7" VINYL REVIEWS:
INTERVIEWS:
CANNIBAL CORPSE "The Bleeding" (Metal Blade Records)
Remember the review I did of this band waaay back in my first issue? Well, one year later we have their newest release. Basically, it's the same sick lyrics that graced the first one, your typical hack/slash and zombie ritual mess that gets the appraised parental advisory sticker, but this time around, what a change! Some of the songs actually have KILLER slow riffs and amazing guitar solos! I was especially impressed by the tracks "Return to Flesh, "The Bleeding," and "An Experiment in Homicide." Whether you like their lyrical content or not, their skills as musicians has definitely a great deal of merit. They prove that they aren't only capable of blazing speed riffs with no thought to melody or harmony (some of their last efforts were just out and out chaos, but that doesn't do anymore for the "new wave of death metal!") but they actually create a slow, crushing style of heaviness that is far superior to their last album. Even Chris' vocals have taken on some surprising new twists. Although I care not for their lyrics, a few songs this time around are not too bad, but basically I'd have to say a drastic improvement over their last effort!
CHURCH OF EXTACY "Technohead" (Instinct/Sonic Records)
A technohead. That pretty much sums up what I've turned into these past couple of months, especially considering the fact that we have at least four clubs in the Savannah area that cater to techno and rave. This disc has some very hard beats and some fast, dancey tracks. Eleven tracks on this release, all very enjoyable except for that religious chorus type chant found on the track "Church of Extacy." The electro noises are blended well with the rhythmic, heavy beats, and makes for intense, furious dancing! Other cool tracks on here are "Passion," "Modulator," and "Babbahouse 2." Highly recommended for the club, they also have three singles available, "Church of Extacy," "Devil Beats," and "Modulator."
CULTIVATED BIMBO "Blasting in Progress" (Energy Rekords/Silent)
A rather interesting mix of electronic techno and industrial, with hip-hop style beats and intonations, this 4 song CD is very good! Utilizing various sound samples (such as a guy brushing his teeth and the usual social/political babblings of various unknown speakers) and hard hitting electronic noises and beats, this is also good to play in clubs, though a few tracks will have to be edited down because of the uncharacteristic time and beat changes in midstream. Otherwise, very danceable, ranging from slow to fast and usually somewhere in between. This 4 song CD, by the way, features 3 songs which have been "radically remixed" from their "Tunes From a High Wire" album, and one brand new track (named "Ten Seconds To Crazy.") I highly recommend this disc, but if you want something to dance straight through, make sure you edit out the parts you don't need!
DECORYAH "Wisdom Floats" (Witchhunt Records)
Described as "atmospheric metal music" by this Swiss label, this should appeal to all those who love doom metal, and even some that don't care much for metal at all! This wonderful disc features a grand piano, beautiful female vocals that are utilized on nearly all of the songs, very richly layered keyboards and haunting male vocals! What more can I say? Over 70 minutes of outstanding and well crafted atmospheric and beautifully played metal, the highlights of this disc are too many to list individually. The only problem is not a major one, but sometimes the male vocalist tends to blend in too well with the rest of the music, making his words hard to understand at times. However, that is a very, VERY minor fault, so don't let it bother you! The best tracks on here are "Astral Mirage of Paradise," there is a nice piano solo on the song "Beryllos," and of course my personal favorite, besides any track containing the female singer, "Monolithos." One of my favorite releases in this genre, I highly recommend it! See the contact ads and addresses section on how to obtain this disc!
DIVINE EVE "Last of the Sunset Faded" (demo)
Okay, take the lyrical content of Candlemass, throw in a vocalist of Entombed style singing and add doomy guitars mixed with Entombed style riffing. Basically, this is what Divine Eve sounds like, with a lot of emphasis on speed and death. "As the Angels Weep" has a nice intro and really mournful guitars to them, the drums are quite intense and powerful. 4 songs grace this cassette, and lyric sheet is included. The vocalist, as I stated earlier, sound a bit like Entombed, but he does manage to keep everything under control. A nice mix of slow grinding doom and heavy as hell death metal. The other three songs presented here are "The Last of the Sunset Faded," "A Somber Blossoming," and "Harlequin of Perpetual Destiny."
EDGE OF SANITY "The Spectral Sorrows" (Black Mark/Cargo Records)
The face of death metal as we know it has changed. WHY!? It seems people are more interested in melody and beauty in the vein of Tiamat and Cemetary than the all-out crazed death assault displayed with the finesse and skill of such raging gods as Morgoth, Asphyx, Death and Napalm Death. (Or bands to that effect.) Now, don't get me wrong, melody and atmosphere are cool, but I still love that raging death sound. Well, this five piece (actually a 4 piece, one member Anders Lindberg did not play on this recording due to military service!) can rage with the best of them! The guitars, for instance, retain an eerie melody but still pack plenty of death-crunching riffs without sounding too serene like Tiamat or newer Cemetary material. The vocalist is very versatile, I even enjoyed his style of singing on a classic Manowar track "Blood of my Enemies." The lyrics deal with serious subjects, for instance "Living Hell" deals with the bands' disgust over child molestation, and the imagery is not always your typical death metal topics. One fault I find with them is on their speed riffs, sometimes they pack too much into too few lines, some of the fast leads and breaks sound rather sloppy, but basically they have a good mix of power and aggression. This being their third album, it shows lots of growth and I look forward to seeing more from this band soon.
FAT TUESDAY "Everybody's Got One" (Columbia)
I can't figure this one out. On "Comin' Down," they utilize a rough, hardcore style sound. On "Down the Hall," it sounds like Guns 'n' Roses. On "#20," it's a very rough, screaming punk tune. The majority of the songs are alternative straightforward style. I didn't care much for the singing style on the track "High & Low," but Andrew Crowley's vocals aren't that bad on the whole. The musicians prove that they can play the different styles of music. There was even a nice little slow song in "Winter Storm." Basically, it's just a four piece band playing different styles within the alternative genre. Nothing really outstanding, save the few cuts mentioned. However, some of those cuts do have a commercial appeal, and I even enjoyed "Winter Storm" and "Comin' Down."
