with more emphasis on the black metal part of things), Satanic Slaughter give us thirteen tracks of very spotty material. There -are- a couple of songs which stand out as killer efforts, namely "One Night in Hell", "Servant of Satan", and "Demon's Feast". Unfortunately, the penetrating, menacing guitar riffs and perfect mix of mid-paced rocking sections with all-out blasts of energy present in those songs are all too rare throughout the rest of the album, and this quickly becomes the type of CD where you immediately find your favorite songs and forget about the others. Though I hate to use the word, the one that comes to mind when listening to Satanic Slaughter is generic. Siebenburgen - _Loreia_ (Napalm Records, June 1997) by: Steve Hoeltzel (6 out of 10) Some enjoyable music here, but nothing especially innovative or aggressive. It's mostly mid-paced metal which emanates a blackened feel, while never becoming particularly harsh or dark. Melancholic, mid-paced riffs and a semi-spoken black metal snarl define the style, which sometimes reminds me a lot of Dimmu Borgir's _Stormblast_ - minus the stirring keys and variation. In place of keyboards, Siebenburgen incorporate folkish female vocals and the occasional well-placed violin. By black metal standards, the album's speedier parts are not especially fast. Still, there's definitely some effective material, especially the songs in which the riffs and vocals display the strongest folk influence, like "Ungentum Pharelis" and the title track. Also worth mentioning are the punchier "Dodens Somn" and "Vittring av Liv", both of which express some more traditional heavy metal influences. The mix and production are good - but it seems to me that with less studio polish, the band might have a more "woodsy" atmosphere which would really add to their sound, given its poetic and folkish sources of inspiration. And at 52 minutes in length, the album is fairly repetitious, with very little real dynamic variation within each song, or difference in song length (between five and six minutes), structure (conventional), tempo (mostly mid-paced), or feel. ...The Soil Bleeds Black - _The Kingdom and Its Fey_ by: Adam Wasylyk (6 out of 10) (Cruel Moon, June 1997) From the label that brought us the amazing Proscriptor, Cruel Moon (a sub-division of the Cold Meat Industry label) have brought us yet another musical oddity that is worthy of attention. The trio that comprises ...The Soil Bleeds Black play Medieval-influenced folk music who's pure, authentic sound lends the it a lot of credibility. Tracks like "Burh Stede Beated", "Dragon Arte", "To Thy Queen", "Ecce, Victoria", and "Homonuculus" showcase some pretty well- played music (exhibiting horned and stringed instruments, and flutes). The only bone I had to pick with _The Kingdom and Its Fey_ are the vocals, which were used sporadically throughout the 25 tracks. Both the male and female vocals at times sounded awkward, showing their flaws in tracks like "Redivivus 'Ole Norwich, the Triumph of Horamane" and "At that Fiery Pond". ... The Soil Bleeds Black have something great happening here, I very much look forward to future recordings by the band. Not recommended for more traditional metal listener, but for more open-minded music lovers. Soma - _Stygian Vistas_ (Extreme Records, June 1997) by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10) While I really wanted to like this EP by noise duo Soma after the brilliant _Inner Cinema_ last year, an ambient trip into chaos and expressionism, I felt kind of short-changed with this remix EP. With radio edits and remixed versions of some material scattered throughout eight cuts, most of which come from _IC_, there is not too much material here that really stands out. Granted, some of the remixes help shorten Soma's lengthy songs and add a little bite, but the whole beauty of what Soma does is the long ambient soundscapes. It's like their bread and butter. I dunno, I like remix albums, but there seems to have been some kind of tampering or remixed ideas that just didn't cut it in my books. Stick with the original material on _IC_, and you'll thank me. Summoning - _Nightshade Forests_ (Napalm Records, May 1997) by: Steve Hoeltzel (8.5 out of 10) According to band member Silenius Gregor [see CoC #18], this thirty-four-minute MCD will conclude Summoning's reliance on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien as a main source of lyrical and musical inspiration. Hence, the music presented here is faithful to the tradition begun on _Minas Morgul_ and refined on _Dol Goldur_: stirring, layered compositions which evoke the aura of fantastic places past and far away. "Kotirion Among