in the works from Nefarious Realm :"The Number of the Compilation", 666 songs/666 bands!!!

"Here at Nefarious Realm Productions, we’ve been brainstorming ideas to give life to the “productions,” since the last show we presented was this past November, we’ve been pretty silent in this aspect. With the documentary in the works to be filmed this summer/fall, we want to bring you all something sooner, considering the film won’t be ready until fall/winter. We’ve attempted and done compilations before and many others offer compilations as well, some get attention, some not so much. What would make a compilation really stand out and be worth checking out? How about 666 free songs spanning death metal, thrash, black metal, grind, doom, crust, sludge, and other extreme genres? Yup. So that’s what we are going to do.

Presenting… The Number of the Compilation. (Get it? A rip off of the Iron Maiden album…) Featuring 666 songs from 666 bands. Yes we know that the download file will be huge. While we may make it available as a torrent for the more technology inclined, we will be splicing it into a 15 part download that we will host. Either way, this is going to be a bit tricky to download. But hey, you’re getting 666 free songs, so deal with it.

While we talk to a few dozen labels to grab some songs, we welcome all bands (mind the genres mentioned above) to send us a track! 666 spots to fill is a lot and we want to open the doors to unsigned bands from near and far. This is great if you have a song recorded but left out from a release, a new song, a fairly old song, a random cover, whatever! There are requirements though and not just any song will be accepted. It’s one thing to listen to a song that’s not your taste and another that is just awful.

1. The song must be in mp3 format and be at the very least a decent recording. If it sounds like you recorded it inside your girlfriends Beetle going down the highway with the top down, en route to taking the cat to the vet (unless you’re a black metal band and this is what you were going for), it will not be accepted. Demo versions may be accepted, as long as the quality is good… or unless your band has quite the following that would enjoy a shitty quality recording of a song you’ve already released…

2. Submit. Email us the track to info@nefariousrealm.com. Include the song name, Facebook link, album/release title, label info (if pertainable – if signed, please include label contact to clear permissions, if you do not, we will not take responsibility and point the finger straight at you), and location of your band in the body of the email. If you want to include any other details please do so after the requested information. PLEASE put “The Number of the Compilation” in the subject line. If we end up missing it because you put something else, oh well.

3. By submitting a song, you give us permission to include said song on the compilation to be distributed for free. This is called a license. No we will not take ownership or use the song in any other way.

You will be notified if your band will be included - or you can check here to see if your band made the list. Don’t hound us by asking. Be sure to save info@nefariousrealm.com to your contacts in case our response goes to the spam box.

We are being very strict with the above guidelines, this project is huge and we do not want to go chasing bands for info, the better organized we are, the smoother things will go. Once we start building a track listing, we will post the progress for all to see. Once will surpass 600, we will set a release date. Let’s get this going!"