GRINCH "Eden" (Rough Trade Records)
Usually, I judge certain albums by their repeatability. In other words, once I've played through it once, would I really want to listen to it again? In the case of this Oakland, California band, I think I can understand why no American label has picked them up! But seriously, the playing style is really slow, grinding alternative/doom rock, with a rather low pitched vocalist to boot. Ten tracks grace this CD, and while I find some of the riffs very heavy and catchy, they tend to get repetitive at times. Interesting enough, I thought I recognized a riff straight from Death's "Scream Bloody Gore" album, but I'm sure that was an accident. One of the "songs," "Friday's God," is rather dull and too long, it features some girl ranting on and on about nothing really, I hope they don't do this live. The other non-song, "Hall of Shades," features your favorite foursome sitting around snorting some cocaine. Kinda funny, but not really in the spirit of the album. Most of this sounds like it was dragged on for awhile, but as I said, some of the riffs and the slower moving pieces are really heavy, and the vocalist I can sometimes get into. The cooler tracks are "Vanishing Point," "The New Messiah," (which has a neat little "Mr. Tinkertrain" style intro on it) and "Mister Claymore." Maybe it will appeal to fans of doom metal, maybe those who like a slow grunge style of playing.
INNER THOUGHT "Worldly Separation" (Witchhunt Records)
WOW! I tell you, this Swiss record label is definitely one to watch out for! Even the CD's I haven't received from them yet sound very interesting! Anyway, this particular little gem is dubbed as "political apocalyptic industrial," though what they fail to tell you is that the style is more death metal than industrial. The vocalist sounds like a cross between Glenn of Deicide and Mark of Morgoth, and lemme tell ya, those are two of my favorite death bands! Some of the riffs are rather slow and grinding, but when they break out the speed, it is very brutal! Many samples grace this disc, everything from haunting church organs and female operetta style chorus lines to air raid sirens and bomb explosions (featured on the track "War," a perfect soundtrack for the apocalypse if ever there was one!) and everything else in between! Though there are some very dark, crushing riffs, and very brutal vocals, there are some very melodic moments on this disc, especially the soft whispers on "Ethnic Cleansing" and of course the female vocals, which seems to be a trademark with Witchhunt bands. I can hear some very influential and very different ideas with this industrial/death crossover, and it still impresses me every time I listen to it! Though it will probably appeal more to death fans than those who enjoy industrial, you're going to have to admit it is very original! And check out those fast double bass style beats on "Drowning in Sorrow," is that an actual drummer or a machine?!?!
LEAETHER STRIP "Underneath the Laughter" (Cleopatra Records)
Leaether Strip's Claus Larsen's new album "Underneath the Laughter" can only be described as richly layered keyboards and a thundering electro-body beat. As with his token snarling vocals he invokes new imagery somewhat reminiscent of a baptist church in a hellish landscape. All the tracks are quite danceable, especially "Turn to Stone" and "Praying Eyes," though with the song "We Will Follow" a slow, nightmarish dreamscape is conjured up with beautifully dark pianos and strings accompanied by female vocals. This is by far the best album Leaether Strip has ever produced and Claus Larsen's skills at orchestration and arrangement have proved him to be a talented musician and powerful force in the realm of electro-body music. (Editor's note: While I find the CD quite a change from their last effort, I find that this hits with industrial as well as the aforementioned styles.)
MARKED FOR PAIN "Marked For Pain" (demo)
Man, oh man did I ever dig this demo! A brutal and torturous vocalist we have here on this three song demo. The playing sometimes gets to be really fast death metal, and in lots of places they actually slow it down and create a VERY heavy atmosphere of riffing, and I could have sworn I heard keyboards in there! One thing that annoys me, though, is the singer's hardcore singing style, it gets annoying at times, but otherwise our throat man is very competent! I must admit I played this thing two or three times before I reviewed it! The drummer is very fast on some leads, I don't see how he was able to keep up that pace through three songs! Let's not forget the bass, which especially on the second song sounds more like a bludgeoning instrument rather than a guitar! The three songs are "A Killer's Prayer," "Naked Soul," and "Dark Asylum." Very brutal, very well done, heavy as hell and recommended by all means! Don't let the singer's hardcore singing style throw you, though, it's only a minor annoyance.
ORBITAL "Diversions" (FFRR Records)
You know, at first glance this CD seems to only have 6 songs. But, it is some of the most intelligently arranged trance/techno I have ever heard! Utilizing the dreamy sequence of trance mixed with some heavy synth beats made perfect for dancing! The track I enjoyed most on this CD was "Lush 3/Walk About," which was released under the series of recordings known as the John Peel sessions. (This same man also released albums with bands like Napalm Death and Joy Division.) Anyway, there are some interesting twists here, none the least of which is the strange and beautiful way they used flutes in the song "Semi Detached." All in all, it's great, you can dance to it, hell, you can even relax to it! I look forward to hearing more from these guys, and of course I'm going to try to track down their other releases!
ROT "Cruel Face of Life" (Morbid Records)
One of the first full length overseas discs I have received, this is a 42 song (Yes, I said it right!) CD! It features 21 brand new songs recorded with their current lineup, along with their two older 7" EP's ("Almighty God," and "Drowned in Restrictions.") Playing extreme grindcore in the style of early Napalm Death and the like, some of the songs sound the same. Although this may sound like a bargain, 42 songs on one CD, the total playing time is no more than 45 minutes. The lead singer, by the way, sounds like he has a gag in his mouth and is screaming for help! Very funny sort of sound, but the background chorus is quite aggressive. This isn't a bad release; the sludgy sound actually works, and some of the slower played riffs are very heavy and catchy, but some of these songs do tend to sound the same. Others, however, are quite brutal and make for interesting listening. Not a bad release, but it's far from a top notch disc.
