Cultfinder - Hell's Teeth (EP 2014)

Skip the useless intro, then listen to All Conquering Death and I dare you to avoid finding you later in the day singing its chorus. This first song of Cultfinder's second EP Hell's Teeth is a masterpiece in D-beating black thrash metal. The young band from the UK is also doing a good job in the rest of the EP in blending primitive black metal, thrash, speed metal and D-beat. The lo-fi but put forward in the mix drums sounds demo but I think that it suits the style well. I like the drums mixed forward when it's combining blast beat and d-beat, powerful combination that is the key to this kind of metal in my opinion. If you're only into sophisticated metal that sure won't be your stuff but if you like your black metal raw and spiced with a healthy dose of thrash and punk then Hell's teeth will be a piece of choice. Simple but really enjoyable music!

Their BC page 

The Cretin interview

After my review of their excellent comeback album Stranger, in which once again they prove how exiting old school death / grind can sound, here's the interview we did by mail with two members of Cretin, Matt Widener (bass and backing vocals) and Marissa Martinez-Hoadley (lead vocals and rhythm guitar). read it below :

- Cretin's back after a long time, how do you feel about it? were you a bit anxious (would the Cretin "alchemy" work as well as it used to be?) or was it just excitement about reviving Cretin and playing this music together again?
Marissa: I was definitely excited to get going again. This band really exists as an extension of our friendship. So, the chemistry between us is strong. It’s always a great time when we can get together. Even if we’re just arguing over the deeply held beliefs that a riff should have a blast beat behind it or not. Hahaha!

  -Can you say a few words about the band members involvement in other bands during the time between the two Cretin albums?

Marissa: After releasing “Freakery” Matt went on to release “Olidous Operettas” for his band The County Medical Examiners in 2007, and then “Better to Die on Your Feet Than Live on Your Knees” for his anarcho-grind band Liberteer in 2012.

Col Jones recorded drums for Dekapitator on “The Storm Before the Calm.” He also joined Mortuous and recorded a demo in 2012. Throughout that time he played drums for Repulsion.

Elizabeth Schall started her band Dreaming Dead and released two albums: 2009’s “Within One” and 2012’s “Midnightmares.”

In 2011 - 2013 I played second guitar in Repulsion.

  -The nightmarish lyrics are far more sophisticated and more "psychological" than usually it is in death metal songs. how was it written and what are the sources of inspiration? real stories, books or movies, or a mix?
Matt: I wrote them just as I’d write any short story. I had to be careful about length, but I eventually got pretty good at guessing how many words to write for each song. Then I’d carefully find ways to fit the words to the meter. My inspiration is literature. I went to grad school for fiction writing. I read a lot. I didn’t think about movies at all for the songs, I just wrote stories.

  -The contemporary paintings on the cover and booklet are also very different from the usual death / grind art. did you wanted to have create a contrast between the more sophisticated lyrical and artistic elements and the "barbaric" music?

Matt: That’s an interesting way to frame it. That wasn’t really our intent, though. The paintings came from our artist friend. I saw him every week and told him the stories I was writing for the album, and he’d paint some of them. At a certain point, I couldn’t stop imagining the paintings as the album art. I asked him if we could use them, then talked to the band about it. Everyone liked the idea. We weren’t trying to be clever or anything. To me, many of the paintings are ominous. The figure of a silhouette is dangerous because you can’t see the detail of the person. This fit the theme of “Stranger” exactly.

  -Seems to me that many riffs of Cretin sounds inspired by trash metal and especially Slayer, have you listened to a lot of trash metal or is it just a reflection of the fact that early death metal started as trash metal pushed to the extreme?

Marissa: Metallica was the first band to get me into metal. I was a thrash fan for a few years before Matt got me hooked on death metal and grind. There was definitely a period of time when I abandoned thrash for extreme metal, but I came back around to it eventually.

We’ve always bit from early Slayer in Cretin. Not only do we love a lot of their music, but for our first album we were trying to recapture Repulsion’s sound. Repulsion was heavily influenced by Slayer, and their goal was to make it faster and more extreme. So, if you’re trying to play like Repulsion and ignore “Show No Mercy” and “Hell Awaits”… I don’t know how close you’ll get...

For “Stranger” though, we really wanted to grow Cretin’s sound. We consciously cut down on the Repulsion worship in this album, and pulled in other influences we’ve always had.

Matt: I like the thrash classics because I grew up with them. I’m not a huge thrash follower these days, but Slayer is one of my favorite bands. Marissa kept bringing in those types of riffs, so I threw in some as well. It just sort of happened.

  -Which are your preferred songs in Stranger, and why?

Marissa: My favorite song has changed a few times, but currently I really like “Knights of the Rail.” That’s the only song on the record where Matt and I both contributed riffs. On all of the other songs Matt or I wrote all of the riffs for each individual song.

I think the song rocks and has a good mix of grind, death, and thrash riffs. The breakdown sounds massive, and I really like the culture that Matt created in the lyrics. The song is about two warring hobo gangs. Matt found an online dictionary of hobo slang, and used it to write the lyrics.

Matt: Mine changes all the time. The lyrics were written at the very end, sometimes the night before we recorded vocals, and a song can change when you first hear vocals over music you’ve been rehearsing dry for a year. “The Beast and the Drowning Bucket” was like that. The song was a little tricky for me to play bass too and made me grumpy. Then the vocals just made everything click, and now it’s one of the best. Besides that, “Ghost of Teeth and Hair” is something I like to listen to. It’s about as epic as a Cretin song will get.
  -Was the writing and recording / producing process very different from what you did for the Freakery album?

Marissa: Yes and no. The writing process has always been similar. Matt and I go off separately and write a song, and then bring it to rehearsal. The big difference is that last time I was really strict on how each song had to be played, what drum beat had to be behind each riff… I was really controlling. This time, I was way more open to collaboration. It was way less stressful this time, and a lot more fun.

Matt: It was way more fun this time.

  -What does grindcore means to you? has your relation with it evolved with the time? and what do you feel about how grindcore is evolving?

Matt: Good question. I guess listening to grindcore for so long, I don’t really think of it in analytical terms. I do end up listening to as many new bands as I can find. I love old grind and I love new grind. There’s this band called Piss Vortex I just heard tonight that I love. I like all the technicality and jazzy chords, same thing for bands like Gridlink. But I love rougher more punk-driven grindcore, too. That last Death Toll 80K album was great. I’d probably say that my tastes in grindcore have grown along with all the experimentation. When I was young, I was a purist, a traditionalist. It’s a conservative mindset. Nowadays, I listen to it all, I love all of it. I can’t say that about any other style of metal. I only like some types of black metal, only some types of death metal. But grindcore, I like everything.

  -Which bands from your area would you recommend?
Marissa: There’s actually a pretty good collection of bands in the Bay Area currently. Obviously, I’d recommend Autopsy, and Exodus always put on a fun show. But, definitely check out Necrot and Scolex. They play some sick old school death metal.