http://nefariousrealm.com/


WHO’S ON IT yet  ?
Bands: 156 Countries: 20

16 (USA) – Relapse Records
A Very Old Ghost Behind The Farm (France)
Abhorrent Castigation (Germany)
Against Empire - Profane Existence Records
Agrimonia - Profane Existence Records
Angrepp (Sweden) – Abyss Records
Antikythera (USA)
Antropofagus (Italy) – Comatose Music
Apothesary (USA) – Itchy Metal
Archspire (Canada) - Trendkill Recordings
Bane (Serbia) – Abyss Records
Benighted – (France) - Season of Mist Records
Bestial Mockery (Sweden) - Season of Mist Records
Black September – (USA) – Prosthetic Records
Black Sheep Wall (USA) - Season of Mist Records
Brutal Rebirth (France) - Trendkill Recordings
Casket Robbery (USA)
Christ Beheaded (USA) – Abyss Records
Clinging To The Trees of a Forest Fire (USA) - Prosthetic Records
Cognitive Dissonance - Profane Existence Records
Condemnatio Cristi (n/a)
Cyanic (USA)
Darkall Slaves (France) – Kaotoxin Records
Dead Awaken (Sweden) – Abyss Records
Dead Mountain Mouth (France)
Deceased (USA) – Patac Records
Defiled (Japan) - Season of Mist Records
Dehuman (Belgium) – Kaotoxin Records
Department of Correction (France)
Diabolical (Sweden) – Abyss Records
Dismemberment (USA)
Disrespect - Profane Existence Records
Dodecahedron (Netherlands) – Season of Mist Records
Dragged Into Sunlight (United Kingdom) – Prosthetic Records
Dresden - Profane Existence Records
Drive-By Bukkake (USA)
Dying Messiah (USA)
Elitist (USA) - Season of Mist Records
Endstille (Germany) - Season of Mist Records
Eternal Gray (Israel) - Season of Mist Records
Eternal Helcaraxe (Ireland) – Abyss Records
Executioner (USA) – Patac Records
Eye Of Solitude (United Kingdom) – Kaotoxin Records
Fast Death (USA) – Patac Records
Fester (Norway) – Abyss Records
Fetus Stench (Sweden) – Abyss Records
Fistula (USA) – Patac Records
F.U.C.T. (USA) – Abyss Records
Generation Kill (USA) - Season of Mist Records
Greed and Rapacity (Australia)
The Greenery (USA) – Prosthetic Records
Gronibard (France) – Kaotoxin Records
Hak-Ed Damm (Canada)
Hammer of Gore (Germany)
Head Takers (France)
Hinsides (Norway) – Abyss Records
Hordes of Nebulah (USA) – Abyss Records
Horseback – (USA) – Relapse Records
Hour Of Penance (USA) -Prosthetic Records
Hysteria (France) – Trendkill Recordings
In Case Of Carnage (Italy)
In Defense - Profane Existence Records
Infected Society (France) – Kaotoxin Records
Inferion (USA)
Infinitum (Australia)
Insain (France) – Kaotoxin Records
Insult (USA) – Patac Records
Inverloch (Australia) – Relapse Records
Isolation In Infamy (USA)
Ite Missa Est (France) – Trendkill Recordings
James Doesn’t Exist (USA)
Jenkem (USA)
Kontrasekt - Profane Existence Records
Korotory (USA)
Kruds (USA) – Patac Records
Ladder Devils (USA) – Brutal Panda Records
Lago (USA) – Torn Flesh Records
Last Chance to Reason (USA) – Prosthetic Records
Led To The Grave (USA)
Leng Tch’e (Belgium) - Season of Mist Records
Liberteer (USA) – Relapse Records
Lich King (USA)
Los Bungalitos (USA)
Macerated (USA)
Minushuman (France) – Season of Mist Records
Misanthropic Existence (United Kingdom)
Mouth Of The Serpent (USA) – Swimming with Sharks Records
Murder Construct (USA) – Relapse Records
Mutilation Rites (USA) - Prosthetic Records
Nachzehrer (USA)
Naegleria (USA)
Necris (USA)
Necronomichrist (USA)
Necrophagia (USA) - Season of Mist Records
Necrotic Priapism (USA)
Nervecell (United Arab Emirates) – Spellbind Records
Nesseria (France) – Trendkill Recordings
Nightbringer (USA) - Season of Mist Records
NightCreepers (France)
Noctis Imperium (Venezuela) - Abyss Records
Nothnegal (Maldives) - Season of Mist Records
No Tomorrow - Profane Existence Records
Oede (Norway) - Holy Terror Records
Of Legends (USA) - Season of Mist Records
Oiltanker - Profane Existence Records
Order of the Owl (USA)
Orwell (USA)
Otargos (France) - Season of Mist Records
PanzerBastard (USA) – Patac Records
Parasitic Ejaculation (USA)
Ponx Attax - Profane Existence Records
Psycho (USA) – Patac Records
Radiation Sickness (USA) - Abyss Records
Rampant Decay (USA) – Patac Records
Rawhide (USA) – Patac Records
Resist - Profane Existence Records
Revilers (USA) – Patac Records
Roargh (USA)
Royal Thunder (USA) – Relapse Records
Rozamov (USA)
Scalpel (USA)
Scourge (USA)
Severe Torture (Holland) - Season of Mist Records
She Was Dead When I Got There (USA)
The Sign of the Southern Cross (USA) - Season of Mist Records
Sincera (Norway) - Abyss Records
Skull Incision (USA)
Sonic Pulse (USA)
Southwicked (USA) - Abyss Records
State of Fear - Profane Existence Records
Strong Intention (USA) – Patac Records
Tanen (France) - Trendkill Recordings
Terrorizer (USA) - Season of Mist Records
Theatre Nocturne (USA)
Thousand Year War (USA) - Abyss Records
Thy Catafalque (Hungary) - Season of Mist Records
Torture Division (Sweden) - Abyss Records
Tsjuder (Norway) - Season of Mist Records
Unsu (France) – Kaotoxin Records
Vaginal Penetration Of An Amelus With A Musty Carrot (Austria) – Kaotoxin Records
Vale Of Pnath (USA) – Willowtip Records
Varix - Profane Existence Records
Vermapyre (Belgium) – Holy Terror Records
The Vile Impurity (USA) – Swimming with Sharks Records
Waking Chaos (USA)
WAN (Sweden) – Abyss Records
Warcollapse - Profane Existence Records
Wartorn - Profane Existence Records
War Plague - Profane Existence Records
Western Massacre (USA)
Wet The Steel (USA)
White Arms of Athena (USA) - Prosthetic Records
Whores (USA) – Brutal Panda Records
Writhing (USA)
Xatatax (USA)
Zombie Fighter (USA)

http://nefariousrealm.com/

"The Endtime Prophecy" MORTALICUM

A few months ago, when they'd been announced for the next Malta Doom Metal Fest, I discovered this swedish band through their promising debut album "Progress of Doom"; a sound - rich, heavy and melodic - that would totally fit to the tasty line-up composed by Albert Bell and his buddies...

With this new album "the Endtime Prophecy", which came out just one month ago on Metal on Metal rds, MORTALICUM doesn't only confirm but reveal themselves as a real force to count on, this is an album that place them among CANDLEMASS, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS and GRAND MAGUS in the tradition of the great swedish heavy melodic bands !!!

While the tempo remains mid-paced, the overall sounds more melodic and groovy in the 70's heavy rock vein but the  songs are not really longer (around 4 minutes), generally keeping a straight and heavy tone that is  more particular to the early 80's Heavy Metal.

The doomy elements are numerous musically, MORTALICUM is as crushing as many other actual Doom bands, but the tone is different, most are rawer, with a more sinister approach especially in the vocals. On this point, MORTALICUM has really a distinctive force in the name of Henrik Hogl, a true Metal voice, dramatic, melodic, of natural distinction; maybe to the taste of Traditional preachers they could affect sometimes the Doom edge of the band but in my opinion this is not a problem at all to feel it before all : METAL \m/

I love DOOM when it's mesmerizing, gloomy, blackened,  but when it's constantly melodic with Metal singing (but no high pitched screams here...) and soloing, a slight dramatic and/or epic tone,  that's fucking good too !

The average  length of the songs maintain the interest constant, it's sometimes heady but not too repetitive and when  there's a certain emphasis on warm and groovy solos, showing a certain affection for Blackmoorian vibes, this never supplant the rest of the song and goes in personal demonstration; collectively this is beautiful and melodic but also a very homogeneous affair and I'm convinced that on stage this band can blow away many crowds.

I would just reproach the fact to have placed, successively, "Ballad of a Sorrowful Man" and  "Embracing our Doom", the two longest songs with the quieter moments (the first especially) then followed by "the End", a kind of soulful outro, nicely emotion-filled that close this killer album... All these 3 songs are great independantly but this ends the album with about 20 quieter minutes where the first 30 are so intense and hot as hell, but no problem this simply needs the use of my remote control !!!