SKREW "Dusted" (Metal Blade Records)
Well, as I review this little gem of a disc, I am instantly brought back to exactly one year ago, when I first started this publication of mine. Fortunately for me, Skrew retains that guitar driven heaviness of their first Metal Blade release "Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame." The difference this time around is that Adam Grossman relies less on the electronics to distort his vocals, choosing instead to sing in a more natural style voice. The effect is rather likened to a harsher hardcore singing style. The guitar riffs are very heavy, though in some songs they use the same riffs repeatedly. This, however, does not detract much from the overall feel of the album. On some of the tracks where the axemasters provide us with slow riffs, they are apocalyptically heavy! The lyrics are well written as well, and such tracks as "Picasso Trigger," "Season For Whither," and "Albatross" show that Skrew have definitely matured both in their instrumentation and in their song writing abilities. A very good release, one I had been looking forward to for a whole year!
SPAHN RANCH "The Blackmail Starter's Kit" (Cleopatra Records)
I was pretty impressed by this one. 7 tracks (although the CD lists 6, the seventh track sounds like a prelude to another album to be recorded in the future) and this industrial/electro band runs the gamut of moods, everything from melancholy to anger and everything in between. The vocals are just slightly distorted with electronics, and that singer has the coolest voice! The only detractions I have are with the last two "songs," one being "Commination," which contains a very boring repetitive electronic riff and nothing else, save the guitars, and "Kenneth, What's the Frequency," which is okay but it sounds a bit ancient compared to their other tracks. Anyway, "Con," "Antibody," "Forceps," and "Breath and Taxes" are all very good tracks in their own right.
TALISMAN "Five out of Five - Live in Japan" (Empire Records)
As many of you know, this is one of my favorite hard rock bands. This time around they have a GREAT sound live. This disc features them doing cuts from their last album 'Genesis' such as "Mysterious," "Comin' Home," "All or Nothing," and "All I Want." The number five refers to the five songs that are either new songs or songs presented on some other album. The new songs are very well written, I most enjoyed "Standin' On Fire," a very heavy intro is featured before they slow things down with some melodic singing. I also really dig the track "Just Between Us," a rather powerful slow tune, one that is presented live with deep feeling and passion. My only complaint is with the singer's addressing the crowd on one of the songs, he sounded a bit brash about audience participation. There is also a killer solo right before the song "Comin' Home," something you won't find on the Genesis CD. Yet another killer release, as it's only hard rock/heavy metal it will only appeal to a select few, but those select few will indeed not be disappointed!
VARIOUS ARTISTS "Karmanic Collection" (Cold Meat Industries)
This compilation features some of the wierdest, darkest, and demented industrial I have ever heard. There is even a techno track on here that I realy like "Tjanne ru teknolukten?" by En Halvkokt I Folie. The majority of the tracks are very experimental excursions into noise and industrial/techno, and there are also some surprising twists such as the death metal/industrial crossover done by Brighter Death Now, and even some dark rantings of hypocrisy by Archon Satani. A few tracks, however, sound like out and out noise with no thought to any structured arrangement. It took some getting used to, but most of the tracks are very bizarre and very original. The last track by Morthond I believe it was stood out from the rest as a bit more mellow, but all in all if you like your industrial dark, moody, and a bit on the morbid side, this may be just the treat for you! I definitely look forward to hearing more from this label!
VARIOUS ARTISTS "KNOR Collection Volume III" (XSV Music)
WARNING! Playing this CD just might blow some speakers, especially if you take into consideration the extreme bass presented in the song "Sentinal." But anyway, this CD proclaims 16 tracks by five artists, and all the material is very fast hardcore techno! The stuff may be hard to dance to, but nearly all the tracks are very good. The five artists featured here are Human Resource, The Bazeman, DJ Raveric, Reyes, and Simon C. My one complaint is with the selection of songs from Human Resource, they only have four songs, but two of them are remixes, so actually only two songs are presented. However, "Sound of Rotterdam" is easily the best track on this CD. Coming in a close second is "Sentinal" by Simon C. Easily the strangest tunes come from the mind of DJ Raveric, check out the strange rantings of "Hey Gringo." After listening to this CD, you may not ever learn what house is, but this is most definitely hardcore techno! And for you metalheads, Reyes even samples some Twisted Sister for ya on the track "I Wanna Rock!"
VIOLET ARCANA "In the Scene of the Mind" (EinProdukt)
Well, as I mentioned last issue, this band has advertised their CD on the Internet, a place that I currently call home. Anyway, the CD is mostly very atmospheric and soft techno, with vocals! The majority of the tracks are not made as much for dancing as they are for just kicking back and relaxing, but you might be able to dance to "Consciousness (In the Well)" Mainly slow tracks with an occasional light techno beat, the songs are very well done, with a heavy emphasis on instrumentation and atmosphere rather than a frenetic, furious beat and a danceable scene. The vocals, when they are present (you'll find their best examples in "In the Scene of the Mind" and "The World Inside") are sort of background and seem to set off the mood quite nicely. If you're looking for a heavy dance product, skip over this; however, this would be a perfect CD to set a laser light show to!
X-WILD "So What" (Tricolor Music)
Welp, here it is! The debut CD from the members of Running Wild, now together with Frank Knight on vocals to form X-Wild! You may remember the interview we did with them last issue or so, and lemme tell ya! From the opening notes, it sounds most definitely like Running Wild! Frank Knight gives a rather competent performance here, but some songs sound like they needed more work. There is a rather weak chorus line on "Mystica Deamonica," and the opening song "Can't Tame the Wild" sounds a little ragged. However, most songs rage through here with kickass metal fury and intensity, in some songs it sounds like a VERY strong cross between AC/DC and Running Wild! "Dealing With the Devil," "Scarred to the Bone," and "Kid Racer" are good strong songs, showing that they remain true to the spirit of TRUE heavy metal. The song "Thousand Guns" is probably the strongest cut here in my mind, reminding me of the way AC/DC composed most of their songs. At times, this band reminds me of the fury and mainstream power displayed by longtime Attic Records band Railway. The drumming is very consistent, and the band as a whole sounds very good. As I stated earlier, remove Frank Knight and insert Rock 'n' Rolf and it would sound EXACTLY like Running Wild. However, with a little work and some performance time under their belts, this band will go far. This is still a rockin' disc!