Matt: I’m such a hermit, I never leave my house so I don’t see many shows.
 
  -Which evolution would you like to see happening in the underground scene?
Marissa: Nothing would make me happier than to see “Stranger” go platinum. Let’s make it happen!

  -What is planned for Cretin in the coming months? are you already preparing a next release?

Marissa: We don’t have any plans for another release. The main focus right now is deciding on a setlist, so we can get out and play some shows.

  -Something to add?

Marissa: 1+2+3+1+1+2+3+1=? (Hint: Title of our Decibel Flexi disc track)
 

Thanks to Matt and Marissa for answering my questions!

Six brew bantha - Intravenously commodified (2014)

The cover art of their new LP pay hommage to "Scum" and Six brew bantha sure are worthy followers of the good ol' grind traditions, Intravenously commodified is proving again that they are in full possession and control of the grind basics. But they are playing it in their own way and with all the firepower of modern grind. The nine songs are grinding furioulsy all over the place, fast, sharp, raw and with all the riffing and rythms changes that are needed to keep the intensity (and intense it is!) lively and the listener hooked. they are delivering the grind with a nice trashy crossover touch while keeping it grind brutal. Even the longer closing track is good and not another poor attempt at mixing grind with sludge or whatever, it's not even slower in fact, just trying a more complex song structure. Six brew bantha (as well as a few others canadian bands) is doing a very good job at strenghtening the grind scene and Intravenously commodified is one of the finest grind blast of 2014.

The BC page.

Cretin - Stranger (2014)

In the end of the eighties trash metal and hardcore punk were getting more extreme, giving birth to death metal and grind (but of course the lines were more blurred back then). It was really exiting times, and records pushing forward the extreme style sounded really genuine and fresh (eing born in '82 I wasn't into metal yet, but just play one of those records and you'll hear this exitement blasting through your speakers). in the 2000' (with a demo and the Freakery album release by Relapse) Cretin did a really good job of reviving that feeling and sound, influenced by the aggressive trash of Slayer, primitive death bands like Autopsy and early grind like Napalm death and even more Repulsion. They now are back with Stranger, an album that can stand proudly side by side with Freakery. Don't expect any evolution but expect another feast of barbaric death grind beating with a primitive groove, simple but deadly efficient and so damn cool.

The Bandcamp page.

Nashville pussy - Up the dosage (2014)

Up the dosage is "only" their sixth album but it seems that Nashville pussy gained a long time ago a well deserved status of one of the best hard rock band around. Some might regret they didn't stick to the punkier, rawer and faster syle of their first album ("Let them eat pussy"). It was and still is a very enjoyable record but i'd say I prefer the less one-sided and groovier sound of their next albums. This diversity and this groove is well represented in the new one. You'll find in it some fast tracks ( "rub it to death" or "spent") that would easily fit in Let them eat more pussy, some more rocking rhythm and blues, soul, blues ("before the drugs wear off"), southern rock,  or country("hooray for cocai, hooray for Tennessee") , and of course classical AC/DC style hard rock (like in "till the meat falls of the bone" and nearly every song of the album) influenced songs, you'll have the guitar solos, the girl backing vocals (and even some lead vocals from one of the girl on the short "takin it easy", something new that is working really fine ), the meat and the potatoes. maybe Up the dosage is not as good as "High as hell" or "Say somehing nasty" but it's a very cool album, and a new Nashville pussy is always welcome anyway..

their website

Spiral - Our final days on Bellicus prime (2014)

Spiral is not an easy band to describe. their songwriting is definitely progressive, but don't really fit with he sound you would associate with progressive rock or progressive metal neither. maybe we could say they're somewhere between Pink floyd and Oranssi pazuzu. anyway they're great and their new album Our final days on Bellicus prime is brilliant and very addictive stuff. they had in mind to do a double concept album (they use to release concept albums) but instead they kept only the very best material they had gathered. and indeed everything in the album is very good, from the more quiet parts with keyboards and violin to the metal riffing with distorted screamed vocals parts. whatever they do it sounds good, and often comes as a surprise. highly inspired songwriting combined with a flawless execution (including some very nice guitar soloing, and good vocal lines even though it's mostly instrumental).

highly recommened! one of my favourite discovery in 2014.

their Bandcamp

Anaal Nathrakh - Desideratum (2014)

Desideratum is Anaal Nathrakh eight full lenght and it contains every elements that has at a time been included on their previous album and is another proof of their great ability at combining the ultra-violent sonic aggression of black metal / industrial (with a touch of grind  / punk) with the epicness of more traditionnal heavy metal (melodies and clean singing included). compared to their latest work they added some more industrial elements (noises and some nearly hardcore techno beats) which higher even more the crazy agressivity of their music and bring back to mind their Codex necro early album. but at the same time they kept the melodic / epic side of their more recent albums. they managed once again to find a good balance (although a quite chaotic one!) and the album is very enjoyable, at the same time catchy and brutal in it's very special Anaal Nathresque way! 

the Metalblade website for the album

Idiots parade - Idiotsgraphy 2005-2013 (2014)

Idiots parade was a female fronted grindcore band (old school punk hardcore related grind) from Slovakia. they are releasing a 47 songs discography with Bones brigade records (by the way it's good to see Bones brigade active again!). everything they released from 2005 to 2013. sadly this Idiotsgraphy will stay as Idiots parade last release. but at least they leave with a very good testimony of what they did. true grindcore in it's purest form, raging, fast, simple but straight to the point riffing. they were really mastering the grind formula and delivered it in a very enjoyable, powerfull and lively form. if you're into grindcore check it and you won't regret!

the BC page.

11Paranoias - Stealing fire from heaven (2014)

Stealing fire from heaven is 11Paranoias second full lenght release this year. I'd say I prefer the dirtier and wilder Spectral bestiaries (see my review HERE) but this one's really good as well and far from a useless release since they tried something slightly different. Stealing fire from heaven, sounds even more droney, dreamy and smokey than their previous records. The cover art from surrealist artist Max ernst and name of the songs "the great somnanbulist", "surrealise" and "retribution of dreams" are not there by chance, the album being infused with surrealistic influences (dreamy and bizarre associations, colourfull and highly psychedelic before it's time). And maybe this time the Bong influence sounds more present than the Ramesses one. There's also a bit of sax and keys subtly adding a nice touch.
A great year for 11Paranoias with the release of two albums, each one being different and great in it's own terms.

the Bandcamp page

Conjuring the nuclear interview (interview with Emesis of Conjuro Nuclear)

following my review (HERE) of the latest Conjuro Nuclear release (an excellent black metal / D-beat / post punk brew you really should listen to) now here is the interview I did via email with CN only member Emesis :


- Can you present Conjuro Nuclear, how did it start and evolved?