I just hope  that MORTALICUM will gain more attention now; this is a brilliant new album, released on  an excellent dedicated label but unfortunately that doesn't mean assuredly success; YOUR support, some more gigs and  a bit of luck should help though...

www.metal-on-metal.com
https://www.facebook.com/mortalicum

https://www.facebook.com/MetalOnMetalRecords

True Metal never rusts... an Interview with the classy DOGBANE

I presented you this band from North Carolina last month through a review of their 1st album "Residual Alcatraz"  (here)... I must admit that this is not a scene that I follow very closely when it comes to the new wave of traditionnal HM, but one thing I know is that DOGBANE is assuredly one of the best newcomers of this scene and those guys have composed here a classy debut of true HEAVY METAL.  DOGBANE  make proof of  a total dedication to the codes of the genre, I would say that this is deeply rooted in the period 1978-88, with a totally faultless level of execution... Sometimes epic, sometimes doomy, sometimes both (the excellent "burning in the light"), always heavy and melodic, DOGBANE should speak easily to fans of  JUDAS PRIEST and CANDLEMASS and generally to those who enjoy true HEAVY METAL, massive, with amazing solos and melodic vocals... It's not so easy to catch people's attention with all those (extreme) bands flourishing everyday from everywhere, 30 years after HM is for long years now a genre among others, not the sexiest, the noiseist or the dirtiest, but it's still one of the most authentic and complete musically, and believe me a band like DOGBANE proudly take part in keeping the flame alive. Listen and support \m/

Hi Mitch, thanx for accepting this interview... Well, DOGBANE is composed of 5 experimented guys but is a new name in the scene, how would you present your band to metalheads ? Would you use different words between 40 years old guys of (y)our generation and teenagers who are new into MEtal ?

You’re quite welcome Steph.  Thanks for taking a few minutes to speak with me.  When it comes to presenting Dogbane to the uninitiated, I would always prefer to let the music do the talking.  However, I guess a few traits or characteristics are in order to present us correctly.  I would say we are unaffected by trend.  Organic, in the sense of not pro-tooling anything the band does.  You will find no drum triggers, sequencing, or other kinds of fluffery associated with Dogbane.   The band has a hands-on do-it-yourself approach, with an eye towards tradition.  That is not to say we do not evolve.  Dogbane just simply believes metal is a tradition handed down by the great heavy acts of the 70’s and early 80’s.  This period, in my opinion, was the greatest and most original era of the genre.  Dogbane just simply writes and records the types of albums we grew up listening too.  We realize the band is not blazing a new trail, nor do we wish to re-invent the wheel.  The true path was already laid before we came along, Dogbane just tries to do it justice.  Our meaning and message should be obvious. As far as choosing words for the older and younger metal heads, I do not believe that is necessary.  Metal heads are usually smarter than they are given credit for.  As a youth in the 70’s and 80’s, I was first introduced to metal through Kiss, Def Leppard, and Ozzy Osbourne.  I eventually did my research and discovered Black Sabbath, UFO, and Blue Cheer.  If the current generation is worth their salt they will do the same.

You guys have been involved in HC; grind, thrash bands but now come back with a very different sound, something a lot closer to what you were listening back in the 80's when you were young metallers... was it something that came naturally when composing together or did you know precisely you wanted to form a new band that was going to play old-school HM ?
What’s your opinion on people thinking that, around 40 years old, a time arrives when nostalgia from the adolescence days  is something rather unavoidable in life in general and in music in particular ?

I would say the composition came very naturally.  All the members of the band were on the same page from day one.  Our bass player Kevin and I had tried this avenue one-time before with a project called The Rub.  A band that we wanted to showcase our roots, this did not come to fruition until Dogbane.  When you are younger you tend to do things out of rebellion.  When metal became glammed out in the late 80’s and gave way to alternative, I began playing sludge metal, and stoner rock.  Kevin was playing grind core, and punk rock.  Jerry was playing black metal, and Dave was studying doom.  We were all intentionally going in the opposite direction of what was popular.  Jeff was perhaps the only one who stayed true to his traditional metal roots by singing Maiden, and Priest in one of many cover bands.  It would certainly be true to say we knew our direction upon the formation of Dogbane.  I don’t think we were under a feeling of nostalgia when we started writing the album.  It was more of this is what we are, this is what we are comfortable with, and this is what we want, so just move forward with it.

I've read that the recording of the album took approximately 8 months due to schedules and lenght of travel ... aren't you guys all living in the same area and/or was it the studio that was far from your base ? You all have families, jobs and daily-life activities/responsabilities, I suppose that it implies a great part of the composition alone on your side ? how do you manage to rehearse and save enough time for DOGBANE ?

We all live in central North Carolina, but quite a distance from each other.  Kevin lives almost an hour drive north of me, while Jerry, Dave, and Jeff live roughly an hour and a half west of the both of us.  We are able to rehearse once a week at most.  A lot of our rehearsing gets done via e-mail by way of room recordings from the previous week (our rehearsal space is in an old house down the road from Dave and Jerry).  Our recording studio is owned and operated by our bass player Kevin, and is located at his home in Greensboro.  So, whether rehearsing or recording, some serious travel has to be done, and it is not easy.  The band has to plan around work schedules, baby sitters, and various modes of travel.  We make the time to do these things because when it comes to music we are “lifers,” and our loved ones understand this, and to them a great debt is owed.

Over the past few years, loads of bands jumped in the 70's psychedelic revival wagon, others in the 80's Speed/thrash , but DOGBANE mostly take sources in HM from the late 70's and early 80's which isn't that current... do you think that this is the most productive and influential period for METAL ? what's the reason according to you to the fact that pure HM started to decline by the end of the 80's, was it the emergence of new substyles, often more extreme ?

As I have mentioned previously and speaking strictly for myself, the late 70’s  and the early 80’s in my opinion were the most productive and influential period for metal and it’s sub-genres.  During this time we saw metal hit its stride with the NWOBHM.  We also saw some great US metal acts in the form of Trouble, Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol, and Virgin Steele.  If you also consider the birth of punk rock, black metal via Venom and the great progressive and psychedelic bands of that era, the evidence really starts piling up.  You can also see the beginnings of bay area thrash and the hardcore crossover that ran parallel with it.  I don’t think metal ever really declined in the late 80’s, it just returned to the underground.  It certainly appeared that way on the surface, but heavy metal just became unfashionable.  During the mid-90’s when metal was at arguably its lowest point, I still remember attending Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate, Trouble, Overkill, and Motorhead shows among many others.  Metal was still alive, one just had to look a little harder to find it, and that is what separates the true metal head from the false one.