MYTHIC "Mourning in the Winter Solstice" (Nuclear Blast Records)
An all female trio of raging death metal! Just goes to show that these ladies can kill with the best of 'em! From the first listen, I had a hard time believing that the singer was female, as Dana Duffey is able to go WAAAY down! Unfortunately, I can't say that I was really all that impressed with this 4 song EP, as the playing style, a bit one dimensional with only one guitar and a bass, is just slow grinding death with fast breaks every now and then. The vocalist it seems sounds like she's trying to make herself unable to be understood. The best cut on here is "Spawn of Absu," where they vary the tempo a bit between fast riffing and slow grinding death, however it seems to me like they need to work a bit more on the musicianship and tighten things up a bit. The band shows a bit of a promise, hell, how many death bands have you seen with an all female cast (and very pretty ones too, I might add! Don't take that the wrong way, now, okay?) Maybe if they work a little bit more on their playing and songwriting they could be a force to be reckoned with and I'd love to see it happen! This EP, incidentally, was pressed on Blue marble colored vinyl. The 4 songs here are: "Intro," "Spawn of Absu," "Winter Solstice," and "Lament Configuration."
PAX MORTIS "World of Thieves" (Cursed Productions)
I've been finding that lately it's the smaller and independent labels that are doing the most revolutionary things with bands. As in the case of Pax Mortis, definitely NOT your average death/thrash combo, these guys utilize classical and jazz influences into their three song EP printed on blood red vinyl. The singing is your typical death metal style, but what REALLY sets these guys apart is their lyrics, besides only having one song with vocals ("My Belief.") This song deals with animal cruelty and is very well written. The other two songs, "A World of Thieves" and "Visions From the Past," showcase some very strong talent, and when they throw the classical and jazz riffs in there, it is done very subtly; it doesn't detract from the hard, aggressive style that is the main theme throughout their works. Mostly brutal, with touches of sheer beauty and very skilled musicianship, this 3 song EP is a must have. Very original, and unlike Tiamat's efforts of atmospheric death in that they still retain a brutality that is unmatched in most bands' attempts to mix death and atmosphere.
SARNATH "Cosmopolitan" (Regress Records)
Regress Records is a label that is run by the same guy who runs Baphomet magazine. Anyway, this two-song EP is mostly instrumental. They credit a vocalist, who really does no more than speak a few lines in both songs. The two songs, "The Divine Path" and "Wings of Trinity," showcase very fine talent, the drumming is tight and solid, and the riffing of both lead and solo guitars are quite good, however, for solid metal playing this is about as far as it goes. I get the feeling that this was some sort of experimentation project, because there is, as I said, an actual vocalist in this band. Hard to judge this one, but if you're into metal instrumental music, this one will work for you. The song "The Divine Path," by the way, has a short but sweet intro using your classic rainstorm sound effects with someone speaking in the background.
STOMPBOX "The Halloween Day Massacre" (Columbia Records)
WOW! Man oh man did I ever enjoy this one! Two songs here, which are taken from their forthcoming release "Stress" are very short, punkish attitude mixed with hardcore style playing in the vein of Biohazard meets Henry Rollins with a bit of good humor to boot. The EP, incidentally, was produced by Evan Seinfeld of none other than Biohazard! The two songs, "No Woods" and "Alcohol," show a very diverse style, "No Woods" is kinda slow, funky, Biohazardish hardcore, while "Alcohol" reminds me of a Murphy's Law style punk/hardcore mix, and you can tell that these guys are having fun with this one, especially in their lyrics! The singer has that Rollins/Biohazard style of voice, it's rather a neat little package, and I can't wait to get the full length release from this crazy, fun band!
DROWN. Interview with Joe from the Elektra offices.
Drown, in the words of the guitarist/keyboardist Joe Bishara, "is very different from the Drown of about six years ago. The vision for our sound and direction was not as clearly defined, but thanks to Alan Rider, our publisher, we were able to secure a deal with Elektra Records to release our first album 'Hold on To The Hollow.' Alan basically sent out a demo to the Elektra offices, they came down and saw a show, had us do another demo, and we are signed for 7 albums. We are going to be working on a new album and do some touring plans this year." Club potential too has been reached with this album, which also has seen a single release for the song "What it is to Burn." Speaking of remixes and singles, Joe adds; "I've been working with Dave Ogilvie (formerly of Skinny Puppy fame) and we have done some remixes, mainly for the 'What it is to Burn,' we did a couple of Nine Inch Nails remixes in Vancouver with Anthony Valcheck. There are probably about three remixes finished for every song on our new album which may be released at some point."
All the lyrics, incidentally, were written by Lauren Boquette, who is also the vocalist for the group. One of the more interesting songs, "Longing," was, according to Joe, "really not planned at all. I was in a strange mood one night and just sat around with the keyboards and came up with this track. The music was pretty much finished at that point, and I gave the tape to Lauren to see what he'd thought of it, then later on he gave it back to me with vocals on it and I was just blown away." For those not in the know, "Longing" is the slowest and probably one of the most unusual pieces on the whole album. It sounds like it might be a typical ballad, but is filled with angry and at the same time some sad lyrics and the same brutal vocal style exemplified throughout the album. "As far as our lyrics go, you'd have to talk to Lauren about the actual mood for our songs," Joe informs us further, "but as far as the musical portion goes, when I'm sitting down to write music or to start programming, I try to strike a certain vibe. Whatever mood I might be in that day I try to take that and put it to music and intensify that by about one hundred percent." So, what is the whole mood of the album? According to Joe, the band's goal seems to be "Intensity. That is a very important quality to have, not necessarily for music, but also with everything else as well. We are the same way live that we are on the album."