Hello Dennis. Thank you for your interest in our work. Conjuro Nuclear was unchained on 2012 by Ghamil (bass) hand by hand with me (Emesis, guitars and the rest), we aborted on 2013 "Luna llena y radiación" and recorded some unreleased demos and shit. During these days the duo splits up and Conjuro Nuclear becomes a solo project from then on. This year (2014) Conjuro Nuclear gives birth through spores to their self-titled work and it will simply destroy the world.

- You told me that the equation Discharge + Joy Division + Emperor that I used in my review to describe your music was a good explanation, was it your project at the start to mix these styles or did it just evolved that way? do you see significant other influences in your music?

Yes, d-beat, black metal and postpunk have influence on our music and you named some bands that are representative classics of this genres. Psychedelic music, darkwave and soundtracks are other sounds that have influence on my music. Conjuro Nuclear takes the darkness and howls of black metal, like the energy, dirty production and minimalist structures of punk, and the ethereal atmosphere of darkwave. Although at the start we're already listening to these genres of music, we don't have intention to record nothing but punk noise, like a raw blend of Bathory with Discharge (answering your question, the second option is the best). I don't know how exactly they influenced me but a lot of musical projects exist that directly or not inspired our work in some way. Some of them are Bathory, Celtic Frost, Hellhammer, Darkthrone, Carpathian Forest, Joy Division, Amebix, Misfits, Discharge or Sopor Aeternus... but I'm digging too into other underground bands like Acid Witch, Cult of Fire, Ice Ages, Summoning, Nachtmystium, Hateful Abandon, Urfaust, Circle Of Ouroborus, Hail Spirit Noir, A Forest of Stars, A Black People, Lost Tribe, They Feed At Night...

- What about the making of yourself titled album, how was it written, recorded, etc..?

If I don't remember wrong the first songs for this work were written and recorded near December 2013 in Barcelona and finished at April 2014 while I was using as studio the infected basement of the ruined house where I was living for some months. The gears varies on each song but aren't nothing remarkable. The most representative equipment used on both albums consists of a shitty laptop with an external sound card and Washburn X-100 guitar, the bass model used was a Washburn T-50, and I don't remember the microphone model. For me it’s not important how to define this work (album, demo, tape, EP), what is the audio platform where it’s recorded or where it’s released, these are merely marketing connotations. Here there are just a bunch of songs breathing into the world.

- What about your lyrics?

This work is inspired by the chemical reactions in our heads... hate, depression, euphoria, extasis, madness... dressed on thematic scenarios about apocalypse, witchcraft, visionary plants, recurring nightmares, toxic visions...

- Have you tried to play your music live with other musicians or intend to try it, or will Conjuro Nuclear stay a recorded project only?

For now this will stay as a studio project. Sorry, but at the moment I can't provide much information about this.

- Do you play or have played in other musical project or bands?
No. I had never played in a band before and for now I don't belong to any other project.

- Which bands from your area would you recommend?
I'm listening now to Destino Final, Invasión, Human Bastard, Edenkaiser and Itnuveth.

- What is planned for Conjuro Nuclear in the coming months?

Nothing is planned for Conjuro Nuclear, this is an impulsive work in essence. For now I'm working on writing new music for the upcoming times.

- Which evolution would you like to see for underground music in the future?
I don't care. I assume that the digital era has an important role on the evolution of underground music, which has its advantages and its inconveniences regarding the quality of the stuff released and it also has an important impact into the discographic industry, but as I said before, I don't care. If the discographic industry goes to hell or everybody releases their stuff on myspace, I don't care while we continue having access to musical gems through any way or platform.

- If your music would be used as a movie soundratck, what kind of movie would you see fit for that? or what could be a good read while listening to Conjuro Nuclear?

I would like to see my music on a surrealist/psychedelic horror film with a bit of sci-fi/fantasy and dark humor. Creepy and grotesque. Some films that I like or I watched lately are The Holy Mountain (Alejandro Jodorowsky), Neco z Alenky (Jan Svankmajer), Rabbits (David Lynch), Donnie Darko, Pan's Labyrinth, Fear and loathing in Las Vegas, Fantastic Planet, "Wizards" by Ralph Bakshi (good film with post-apocalyptic/magic atmosphere), Fight Club, Mad Max, Twelve Monkeys... And for the books, The Doors of Perception and Hell and Heaven (Aldous Huxley), Plants of the Gods (Albert Hofmann), Fight Club (Chuck Palahniuk), Les Fleurs du mal (Charles Baudelaire) and of course, Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse.

- Something to add?

Thank you for your interest in our music, Dennis.


and as a conclusion here is the link to CN new song, Demonios Danzantes on Bandcamp :
https://conjuronuclear.bandcamp.com/track/demonios-danzantes-4

Chiens / lycanthropy (split 2014)

Two really cool grindpunk bands sharing this split. You probably already know Lycanthropy from Czech republic (but on this one they're not female fronted), as usual they deliver some nicely old school crust related grind although it's a pity the poor production does not help the (otherwise good) songs to shine.  Chiens are a more recent band from Nancy (France), they deliver some faster, harder and really intense grind (and without any production problem). globally a really cool grind release (especially the Chiens side since Lycanthropy does not sound at their best on this one).


Lycanthrophy on FB

Chiens website

The Coffin Birth interview

If you've read the review of their new release called Necrotic liquefaction that i posted (HERE on Blasting days)  or if you read some other grind related blogs you know that Coffin Birth is a recent Australian band and that Necrotic Liquefaction is a killer grind release, one of the most exiting this year.
So I'm really pleased to post below their answers to the questions I sent them for an email interview (Thank you Josh, Isaac and Alex!) :

-can you go back to the origin of the band and tell us how it happened? What was the project at the start, and how have you evolved since the beginning of the band?

Josh- Isaac and I had known each other for a while before the band through local shows in Brisbane. Isaac knew I'd been wanting to get a grindcore band going and asked if I wanted to get something happening with his mate Alex on drums, who he said could handle the stuff we wanted to play. We jammed a bunch of songs, some of which were actually written for a previous band of mine that had just broken up and then recorded a demo. We hadn't come up with a name yet at this point, so we ended up tossing around a few ideas at a jam and went with Coffin Birth.
I'd say the only difference now is that there is more focus and a better idea of how to make the noise we hear in our heads real.

-do you play or have played in other bands?

Josh- I also currently play guitar for Sick People and have previously played in Nazi Dentist and Downpour.
Isaac- Deathkrvsh was a power violence band I sung for, the only proper band before Coffin Birth.

-sounds like you like to incorporate different elements in your music from old school grind to death metal, maybe a bit of crossover thrash, how would you describe your music and especially your new release, Necrotic Liquefaction?

Josh- I do love a lot of UK grind and crust and those bands would be the biggest influence for when I'm writing riffs, US death metal and Japanese hardcore definitely play a big part too. I'd just call us a grindcore band.

-what about the lyrics of the songs?

Isaac- The lyrics are generally depicted through the eyes of a sadistic character or an opinion of mine about the current economy, governments and in particularly the politicians that seem to be content with running our earth and those that inhabit it into a disparaging place to exist.