Who has been the most influential bands in the hard rock/heavy metal history : BLACK SABBATH or JUDAS PRIEST or … ? 

Hands down the title goes to Black Sabbath.  If you are a guitar player, playing heavy metal, you are ripping off Tony Iommi.  Tony wrote every great metal riff period.  Just accept it.  The credit has to go with the originators.  Although, stateside, one could argue Blue Cheer or Steppenwolf were the first metal band, but Sabbath are the most influential.

Your music also includes some nice doomy elements like especially in “burning in the light” which is by far the longest song of the album… do all of you enjoy  the influences of Candlemass, Black Sabbath or Pentagram ?  You cover nicely “forever my queen” on stage, why did you choose this band and song in particular , where (maybe too obviously) one would have thought about Candlemass or B.S.first ?

Yes, doom metal is a huge influence on Dogbane.  The aforementioned bands are groups we all thoroughly enjoy and draw inspiration from.  Our Pentagram cover came from Jerry and Dave.  Their other band Rictus Grin had recorded “Forever My Queen” for an EP they released several years ago.  Dave broke into the main riff at rehearsal one Sunday, and we all jumped on it.  Since then we have played it live on a few occasions.  The song is probably the most obvious of Pentagram covers, but it is extremely enjoyable to play live.

You said recently that you were looking at the title song “residual Alcatraz” from a marketing stand point,  does it get the expected effect of being your most successful song ? I guess you would have enjoyed to release it as single ?

I don’t think we could call “Residual Alcatraz” our most successful song.  It seems whenever the band does get airplay the “powers that be” tend to play something else.  I personally do not care which Dogbane song gets attention.  I just appreciate the fact someone is putting the songs out there.  Initially we just kind of assumed that a shorter song might hold more appeal due to the fact that most of our songs tend to be lengthy.  I don’t think the term “radio cut” comes to mind on most of our songs, so I do not know if there will ever be a “single” per se.  The song was just short enough for advertising purposes, and it is the title track of the album.  It never hurts to throw the album title around repeatedly.  It takes seeing or hearing something at least three times for most people to remember it, and the song is short enough to hold the attention of our most ADD addled listeners…haha.

About gigs, having played your first just after the album release, it seems you have (before anything else) to get your name known  with opening for more established underground bands… isn’t it kind of difficult to face this considering your ages and previous experiences ?  How do people who discover your sound react to your style that is definitely not following the actual trends ?

Actually I think our previous experiences help us.  While Dogbane is new, all the members of this band have been playing clubs and recording for years.  There is not much we haven’t seen or heard in that respect.  Our band members are students of the game, and can talk shop with the best of them when it comes to metal.  Locally, people have been seeing us play for years with different acts, so around our area we tend to know a lot of people.  However, sometimes we do get a look from some younger bands that seems to imply “what are these old guys doing here,” but generally these are the same folks that walk up to us after the gig totally blown away.  It is true to say that we are judged differently because of our age, but that is to be expected.  The young’uns tend to come around after they experience us, and the older metal heads say that we instantly transport them back to a better time.  Collectively, most people young and old seem to appreciate the fact that Dogbane are working against the grain.

Your debut album is awesome, your website looks great and professional but in this overcrowded underground METAL scene, don’t you think that you would need more exposure and maybe help from a promotion agency to get your name quickly more popular ?

You are absolutely correct, and we have taken steps in that direction.  Starting in the first week of May, Dogbane began a six-week promotional campaign with Clawhammer PR out of Topeka, Kansas.  This decision has made a noticeable difference, and we still have a few weeks left to go.  As always, time will tell as to how effective this will be, but Clawhammer PR have a solid reputation and some well-known clients, so we are very optimistic.

What about your deal with Heaven and Hell , is it just for the debut album ? Is there any vynil edition planed ?  Is the album distributed only via mail or can anybody find it in shops in the US ? Is their any European licence in the works ?

Dogbane’s current deal with Heaven and Hell Records is just for our debut.  We are looking to start recording our follow-up sometime this year. The band has considered re-leasing “Residual Alcatraz” on vinyl, but that hasn’t become feasible as of yet.  A split 7-inch might be in order first to test the waters, and this possibility has been discussed.  “Residual Alcatraz” is not available through most national record stores, but here in the U.S. there are not many record stores left anyway.  Dogbane’s “Residual Alcatraz” can be found online through several outlets available both nationally and worldwide, including Heaven and Hell Records, Sounds of Purgatory Distribution, Century Media, The End Records, and the bands own personal website.  There is no European licensing in the works as of yet, but we do have several European distributors.

Do you have already some good contacts in major “metalized “ European countries like Germany, England or Sweden, even eventually Japan,  where I think your style could be particularly enjoyed ?

We do have several distributors in Europe and Asia.  Dogbane, are available through No Remorse in Greece, Underground Power in Germany, Record Heaven in Sweden, and Rock Stakk in Japan. 

Are you already working on new songs ? Can we expect a particular evolution or will it stay in the same vein ?  I guess you certainly plan to release a sophomore album rather quickly ? !

Yes, like I mentioned earlier we want to start recording our follow-up by the end of the year, so our writing process has already begun.  I’m sure there will be an evolution of sorts, but I don’t expect we will throw our audience a curve ball.  This band has a pretty good handle on how we want Dogbane to sound.  It may be more correct to say that Dogbane just intends to continue honing its craft.  The band will certainly stay true to what it does best.  You can take that to the bank.

Thanx a lot Mitch, what can we wish you for the next following months ? Please, for your new fans, give all the necessary infos about your merchandising…

Our plans for now consist of playing regionally in support of “Residual Alcatraz” while we beat the bushes in hopes of landing on a small tour to help spread the word.  There will be an upcoming video shoot for our song “Devil in the Dark,” and we will continue to work on our second release.  For any and all information on Dogbane, please visit our website at www.dogbaneband.com .  Additional information and a free Heaven and Hell Records 2012 music sampler can also be found at our label’s website at www.heavenandhellrecords.com.  Thanks Steph for taking the time to speak with me, and the best of luck to you and all at Temple of Perdition.

https://www.facebook.com/Dogbane

such a gem already buried ? life sux ! a little tchat with DRONE THRONE

Freshly revealed to my ears, thanx to Garrett (guit/voc), this quatuor from Arizona really deserves your interest if you like it extremely heavy, weedy and crusty... but not only ;)

Basically Stoner on their first effort "demo 2008", the band, after some line-up changes, evoluted towards something more crude and filthy with their split album shared with TOAD and then even further last year with their excellent "Everybody Dies Alone"...