And what about the industrial scene, with bands like Nine Inch Nails and Skinny Puppy getting popularity? "I've been listening to this stuff for years, and I'm really burned out on it by now. I don't listen to much rock music much anymore, I have been getting back to stuff like Tangerine Dream, somewhat New Age and ambient keyboard music that I grew up with in the 70's. The state of music right now seems like there isn't much really there. A lot of stuff is sounding like it's being rehashed. I believe that ambient stuff is coming back and I think the techno/ambient movement is such a brilliant combination. I love techno, bands like Aphex Twins and Orb, and Sven Vath. Sven's new album 'Accident in Paradise' on Sire records is very brilliant ambient/techno."
So what sort of equipment does Joe use when doing his samples and recording? Of course he's gonna tell us: "I have a Macintosh based MIDI studio at home. The brains behind it is a Quadra 800, and all that connects to a Kurtswheel K-2000, one of the coolest modules to come out in years. I also use a Waldorf Microwave, an EMI systems procussion unit for some drum and percussion sounds, an E-max II sampler and an Oberheim Matrix 1000, which has some really great old fat analog pads in it. That whole thing also goes with a 4 channel Protool system for editing purposes." Serious equipment!
Although they don't have any specific material ready for a new album besides the remixes mentioned above, get their debut album if you can, and stay tuned for their road dates!
MY DYING BRIDE. Interview with Andrew.
My Dying Bride currently has a new album out, entitled "Turn Loose the Swans." For those of you already familiar with the style of doom/death metal played by them, you may be surprised at their change in singing style. Andy comments: "We decided that from the first album, we started out as a typical death metal band, but we realized that with the new album we were playing better, and on the more mellow parts the vocals as standard death style vocals didn't really fit to the kind of melodies we were putting down. So we decided that Aaron could try singing and it seems to work out a lot better." I couldn't agree more, as Aaron has a definite sound that seems to shape and define the band as a force to be reckoned with in the doom/death metal world. But, as we stated earlier, the band wasn't always this way, given by Andrew's description of their history: "We formed in June 1990 by myself and Rick, Calvin and Aaron. Calvin and Aaron were in another band which wasn't doing anything at that time, they were unhappy with what was happening with their band, and Richie and I were also in another band; the two bands split up, and we all got together to form the outfit My Dying Bride. We released our first demo as a four piece (we didn't have a bass or violin player) called "Towards the Sinister." We had an offer from a popular fanzine called Peardrop (which is pretty popular in Europe.) who also helped us release a 7 inch. We then recruited a bass player and then Peaceville got interested in us and we signed to them. As we were getting ready to record our first EP for Peaceville, a violin and keyboard player offered to play bass for us, but we already had Adrian, so then he told us he could play violin and keyboard so we tried him out and it made our sound more interesting."
Well, we've touched upon what drives their sound, their instruments and the band members, but what about the lyrics? Well, with song titles like "Your River," "The Songless Bird," and "The Snow in my Hand," it's a safe bet that your typical death metal rehash will not be found here! Of course, Andrew is here to tell all about the lyrics behind My Dying Bride: "Aaron writes the lyrics, but the main influences come from old classical literature, such as stuff in Shakespeare, and also the bible; although he is not a real religious person, the stories in the bible are fantastic to him, he likes the wording and the way words were written in old literature. Mainly stories and epics that are mysterious and well written." As for the song "Black God," which had no lyrics written in the lyric sheet, he goes on to explain: "That was a poem, but it wasn't our lyrics so we couldn't use it, couldn't write it down. We found this old poem that we like, but we couldn't find the guy who wrote it. Since we couldn't credit ourselves as the original writers of the song, we left the lyrics off the sheet. Incidentally, this is the only song that we can't play live." This song also features a female vocalist, which Andrew told me was performed just for the album.
My Dying Bride also has an EP out in Europe, which should be released over in the US later this year. Andrew tells us what is on that EP: "It's called 'I am the Bloody Earth' and has 'I am the Bloody Earth,' a remixed version of the song 'Crown of Sympathy' which I prefer better than the original, and 'Transcending Into the Exquisite' which is sort of an industrial/techno type of track which came from an idea from Steve Dixon who is in a band called Drug Free America. He basically took the master tapes from our LP into the studio and chopped them all up and wrote a completely new song in the style of Pitch Shifter. We like to experiment on our EP's." Currently, they haven't worked on any material for a new album yet, but as I said before, the EP should be out later this year! They have also gotten rave reviews in Rolling Stone magazine, as well as other periodicals, so stay tuned for more from the English coast!
SEPULTURA. Interview done with Max Cavalera at the Roadrunner offices.