the Trees", "Habbanan Beneath the Stars", these songs and two others weave together emotive, dominating synth lines, buzzing backline guitar, mostly laid-back beats, and black metal vocals which blend eerie whisper and lonely rasp. As always, the music is crafted and constructed with considerable feeling and skill - and without reliance on a bunch of "true unholy" cliches. It's great stuff from start to finish, with "Kotirion Among the Trees" easily taking its place as one of Silenius and Protector's most stirring songs yet. "Flesh and Blood" is cool, too - hell, they're all cool. All in all, I think that _Dol Goldur_ still represents the pinnacle of the band's work so far, but _Nightshade Forests_ is a greatly enjoyable set of songs nonetheless. (By the way, the -song- "Nightshade Forests" from _Dol Goldur_ does not appear on this disk; all the material here is new.) Testament - _Demonic_ (Mayhem/Fierce, June 1997) by: Drew Schinzel (7 out of 10) Pop quiz, hot shot: How many times did Testament break up, reform, and change drummers and other members in the last two years? I don't know the exact numbers, I prefer to leave such matters to the metal-statisticians among us, but it seemed for a while like every month, there was a new line-up, but now they've finally put together a stable line-up and emerged from the shadows with their seventh, and by far heaviest, studio album, _Demonic_. When I say this is their heaviest ever, I mean it. You might have thought that _Low_ was some pretty heavy material, but trust me, this is much more so. Vocalist Chuck Billy's predominant use of death vocals (present in small bits on _Low_) and the chugging guitars should be all one needs to hear to prove it (plus the members all put on some weight and now resemble Sepultura, _Chaos AD_ era). Now, whether this is a good thing or not I'm still undecided on. On the one side, ripping tracks like the eerily addictive "Burning Times" make a compelling argument for the former, but in comparison to their previous work (I can listen to any previous Testament album besides _The Ritual_ and be in bliss), something falls short. I can't really recognize this as Testament. It certainly doesn't bare much resemblance to their albums prior to _Low_, and even _Low_ can probably only be considered a step-brother to _Demonic_. To me, it sounds like Chuck, Eric, and the rest of the Testament guys have been very pissed off lately, as well as listening to a fair amount of mid-paced death metal. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I love Testament for what they are, and I love death metal for what it is, however, _Demonic_ just doesn't strike the right balance between the two, in my eyes, and while the band might win over new fans with this release, older fans of their more thrashier days may be mildly disappointed with this much altered effort. Thy Serpent - _Lords of Twilight_ (Spinefarm Records, May 1997) by: Adam Wasylyk (8 out of 10) With the current trend of black metal bands releasing badly recorded demos onto CD, Thy Serpent have gone one better by re-recording some of their demo songs for their newest MCD, _Lords of Twilight_. Thy Serpent's concentration on creating moody, atmospheric music separates them from the endless number of Immortal clones, while never getting caught up in mindless speed, especially considering the beautiful harmonies that arise from tracks like "The Forest of Blakulla", "In Blackened Dreams", and "Unknown". Some nice instrumentals can also be found in the likes of "Prometheus Unbound" and "As Mist Descends from the Hills". This is my first taste of Thy Serpent, and I'm already contemplating checking out their back catalog. Check them out, if you're look for quality in your black metal music. Various - _The Kanada Compilation_ (Lifestyle Records, June 1997) by: Adam Wasylyk (3 out of 10) If the intention of this CD was to represent the music that comes out of Canada, then I'd vomit right now. This is just pure shit, no doubt about it. Comprised of three bands with two tracks each, only one band is worthy of your time coming in the form of Infernal Majesty (which earned the 3 marks for this review). Oddly this is the FIRST time I've ever heard their music; they offer two cool unreleased tracks ("Where Is Your God?", "Gone the Way of All Flesh") that were recorded earlier this year. Reminiscent of the late 80s thrash/death scene, hopefully Infernal Majesty will release something soon. The remaining bands, The Harpoons (punk metal) and Custom (industrial rock) are just time-wasters, and have no place being on the same disk (musically or talent-wise) with Infernal Majesty. Don't waste your time, wait for the next I.M. release and forget about this. Contact: Lifestyle Records, 509-264 Queens Quay W. Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5J 1B5 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __ __ _ /\ \ \_____ __ /\ \ \___ (_)___ ___ / \/ / _ \ \ /\ / / / \/ / _ \| / __|/ _ \ / /\ / __/\ V V / / /\ / (_) | \__ \ __/ \_\ \/ \___| \_/\_/ \_\ \/ \___/|_|___/\___| Your best source of information on the newest of the new, and the deepest of the underground, New Noise is the place to read about all the coolest shit you never thought existed! And if you have a band, don't forget to send us your demo with a bio if you want to be reviewed; our address is included in the zine's header. Scoring: ***** -- I see a record deal in the future **** -- Great piece of work *** -- Good effort ** -- A major overhaul is in order * -- A career change is advisable 34-D - _34-D_ (10-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (****-) This is a good demo and I'll tell you why. This demo showcases us ten songs that are delivered fast, furious, and in a totally reckless fashion: no holds barred intensity. 34-D's demo is yet another release from Mexico City that we are reviewing, a city in a country where metal music is so cherished and loved that fans eagerly await every new metallic release. 34-D is a bar-styled thrash metal/rock outfit with influences from Entombed to Metallica and even Pantera in their music. It's violent and angry and rarely does the anger within the music and lyrics subside. While the lyrics are written and sung in Spanish, not to mention the production of the record not being the best it could have been, the band's ability to hit us right between the eyes almost every song out distracts us from not really comprehending what is being sung. I like this record for the fact that the band has no set agenda on what or how they should play. It seems as though the band had a few beers, plugged in and let it all out. For those who like their music rough. Contact: 34-D Apdo. Postal 22-513 C.P. 14410 Mexico D.F., Mexico Ambivalent Fluxation/Amish Mafia (??-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (***--) / (*****) Again??!! YES folks! Another fucking demo from that "Bill" guy in California. Yep, this is one of the three I recently received from that creative mind out West and I must admit, this is definitely one of my favorites. Not for the fact that the music is good - I admit a lot of it is not - but that there are gems hidden everywhere on the Ambivalent Fluxation side of this split demo. AF is a roller coaster ride into a totally distorted wall of noise and sound effects. A lot of this ambient/noise-styled stuff has seeped into other side-projects of Sannwald's (Thought Masticator, for example) but there is something really eerie about the music here. Sannwald has brought some kind of weird vibe here (more noticeable on Amish Mafia side). I personally liked the fucked up version of Nirvana's "Rape Me" and the long-winding collage of noises bestowed by the clever "Dancefloor Hit". Now onto Side 2 with the material by Amish Mafia, probably one of my favorite Sannwald releases (though I yet to have studied the works of the other demo I got - Acrobats of Apocalypse). The "story" goes that three Amish folk (The Tiller, Jeremiah Quakerkiller, and The Churn) broke into Jon Apgar's home (he of Ephmeron demo fame) and used the "forbidden technologies" found at Apgar's home to experiment. Sounds cheesy, I know, but actually, this is good ambient/noise stuff here. Throughout the demo, we actually get to follow these Amish folk and their experimentation with "forbidden technologies." Quite a clever idea and concept is this release. I seriously can't get enough of it. Damn! Those Amish folk are warped! You *seriously* have to hear this to see why this is so good. 'Nuff said. Contact: Bill Sannwald, 3538 Paseo Salomoner, La Mesa, CA USA 91941 mailto:satan666@ucsd.edu Cromm Cruiach - _Cromm Cruiach_ (6-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (***--) For the love of God (or should that be Satan?), I cannot find any bio or contact information from this band. Did we at CoC ever get one with this demo tape? Who knows? Anyway, whoever's band submitted us this tape for review, I'm sorry for not including an address but c'est la vie, eh? Onto the music of CC. While a lot of the music here is played very well, some of the instrumental pieces are pretty top notch, if you ask me, but where the band's style and sound begins to fade fast in the originality or awe-inspiring area is when the music incorporates death growls into the flow of things. Not good. The two just don't mix well. It's like Dream Theater