The Sleepian type of  riffage is still present but the coming of a new rythmic section and the addition of a 2nd vocalist have helped to create something thicker, more diversified, from Stoner to crusty Black Metal not forgetting raw doomed punk;  all in all far more original while still being very homogeneous. 

I'm really stoked by their sound, heady and dirty, regularly nicely melodic; one song can deliver some top notch Sleep/Electric Wizard vibes , then another turn into some Darkthronish blackened crusty moods and finally end on a  melodic and sharp metallized soloing. There's 12 songs here but hundreds ideas, killer breaks, winks (especially an oustanding one to Al Cisneros in "fatal rips..."), it turns out to be a kind of magical cauldron in perpetual fusion !

What is rather exceptionnal is the way things are blended, nested into each other, it is very tightly composed and played, far more rich than a bunch of other more recognized bands... The viciousness and violence tones are enhanced by both vocals styles, mostly sludgy and punkish but evilized too ("fatal rips from the north" or "stone dome", just enough, no norwegian clowning); listen the live video beside to make your opinion, the performance on this particular point is brillantly crushing !!!

And now ... what else ? what's next on the programm for DRONE THRONE ? Will the band remain unpredictable ??? Yes !!! but sadly far more than what could be expected, as the band broke up since then :(

A very bad news for sure, but that shoudln't prevent you at all to check out their awesome sound and considering the guys are pretty young, they still have lots of time to reform someday and even if not, I'm sure some of them will shortly start another cool project that will finally find a more golden destiny !!!

Enthusiast like someone who discovers a great hidden gem (I didn't knew at all they splited up), I asked a few questions to Garrett who kindly answered and delivered here in fact a kind of short summary of their too brief history...

 Garrett, your style is pretty original, from Stoner to crusty doomed punk... How did your sound evolve from the 2008 demo who is mainly Stoner to the 2010 "everybody dies alone" which is generally filthier with shorter songs, more Crust/punk elements and even a bit of Blackened riffage à la Darkthrone or 80’s metal/thrash riffs ?

Yes, our 2008 demo and "Everybody Dies Alone" are very different but between these two albums we went through a few lineup changes and aside from the changes in members, I also did not want every album we put out to sound exaactly the same. I really love our 2008 demo, but I suppose I wanted our full length to be a bit more aggressive in nature. You see, I have been in punk and hardcore bands for many years and I suppose my heart is really with fast/aggressive music. I also do vocals for a local thrash/hardcore band called Prosthetics, (you can download our music for free at http://prosthetics.bandcamp.com/). Needless to say, I guess I wanted our punk/crust influences to show a little more in our music. Also, when we were recording the new material, we kept them short for the possibility of maybe finding a band that wanted to doa split 7". We figured we should have a few short songs in case we can get a 7" out.

Drone Throne is comprised of other Arizona bands such as: Prosthetics, Sihr, Hell Prayer, Contact Yourself, and TOAD.

How can we find all your material and on which formats are they respectively available ?

You can find our music on all different types of format. You can get a hold of our demo on cassette/cd, you can find our split with TOAD on vinyl, and you can get Everybody Dies Alone on CD-R. For anybody who is trying to get a physical copy of our music you can do so by contacting Boue Records in France. Seba at Boue records does a lot of distributing for us and also put out our split with TOAD.

Why do you consider "everybody dies alone" as “your 3rd album but only 1st full length”...?

I guess one reason we consider Everybody Dies Alone our 3rd album is because our demo was actually released as an actual album on Boue records and is considered as less of a demo and more of an album for Drone Throne. Shortly after putting out Everybody Dies Alone last summer, we went on a U.S. tour and played with a few acts such as Eagle Twin, Landmine Marathon, Haarp, Aseethe, Humilitate and others. We played a final show when we got home and broke up. I hope the fact that Drone Throne is now broken up will not make you to no longer want to review Drone Throne. 

What about past and future gigs ? Is your audience comprised of different styles of people stonerheads, punks, sludge ?

Drone Throne played many different types of shows. I suppose that is also a reason that our music developed into a more punk/black metal/ crust band toward the end. I wanted our music to be universal and since I have been involved in the punk scene for many years, I have more experience with booking punk shows and more contacts in the U.S. that book punk. Drone Throne played some very doomy shows while at the same time playing some d-beat, crust, or hardcore shows. Drone Throne played with such bands as Nerveskade, Black Skies, Black Tusk, Dark Castle, Zoroaster, Deviated Instinct, Cough, Red Fang, Atriarch, Hell Bastard, and many many more. I feel that our collection of styles made it possible for us to play so many diverse shows. 

How do you guys share the vocals ? 

Much of our shared vocals is due to the fact that all the members in Drone Throne has been a vocalist in another band at some point. Our guitarist Alex and our bassist Andy are both in TOAD and do vocals in that band and our drummer Taylor is a vocalist in the local screamo band Contact Yourself (Rip), so I guess it was just natural to have us all do vocals on the recording. We try to also keep that way during live shows.

Here is a video from our tour of us playing with Haarp in New Orleans:

Thanx Garrett !

If anyone wants to get a hold of a physical form of our music, please contact Boue records. Or you can contact TOAD to get a copy of the Drone Throne/TOAD split. otherwise, just download all of our music at our bandcamp.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Drone-Throne/114187578611857
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Boue-Records/195388500502888

 

Music industry on the operating table: An interview with Kez Whelan (M3 Event)

What is the most effective method of music distribution? How important are live performances to musicians? Has the digital era killed the record stores and has experiencing an album from start to finish lost its significance? Which is the best music format? Are today’s copyright laws adequate and can file-sharing be stopped without imposing the draconian restrictions on Internet content that ACTA/ SOPA/ PIPA suggest? M3 Event, a music conference that will take place on May 31st in Maastricht, will try to reach some possible solutions. One would expect these and other important for the music industry questions to be discussed by important music industry people but no, the conference is organized by a group of students from the Maastricht University. This is the first part of an interview with one of these forward-thinking young people; probably we’ll have the second part after the conference……

Could you introduce yourself and the rest of the people who stay behind M3?