Festivals in Europe. Three shows in Germany with Rollins Band as supporters. A current tour with Pantera, which lasts a whole month. Guest appearance on their newest release "Chaos A.D." by Jello Biafra. Not a bad year for a band from Brazil who almost went unnoticed if it weren't for the signing by Roadrunner. Then Epic Records steps in and picks up the rights to their newest release. According to Max, however, the song "Biotech is Godzilla" came about because, "Jello Biafra is one of my favorite writers. I always loved Dead Kennedys' lyrics. Jello has a really cool way of talking about politics and topics of that nature. Igor and Andreas played with Biafra in Brazil, they did about two shows, and kinda put a band together, playing Dead Kennedys and Lard songs. Jello ended up coming to one of our shows on the Ministry tour, and said he was really into the band, and we also got involved in a Dead Kennedys compilation album called Alternative Tentacles Virus 100. We did the song 'Drug Me.' for the compilation album, which was basically a bunch of bands doing Dead Kennedy covers. (This song later showed up on an import Sepultura album, also featured here was a track called 'Orgasmatron,' which was originally done by Motorhead.) 'Drug Me' was done in Brazil, and we donated the whole thing to hospitals of children in Brazil." Speaking of Brazil, the current situation is "unchanged. The mentality of most people down there is very closed minded. Nobody is organized, nobody wants to go through any major changes, and I feel sorry for the people down there who are struggling to make it. I see how things are here in America, and in Europe, and things just aren't working down in Brazil. Lots of political unrest, and it seems like Brazil is comparable to Russia in their situation. It was very hard for us to get out, and I don't say that so people will feel sorry for us. (He answered mainly because I asked! -Ed.) Musically, there is a huge amount of support here in the US, and you can probably buy your favorite bands on CD in many record stores. When we started out in Brazil we couldn't get many albums, it was really hard to get instruments to play and they were really crappy." Speaking of their first album "Bestial Devastations EP," Max informs us about Cogumelo, their first label based in Brazil, "they are still around. They do everything from death metal to hardcore, to rock and roll. They started just with power and death metal bands, but they felt they needed to crossover to more people so they did other styles. I wouldn't be surprised if they did a rap band! Right now they have Overdose, Dorsal Atlantica, and a bunch of hardcore bands. At least they give a chance to their people to come out with some good music."
Chaos AD, as far as sales, "is doing real well, but we aren't concerned with sales and stuff. If our albums weren't selling we really wouldn't care, as well, we prove that we could put out another album and be different from the last one. We could have easily put out 'Arise part II,' because 'Arise' sold a million copies worldwide, but what's the point of doing that again? Lots of bands, they see green first. I have other beliefs before that." Well, what about their older stuff from their first albums? "We do 'Troops of Doom,' and 'Antichrist' live. We don't get many requests for the older stuff, but there are a really small group of people that get into that. I like it, I don't deny any part of our history, but those old songs are kinda like old tattoos, you don't remove them, you leave them there, because you're always gonna remember a time of your life when you went through certain things. On the tour with Pantera, our third song is 'Troops of Doom,' and we play 'Escape to the Void,' which was on our Schizophrenia album. We'll sometimes play 'Crucifixion' or 'Antichrist.'"
As this interview goes on further, I note that even though Max Cavalera was born a native of Brazil, he speaks English very well. Max lets me know that "I always wanted to learn English all the way from when I was still in school. I always wanted to know what my favorite bands were saying, I was interested, and not just one of those people who just likes the music. I started writing the albums and translating it with a dictionary, it took me about a week to translate each album! What's really tough is, we went to Jamaica recently, and they mix English with French, and talk really fast. It's kinda like Pig Latin in a way, sometimes we can tell the native Jamaicans are talking in ways that the natives don't understand." On writing songs, Max tells us that "Me and Andreas are the only ones that write lyrics really. I ended up writing a little more the last album than Andreas. We try to keep the lyrics to half and half." Sepultura's current tour is probably overseas by the time you read this, but they will be coming back to the States to finish up the tour with Pantera. No word on new song titles yet, though Max does have some stuff written. Grab Chaos A.D. If you can, and from Max, "Thanks for all the support and for buying our albums!"
TYPE O NEGATIVE. Interview with Peter Steele.
Type O Negative is a band that these days is doing pretty well. Though we were disappointed that they canceled a date at a local club, the tour with Nine Inch Nails was, as Peter puts it, "went very well. We played to sold out theatres, and the crowd was pretty responsive to our stuff. Nine Inch Nails treated us great, we really can't complain." Along with successful tours, their latest release Bloody Kisses is a radical departure from their two previous efforts, "Origin of the Feces" EP and "Slow, Deep and Hard." The feelings and overall mood of the album differ greatly from the first to the last, as Peter explains, "The first album was written much out of anger and hostility and this album (Bloody Kisses) was written more out of depression and sadness. Over the years we have grown and gotten older, and our styles and musical topics have changed. We basically tried to create atmosphere, although we have gothic influences in this newest album, we don't try to label our albums as one specific style. We aren't concerned with labels and categories people try to put on us." And believe it or not, people have caused Type O negative a LOT of trouble, especially overseas. "The song 'We Hate Everyone' is about all the crap that happened to us over in Europe, we were accused of being Nazis, which is kind of funny because I'm Jewish. It is basically an uninformed public that doesn't really understand English, and didn't even take the time to find out what we were all about. We were even having problems over here as well, we started the show with Motley Crue and in Texas we were told that we were not allowed on a base out in Texas, which was our first show. We almost canceled the whole thing because of that. It pisses me off because the same people that are screaming about censorship and the first amendment are becoming our biggest censors. This tour with Motley Crue lasts 12 weeks, and hopefully we won't have any more problems."
Peter has certain views on religion, and those views sometimes are presented in his songs: "Basically, with Christianity, I was raised with it, there's a lot of churches that say that everything that is human is wrong. It's almost impossible to be raised strictly christian and not feel horribly guilty about having all the normal feelings that people have. If our sexual explorations are a sin, then everyone is going to hell, basically. We just basically try to tell the truth and people get offended regardless. We did a song called 'Kill All The White People,' which was our little joke on racism (us being white and all) just to see what people would say, and they seemed to take it seriously. It seems that government likes to step in as well, with their crap about freedom of speech. Basically you have freedom of speech as long as you say what THEY want."
I was curious to know how they work their songs in concert, as they will basically be playing for different audiences. What I mean is, there are diehard Type O Negative fans that like the older material, and some new fans that are into the newer stuff. A further revelation reveals: "We usually do about half and half of new and old stuff. On the tour with Motley Crue we try to lean towards the newer stuff, we usually only get 35 minutes to do our stuff, and our songs are pretty long. Most of our songs are about 10 to 12 minutes each, so we can usually only do like a few songs each. We have a lot of smoke effects in our shows, lots of atmosphere with smoke effects and stuff." Though you won't see their video for Christian Woman on MTV (Unless you live in Euorpe), you CAN catch them live when they hit a town near you! And not to fear if your city was one of the shows they missed, or had to reschedule, because, "We are going to try and finish up the tour on the Eastern seaboard. We have a good fan base up in Atlanta, Georgia, and we want to go back to Florida where there is good radio support." So, grab "Bloody Kisses" if you don't already have it, see 'em live, and "Don't trust the government!"