-how did you get into extreme music? What does grindcore mean to you?

Josh- I started really getting into metal when I was 13 back in '00, pretty obvious stuff like thrash and roadrunner bands, but around that time I was introduced to extreme metal by an Australian music TV programme called Rage. Rage would have late night specials on the weekends which would run from about midnight until the early hours of the morning. One weekend they had a metal special which I taped to VHS and I rewatched it over and over and over. The videos for Cannibal Corpse's Sentenced to Burn and Morbid Angel's Where the Slime Live really blew me away, I'd never seen or heard anything like it before and I was hooked. Grindcore as far as subgenres go has a fairly broad spectrum of sounds and fans, but as are what the stuff I like means to me, it's a big 'get fucked' to everything that I think sucks about music.

-Necrotic liquefaction is for the moment a self-digital-release, do you think that the DIY way of action could be a global alternative or do you see it more as a practical way of growing for an underground band?

Josh- I just think digital music should be free, but we are stoked that people choose to donate money. A lot of bands outside punk and underground music in general could learn a few things from DIY.

-which bands were more influential for you, either for the music or for other things?

Josh- Bands like Metallica and Slayer made me want to pick up a guitar in the first place and taught me the importance of a solid riff. Early 80's hardcore like Black Flag, Minor Threat and Negative Approach introduced me to DIY and punk aesthetics. Bands like Napalm Death, Insect Warfare, Rot, Repulsion, Terrorizer, Discharge, Deathside and Bastard have had more of a direct influence on the sound of Coffin Birth as for as my songwriting goes.

-which bands from your area would you recommend?

Isaac- Black Deity, Shitgrinder, Smoke, Sick People, Idylls, White King, Puke, Ripped Off, Vile Specimen, Shackles (even though those grubs are from NSW), Gruel, Last Chaos, Zodiac, Dreamtime, Hobo Magic and Frown, to name a couple.

-which evolution would you like to see happening in the underground scene?

Josh- I guess I would like to see more girls getting involved in bands, more tolerance and less people on the sidelines complaining about everything yet contributing nothing of their own.

-what is planned for Coffin birth in the coming months? Are you already preparing a next release?

Alex- We’re supporting Sete Star Sept and Full of Hell when they go on their respective tours in November, which will both be killer. Necrotic Liquefaction is going to be seeing a release on Dead Heroes and some songs we recorded over a year ago will finally be coming out as a split 7" with Blightworms  on Lacklustre. We’re always writing new tunes and have a couple other splits in the works.

-something to add?

Isaac- Greatly appreciate the time you've taken to do this, thank you.

Yob - Clearing the path to ascend ( 2014)

There's some beautifull humble majesty in Yob. their new album (out on Neurot-recordings and that's not by chance) Clearing the path to ascend rise to impressive depths and reach. Yob's doom raw mystical vibe is unique. the four songs are as heavy as any doom but it's post rock / psychedelic / progressive elements makes it more diverse than doom usually is. Mike Scheidt wide vocal range from melodic high pitch singing to near death metal growls also brings a lot to the identity of the band. Clearing the path to ascend sounds all encompassing and quietly powerfull, it reach your mind as much as it reach your guts and does it in a very special way, providing a great listening experience.

it's Neurot recordings page.

Peter pan speedrock - buckle up and shove it! (2014)

Peter pan speedrock are a dutch crew of rock'n'roll road warriors spreading fuel, sweat and speedrock around since 1997. their new album Buckle up and shove it! is their ninth one and another very good and solid dose of rock in the vein of Motörhead, Nashville pussy, Zeke and The stooges, and if you don't like that then i'm really sorry for you...
nothing very special but a very enjoyable and full of energy release form masters in their craft giving their best to rock you. 

their website.

Narcosatanicos - Narcosatanicos (2014)

Narcosatanicos is a new band from Denmark and they released their first self titled LP in spring. what they play is quite unique, having a noise rock (especially bass heavy) base but with a saxophone adding a twisted psychedelic flavour, the overall having also a kind of proto-punk (think Funhouse era Stooges) vibe. it's rocking, dark and trippy. mostly instumental but with some punk / post-punk vocals. the good suicide cover (ghost rider) fits well in the album.
they found a very potent combination of punk energy and psychedelia growing throughout the album and culminating in a memorable apocalyptic ending.

exiting and highly recommended!

The Bandcamp page.

Arrogant state - st (2014)

This is some swedish D-beat / crust / anarcho punk. Arrogant state is the best new band I recently heard playing this kind of stuff. their self titled five song digital release, that you can stream on Bandcamp, really does a good job in capturing the D-beat crust spirit, it's strident feel of anger and urgency. nothing more, nothing less, more than enough to satisfy anyone enjoying a good dose of raw punk d-beating done the way it should.

their BC page.

Electric wizard - Time to die (2014)

Electric wizard are a major doom metal institution, there are many bands sounding more influenced by them than by Black sabbath, and that's something. they are now releasing their eight full length album called Time to die. to be honest I was'nt really convinced by my first listen and still got mixed feelings about it. yes they backed from the more polished sound and songwriting they had on their previous albums and that's not a bad thing (those albums were good and were a good try though). Electic wizard is at its best dwelling in the filth. Time to die is raw, dirty, bleak and trippy in a noisy nightmarish way. and I love it. but the problem is that it often sounds more like rehearsal jams than actual songs. I'm not saying they should follow the "pop" or "rock" song format of course, but they could have injected more dynamic and progression in the songs. by force of mesmerising like repetition the impression fades a bit after some listen but still you often feels like listening to the same song for one hour. no songs really stands out as really memorable or bringing something new.
well, it makes a good soudtrack for lazy afternoons...
still another good album from the wizard, but very probably will never be among my favourite one.

www.electricfuckinwizard.com

Coffin birth - Necrotic liquefaction (2014)

Wow... this one is a very solid contender for best grind release of 2014. Coffin birth is a trio (voc, drums, guitar) from Brisbane and their new digital release (9 songs in around 8 minutes) called Necrotic liquefaction is really damn cool. it's deathgrind with a good groove, a bit of crossover trash attack, and a lot of dynamics in the songs, keeping the listener hooked from start to end. it has a powerfull and dirty enough sound. it's a faultless release that I'm listening to over and over again. very enjoyable stuff really..
highly recommended!

their BC page.

Conjuro nuclear - Conjuro nuclear (2014)

Conjuro nuclear is a spanish one man band and it's music could be described as a mix of new-wave, black metal and D-beat. it evokes Joy division (the sound and the basslines), Emperor's Nightside eclipse era (the synth parts, the black metal vocals and the obscure epic feel) and Discharge (remember "D-beat" is for "Discharge beat"). but the most striking is not the influences it's that this mix is quite original and that it's really well done and fresh sounding in Conjuro nuclear. this black metal / post-punk crossover reminds a bit Circle of Ourorborus but Conjuro nuclear is way more punk and direct so it's really a different thing. their new self titled cassette is their second full-lenght album and it's a really enjoyable and exiting one.