or Rush trying to incorporate Obituary vocals. Um... NO! In any case, some may find this blend of styles in CC's music interesting - I'm not one of them. To be blunt with ya, I think the band has several talented performers that bring the sound up to the front. Too bad the vocals and lyrics can barely keep up with that level of musicianship. Drag Pack - _Drag Pack_ (4-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (***--) Question: What do you get when you mix the music of Fu Manchu, Kyuss, Monster Magnet, and Black Sabbath with low budget production? Answer: New Jersey trio Drag Pack's self-titled 4-song demo. Get the picture? I've heard this high-powered dirty sludge rock all before, but it still sounds good. If you like any of the bands mentioned above, and have a taste for indie-style rock/metal, then this is worth investigating. Contact: DRAG PACK c/o Keith 93 Gourley Avenue Clifton, NJ, USA, 07013 mailto:shorty@eden.rutgers.edu Ember - _Chapter II: The Gate..._ (3-track demo) by: Steve Hoeltzel (*****) Another great demo from this potent and promising young band. What struck me about Ember's previous demo was the skill with which the band blended impassioned new school blackness with the punchier, hellish vibe of old school Satanic thrash. That skill is evident here, too. In fact, the band has become even more powerful and adept at fusing their influences into truly kick-ass, memorable material. The music displays more texture and structure than their first demo offered. The crustier segments sound energetic and up-to-date, and the presence of more modern influences elevates the music miles above that of many other old-school-honoring bands. The songs contain cool riffs, crafty and compelling dynamic shifts, stylistic variation, and solid performances all around. Plus, the music just oozes that thrash-on underground hell-metal vibe which cannot be faked. Three tracks, pro-copied, with a pro-printed J-card. First rate stuff; I really hope Ember gets signed. Contact: Ember, c/o Peter Mlot P.O. Box 2177, Darien, IL, 60561, USA (send $5 US / $6 World for a copy) Fax: (630) 985-1169 WWW: http://www.xnet.com/~odin/ember.html Hologram - _Into the Hologram_ (6-track demo) by: Adrian Bromley (***--) Totally working off their set style as a progressive metal/thrash outfit, Hologram, from Mexico (YES! another Mexican band) really do bring a certain flare of excitement to the music they play. The technical focus of the guitar playing and other musical aspects of the band are of a high calibre, well-executed, and carefully thought out. One would think that a band of this style would stay clear of any death metal influence and go for a more Fates Warning or Queensryche feel to it, but I'm sad to report that the band has brought into the fold an annoying screamer/growler who just taints the exquisite music with poor vocals. Not a good sign. I'd have given the band two stars, but felt that the music itself at least garnered three. So, to put it in a nutshell: good music, bad vocals. You decide if you'll pick this up. Recommended for fans of solid musicianship. Contact: Hologram, c/o Fco. Javier Quintanar Apartado postal 19-513 C.P. 03901 Mexico D.F., Mexico Lucifer - _Lucifer_ (7-track demo) by: Pedro Azevedo (***--) This is the first demo tape from this American band who plays fast-paced death metal, showing some black metal influences as well. For this first demo, Lucifer used a drum machine (they don't have a drummer yet, but are planning to get one), but it didn't really bother me - I didn't notice it most of the time, anyway. As well as in need of a new drummer and an extra guitarist, these guys could very well use some improvement in what concerns the vocals - not necessarily a new vocalist, but a change of style is very recommended. Lucifer produce a reasonably thick wall of sound, but the riffs aren't really brilliant, even though the tempo changes are well done. The main problem is now that the 25 minutes plus of this demo are rather repetitive, they never really show too much besides what's apparent after the second track (first after the intro). This wouldn't have been all that bad if something weird hadn't happened: side B has a much worse production (and I mean -clearly- worse, even the stereo's balanced more towards the right), either because of a production fault or some problem with the dub they've sent us. One way or the other, this isn't a bad demo by any means, but it doesn't have anything really remarkable either and does suffer from a few faults. Contact: Lucifer, PO Box 49, Goldsboro, MD, USA 21636 voice: 410-482-7247 (Jake) voice: 410-754-8515 (Jeff) Manic - _Recollection of What Never Was..._ (4-track demo) by: Adam Wasylyk (****-) After reading their bio and hearing the demo, I realized that I'm not dealing with amateurs. The trio that comprise Manic are professionally-taught musicians who play a music hybrid of jazz, fusion, and metal. Death's technical prowess comes to mind when hearing any of _Recollection..._'s four tracks. Getting up to a mid-paced speed, the tempo is always changing which prevented sound stagnancy. A number of vocal types are utilized throughout the demo like screams, death growls, and spoken word. Manic are all over the map when it comes to musical influences, and that is what makes "Recollection..." work. A full-length CD is coming up this summer, and I look forward to hearing more from this band. Contact: Manic, Dimitrios Tasikas, CU Box 7070 Potsdam, NY, 13699, USA Meth - _Legacy of Vikings_ (12-track demo) by: Adam Wasylyk (****-) Not bad, not bad at all! Meth play Viking-inspired black metal that contains plenty of interesting guitar hooks and varying tempos. Songs like "Whores of Norway", "Palace in the Mountains", and "Frostbitten Soul" testify to this. Each song has at least one intriguing aspect which I find hard to find these days on a demo (well, judging from the demos I've reviewed in the last two issues of CoC). Influences? Hmmmm... that's a hard one, no band really comes to mind. There's a little Bathory influence here, but no other noticeable influences are present. Meth are a hard band to describe, but its music is definitely not hard to enjoy. The only thing that prevented this demo from a perfect mark was the production, which isn't shit but could have been better. I hope that Bill continues with Meth, as I hear he has a number of other musical projects going. This demo is worth picking up, for the music is top rate. Contact: Meth, 3538 Paseo Salamoner, La Mesa, CA, 91941, USA =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ____ __ __ /\ _`\ /\ \ /\ \__ __ \ \ \/\_\\ \ \___ __ ___\ \ ,_\/\_\ ___ \ \ \/_/_\ \ _ `\ /'__`\ / __`\ \ \/\/\ \ /'___\ \ \ \L\ \\ \ \ \ \/\ \L\.\_/\ \L\ \ \ \_\ \ \/\ \__/ \ \____/ \ \_\ \_\ \__/.\_\ \____/\ \__\\ \_\ \____\ \/___/ \/_/\/_/\/__/\/_/\/___/ \/__/ \/_/\/____/ ____ __ /\ _`\ /\ \__ \ \ \/\_\ ___ ___ ___ __ _ __\ \ ,_\ ____ \ \ \/_/_ / __`\ /' _ `\ /'___\ /'__`\/\`'__\ \ \/ /',__\ \ \ \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. A N E N D L E S S N I G H T O F W I C K E D M I S E R Y ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fleshless, Endless, The Wicked, and Infernal Majesty At the Generator in Toronto, Ontario, April 21, 1997 by: Adam Wasylyk Let me start off by saying this was by far the WORST show I've ever been to. I was surprised that I didn't flip, but I was damn near close. I hate to come down on indie bands, but what entered my ears I will NEVER forget. I will now question going to a future show if one of these bands are on the bill. However, my complaints don't stop at this particular band. Read on and witness my Hell. The Generator. What a fucking horrible place for bands to play. The stage is at the very back of the bar, and it's sideways so only the back 1/3 of the place can see the band actually playing. Coupled with the heat (and apparent lack of air conditioning), it made my blood boil. "What else could go wrong?", I said to myself. You fool, you. Starting off the night's festivities were Fleshless, who I had seen before previously with this being only their second show. Fleshless, I must say, are a great band, play brutal death metal the way I like it: with plenty of tempo changes and technical/skilled guitaring. The band impressed much of the 80-100 on hand to see the show, actually a good turn out considering Toronto's pathetic metal scene (excluding some indie bands). Next were Endless, who carried the momentum well with their mid-paced death metal music. Dueling growls was cool, along with the superb drumming that make the band stand out and move away from mediocrity. A classy act, hopefully a lot will be in store for this talented band. Okay, here's where Hell breaks loose. Setting up and ready to take the stage were St. Catherines' The Wicked. I had seen this band in London with Hemdale (see CoC #19) but I guess the heat and shitty club had me extra irritated by the band's industrial/gothic/black metal musical shit. The band's drum machine sounded beyond pathetic, while the keyboards just sounded cheesy. The singer's vocals ranged from typical black metal vocals to a yelling sound (a la Marilyn Manson), but picture it done as unconvincingly as possible. The highlight of their set was when I noticed that behind the bar was a television, where it was showing a Saturday Night