I’m Kez, I grew up in rural England listening to Saint Vitus in the woods with my fellow hessians before moving to the city to develop my tinnitus even further. I recently travelled over to Maastricht (the Netherlands) to study, and met the rest of the M3 team within the past year. We’re all from very different backgrounds, with the others coming from Bulgaria, America, Germany and China. We bonded over a love of different styles of music and late night arguments about file sharing.

How did you come up with the idea for the conference?

Well, after we found ourselves constantly returning to these subjects, like whether illegal downloading is fair or not, whether the record store still has any relevance, whether the abundance of free music out there now has devalued its artistic qualities (and so forth), but never coming up with any answers, we decided to do something about it. M3 is what we came up with, a conference in which we gather together individuals who are currently being affected by these issues and ask them to duke it out, in the hope of reaching beyond the emotional hyperbole that often dominates these kinds of debates.

I suppose for me personally, I was reluctant to allow advancements in technology to dictate the role that music plays in our society. I mean, artists reduced to wandering minstrels, desperately trying to catch people’s attentions to put a penny in their hat so they can pay the bills, whilst huge organisations like Apple and tobacco companies continue to enjoy their champagne and caviar lunches aboard yachts so large they have a swimming pool in which you can comfortably sail another smaller yacht? Something about this scenario seems amiss to me. Of course, some will argue that it’s always been like this, but if we really are on the verge of a technological revolution, don’t you think it’s time we rethought this whole sordid business so as to maintain maximum respect for music as an art form?

You have no idea how much I agree with this…. What results do you expect? And do you think what you do will have any impact?

One of the things I’ve learnt through all of this so far is that my expectations are often not completely reliable! I initially came to the project with the overly optimistic and naïve view that we could sort out all of the problems musicians are currently facing, but of course nothing is ever black and white, and many of these problems run much deeper than the musical sphere alone. All these break-throughs in technology seem to be revealing cracks in concepts we had previously taken for granted, so what I hope to gain from the conference is a clearer understanding of where we can go from here. Time will tell if we’re able to have an impact on the bigger picture, but hopefully we’ll be able to sow the seeds of change, even if we can’t revolutionise music distribution overnight.

You’re not collecting fees for participation in the conference. Is everything on voluntary principles and do you get any help, financial or whatever, from the city municipality (one of the M’s in M3 means Maastricht, right?), from media, etc.?

Well, the university has been very helpful, as have a local student based company called Jules & You. We applied for funds from a local organisation called Code 043, who are set up to help out projects and initiatives like this one. They’ve been invaluable really, we couldn’t have done this without them!

But yes, everything is indeed on voluntary principles, in the sense that neither the M3 team, our speakers, or any of the kind individuals who’ve agreed to help out on the big day are making any kind of a profit from this at all. Covering the travel and lodging costs for all our speakers hasn’t been cheap though, so of course all this sponsor money is greatly appreciated.

What kind of attendants have already registered? How those who want to take part in the conference can do it?

It’s been pretty diverse so far, we have a healthy mix of musicians, artists, animators, label representatives and promoters, and of course a sizeable portion of intrepid students. We’re close to finalising all of our speakers too, and have been revealing one a day for the past week on our Facebook page. We’ve got an eclectic array of musicians (ranging from a trio of German house DJs called DBN, right the way through to Dutch sax-and-drum duo Dead Neanderthals and their frenzied mixture of jazz and grindcore), journalists & scholars and record label representatives, so those attending will certainly be witness to some very intriguing discussions indeed.

We’re treating M3 as a kind of public forum, so of course registration is completely free. If you’d like to get involved, all you need to do is follow this link - http://eepurl.com/kNkIT - and arrive bright and early in Maastricht with an open mind!

The doors are always open at M3, so if you would like to know more, or just generally harass me, send me a mail at kez@m3event.com

You interview artists from different music genres and on different level of establishment, experience, etc. Do you see some major differences in the ideas for the present and future of music industry if you analyze the answers of these groups: established artists (though I hate this word) – up-and-coming, signed - unsigned, label management – artists. I know that it’s not possible to generalize but do you see any main tendencies? For example, the way they react on the free files sharing.

I’m currently gathering data from all of our interviewees, but we still have them rolling in on a daily basis so this is going to be something of an on-going task I think. It’s interesting that you make this distinction, I haven’t actually looked at any differences between newcomers and the so called ‘established’ acts just yet, but that could certainly be very revealing. I have noticed that many of the younger bands have claimed that file sharing is unstoppable, and have therefore been experimenting with different ways to use it to their advantage, whilst some of the more experienced artists are reluctant to embrace any of these new ideas. Whether that’s for good reason or just due to stubbornness is completely up to the reader!

So far, 47% of our interviewees think that the idea of an album as a work of art, that should be experienced from start to finish, is being lost as the public at large are increasingly shifting over to digital mediums for their music, and a whopping 74% of those who thought this were sorry to see it go. It definitely seems that a lot of people think using a computer as your primary source for music has a detrimental effect on your listening experience, which is interesting to note. I would find myself agreeing with that idea, for me listening to music whilst gazing into a screen is nowhere near as engaging or rewarding as losing myself in a good record, but some of the others in the M3 team actually prefer the convenience and aesthetic of streaming websites, for example.

Vinyl’s been the most popular listening format, with around 40% of our interviewees citing that as their preferred way to listen to music. However, 25% of vinyl lovers also said that they felt their record collection had become impractical, and had shifted over to using digital files. I love physical formats, but I can of course sympathise with this. I’m currently listening to all my music through a hard drive, as I couldn’t feasibly bring their 1000 plus CD counterparts on the Eurotunnel with me when I came to Maastricht…

Have you tried to gather opinions from people on higher level positions in major labels? People who are generally blamed for robbing the artists and for being too conservative and unreceptive to new ideas?