Conjuro nuclear bandcamp

Worse - st EP (2014)

Worse is a new band from San Fransisco, they just released  a self titled EP / Demo on Bandcamp and if you're into raw and angry hardcore I recommend you pay attention to it. they play some hard hitting metallic hardcore but without succumbing to the sirens of the "blackened" wave of hardcore. they really sound rooted in old school hardcore punk with mid tempo songs and simple and abrasive riffing. compared to old school hardcore their extra dose of agression does not consist in some Entombed worhsipping but is closer to powerviolence hardcore, with a raw sound, vocals that are very aggressive but staying in a punk hardcore vein, and a bit of blast beats in the last of the sixth songs of the demo.
as a grind addict I can't help feeling i'd like it even better if it went faster, but that really won't be a problem for people more into traditionnal hardcore punk, and anyway anyone enjoying their six minutes of hardcore violence will like it!

a very good start for Worse!

their Bandcamp

Cannibal corpse - A skeletal domain (2014)

Cannibal corpse are still there 25 yeras after they started releasing death metal albums, and once again they are proving that they are the living (or should I say living dead?) embodiment of consistency when it comes to death metal. A skeletal domain is their thirteenth album and another damn good one, not their best for sure, but still an impressive tour de force, delivering the best brutal and technical US death metal you can find. you'll find in the new one what you love in the others, excellent vocal lines in the "corpsegrinder" own feral style, metronomic blast beats from a drummer just doing exactly what the songs needs, jaw dropping basslines, pure badass death metal riffing and soloing all over, and all that melted in excellent songs showing a killer science of how to to mix the monstrous groove the sheer brutality and the horrific atmospheres. this time what is different from their others albums (a bit, they never go very far from their tried and tested formula, and that's not a bad thing if you ask me)? maybe it has a bit more slower and heavier parts, maybe they were in a mood of turning a bit longer the knives into the wounds this time (no songs under 3 minutes, but the couple of songs in the middle of the album are the best illustration of this "turning the knife slower" approach). 

http://cannibalcorpse.net/

Earth - Primitive and deadly (2014)

Primitive and deadly is Earth's eighth full lenght and is their most accessible and catchy to date. they went closer to the rock format (but we could say this is a kind of experimentating for Earth!) and even have three songs with vocals. two with Mark Lanegan, as good as he is usually, and one with Rabia Shaheen Qazi the women singing in Rose windows, and she's doing good as well. but it's not just the singing, the music is less minimalistic, with some nice melodic guitar works. the atmosphere reminds the solemnity and subtly dark one we had in Hex : or printing in the infernal method, but sounds less desolate, with a lighter feel. I think overall it's really a success, they really managed to make their sound evolves while sticking to their strong identity and offering a subtle but very enjoyable listen.

their Bandcamp

Kvlthammer - Kvlthammer (2014)

Kvlthammer plays some evil D-beat / thrash / speed metal, somewhere between Motörhead and Entombed. The band from Indianapolis, featuring Carl Byers of Coffinworm and Nate Olp of Lair of the Minotaur, released this summer a self titled full length cassette. It's some really cool old school no bullshit metal, the perfect soundtrack for getting pissed and raising hell. Nice!

Their Bandcamp

Entrails massacre - Alienation anarchism (EP 2014)

Need your daily splice of new grind? this new Ep from Entrails massacre will do (this german band is grinding since a quarter of a century so it's a reliable dealer!). called Alienation anarchism it's 7 tracks of furious grind, in an old school vein with with a modern production. you'll get crusty trashy riffing, tight D-beats and blast beats , aggressive vocals with a range going from crust to death metal, mostly fast parts but also some more groovy ones. they sure don't reinvent grind but they play it very efficiently and Alienation anarchism might well be the  sonic assault you need to start your day with a good blast of energy!

the BC page.

OSK - We will never change (2014)

17 songs in 12 minutes. yes it's grind! We will never change is the new release (as a 10'' vinyl by Give praise records) of OSK, a band rightly recognised as one of the best in the canadian powerviolence / grind scene.  and We will never change is another blatant proof of their power. they have the raw poweviolence sound without never sounding messy, probably not only thanks to a good production but also because their songs are cleverly written and grips the listeners tightly. very efficient drumming, good riffing, screamed vocals never annoying, some slower parts never getting boring, the occasional hardcore mosh parts. well, you get it, their formula works really well and We will never change will clearly stay as one of the best grind related release of the year.

the BC page.

VETTER - Vetterkult (2012)

Released in 2012 this album did not get the attention it deserves. Vetterkult by the norwegian one man band VETTER is a very interesting black metal related album. it shows a wide diversity, and while always sticking to a genuine black metal feel it displays it in a variety of different musical forms. a classical an choir samples instrumental intro, then one of the most black metal songs of the album, but with dissonant riffing and some cold distorted industrial elements, then a song with loud and heavily distorted bass and repetitive mid tempo beats. then another dark classical instrumental with choir samples. follows a long black metal / industrial song with some clean singing in the end. then a kazoo interlude (yes!) before a folk / neofolk song. then you have a noise instrumental before a last black metal song. an excellent album that stays true to the spirit of norwegian black metal while experimenting sucessfully with different musical forms. recommended!

the Bandcamp page.

Lobster priest - Hallucinatory pagoda (2014)

Lobster priest (with Mike Vest and Mike Smith of Bong) plays what they call "space-puk" and it's sure it's not the pretty flowers kind of psyched music, it's definitely spacey with some trippy layers of heavy noisy and psychedelic lead guitar works all over the place but with some heavy drumming and thick sludgy riffing and harsh drones. a powerfull mixture. their latest release, the aptly titled hallucinatory pagoda tape, is two jam like studio takes on the A side and two live tracks and the B side. if you're into the louder (I mean LOUDER!) and harder side of psychedelia or the more trippy and noisy side of doom this is something you must try. but I warn you, it's addictive stuff..

their bandcamp

Church of the dead - vol. 4 Meet me in the tomb (2014)

Meet me in the tomb is the fourth volume of the EP series by Church of the dead, and once again the finnish quatuor delivers some nice old school and raw death metal, reminding the time when in the music of death metal bands elements of trash, D-beat and speed metal were still present along with what would become the typical death metal features. oddly this kind of retro take on the genre allows Church of the dead to sound more spontaneous and vivid than most death metal band. like if the more you dig the fresher it is when it comes to death metal! and as usual they wrote simple and catchy songs (catchy by death metal standards you know what I mean..) with a good balance between all out agression and some horror movie atmospheres. a really enjoyable no bullshit death metal record.

their BC page

their website

and Here's my review of their previous releases, with an interview as well .