Live repeat episode with the Spice Girls performing. I would have given my soul (had I not already sold it to Satan) for The Wicked to just stop, but I was reduced to reading zines that I had brought along and cleaning my glasses to absolve me of the boredom. Finally the aural-assault (literally) ends and we (Adrian "The Energizer" attended as well) leave, missing Infernal Majesty, who was the band we originally came to see. Why, you ask? Both Adrian and I were sickened by what we heard in addition to being exhausted by the shitty conditions of this bar. We couldn't stand to stay for another minute. What an unforgettable night. [ed: You guys are wimps. -- Alain] [ed: Yeah, fucking wimps! -- Gino] Fleshless and Endless rule, check them out if you get the opportunity to do so. If The Wicked comes to your town, run for your life. Your ears will thank you for it. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= B E A F R A I D , B E V E R Y V E R Y A F R A I D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fear Factory and Type O Negative with Drain and Powerman 5000 At The Warehouse in Toronto, Ontario, June 6, 1997 by: Adam Wasylyk A one-off show from the Ozz-Fest tour, Toronto would be the receptionist of the better bands on the bill (as opposed to bands like Vision of Disorder... Yuck!). After seeing Fear Factory last November in New York, I was looking forward to seeing them again, this time on more familiar soil. Of course, tonight in attendance were the usual sluts and Marilyn Manson freaks. What would a Type-O show be without them? When the show eventually started, it was Sweden's Drain who would open the show. A female quartet, the band plays dirge-ish, heavy rock with dueling female vocals. Not much appreciated by the audience, nor I. I consider Drain "background music," something to listen to while talking to friends. Thankfully, it ended soon. Following up were Powerman 5000, whose funk/rap metal style bored me to tears. When will people recognize that metal and rap don't belong together? [ed: Don't care what anyone says, I still think Stuck Mojo is cool. -- Alain] Finally, the good stuff! Fear Factory took the stage, to what would be the loudest response by the crowd for the night. Starting out sounding horribly, luckily the sound guy fixed his fuck up and make them sound like the great live band I remembered them to be. Some songs that were played are "Demanufacture", "Self-Immolation", and "Replica", coupled with some remixes off FF's new album, _Remanufacture_ and my favorite FF remix, "Scum Grief (Deep Dub Trauma Mix)" off the _Fear Is the Mindkiller_ EP. What a great set; I hope to see them back here soon. Closing out the show was Type-O, who I admit I've never been a great admirer of. Still supporting last year's _October Rust_ release, songs off it such as "Love You to Death" and "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend" were mixed with older favorites like "Black #1" and others I'm not familiar with. What was odd about Type-O's set was the number of cover songs the band did, this being my first attendance at a Type-O gig, I don't know if this is usually what they do. Bands like Black Sabbath, Neil Young and The Doors were covered with mixed results. Not a bad set, but FF were definitely tops for this night. [ed: Type O played too damn FAST, seemed rushed, perhaps? -- Alain] Overall I had a great time at the show. Not only did I hear some great music (mostly on behalf of Fear Factory) but I was able to meet the night's bands, media people, musicians, writers, and metal fans. A Toronto metal show that is unforgettable. Who woulda known? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= D O U B L E - O H - O R A N G E ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Agent Orange with Mess and Swindle At the Bay Street Bar in Savannah, GA by: Steven Cannon I had almost wanted to tell my friend Chris I thought he was lying when he said that legendary Southern California surf punk band Agent Orange was going to be in town... And since my usual videotaper was out of town going to school for six weeks, I was in dire straits. I HAD to do a videotaped interview and film the show, and luckily my friend Chris had all the necessary items ready to go! The show started rather late, but by the time the bands rolled out, the place was quite crowded. The interview, by the way, was very informative and quite humorous at times, done with the only original Agent Orange member left, singer Mike Palm. Mess started the show with a kind of poppy punk style, sounding a little at times like Green Day-type stuff. Some of the lyrics were kind of weird too, tracks like "Brain Dead", "Infection", and