I’ve tried contacting some of the majors, but they haven’t really been that responsive on the whole. Some have replied saying they’re simply not interested, but the majority have not got back in touch at all. Make of that what you will, but I have a feeling many of my mails are getting lost in the bureaucratic labyrinths that these organisations enshroud themselves in. An email sent to a punk band’s Hotmail account, for example, is usually answered within a matter of days, or sometimes even hours, whilst often with major labels, after going through contact forms, agents, PR guys, and the team of trained chimps that I imagine sort through all their spam mail, you’ll be lucky to hear back from them that month, if at all. Personally, I see this as one of the benefits of cutting out the middle-man.

I did actually try and contact Lars Ulrich a few months back, but I’m not holding my breath for a response on that one…

He probably has a few of these middle-men to check his mails. And the other way around – did such people try to contact you, to share opinion or to express interest to take part in the discussions?

We’ve had some awesome responses from musicians from all over the world, which has allowed me to find some really cool projects that I may never have stumbled across otherwise, but generally everyone who has reached out to us operates on a smaller scale, or a DIY basis. I’m sure the majors are incredibly busy, but if any of you are reading this, ask yourself this: “Is the fact that a team of hapless students have assembled leading figures from across Europe to examine the flaws in the music industry a sign that we need to rethink our strategy?” If you find the answer to that question is yes, then I would love to hear from you.

In your opinion, what are the main trends that the music industry will follow in the next lets say ten years?

It currently seems like a lot of bands are making their albums available for free digitally and then charging for the physical product, but I don’t know how sustainable that is in the long run. I’m digging it right now though, as it means I’ve been able to listen to so many new albums on a daily basis, and then grab a CD if any of those bands really inspire me. I’m aware of the fact that I’m in the minority here however, as many kids today grew up with the idea of paying for music seeming absurd, and just continue to fill their hard drives to bursting point without paying a penny. In one sense, that’s really nice that some of this generation are not equating music with money, but on the other hand, money rears its ugly head in so many circumstances, and this is no exception. In a world where cash unfortunately rules over many of us with an iron fist, it doesn’t seem to fair to rob musicians of their livelihood simply because we believe music should be free. Of course it should be, but if we want it to be we’re going to have to look at many other things that should also be free, like food and shelter for a start, and then work from there.

To return to your original question though, I honestly have no idea. It’s anyone’s game at this stage, there are some ingenious ideas being thrown around, and some exceptionally short-sighted ones, so it’ll be very interesting to see how things progress...

And something a bit out of the topic – you’re a Black Sabbath fan, what is your opinion on all the things happening around the so called “reunion”? Did business kill the music, in the Black Sabbath case and as a whole?

Oh man, where do I begin? I was initially going to boycott the Birmingham and Download shows, out of respect for Bill Ward (or at least, told myself that that’s what I was going to do to make the fact that Tony, Geezer and Ozzy were playing again and I couldn’t afford to go see them slightly less painful), but after following all the recent drama quite obsessively, I just don’t know what to think anymore. And to make matters worse, the set list for that Birmingham show was insanely good. I mean, really - opening with Into The Void and then going straight into Under The Sun before dropping Snowblind? And they played Wheels of Confusion! Argh! That’s the stuff dreams are made of, but without Ward on the kit the whole thing feels kinda hollow… I don’t buy for a second that Ward can’t still batter those skins, if that had ever been an issue surely that would have been dealt with before the first big announcement? People tell me I’m being sentimental, or, even worse, that it’s “only the drummer” – only the drummer? Bill Ward represents an entire quarter of what makes Black Sabbath the greatest band in the world! Sure, there are plenty of bands out there that can shift their tub thumper without too much of a problem, but for some bands it just feels wrong. Can you imagine Zeppelin without John Bonham? Autopsy without Chris Reifert? Darkthrone without Fenriz?! I didn’t think so…

So, in all honesty I’ve just found this whole debacle profoundly depressing. I imagine all my fellow Sabbath fanatics worldwide are probably feeling pretty much the same as I am right now – like a confused, heartbroken child whose parents are currently entangled in an extremely painful and messy divorce. Taking sides at this point feels impossible, and it’s pretty sickening to think that, once again, money has turned something that should have been beautiful into a wearying shit storm where nobody really wins.

This live filming from 1978 concert tour in support of their album features one of the last performances with the original classic line-up of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward)

Even though the business aspect may have ruined this reunion, I don’t think the business will ever kill the music, especially not in Sabbath’s case. Those tunes are just too damn powerful! I firmly believe that every one of those first 8 albums is a timeless classic (yes, even Technical Ecstasy. I know I may be alone in this, but come on – can any of you who disagree seriously look me in the eyes and tell me with a straight face that Dirty Women is not one righteous jam?), and no amount of petty drama and squabbling will ever tarnish the impact those records have had on my life, and the countless other Sabbath fans out there. Four friends from Birmingham working dead-end jobs rose up and embarked on an epic voyage that changed the face of music forever, and even if they may have forgotten that, we never will. As Butler, Iommi, Osbourne and Ward themselves told the world in ’78, Never Say Die…

http://www.m3event.com/
http://m3event.wordpress.com/
http://www.facebook.com/M3Event


***by Vania***

Soggy Bog 77 NEW Grand Magus, Coffinworm, Old Man Gloom, Bastard of the Skies...

Another killer episode of THE SOGGY BOG freshly puted on line : enjoy about 3 hours of Doomed stuff with lots of great tunes !!!