Water torture - Pillbox (2014)

On most albums the noise instrumentals and the sludgy parts would sound bleak and oppressing. on Pilbox, Water torture's first LP it nearly sounds like some quiet moments, letting you breathe a bit before the grind storm strikes again. it helps also to bring some diversity to the album and strenghten the intensity of the grinding parts. not that they would need help to sound brutal and scary intense. and not just intense as any grind, it's also intense by grind standards. on it's grinding moments the two bass and drums trio is really battering  the listeners like a sledgehammer on a full speed destruction rampage. with Pillbox, Warter torture easily satisfy the high expectations we had for it.

listen, and be destroyed : the BC page.

The Vertigo index interview

two weeks ago I posted a review (HERE) of the first release of an excellent new grind band called Vertigo index. I'm now pleased to post the interview I did with them by mail. read it just below. and don't fail to check their Bandcamp as well.


-can you go back to the origin of the band and tell us how it happened? what was he project at the start and how have you evolved since the beginning of the band?

Jimmy: well in 2013 john had messaged me about recording drums for a project he had dreamed of that was basically playing some fast grind in the ways of discordance axis. He came to the right person. I have been a huge DA fan for a very long time and was more than happy to do it. It just started being a 1 time thing just to release but talking more and more about it we decided, "hey let's just be a band and play when we can. "John wrote 16 songs with programmed drums and told me it was just a place holder and just do what I wanted and to do the thing he feels I do best, play fast blasts! We recorded in 3 stages over a 2 week period. Got offered a show and then never did anything for a year. I was getting married and playing in another band full time and john and lance both had projects they were involved with. Fast forward to June of this year, i had quit my band and johns band was inactive so we decided now was the time to really take this to the next level. So we had lance put vocals to the 6 songs we chose and john mixed and mastered them and then here we are!

John: Well, the band started because my previous band had broken up (I think?) and I wanted to continue playing grindcore. So I sent Jim and lance a text message respectively and asked if he wanted to start another grindcore band. They were into it.. Then we set about writing songs which was actually me recording stuff, sending it to Jim with programmed drums where he thought about how he would like to play it. Then we got together for three days over a three week span and recorded sixteen songs (of which 6 were released). A year and a ton of learning about audio production and mixing later we finally got everything finished and released. To answer your other question,  because we've only recently started to practice regularly and write new material I don't know that we know how the band is evolving. We definitely play our songs faster than they were recorded a year ago. I think our only real goal is to play faster and write better songs.

Lance: I have to say it's ALL John, as I've told my friends when telling the VI story: he's a band in a box. He's written all the riffs, arranged all the songs (so far), done all the artwork, and engineered everything we've recorded. Not to discredit Jimmy or mine's input, but John's the fucking man and responsible for getting VI going. Spring '13 John mentioned a recording project to me that he'd like me to do vocals on. I said "sounds dope" and forgot about it, until that summer, he started emailing me vicious grind tracks with drums he had programmed, and told me he wanted to get Jimmy to play drums. Again, "dope." Within a week, he had emailed me 15 songs, I loved it and said "Hey how about one sludgy guy?", within a couple of days John sent me what ended up being "Head In The Mushroom Clouds." Then the opportunity to play with Enabler came up at the closing of a sweet record store, Dreadful Sounds (RIP), here in Columbus. We still had not practiced as a full band, but we got together the night before, picked out I think, 10-ish songs and had our first rehearsal. The next day we played the show (August '13) and haven't done anything since. No practice, no shows, nothing. We're finally making the time now, we got the first recording done and released it one year later to the day of our first show. We're all very busy, have other bands, and never forgot about VI, we just had to wait for the right time. We hope to start playing live again by October. No more slouching.

-do you play or have played in other bands?

John: We have played in lots of bands. We were all in the heartland together about eight or nine years ago. That would be where we met. I was in a goth project called Final Rites and other than that I was in Bastards up until last year.

Lance: We all served time in The Heartland (it's how we all know each other), John the most. I was also in CHRIST and am currently in Dark Twin as well.

Jimmy: I currently play with another group called Race Of Devils it's a huge step back from Grindcore. It's more in the styles of kyuss/fu manchu/karma to burn. Were recording sometime this winter. And I also play in another grind project called (Scum Guilt) which has a insect warfare/ old napalm death sound. And like lance stated we all know each other by serving time in The Heartland.

-you present the band as having Discordance axis as it's main influence, can you tell us what you like the most about Discordance axis?

Jimmy: We (John & I) definitely started this for the love of DA. I love everything about them. Rob played riffs that came straight from outer space! Dave is a HUGE drumming inspiration to me. He can one foot blast better than anyone!! Other than Pete Sandoval of Morbid Angel of course ;). And lastly Jon's vocals just blow me away. His high scream range is so intense. So much passion and anger in his voice! Use the track "pattern blue" from the inalienable dreamless as a reference. It's my favorite track by them.

John: It is difficult to say what is actually my favorite aspect of Discordance axis. Personally, I like that Discordance Axis was the first grindcore band to really push the limits of what one could do in the genre sound-wise. Before them there was a pretty standard template (with the exception of naked city) that basically every grindcore band used. And, generally speaking, if a band were to branch out from that formula they would be considered death metal. Discordance axis was different, they sound dramatically different from their peers and they are still inextricably grindcore. They use chords that other bands didn't really use at the time. Lyrically they're a lot more thought provoking that the vast majority of other grindcore bands that came before them. Not that I don't love other grindcore bands as well, it's just that Discordance Axis really sets the bar for what I think of as quality grindcore. And they set the bar probably too high. I sincerely doubt there will ever be another grindcore band that pushes the boundaries of the genre in the way that they did without it being something different altogether.

Lance: I'm the oddball. I haven't listened to too much. I like what I've heard, but have avoided DA to an extent because I don't want it to influence my vocal approach in VI too much, if even just subconsciously.

-what are your other influences?

John: My favorite band of all time is Converge. They've always been a huge influence for me both musically and in how they approach the entire process of being in a band. Another band that I think helped me to develop in the way that I did was Rune. That band was incredible. Probably one of the more interesting extreme metal records ever recorded. Aside from that as far as grindcore goes I listen to a lot of Insect Warfare and Gridlink and then the obvious ones like Napalm Death, Brutal Truth, Phobia and the like.

Jimmy: Death, gorguts, carcass, morbid angel. At least in the metal realm haha!

Lance: Swans and Mogwai are tied for my two absolute favorite bands. I also really dig me some Pissed Jeans, Bolt Thrower, White Zombie, Bauhaus, Joy Division, shit like that. I grew up on punk and metal, so of course that's where my roots begin.

-are the songs on Posthuman the first songs of the band or a selection of the best ones? what can you say about this release?

John: Well, the songs from posthuman are the ones we finished. Basically, they're the ones that we had all of the components closest to done and we didn't want to wait any longer to release something. That said, I do think they're an alright cross section of what we hope to accomplish as a band. That said, the other ten songs are all of the faster variety.

Jimmy: they were the songs lance had lyrics to at that time.  The release has been great! We've got a lot of great buzz for being an unknown band.