some kind of perverted tune about smelly fingers. Some of their songs had a rather Ramones-type influence, but nothing really outstanding. Finally, the moment we had all been waiting for (no I didn't leave anyone out, so bear with me!) arrived as Agent Orange, as a three-piece STILL, hit the stage! The first song they ripped into surprised me, as it was "Pipeline", that all-time surf anthem which sounded VERY thrashy! They only played two songs off of their newest album _Virtually Indestructible_, and the rest were mostly classic cuts from my favorite Orange album, _Living in Darkness_. The only weak spot of the show, which by the way saw a vicious pit when they ripped into "Bloodstains", was the chorus lines on one of their songs, I forget which. They did all the heavy classics, like "Living in Darkness", "No Such Thing", and "Too Young to Die", and many of these renditions sounded much heavier live than on record. They also performed a few cuts off of their later albums, like "I Kill Spies" and "Tearing Me Apart". Live, they were very energetic and humorous, jumping around, and basically feeding off the audience and allowing us to do the same. They ended their set with "The Last Goodbye" and left the stage (after Mike did a fire-breathing act which he probably got the idea as a result of looking at pictures of other artists a lady friend of mine had taken at previous shows) to an unbelievable crowd response! They had announced that Swindle had just arrived (even though they were to play second instead of last) and they would graciously allow them ample time to play after Agent Orange's set. They're really nice guys! Anyway, the audience was so loud and kept cheering and calling for Agent Orange that they came back to play three additional songs for us. Swindle, I didn't get to hear much of, but they sounded loud and brash and quite intense in a hardcore punk sort of way. The new Agent Orange album will be reviewed in issue #15 of Vibrations of Doom, and sound clips from their new album also will be presented, as well as portions of the video interview that yours truly will never forget. Thanks go to Mike and company for being really cool guys. Steven Cannon, Editor in Chief of Vibrations of Doom Magazine http://www.kmf.org/~cl/vod_home.html =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= W H A T W E H A V E C R A N K E D ! ! ! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gino's Top 5 1. KMFDM - _Retro_ 2. Mundane - _Feeding On A Lower Spine_ 3. Various - _Amp_ 4. Pitch Shifter - _Infotainment?_ 5. Monster Magnet - _Spine of God_ Adrian's Top 5 1. Geezer - _Black Science_ 2. Hanzel Und Gretyl - _Transmissions From Uranus_ 3. Faith No More - _Album Of The Year_ 4. Arcana - _Cantar De Procella_ 5. Autumn Tears - _Love Poems For Dying Children - Act 1_ Brian's Top 5 1. Spastic Ink - _Ink Complete_ 2. The Jerky Boys - _The Jerky Boys_ 3. Symphony X - _Divine Wings of Tragedy_ 4. Red Tide - _Vicious Circle_ 5. Clockwork - _Search_ Steve's Top 5 1. Damnation - _Rebel Souls_ 2. Arckanum - _Kostogher_ 3. Summoning - _Nightshade Forests_ 4. Incantation - _The Forsaken Mourning of Angelic Anguish_ 5. Cryptopsy - _None So Vile_ Adam's Top 5 1. My Dying Bride - _Like Gods of the Sun_ 2. Pain - _Pain_ 3. Various - _A Black Mark Tribute_ 4. Emperor - _Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk_ 5. Pan-Thy-Monium - _Khaooohs & Kon-fus-ion_ Drew's Top 5 1. Megadeth - _Cryptic Writings_ 2. Dimmu Borgir - _Enthrone Darkness Triumphant_ 3. Iced Earth - _Iced Earth_ 4. Absu - _The Third Storm of Cythraul_ 5. Dark Tranquillity - _The Mind's I_ Andrew's Top 5 1. Dissecting Table - _Dead Body and Me_ 2. Merzbow - _Music For Bondage Performance 2_ 3. Discordance Axis - _Ulterior_ 4. Incapacitants - _Asset Without Liability_ 5. Dismembered Fetus - _Generation of Hate_ Pedro's Top 5 1. Dark Tranquillity - _The Mind's I_ 2. Dimmu Borgir - _Enthrone Darkness Triumphant_ 3. Within Temptation - _Enter_ 4. Theatre of Tragedy - _Velvet Darkness They Fear_ 5. Septic Flesh - _The Ophidian Wheel_ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= T H E F I N A L W O R D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That's it dudes. Hope you've enjoyed this issue as much as the rest. Remember to keep your eyes peeled for us in Milwaukee, and don't be shy, come up and say hi, or even say "Fuck you!", if you feel like it. See you all there. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #22 All contents copyright 1997 by individual creators of included work. All opinions expressed herein are those of the individuals expressing them, and do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone else.