NOTEWORTHY ITEMS:
Here is the release schedule for the summer's releases on American Recordings. Please note that some of these may already be reviewed in this magazine, though some may not:
Medicine - "Sounds of Medicine" (EP) - June 14th
MC 900 Foot Jesus - "One Step Ahead of the Spider" - June 28th
Deconstruction - "Deconstruction" - July 12th
Barkmarket - "Landroom" (EP) - July 19th
Julian Cope - August 9th
Jesus and Mary Chain - August 16th
Lords of Acid - August 30th
The Black Crowes - August 30th
Coming out but no firm release dates yet:
Danzig (Summer)
Slayer (Summer)
Sir Mix-A-Lot (Summer)
Skinny Puppy (Fall)
Jayhawks (Fall)
It saddens me to inform you of this, but Black Mark products will no longer be carried by Cargo Records here in the States. (Though I am informed that Cargo in Canada may still handle a few items.) Fortunately, Stage Three is picking up the rights to Black Mark material, though it may take a few months to set everything up. More info as it becomes available.
Welp, here's some more release dates, these are for artists on the Roadrunner label:
BUZZOVEN "Sore" - July 12
ST. VITUS "V" (re-release) - July 12
MADBALL "Set it Off" - July 26
MACHINE HEAD "Burn my Eyes" - August 9
OBITUARY "World Demise" - September 6
FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY "Millenium" - late September
INTERMIX To Be Announced - late September
THIS JUST IN: Violet Arcana has just been signed to Zoth Ommog records over in Germany! No word yet on when Cleopatra (the label that has been carrying the Zoth Ommog line for quite some time now) will release this over in the States, but we'll keep you informed.
Well, up in the video realm, MTV has shown some videos lately that are pretty cool. Of course, Headbanger's Ball is the only place you'll see these, but at least the bands get some coverage. Anyway, Morbid Angel has yet another video, for "God of Emptiness," which I must say is quite good, though they seem to have this fascination for filming in churches. Other good vid's are Biohazard's "Tales From the Hardside," (These guys are now signed to Warner Brothers, and this new song is harder than ever! Major label deals haven't changed these guys at all!) "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails, (notice how many video clips are "missing?" I'm actually surprised they played this one at all!) and "Prison Sex" by Tool. Tool, by the way, has the coolest clay animation figures I've ever seen. (If they indeed use clay animation.)
For all you KISS Fans, they have a sort of "tribute" album called "KISS my ass" where they feature classic KISS cuts and there is even a home video compilation in the works which will feature rare performances from their many concerts. They are indeed in the studio as we speak recording a follow up album to their last successful effort "Revenge."
Coming soon from Machinery Records is "French/Belgium Industries," a compilation with seven French and six Belgian bands. This compilation is an introduction to the young energy and raw electronic industrial scene of both countries. This is also the start of a series of country based compilations which is planned to feature Espana, Italia, The Balkan Mafia and the USA. The bands which are to be featured are as follows: From France we have Phase Pattern, K...Bereit, De Vermis Mysteriis, Fight in Unity, Brain Leisure, and A Thousand Societies. From Belgium it's Collapse, Imminent Starvation, Fuzz Box Machine, !AiBoFoRcEn, Lescure 13, and Suicide Commando.
Bad luck has hit Snog twice now! For the second time an airfreight parcel from Australia to Berlin has been received completely crushed. The enclosed new master DAT's which were to be their upcoming album were smashed yet again! And people in the US complain about their mail being slow? Hopefully the third time's the charm, eh? If all goes well, their third DAT should arrive in the Machinery office soon.
The best of Dance or Die is climbing higher and higher in the Alternative Press dance charts. As of this writing it was at #16, and it has inspired Ango & Wagner to work on a new album. They are currently in Berlin and have been staying completely isolated while they finish it. One title of a finished track has leaked out, however, this track being "Time Zero."
Recently signed to Godhead Recordings is an underground Stockholm death metal band known as Expulsion. A very famous group, they were one of the first death metal acts back in '88 along with Nihilist, Grave, Dismember, Grotesque, and Treblinka. Their first release on Godhead Records is due out in early September of 1994, and features 10 songs written in different periods of the band's history. The track "At The Madness End" will also feature Johan Edlun from Tiamat on vocals. Two of the members of Expulsion, Stefan and Anders, were once members of Tiamat.
Also due out in September 94 on Godhead Records is the first Acrimony full length CD called "Hymn to the Stone." They formed in 1991 and have released one demo and a 7" single on Shiver records in 1993. Influences such as Hawkwind, Thin Lizzy, Saint Vitus, Black Sabbath, Kyuss, Cathedral and 70's rock/doom metal have combined with the band's original visions to create a truly unique sound. In August they tour with Swedish doomsters Count Raven and a European tour is scheduled for October 94.
The guys in Bigod 20 are nearly done with their full length CD "Supercute" for Sire Records. They have waited nearly two years to put this one out, and they are also working on a video which should probably be underway as we speak. Also due out on Sire records is a CD from legendary Armageddon Dildos, and that one is due out in August.
Claus Larsen of Leaether Strip is very busy, and we thought that the current release of "Underneath the Laughter" (Cleopatra, reviewed this issue) was his newest, but actually this thing was out for almost a year on Zoth Ommog WAY before Cleopatra released it. Anyway, Claus' new project is called "Serenade for the Dead," and is a totally instrumental project which, according to Getting Away With Murder in the United States fanzine, is "taking electronic music to classical heights." Claus is also working on a new Strip CD called "Invite the Perverted" and working on some new tracks for the band Klute.