Lance: I think it's a good selection to show what we have going on right now, and what we're about. Some of the best tracks are on there, but we've still got plenty of killer material we've held back. Right now we're rehearsing and honing the 16 songs we have and may shoot out another recording before the year's end or early 2015. When we do an album, it's safe to say all these songs will be on it, and it'll be about 30+ songs. I can tell you that Posthuman v1.1 is just the tip of the iceberg.

-do you think grindcore can be understood as a reaction against the recuperation and commodification of punk?

Jimmy: I'll let john answer this one ;)

John: I think grindcore came about for a lot of reasons. I don't know if it was a response to punk and what it became or an evolution of it. I mean, siege kind of started the whole thing and they were just a hardcore punk band. I think it can generally be said that the first bands to really make grindcore were just trying to be fast hardcore bands. The commodification of punk is sort of a moot argument I think. The sex pistols put out records on a major label and so did the ramones. They sold an image. That's what punk does. At least in the beginning. I think the birth of hardcore changed that a little bit. Grindcore is really an extension and evolution of that mindset more so than the early punk ideal.


-you told me the point of grind is making friend, can you elaborate on this?

Jimmy: it really is. We've (john lance and myself) all known each other for 10 years or more and people in this genre are friendly and supportive of everyone's bands.

John: If there was one extreme music genre that existed in which you stood exactly zero chance of ever actually making a living playing with a band it is grindcore. Even the bands that actually tour a significant amount and are considered at the top of the proverbial food chain still probably have jobs outside of playing in a band. They probably aren't playing music in order to support themselves and the ones that are able to make a living are certainly not rich and work disproportionately hard to make ends meet. However, the point of grindcore is not to get rich or famous. The point is to make friends who you actually have something in common with in a world full of people that don't understand one another, let alone you. Grindcore, thus far, has given me the opportunity to make friends with a lot of people who I otherwise would never have met. That is why I play grindcore. That and because it's a lot of fun. We don't have delusions about being famous or even a majority of people giving a shit about what we do. I have a full time job to support myself. I don't need to play silly mosh metal so I don't have to have a real job. We do, however, get an opportunity to play with like minded people and make new friends as well as see old friends. And that, my friend, is what its about.

Lance: I'm guessing John said this... All I can say is, it's great to be hanging with him and Jimmy again more lately than I have in years, and I'm having a blast playing this shit with them. Life tends to just pull people apart, I'd say this band is definitely bringing the three of us back together. Zero-ego band rehearsals are always amazing.

-what do you want to express through your lyrics?

Lance: The idea when we got going was "Dystopian Sci-fi Grind", so all the songs are pieces of a larger Sci-Fi story. I don't want to give too much away yet. I'm a huge Star Trek and comic geek. So I make a lot of little nods to some of my favorite things. A Mother Box is a Jack (the King) Kirby creation, but in the VI universe it's an iphone, galaxy666, or whatever thing everyone carries around everywhere and can't stop staring at. Twenty years ago, no one had one. Lol. Themes range from anti-war, pro-secularism, to obsession with social media.

John: Generally speaking the lyrics, as far as I can tell, are about science fiction. But that's really Lance's domain. I think we're trying to sort of draw a narrative for the the songs so that there is cohesion thematically.

-which bands from your area would you recommend?

Jimmy: dismemberment, artillery breath, arterial mist, northern widows.

John: Northern Widows are super rad and they are the best imaginable dudes. I cannot possibly recommend listening to them enough. They sound like III era cursed without ripping off cursed. Hookers made out of cocaine are awesome. Fever Nest rules. Earthburner is incredible. Their newest record is really good. Putrid Cause rules. Arterial Mist is a great death metal band from around here. Also, Slavehouse is awesome.

Lance: Earthburner, Carved Out, Northern Widows, Struck By Lightning, Brujas Del Sol, Domestic Terror, Putrid Cause, The Black Antler, Fever Nest, Artillery Breath.

-Which evolution would you like to see for underground music in the future?

Jimmy: keep grown and exploring new avenues of experiential tastes.

John: It's tough to say. I think right now bands like full of hell are really doing interesting things. There are already kids pushing the envelope and evolving the underground in an interesting way. I honestly feel like kids that are ten years younger than I am are doing a better job than my group of friends were at their age. So I guess more of that? I don't know that I have a preconceived notion of the direction I'd like to see the underground move.

Lance: More cross-over and unity really. I mean, that's what I'd like to see for humanity, but I'll settle for the underground scene for now... I love going to a show where every fucking band is different and you can tell every person there is having a great fucking time. Keep up the quality, originality, and keep out the rules.

-what is planned for Vertigo index in the coming months? what about the songs you are recording for coming releases?

Jimmy: practicing/ writing/ shows and recording.  The full length is going to be intense. Get ready!

John: Currently we're working on a full length and maybe a split or two. The full length will be significantly longer than the demo. We're shooting for a lot of songs.

Lance: Rehearse, shows, record... And just keep doing it. I think the most immediate goal is to get a substantial amount of material "show worthy."

-something to add?

Lance: Two things: We PROMISE to ALWAYS play faster live, and a huge thank you to everyone who has downloaded the EP, and to anyone that has expressed interest or support in any of our musical endeavors!

Jimmy: Thanks for the interview! It was my first one! Thanks for checking us out!

John: Thanks for taking an interest in our band Dennis!

Rote mare - The invocation & The kingdom (2013)

 with the twin albums The Kingdom and The invocation, both released in may 2013, Adelaide's doomsters Rote mare released not one but two outstanding albums. their doom metal is firmly rooted in traditionnal heavy metal (those NWOBHM basslines!) while displaying a very strong personnality of its own. their strong point is their ability to write finely crafted songs, sometimes with an epic feel, sometimes with more intimate atmosphere. the other strong point is the excellent vocals managing very successfully to bring the songs the power of traditionnal heavy metal, the rawness of sludge, as well as the sensibily and melancholy of new wave (yes some parts, with some vocals reminding a bit Robert Smith and with the bass put forward, have a kind of new-wave flavour!).

two classic heavy metal albums that I can't recommend too much!

their Bancamp

Impetuous ritual - Unholy congregation of hypocritical ambivalence (2014)

Impetuous ritual is an australian death / black metal band sharing members with Portal and Grave upheaval. it has also in common with these bands an occult atmosphere and a very lo-fi, murky and suffocating sound. the brutal drumming and the crazy guitar leads sometimes offer a more direct attack, but still with a very "evil" feel, reminding the dangerous vibe of a band like Arkhon infaustus. and on their second album (release by Porfound lore) Unholy congregation of hypocritical ambivalence those faster and wilder parts are my favourite, the slower more ambiant ones being sometimes a bit too monotonous. I'd say it shares with their first album thes same evident qualities but aslo drawbacks. still a very good album, especially if you like your death metal with a somber "evil" feel.

the BC page.