This show is dedicated to the United States Armed Forces. Happy Memorial Day! (and personally I would add the freshly tattoed fingers of Mikael Olofsson !!!!)  \m/







Black Sabbath-Never Say Die
Saturna-The Kingdom of Spirit
Witchcraft-Hey Doctor
Moonless-Horn of the Ram (misspoke during the show)
High on Fire-Warhorn
Cough-288 Years of Sin
The Hidden Hand-The Ressurection of the Whiskey Foote
Bastard of the Skies-Willalee Bookatee ***
Horseback-Ahriman ***
Noothgrush-Sith
Beastmilk-Children of the Atombomb
Black Moth-Chicken Shit
Cathedral-Cojuration of Sorcerers
Old Man Gloom-Regain/Rejoin ***
Black Ships-When all else fails
Fister-Violenc II The An Luschen Rebellion
Nebula-Crown of Thorns
Royal Thunder-No Good
Truckfighters-Slacken
The Gates of Slumber-Ice Worm's Lair
Hour of 13-Naked Star
Church of Misery-War is our Destiny (Saint Vitus cover)
Red Fang-Whales and Leeches
Torche-Reverse Inverted
The Fucking Wrath-Altar of Lies
Huata (song intro recently made for Soggy Bog)
Huata-Lords of the Flame
Saint Vitus-The Bleeding Ground
Wizards of Firetop Mountain-Sonic War
Grand Magus-Starlight Slaughter ***
Grand Magus-Sword of the Ocean ***
Lord 13-The Warning
Pentagram-Run my Course
Wolf People-Tiny Circles
Electric Wizard-Dunwich
Earthen Grave-Burning a Sinner (Witchfinder General Cover)
Marulk-Hey Sister
Coffinworm-Strip Naked for your Killer ***
Hank Williams III-Gone but not Forgotten




*** NEW TUNES!

"Eyes Down South" by BURWEED

Behind this strange cover, we've got here "Eyes Down South", the recent new ep from BURWEED out from Karhula (Finland).

The trio evolutes in different spheres from what we're most often used to listen from this country which is still one of the most productive for all  extreme Metal forms, particularly Death and Doom metal...

 Musically Burweed dives in  murky waters bringing atmosphere, darkness, violence and ocean-sized melodies to their brand of Post Metal/HC. 

BURWEED likes to play with moods and contrasts, between obscurity and luminosity, they find nicely their way. 

Both first songs are rather short for the style, maybe even too short, like they were older than what follows and (still ?) a bit too Metal, "less to come" especially... but don't get me wrong, (I know it's pretty surprising from my part to almost reproach that a song sounds too Metal!), this is great but things are not pushed enough far, while both other songs do it, being more achieved and original to my ears

In fact song 1 and 2 kinda put the basis of the highlight "Fever" and the excellent "Eyes Down South", then what is particularly nice is that you quickly forget if the song you're listening to  is basically straight and heavy or just full of melancholy and airy melodies. This is trippy and refined, and I like this! Perfectly adapted to the different moods evolution , the vocals also alternate from raw and aggressive to clean, melodic and sometimes introspective like.

This gives finally a pretty rich 20 minutes-long ep that let expect a killer debut album, keep on guys !

burweed.wordpress.com 

facebook.com/burweed 

new French label COLD DARK MATTER announce their 1st release !!!

Cold Dark Matter is a new french record label specialized in Ambient, industrial, doom/black/drone and chaotic music. The label was created to edit the music of dark artists with more freedom and more importantly, no compromise. For these reasons, Cold Dark Matter Records will produce small quantities and limited editions destined for a selected group enjoying the sound experiments…

First release : « Quantum of abstract physics »

The split cd « Quantum of abstract physics » is the result of artistic collaboration between Immemorial and Leben Ohne Licht kollektive. The two French entities have successfully combined their visions of ambient music inside « Quantum of abstract physics« . So many influences collide to listen to the cd, the pure ritual dark ambient through the world of terrifying doom/drone music.


Leben Ohne Licht Kollektiv :
Created by I.L (Reverence / Osculum Infame), Leben Ohne Licht Kollektiv project was once called Mord.
The first realease, intituled « SelbstmordInjektion », was under this name in 2005.
The second opus of Leben Ohne Licht Kollektiv is called « No Links With… » and is produced by the french underground label FrozenWing Records during the year of 2009.
In 2012, a split vinyl with Leben Ohne Licht Kollektiv/Ordo Blasphemus/Lylium will be released by Negra Nit Distro.


Immemorial :
Immemorial features some members from bands like HKY, Eibon, Comity and Arms Of Ra. Initially formed in 2006 by D. (composer of all astral radiation, keyboards and sounds of dark matter), this collective have actively supported the development of « The Downfall Of Astral Radiance ».
Described by the band as « Total Terror Funeral Drone », Immemorial joined the lands of dark ambient, funeral doom/drone, black metal and the atmosphere of sci-fi-thriller movie…
« The Downfall of Astral Radiance » aims to bring the listenner into space where a claustrophobic environment of pure darkness and terror prevails…

« Quantum of abstract physics » is produced by three French underground labels :


- Frozen Wing Records
- Le Crépuscule du Soir productions
- Cold Dark Matter Records

The amazing artwork was created by Dehnsora !!!

"Dark Desert Tales" RISE OF THE WILLING

RISE OF THE WILLING are a highly recommendable trio that released their debut "Dark Desert Tales" a few months ago; this 50 minutes long affaire quickly reveals several good points that really make them standing out from the masses.

Enhanced by the thick production of desert pioneer Scott Reader, their sound is immensely heavy and adrenalized as fuck with fuzzed-out guitar, powerful drums and rumbling bass...

If there's to think about desert here, it's not only as usual for its sexiest aspects but more for the most rough and painful... Lots of feelings here,  the music often reflecting perfectly some angry and critical lyrics dealing about  lies of the american government, the stupidity of war(s) and its induced mental allienation, plus other interesting subjects...

The style of the band generally stands between Sludge and Doomy Stoner envelopped with a METAL massiveness; this could sometimes remind a band like Crowbar, but the guys also cite The Melvins, Red Fang, Kyuss, Yob, St Vitus or Prong among their influences.

I think that the song "Disobey" represents awesomely this album, full of sheer heaviness and subtle emotions with a second part that is totally shaterring : there's a catchy tension here,  the tone is crushing, beautiful and menacing, dramatical to a point that has been rarely reached in the genre !!!

Sure there's no real innovations musically, but such mature and skilled musicianship combined with very striking atmospheres make all those 7 songs a worthy time and prove that RISE OF THE WILLING is a name to count on for the future.

Visit now their website which will allow you to listen a couple of other songs and get all necessary infos on this great band...

http://www.riseofthewilling.com/
https://www.facebook.com/riseofthewilling