Morbid Angel is going out on the road soon with Black Sabbath and Motorhead, and has recruited guitarist Richard Brunelle (who was axed from the group over a year ago due to "musical differences") for the group's US dates. Also in a related note, vocalist/bassist David Vincent is working on a side project (and what band isn't these days!) which will be similar to the music portrayed by Type O Negative.
No word yet on Six Feet Under, the side project of Obituary guitarist Allen West and Cannibal Corpse vocalist Chris Barnes, though it is noted that Metal Blade Records has taken a strong liking to the recent three song demo sent in by the duo. More info as it becomes available.
NEWS FLASH! Running Wild has a new CD out, entitled "Black Lightning." No word from the overseas fan club, but word should be in before the next issue goes to press.
Deicide are currently working on their third effort for Roadrunner, and according to Glenn Benton, bassist/vocalist for the group, it will feature a style that is "simpler and catchier" than their last release "Legion." It will be produced by Scott Burns and recorded at Tampa's Morrisound Studio.
Up for review in the next issue of Vibrations of Doom magazine are a few released from fellow deathsters Desultory and Epidemic. Desultory's newest release is called "Bitterness," and is a tad different from their last effort, however, Epidemic's "Exit Paradise" is a killer album, featuring such crushing tunes as "Void," "Deaden," "To Escape the Void," and "Section 13."
Metal Blade is also re-releasing LOTS of classic titles on CD. Scheduled for rerelease are ALL 9 Metal Massacre albums and the following:
TROUBLE "Psalm 9," "The Skull," "Run to the Light"
SLAYER "Show no Mercy," "Live Undead," "Haunting the Chapel," "Hell Awaits"
WARLORD "Best of"
FATES WARNING "Awaken the Guardian," "No Exit," "Perfect Symmetry," "Spectre Within," "Night on Brocken"
VOIVOD "War and Pain"
LIZZY BORDEN "Best of," "Master of Disguise"
HALLOWS EVE "Death and Insanity," "Tales of Terror," "Monument"
ARMORED SAINT "Saints Will Conquer"
NASTY SAVAGE "Nasty Savage," "Indulgence," "Abstract Reality"
CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER "Speak Your Piece"
ANVIL "Live"
CANDLEMASS "Live"
GOO GOO DOLLS "Jed"
My favorite doom/deathsters from Sweden, Tiamat, have split up. It seems that the reason for the split was over differences in opinion over a 4 song demo which was an instrumental composition. Members Johan Edlund (vocalist and guitarist) and Jonny Hagel (bassist) will retain the Tiamat logo and are recruiting new members to pursue a direction which they describe as a cross between their last album "Clouds" and Pink Floyd.
Testament has gone through some surprising changes as of late! They have gotten rid of six stringer Glen Alvelais (who they picked up from Forbidden to replace Alex Skolnick) and replaced him with none other than Disincarnate legend James Murphy! They are completing work (may already be done by the time this hits) on their 6th album tenatively titled "Low," and features a much heavier and aggressive sound than that found on their last release "The Ritual." Surprising enough also is the fact that producers (yes, two of them!) are Garth Richardson (Rage Against the Machine) and Bill Kennedy (Nine Inch Nails!) This should prove to be an interesting venture, to say the least!
So, what has happened to Leif Edling of Candlemass? While the band Candlemass has been relatively quiet these days, Leif has a side project called Abstrakt Algebra. He is going to record a debut album which will be self financed and finished sometime this spring. Some tracks that will appear are "Stigmata," "Vanishing Man," "Shadowplay," and "Nameless."
CONTACT ADS AND ADDRESSES:
If you want to reach Skinny Puppy via the Internet, the address is: puppy@netcom.com. Their new album is due out this fall.
Witchhunt Records has some excellent releases out, mainly the Inner Thought, Sadness, Plegethon, Decoryah, and Sweet Disease CD's. Brilliant, thought provoking, and generally different within their respective genres, these gems can be ordered from Witchhunt Records, PO Box 658 - 8029 Zurich, Switzerland.
VIOLET ARCANA "IN THE SCENE OF THE MIND" <-- more info:arcana@netcom.com "A delightful blend of lightly spaced trance-dance." -- ALTERNATIVE PRESS 7/94 "A mind-altering CD." -- PANDEMONIUM 3/94, "Invokes exotic dreams." SONIC BOOM "Psychedelic music." -- THE ROCKET 3/94, "Entices a trance state." -- DISCOURSE AUDIO VISUAL SAMPLERS: anon. FTP from "ftp.netcom.com" /pub/arcana or keywd. search for "Violet Arcana" or "68000" on your favorite BBS. Call 800-882-4262 to order, or send a check for $10 (PPD) to PO Box 19142, Portland, OR 97280 USA
We mentioned G.A.W.M.U.S, a fan based information service dedicated to the Music Research/Zoth Ommog bands. Badically they inform us about bands and cover merchandise info. They even have giveaways! For more information, write to them at Ric Laciak, G.W.A.M.U.S., P.O. Box 92575, Milwaukee, WI 53202, USA. Or contact them on the Internet at laciakr@aol.com.
EDITORIAL NOTATIONS:
Welp, as this issue draws to a close, I want to thank everyone who helped out in getting the Internet distribution. This damn 'zine is nearly 65k long, almost double the size of last issue! Hopefully I'll be able to mail it out normally, if you want a copy, just send me E-mail requesting a copy and I'll E-mail it to you! The E-mail address is ax487@freenet.hsc.colorado.edu. Make Sure that you type the E-mail address correctly, or it won't get to me!
Also, we might start doing concert reviews if we get enough people to send me the reviews. I personally don't do concert reviews anymore, simply because I have no way to get to the shows unless they come to my area. Which hardly ever happens. Anyway, that's it for now, since I've run out of room I'll have to save the info on how to get a freenet account for next issue! Thanks for being with us for a whole year, and we look forward to many more! The next issue is due out between mid September and late October. Until then...
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