Burning tree - Lammergyer (2013)

If you want a proof that free jazz can be as intense and breathtaking as the most ferocious grind this one will do. Burning tree is the free jazz project of a norwegian duo (Dag Erik Knedal Andersen on drums and Dag Stiberg on sax) that wanted to transpose into free jazz what they do usually with noise music. the try is really a success and Lammergyer (relased as a LP on the excellent Utech records) is a very powerfull and inspiring album. if you're looking for comparisons you can look on the side of european (more abstract and noisy) free jazz pionneer Peter Brotzmann, John Zorn in his wildest projects or Dead neanderthals. the sax player sound like he doesn't ever need to breathe, never stopping his sonic noise assault, and the drummer is not less relentless and keeps banging his kit at a frenetic high pace (up to blast beats but with much more complexity than the usual metal drumming).
side A features shorter, more composed tracks while side B is a long improvisation but sounds even more dense and merciless than the rest of the album.
if you're in quest of something radical in an out of the ordinary way, then look no further.

the BC page.

Vertigo index - Posthuman v1.1 (EP 2014)

Vertigo index is a new band coming from Ohio and playing a very good innovative and technical grind in the vein of Discordance axis. they just released their first digital demo / EP called Posthuman v1.1. the atmospheres, the vocals and the chaotic rythms could also remind bands like Converge or Gaza. they're sharp as hardcore and intense as grind. four songs are short bursts of tight and precise grind while two others goes slowly to create dark and anguished atmospheres. in any case they're really good at what they do. all in all it's an excellent first release and after many listens I'm left with the impression of a band with a great potential.

their BC page.

The Coffinworm interview

Coffinworm released in march IV.I.VIII which I consider one of the best album of the year (read my review HERE) and if you're into heavy and sinister stuff you have to give a try at this doom / death masterpiece.  so i sent them a few questions to learn more about it, and am pleased to be able to present you this interview :

-Can you present quickly Coffinworm, what was the project at the start and how it evolved?


We formed in 2007 after our now ex-guitarist, Tony McGuire, and I had talked about doing a project together. He was playing with Dave and Todd in Black Arrows of Filth & Impurity at the time. I had been playing guitar in a band called Salvation with Garrett and that band was ending. We got together to discuss what we wanted to do as far as musical direction and had our first practice for what would become Coffinworm a week or two later.

-I think your new album really take your music to a higher level, and especially it sounds really personal and different, do you also feel it that way?

Thank you. I agree, we had a lot of time, change, and personal things happen between the time that we recorded ‘When All Became None’ in December of 2009 and when we entered the studio in September of 2013 to record ‘IV.I.VIII’ — I think we all changed quite a bit as people and our music evolved. The biggest triumph to me about the new album is that I feel like it doesn’t sound like any other band in particular and we were able to capture something unique. I’m very proud of what we accomplished in writing those songs and how the record came out.

-I'd say the songs have at the same time some powerful grooves and also develops some creepy atmospheres, with a very "evil" vibe. Was it something you had in mind when you wrote and recorded it?

Definitely. We've always tried to strike a balance between locking into that slow/mid-tempo groove and keeping the dynamics (somewhat) varied so the songs breathe and are more interesting. The main objective when we’re writing music is not to stay within a prescribed set of parameters while always retaining the essence of ‘our sound’.

-Do you see Coffinworm as a death metal band (old school death metal) or more as a very dark doom band, or as a combination of the two?

We're rooted in doom, but have always pulled elements from other genres that we like into our music. I usually refer to us as a "metal" band for that reason. Classification's not necessary, either it hits you and you like it or you don't. Genre tags and fitting into a ‘scene’ have never been important to me personally.


-Which subjects are you dealing with in the lyrics of the songs?

Generally speaking, the lyrics are open for interpretation to the listener. Dave writes from a personal perspective, the basis of his lyrics being rooted in real life with lots of wordplay and black humor. He’s always said he wishes the lyrics to be a dialogue.


-How did you get into extreme music? Which bands were more influential for you, either for the music or for other things?


For me it was a natural progression from some of the traditional metal bands I was exposed to when I was younger. My extreme metal conversion moment was finding a copy of Entombed's "Clandestine" album on cassette at a pawnshop near my house when I was 12 years old. I was hooked after that. On the extreme side, definitely Entombed, but Black Sabbath have always been the masters as far as metal music. I started getting into a lot of punk music around that time as well.


-Which bands from your area would you recommend?

Black Goat of the Woods, Wretch (a new band Karl from The Gates of Slumber has going), Sacred Leather, Conjurer, Apostle of Solitude, Boddicker. I’m also playing in another band called Kvlthammer.


-What is planned for Coffinworm in the coming months, touring and writing songs I suppose? Do you already have some ideas for the next record?

Nothing planned currently in the way of touring. We’ll be doing a record release show in the next few months when the vinyl for ‘IV.I.VIII’ is released on Flenser Records. It’s too early to say regarding the next record.


-Which evolution would you like to see for underground music in the future?

Hard to say. I’d like to see more honesty happening with whatever the next evolution is in underground music. There are always some good bands and a lot more shitty ones making music at any given time. I’m sure someone will resurrect another style that’s already been done and the cycle will continue. I’ll stick to wading through to find the few modern gems and keep listening to old favorites.


-Something to add?


Thanks for the interview, Dennis! Cheers!

Circle of Ouroborus - Kuuhun kahlittu (2014)

Kuuhun kahlittu is the thirteen album by Circle of Ouroborus. Once again the finnish duo don't fail to deliver something a bit different from their previous releases. this time the more black metal elements are reappearing, even though the shoegaze / post-punk elements and the dream like atmosphere are still very present. The songwriting is as excellent as usual with diversity, strange epicness and original melodies.

their facebook

GROND - Howling from the deep (2013)

good news, Russian death metal is not just slam! with GROND Russia has a really cool old school death metal band. what they play is influenced by early US death metal, the cover of Obituary not being by chance on their  album Howling from the deep (following a demo and around ten years playing as a band). They really managed to capure the vibe of the early days of death metal, with good trashy riffing, low vocals (done by the drummer!) that adds to the  heavy grooves of the songs. you can also hear good basslines with a sound that reminds good ol'Cannibal corpse. the russian trio really does a good job in producing simple but very enjoyable death metal. and a band with that kind of amazing artwork, a lovecraftian thematic and writing a song about sea tanks just can't do wrong...
if you're into old school death metal (or the most aggressive trash metal of the end of the 80') I cannot recommend you GROND too much.

the BC page.

Dead instrument - see through negative (EP 2014)

like it fast? so does Dead instrument, the danish band being one of the fastest powerviolence grind unit around. their new Ep See through negative plays it foot to the floor from beginning to end. they won't give you a break. but probably you will like it! very intense stuff, and delivered with deadly precision and with remorseless determination. maybe some would say it sound a bit too surgical, preferring more dirt when it comes to their PV/Grind taste. well, honestly when it goes at such a frantic pace it would have been an awfull mess without a very tight playing and a clean enough sound. special mention for the drummer driving the song at such an insane speed, destroying on the way every quiet moment in sight. a very healthy adrenaline rush. recommended!

their Facebook